TransAm Day #56 Baker City, OR

TransAm Day #56

July 22, 2018

Baker City, OR - Prairie City, OR

70 Miles

Ride Time 5:56 Hours

Tour Total Miles 3997

details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180722-0650-65553

I woke to the terrifying sound of sprinklers in Warm Showers host Gayle’s backyard. My tent was pitched right up against the fence with her neighbor, and I definitely heard water spraying on the other side. I crawled out of my tent and noticed that Lauren and Allie were already gone. Walker was busy packing.

Walker and I had coffee with Gayle while Scott and Eileen slept in. I played fetch with Ruby, aiming for Eileen’s tent with the rubber ball. My stuff sack for my silk sleeping bag liner has ripped open. One more tour casualty. I put air in my tires this morning. They both really needed it. Maintenance is an effort and I am tired when I reach my destinations. Yesterday was brutal. Lauren and Walker had broken it down into two days.

I went for breakfast at the Historic Geiser Hotel, built during the 1889 gold rush boom. It featured the second elevator built west of the Mississippi, and the largest stained glass ceiling in the Pacific Northwest. Baker city is a nice town filled with beautiful interesting buildings. I regret that I was so tired and couldn’t do more exploring. Last evening I had gone straight to the brewpub. It might not have been the best option but it was the closest, fastest place I could get a beer. I ate several appetizers while editing photos and working on my blog. Scott and Eileen showed up to help me finish the nachos.

At Gail’s I showered and Eileen did my laundry. I sat out on the back porch and worked on my blog. It was cold out, and I donned several layers of clothing. I don’t remember going to bed last night. I was exhausted. Last night and this morning I could hear trains in the distance, which I took as a good sign. The grades in Idaho are too steep for railroads. Hopefully I’m getting closer to civilization. There was tons of condensation inside my tent fly this morning, as well as on the grass. It’s interesting how much humidity changes from one place to another.

Baker City had bike lanes and seemed progressive, but this area is very different from Oregon west coast that I visited thirty years ago. I’m now on ACA TransAm map number two. I started the tour in Virginia on map number twelve.

All the cyclists from Gail’s were going to Prairie City today. As soon as I left town I once again found myself in an empty desert. I continued to see pieces of bark along the shoulder. I didn't seen any logging trucks, perhaps because it was the weekend. I left Baker City south on State Highway 7, and continued to follow the Powder River. The stream is only thirty feet wide, and more narrow than the highway. It’s about three feet deep with a rapid dark brown current and no white water.

Eighteen miles out of Baker City I found myself back up in the hills. I was welcomed with evergreen trees. At Wallowa-Whitman National Forest the Powder River was dammed to create Phillips Lake. I stopped to tag a sign that has already been hit by #DudeRobot. I heard branches crackling in the woods caused by either a large animal or person. I was in the middle of nowhere and found it startling. I was curious and a little concerned. I begin to notice cows walking through the pine trees. It was so strange to see cows in the forest, after passing thousands of them in empty fields across the country. The sign I was tagged was a warning for cows in the road.

I went up the Sumter pass and bid the Powder River adieu. On the other side of the pass there were evergreen trees as far as I could see. I noticed patches of grass, but mainly pine trees. The trees smelled so good and are certainly more delightful to cycle through then yesterday’s empty scrub. I kept passing all these ‘Journey through time Oregon scenic byway’ road signs. It’s a geologically interesting area. There were once massive volcanic eruptions here.

I had the rare occurrence of phone service, so I called my mom as I do every Sunday at 1pm EST. She thinks it’s great that I’m doing this trip, and claims that she’s reading my blog. I don’t think she really reads it though. I intentionally write long posts. I want my journal to be as difficult to read as the trip was for me to pedal. I realize that very few have the stamina for either.

I was overjoyed to have trees again. They bring shade and keep things cool. Trees calm me and make me happy. I noticed puffy lime green moss growing on the lower limbs.

It was a three hill day for a total daily ascent of 5223’. One down and two to go. Lunch was after the second hill and my day’s destination followed the third. I saw a large deer run across the road right in front of me. It gracefully jumped over both fences to either side of the road. Climbing the second hill I could see that the forest had been thinned. There were cut stumps amongst the grass and I didn’t notice see any fallen trunks. I reckon it’s been selectively logged. There are aspen trees here, and their leaves seem larger than those I saw in Colorado.

At Tipton summit there was a sign about the railroad that was once ran through here for logging. This area gets a lot of snow in the winter and it was a challenge to keep the tracks clear. I caught up with Lauren on the second pass. On the downhill side there were trees as far as my eyes could see. I averaged twenty-five miles an hour down the pass.

I caught up to Walker in Austin. I stopped at the Austin House for a buffalo burger and a huckleberry milkshake. I sat near the air conditioner which I quickly got used to. It was scorching outside when I departed. I caught back up to Lauren again on the third climb, Dixie Pass. She’s an ornithologist from Maryland, and will be doing research this fall in Nova Scotia.

Coming down into Prairie City I could see an enormous valley in the distance, filled with golden grass. I was entering the John Day River Territory. There was snow on the mountain range in the distance.

I want to complement the Oregon DOT for a fine job keeping Highway 28 well groomed. All the rockslide areas are clear of debris and the gravel to the side of the road has been raked. They do an excellent job of road maintenance.

In Prairie City I went to the Oxbow for beer and pizza, where Scott and Eileen finally met me. We were invited to Warm Showers Host Jimi’s beautiful house, where we found Lauren and Walker. All of us sat out on Jimi’s deck and watched a spectacular sunset while sharing stories.