Day 15, Baker City to Richland, OR

Miles – 40

Ave Riding Speed – 3-26 mph

Hours Start to Finish – 4.25

Weather – Partly Sunny 70

With the late day yesterday, we didn’t get up until 8:15am. We headed straight to the Baker City Super 8 hotel lobby for coffee and anything they were serving for breakfast. Todays offering was a “sack lunch” breakfast, and we were happy to get it! An apple, microwave sausage & egg sandwich and apple juice. Along the route so far, we’ve seen a variation of what used to be a typical continental breakfast due to the Covid-19 restriction. Along with a hot cup of coffee, this breakfast tasted great!

We were pretty slow moving knowing that we were planning for a lighter 40-mile day. I was too tired to recharge our bike lights last night so I got that regiment moving. After all was said and done, we pulled out of the hotel to visit the market across the street for some electrolyte tablets for our water bottles and a couple of snacks to go along with our PBnJ sandwiches and chips. The clock was striking noon when we finally hit the road to Richland, OR, 40-miles east on Hwy 86.

Due to the fact that we arrived in Baker City at dusk/dark last night we really didn’t have a feel for the lay of the land. A couple miles out of Baker City we started to climb along side the bluffs and soon realized that Baker City was situated in a vast wide open hilltop canyon prairie with many farms and ranches within our few. It was spectacular for miles and miles.

Our legs were not really with us today and Kim was noticeably overtired. During one climb we were pulling over for a quick rest and a little walk, and her foot didn’t exit her pedal stirrup and down she went. There was some yelling, a few tears and some curse words I won’t repeat, and something about throwing her bike off the cliff. At that point I mentioned, “but look at those views.” It didn’t seem to help, but we continued on.

The topography was quite amazing and always changing for 40-miles of the day. Gone were the massive pines we saw so much of west of the McKenzie pass and now we were in the rolling bluffs of the mountains, beginning with the Sage brush covered slopes. Then the road started following the Powder River in and out of sloping canyons and switchback turns. Traffic was fairly lite on the no-shoulder highway as we meandered at a steady 14mph. Half way through the canyons we pulled over for a snack, a potty break and a team mental adjustment.

As we pulled into Richland, we stopped at the Hitching Post Grocery to check in to our motel, that was across the street. There under the awning and in the shade, we met two guys racing the TransAmerica to Virginia. Both of them said we’re doing it the right way and the route is meant to be enjoyed. They suggested what they were doing was crazy. It must be some competitive gene in them that needed to be fulfilled. Soon a married couple pulled in with there bicycles and they were fully loaded with gear, like us. The did the route some years ago and are celebrating their anniversary by doing it again. The merchant inside the store asked about our story and said they are used to seeing many foreigners, but due to the Covid they have not seen any this year. He also said there was a young guy that pulled in a few days ago doing the route on his skateboard. I’ll let you know when we catch him!

It’s 7:30pm and Kim is asleep. I’ll finish up recharging the bike lights and be in same shape as Kim shortly.