Day 44

Mileage: 112
Total mileage: 3886

I wanted to see if I could put in a solid mileage day today, despite the hills. My legs haven't failed me yet!

Ah! I slept incredibly well on my bed of pine needles last night. The cows were lowing all night long which was funny . I always see cows just in passing, so I usually think of them as quiet creatures. Nope! They can really belt it out if they want to. I wasn't bothered, I wanted to wake up and see the stars and I wasn't disappointed. The moon was so bright that I was casting a shadow on the ground at midnight, but when it went behind a cloud, the stars all came out to play for a few minutes. I'm glad I got to enjoy them last night because tonight it's cloudy, and I'm going to be in the bright part of the state starting tomorrow.

I woke up hungry as a result of not having dinner last night, so I was eager to get moving nice and early. I had 13 miles into Austin Junction and it included a 1200 foot, 4 mile climb. By the time I was on the other side, I was counting the mile markers to the junction. Finally I arrived at highway 26, turned right and rolled a few hundred yards down the road until I could see the sign for the cafe. It had a big sign that said 'Yes, we're open!' And underneath, 'huckleberry ice cream.' I've been wondering recently what would stop me faster, a sign that said 'stop Carl Buchholz' or one that said 'free ice cream.' I think the ice cream. Either way, I was excited and ready to chow through a massive breakfast. However, when I went up to the door, there was another sign on the door that said 'sorry, we're closed.' It was 8:30 and the cafe was supposed to open at 8, so I knocked on the door and peered inside. No one home. Eventually I realized I had to do the next 1000 foot climb and ride the 17 miles into Prairie City.

Turning the gastric juices back off was a challenge, as they were really getting revved up at the thought of pancakes, but I managed to quiet down the combustion system long enough to get into Prairie. There I rolled through town and found one breakfast cafe. Score! Nevermind, it was closed on Mondays.

There was no way I was riding another 20 miles into John Day without eating, but fortunately Prairie had a grocery store. I scarfed down a bunch of bananas, a bag of peanut butter MnM's and a box of ice cream bars just to hold me over. In John Day I finally got my breakfast, a little after noon and, well satisfied, continued on my ride after using the library for a little bit.

The afternoon was a gentle downhill ride, all the way down into Dayville. There were about a dozen miles where the wind got really really bad and I was afraid I would be riding those 40 miles for the rest of the day, but then I rode under a big storm front and the wind settled down. Again in Dayville the cafe was closed, so dinner was some odd food choices from the local grocery.

My last challenge was a 32 mile climb out of Dayville over Keye's pass. On the way, I got to go through the spooky canyon pictured into the John Day fossil beds. I even saw my favorite sign for a second time and stopped to get a picture. Last time it was on a downhill and I was too busy laughing to think about stopping to snap a photo.

After all the climbing and wind fighting I'd done already, I was a little bit worried that my legs wouldn't be able to hold out for the last climb. Fortunately, they exceeded my expectations and I wound up climbing for three continuous hours in total autopilot mode. At one point I felt like my legs were turning without exerting any force, but then my chain skipped a little and I felt just how hard I was torquing the drivetrain in that split second. Sadly, these legs haven't gotten all big and muscular, they're just capable of working hard all day long without ever getting tired, which I guess is sort of what I was looking for anyways.

The last few miles of my climb were completed in the semi darkness of the fading sunset, of which I included a few pictures. I couldn't help thinking for that whole last stretch across pastures into the rosy sunset, just how lucky I am to be able to see the country this way. I've almost started to take the experience for granted, but tonight, rolling across an isolated plateau through the sweet perfume of the plants, I couldn't help but remember how incredible this trip has been.

Tonight I'm staying in the playground area for the school in Mitchell (pop 80). I have no idea how a town this small can support a school, but I'm grateful it's here tonight. G'night!