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(31 Aug) Weather has continued to be cloudless, nearly wind free, and HOT (approaching 100).  We had three more beautiful days in a row, both in terms of weather and scenery.

We left John Day and had a long gradual descent to Dayville.  Very early on we ran into Eric, who is cycling to Connecticut from the west coast.  He’s going there to see his first grand child!  He just doesn’t look old enough.

The second half of the day was a very challenging 2000′ climb in hot dry air. It’s hard to stay hydrated under these conditions, or to carry enough fluids to do so.  The landscape looks like this.

Halfway up the climb we saw the rare western shoe tree.  It turns out this is where most athletic shoes are harvested.

We reached the summit after 62 miles for the day.  It was then a very steep coasting descent all the way to Mitchell, where we stayed in an old hotel.  There we ran into Richard, who is biking to Bozeman.

We all had dinner together, and finished with milkshakes that Noel says are his most vivid memory of the trip.

Mitchell is like several of the small towns we have passed through.  There’s just one restaurant, bar, grocery, and sometimes lodging.  And in some cases, they are all one business.

(1 Aug)  Again full sun and hot.  We got an early start.  The first 5 miles were a descent, and then there was a 12 mile climb. After that it was gradually downhill to Redmond, a total of 67 miles.  Unfortunately, 5 miles from the start Noel realized he had left his phone at the hotel.  I went back to get it, which allowed us both to go at our own pace (too fast for either of us).

About 2/3 of the way up the climb, we took a longish lunch break, and I took a dip in a small stream.  The water was not at all cold, but still v refreshing.

Toward the end of the day, we came upon a roadside farm stand.  I’ve been wanting local fruit the entire trip, but always seem to be there too early in the season.  At this stand, all they had were vegetables! (and no tomatoes even).  We bought carrots that were sweet enough to be fruit, and ate the whole bag right there.

(2 Aug)  Today was an amazing ride.  We left Redmond and were soon at the base of the Cascade Range.  We had seen them in the distance for a long time, and they look daunting, with snow still on several of them.  We also knew that this would be the highest climb of several in the past few days.

We stopped briefly in Sisters, a cute tourist town.  I ordered a double espresso, and the price was 50 CENTS! Drinks with milk were closer to what I am used to.  Espresso was excellent, BTW.

The approach to the climb was on a nice quiet road, and we were v pleased to see this sign.

Noel on the approach.

Noel was not feeling “peak”, but carried on gamely.  The road up was very winding and quite beautiful.  We took a couple of breaks, and before you know it, we were at the pass. This was Noel’s record climb, more than a mile high.

There is lava from recent (1,000 year ago) volcanic activity, and it looks unworldly.

Here we are at the Dee Wright “Observatory”, a tower built from the volcanic rocks affording a 360 degree view.  Mountains in the background are the Sisters.

We met 2 cyclists at the pass.  Jeff is from the area and has done lots of cycling. He gave good advice.

Luke is a young guy from Florida and is riding from his sister’s in Redmond down through California.  It was his first day out, and he seemed a little shell shocked.  Nothing like the Cascades in Florida.

Leaving the pass, we went on a screaming descent for almost 20 miles.  Hairpin turns galore.  Really fun to do at 30 mph.  Both Noel and I thought we should start a business giving people rides to the top ad letting them loose with bicycles for the descent.

The west side of the Cascades is suddenly lush, with 200′ trees everywhere.

We stayed at a cabin right on the banks of the McKenzie River.  The water comes from melting snow up on the mountain, and was VERY refreshing.