Day 6--John Day, OR to Baker City, OR

Day 6—June 24, 2006—John Day, OR to Baker City, OR—81 miles—4781’ climb

Our days in Oregon while challenging are also some of the most beautiful of the ride I think. Today we spent much of the day on the Elkhorn Scenic Route. We rode through two national forests: the Malheur National Forest (malheur means evil hour [bad fortune] and was named by the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Peter Skene Ogden who lost a cache of furs there in 1825) and the Wallawa-Whitman National Forest. Riders also climbed three mountain passes.The first--Dixie Pass at 5277’--has a large covered wagon viewpoint about 3.5 miles from the top. Many riders stopped there to take photos or to have their photos taken (see photo) and many shed some extra clothes after the exertion of the climb. Next, riders climbed to Tifton Mountain Summit at 5124’ and finally climbed to Snall Summit followed by a lovely 6-mile descent. We also crossed the John Day River again and followed the beautiful Powder River down through a canyon and into Baker City.

A Criterium was taking place in Baker City and our hotel was full of cyclists. The racers were as awed by our undertaking as we were of theirs. Their racing bikes were beautiful to behold. Many of our cyclists went into town to watch the Crit (see photo—this shot last year by Mike Munk). If we were going to be here for any length of time tomorrow, we’d get to watch a road race up the canyon we descended coming into town. The descent was exciting as a touring cyclist with its steeply banked curves (made me feel at times as though I was in a velodrome) and with the canyon walls and the Powder River on the right, so I imagine it will be twice as exciting for the racing peloton.

Our first SAG stop was at the Austin House Restaurant at mile 28. Here many of the riders sampled delicious huckleberry cobbler and ice cream, had a drink, bought a postcard, etc. Christine bought some Huckleberry flavored coffee (I’m trying to get her to brew some in our motel coffeemaker). Our second SAG was set up shortly after the little RR museum on Phillips Lake in a beautiful grove of ponderosa pines with picnic tables. This is one of my favorite SAG sites as I can bird and botanize. The SAG table flowers were wild flag and fox grass. An osprey nest with two young this year topped a tall tree trunk at the lake’s edge (and has for the past two years also). The adults were coming and going feeding their young.

All told, it was another beautiful day in paradise. All riders got in safely by about 5 and enjoyed the pool, talking to the racing cyclists, and eating a fine dinner at the hotel.

OVERHEARD ON THE ROAD TODAY:

• Jim: “You can outrun a bull on your bike, no bull!” 
• “This is a great SAG Stop. I think I want to sleep here tonight.” 
• “Yum! Chips & salsa — very good—can we have them every day?”

SHOW & TELL: Jim stopped to take a photo and realized that the bull whose picture he was taking was on his side of the fence . . . ooops! Tim and Kathryn stopped at a wildlife lookout and saw some whiter specks moving about the mountain face high above. They did not have binoculars but assume these were mountain goats. Bob & Dave were just riding along minding their own business when they were confronted by a badger that stopped crossing the road long enough to let them know it was boss. One rider was stopped just before SS#2 so that a steam engine from the RR Museum could cross the road.