Those Pancakes Are YUGGEEEEE!

STATS:

Bates State Park, Oregon to Dayville, Oregon

Distance: 60.5 miles

Elevation: +2,192 ft / -3,930 ft

Another great nights sleep in the tent, something I’m very happy to say is regular now. The sun was in full beam by 6 AM, so I was up and at em’ at this point. I strangely enjoy seeing how quickly I can pack everything up because I’m always finding different ways to make packing more efficient. The rest of the crew was waking and packing up as well, but first we enjoyed our breakfast and a nice cup of coffee to start the day off right. Our first and only major climb was immediate, so as soon as we made it over, we knew we had somewhat smooth sailing. We were told by several people about an artesian well right outside of the park, so I kept my bottles empty to fill up with the magical water. Once filled (couldn’t taste a difference) we started our climb. I’m not sure why, but this was the best I’ve felt in a while during this morning climb. The weather was still cool, and the shade offered protection from the morning sun, so I was cranking up the mountain averaging 8.8 mph. After just under an hour, I hit the top, very satisfied with my performance against myself. The rest of the crew was just behind, and we all agreed with how perfect the conditions were for climbing. We zoomed down the mountain and a beautiful view opened up for us of a valley with mountains. Halfway down was a outrageous replica of a covered wagon, so we stopped and grabbed a family picture. We booked the rest of the way down into Prairie City and hit up a local diner. I walked in and noticed the monster cinnamon rolls, so I knew one must be ordered. What came out next though is what really blew my mind. LOOK AT DEM PANCAKES. Easily the largest of the trip so far. Ask me if I finished them…go ahead…ask. Yeup. Was I stuffed to the brim? Yeup. I almost used one as a cushion for my saddle.

Once breakfast was devoured, we rolled out of town and made great time into John Day. I rolled over to a coffeeshop to make a few phone calls and catch up on some journaling. I noticed so many hippies around town, and soon found out a large peace gathering was held over the weekend. I finished up my bean water, plugged in the headphones, and rode into the rising heat. Luckily, most of today we had services every 10-15 miles, so I stopped in Mount Vernon to meet up with the crew for lunch. With the rising heat well into the 90’s, we knew we must reach our destination as soon as possible. We all rode through some intense heat and hot, heavy wind, feeling similar to opening an oven door in your face. To add insult to injury, the hot wind was a head wind, but I was still feeling wonderful from the pancake fuel that it wasn’t bothering me as much.

After some more miles, we eventually piled into the church in Dayville where we met Rose. She provided a quick tour of all the amenities of the church including a full kitchen, shower, laundry, wifi, and some food. Most of what the church can offer was through cyclist’s donation, which I thought was so unbelievably cool of a story to continue for many years to come. We all sprawled out and rehydrated/refueled. Eventually we started dinner, which consisted of pasta, raw seasoned veggies, and bang bang tomato sauce. We cheers with chilled wine to Meg and Dean’s anniversary outside in a circle of fold up chairs. Meg had made rice crispy treats for dessert, and we all dug in on those decadent desserts. We sat around for a while more sharing stories involving anything from bike injuries to our families to life travels. Any conversation with this crew is interesting. Kevin graciously folded everyone’s laundry while we were outside which was incredibly nice.

We quickly winded down and were pooped from the heat. Some of us made the wise decision to sleep outside in the cool breeze, while others slept in the very warm church (this includes myself). After an hour or so of tossing and turning, I guess I fell asleep, but I will not be making that mistake of sleeping indoors again!

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