Day 4: To LaPine

June 23, 2006

It was 40F at 7AM. The swarms of mosquitoes didn't seem affected by the cold. While taking down my tent I delighted in the fact that it would squash 50 mosquitoes inside.

Looking back at our final view of Mt. Bailey.

We had an easy 800 foot climb to Cascade summit followed by 15 downhill and totally straight miles to the intersection of US highway 97. We ate an early lunch at a restaurant at the junction.

Cascade Summit. No sign on the sunny side.

Many things changed as we approached US highway 97. The trees changed from Douglas Fir to Lodgepole Pine. The temperature rose significantly. And there was about 100 times more traffic on US97. The road has a shoulder but it's far from a tranquil experience with so many trucks whizzing by. Another 100 miles of this...

East of the Cascades the predominant tree is Lodgepole Pine.

The terrain is relatively flat and the wind was calm. So we maintained a good pace. I wasn't motivated to take very many pictures.

Guns, ammo, and liquor. One stop shopping for all your needs in Crescent, Oregon.

We were on the road until 7:40PM. 12.5 hours on the road, most of it straight and level (monotonous) with heavy traffic. We camped at a large upscale RV park 7 miles north of the town of La Pine. It has nice showers and lush irrigated grass. Unfortunately it's close to the highway and a busy railroad track. It was the noisiest night of the tour but at least there were no mosquitoes.

Today was sunny all day with a high in the low 80's. All day I wore long sleeves, tights, and a bandanna around my neck to protect me from the relentless sun.

Distance: 72.5 mi. (116 km)

Climbing: 1059 ft. climb (321 m)

Average Speed: 9.9 mph (15.8 km/h)

Maximum Speed: 35.3 mph (56.5 km/h)

Today's ride: 73 miles (117 km)
Total: 206 miles (332 km)

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