This was a "short" day-- only 60 miles! They had a late luggage load and we got off at about 7:30. It was cool and nice and we were off Route 26 although only for a few miles. In Madras we were back on 26 again and at mile 18 started a long climb. If a multi-mile climb can be called good, this one was. Not terribly steep but very beautiful switchbacking up along a canyon wall with the drop off into the valley to our right. I felt good the whole way and in fact felt good until about mile 30 when we started the second half of our ride. This was through the "Crooked River National Grasslands". It was long, slightly hilly, very hot and to me seemed tedious. Just when I my attitude was going negative, there was an ABB truck with cold water and I topped a hill to find that the rest of the ride into town was downhill and freshly paved. Most of the road surfaces so far have been what they call "chip and seal"-- very hard to ride on but this was real paving like we have in the good old State of Maine and a welcome relief it was.
Tomorrow, however, is the day that I have been blocking from my consciousness since the beginning. A very hard day with 5000 feet of climbing (today was 3,300) and 117 miles to ride, all on Route 26 to a place called John Day. ABB really has no choice about the length of the day; there is no hotel between Prineville and John Day. We are going to leave at 5:30 and just do our best. Our leader, Mike Munk, thinks I can do it. Tune in tomorrow to see what happens!
A bit about the group. There are 54 riders now, 47 of whom will go the whole way. Some will leave at various points and new riders will join us. There is a 17 year girl and a young man riding tandem with his dad. There is one man well into his seventies who has done it before and as I mentioned before, I am the second oldest woman (by only two months!). John, at 65, is among the older men. Most people are in the 40's and 50's. I am not the slowest, thanks be.
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