John Aylward Photography

Today’s Highlights:

Today’s ride had some of the best scenery of any ride I have done. My day started at 5:00, with breakfast at 5:30 in the dark with temperature in the mid 30s. People are actually quite cheerful doing this. I started the ride at 7:00. It was 40 degrees and very cloudy. It stayed cloudy all day and also remained very cold for cycling. I never warmed up until the nice hot shower in camp around 1pm.
Otherwise, it was a beautiful ride. We traversed the east side of Wallowa Lake and went through the quiet town of Joseph. Outside of town are farms with rolling hills of green and gold, with a backdrop of the Wallowa mountains. We passed through Enterprise and a couple other small towns which also had nice farms and ranches. One stretch of the ride followed along the Wallowa River through a canyon with step high walls.
The first 46 miles we’re mostly downhill, which was a relief after yesterday’s climbing. After having lunch near the Wallowa River, we climbed the one big hill of the day, a steady 6-mile climb. It wasn’t bad, and again had nice views of cliffs, mountains and farms. At 53 miles, we enjoyed another 8 miles of downhill into Elgin Oregon. An entire class of elementary students lined the sidewalk cheering and waving flags as each cyclist rode by. All the communities are very supportive of this event.

Cycle Oregon Classic Day 3

Statistics:
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Today’s Highlights:
Today’s ride was very challenging, covering 78 miles and climbing almost 7000 ft. I started at 6:50 AM and finished at 4:00 PM.
I dressed lightly this morning thinking I would warm up fast on our big hill climb. Unfortunately, it was only 35 degrees when I started and we had 8 miles of flat roads before the hill. At mile 8 I could feel my jersey getting soaked with sweat while both feet were numb and my fingers and most of my body were very cold. I guess there was no good compromise on how I should dress.
We started the first hill climb at mile 8 and it was a steady 20-mile climb with not one foot of flat or downhill. Our next two hills were equally challenging, but 10 and 4 miles long. The downhill sections were fun, but chilly. All this was through forests of towering pines, and sometimes followed a mountain stream. There were occasional views. After the last big hill, we had one more small climb approaching Joseph. That too was a bit of work after 60 miles of cycling. Once we crested that hill, the town of Joseph came into view, transitioning from the mountain forest to rolling hills of grain. The first view of Wallowa Lake was breathtaking. It easy to understand why it was sacred land to native Americans.
Our camp was at the South end of the lake under the pine trees. The bandstand was set up in front of the lake. It was such a nice setting.

Cycle Oregon Classic Day 2

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Today’s Highlights:

I woke up at 4:00 this morning, but stayed in my warm sleeping bag until 5am. Breakfast was at 5:30 in the dark, with the temp around 38. After breakfast and packing, I started the ride a little before 7:00, bundled up for the 40 degree clear morning. After a short ride through town and passed some ranches, we turned onto RT 89 and followed it all the way into Halfway Oregon. It was a beautiful ride though vast open terrain of dry high desert hills. Often we looked down onto lush irrigated farms in the valleys, and we had a long stretch riding in a canyon along the Powder River. There was a short climb or two in the morning, then about 20 miles of downhill to and along the river until we reached the little town of Richland (population 131) for lunch. Immediately after lunch, at mile 40, we climbed an 8-mile hill. It was quite a challenge for me. I used to climb better, but now it is harder. I was really happy to see the top, and then flying down the other side into the little town of Halfway was really fun. Halfway Oregon is incredibly beautiful – a little lush valley surrounded by pine-covered foothills and towering mountains. The population is 110.

Cycle Oregon Classic Day 1

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Today’s Highlights:

This morning I drove 220 miles to Baker City mostly following the route I cycled on my very first bike trip across the US in 2002. I recognized a few places along the way. Tonight’s camp is at a big town sports center, and the tent city is on a very nice soft lawn. There are 500 tents packed very closely together. People who brought their own tents are spread out in several areas. It’s a beautiful afternoon to relax outside and there are nice views of the mountains that surround this valley.
There was live music on and off between 3:30-9:30, and a couple meetings about Cycle Oregon and tomorrow’s route.
Dinner was plentiful and good, and it was surprising how quickly and efficiently they served the entire camp.

Cycle Oregon Classic Day 0