Day 5 (June 24th) - Our long ride to John Day, Oregon

Just a short little ride today....from Prineville to John Day, OR - 118 miles..... yikes!

Coming in to Prineville.  This shot was taken as we entered Prineville, OR at 3 pm on Day 4.   If you look closely at the sign, it says John Day 118 miles.   This was a grim reminder that our next day's ride (Day 5) from Prineville to John Day,  would be the longest day so far and the second longest of the trip.   What we didn't know is it also had over 5,000' vertical climbing in two of Oregon's Mountain passes.   This is my riding buddy Barry Lucas (looking pretty chipper) as he points to our Day 5 ride.   Oh well, that's tomorrow, let's go check into the Best Western in Prineville and look forward to a swim and some dinner.

Arriving at our Day 4 Hotel.  We've just pulled into the Best Western at about 3:15 pm after a leisurely 60 mile ride.   The two riders in the middle (Adrienne Andreas and her mother Nancy) have just come in after a Dairy Queen stop (Blizzards are a favorite biker lunch (I happen to like the Peanut Buster).   The bookends (Leslie on left and Anne on the right) arrived several hours earlier.   That's because they are great cyclists and finished the course in half the time.     Nancy and Adrienne are also excellent riders, but they dallied at Dairy Queen and didn't make it in with the A Group.

My Heroes.  Barry Lucas and Sharon Griff.  You met my riding buddy Barry Lucas earlier.   He is a 71 year old master cyclist.   In his youth, he a competitive surfer and lived for 5 years on Sunset Beach in Hawaii.   He surfed the Pipeline, Waimea Bay, and other famous spots, but Sunset was always his favorite.   Barry is equally adept at cycling and has been teaching me the fine art of hill climbing (which I will need on Day 5) and riding in a pace line.   Amazing how much I am learning from Barry in just these first 4-5 days.   I call him my guardian angel as he is taking care of me.   Also meet Sharon Griff from New York. Sharon is a less experienced rider and is on the road every morning at 5:30 am, just so she can finish the day.  Like many riders (even Tour de France riders), she is fearful of the long downhills and has had to muster every bit of personnel courage just to complete the daily rides.   We are all in admiration of Sharon's persistence in dealing with anxiety and facing her own fears.    To get Barry and Sharon in the same photo captures two very special people on this trip.

After Dinner Rap Session.  Every night after dinner, we have a short RAP session to discuss the next days' ride.   This one was held in the Best Western parking lot.   You can see our trip Leader Mike Munk (in black Livestrong attire), telling us about tomorrows 118 mile ride.   Not much sleep tonight thinking about 118 miles to John Day, with two steep passes.   We also learned it would be 37 degrees in the morning.   This is chilly biking weather.   Time to dig out the thermals and the toe warmers.   Most of us newbee's are a little anxious and apprehensive.

The Prineville Grange Hall.  This is the first shot on Day 5 at 6:30 am.   We are anxiously pedalling for the first climb of day, when we passed this old Grange Hall on the outskirts of Prineville.    I couldn't resist taking this shot as I had never seen a Grange Hall.  At the turn of the century, the Grange was the center of rural farm life.   It was quite  an institution.   My grandmother Rachel always talked about her days in the Grange.   She had a blessing that she often recited before dinner that she learned from the Grange.   It went like this "Heavenly Father, who openest Thy hand, to satisfy the desire of every living thing, make us grateful for Thy present provision.   May the strength it imparts be expended in Thy service and that of humanity."   Rachel was alway eloquent when reciting this blessing.   And it was then that I realized that my present provision lay before me in today's long ride.    So this took away some of the anxiety as I understood this was our mission for the day.

Catching our Breath before the long climb.  Barry and Phylis getting ready for the long climb (3,000 feet) up Keyes Summit.

Climbing up Keyes Summit. (prepping for the Grand Tetons).  The big climb today was mostly 7-8% grade for 7 miles.   This was the first major climb of the trip.   There will be many more between here and New Hampshire.   As we learned later, there are 3 climbs like this on Day 6.   We better get used to it.   

ME at the Top of Keys Summit - a long pull, but the Rocket was up for it.  I want to thank Spokes Bike shop in Vienna for insisting I put Mountain Bike gearing on the Black Rocket.   My low gears really help getting up this grade.   I have a super "great granny gear" which I did not hesitate to use.   It was a long pull and I had a sore seat at the end......but I learned I can do these long grades.   In fact, this one was a lot like the Incline Summit at Lake Tahoe.  

At the Summit.  Here is the Gold Van at the top.   Staff members Jim and Karen (middle and right) were there to cheer us on as each rider finished this first big grade.   I remember when I first completed the Marine Corps Marathon and was greeted at the finish by a young Marine that shook my hand and said "Congratulations Sir!" I felt the same way about this climb.

After the Summit....a long downhill

And another uphill.....this is going to be a long day in the saddle.

Following the River thru the Canyon into John Day

Early to Bed (8:00 pm) after a long day.   We arrived in John Day, Oregon 10.5 hours and 118 miles later.   While it was a long day, we had enough energy at the end for a Pace Line into John Day led by my riding partner Barry Lucas.   It a great finish to a long day of climbing.  We had a quick dinner at the Outpost Restaurant and hit the sack.   Here are the America by Bicycle vans parked for the night, just like we were.   We have now completed nearly 10% of the cross country ride.  As we learned at RAP tonight, Day 6 is another long day with three long climbs.  Are we ever going to get out of Oregon??

More later...ME