Its Sunday, June 26th and today we had a "downhill ride" from Baker City to Ontario, OR. After two days of Mountain Climbing, we were all anxious for an nice long down hill stretch. Today's route follows old route 30E downhill through Eastern Oregon farmland on old roads that parallel the Oregon Trail. We did cycle about 6 miles on the Interstate (I-84), which was some fun, high speed and scary riding where we mostly hung on to our bikes and kept an eye out in the rear view mirror for the big rig trucks. Late in the day we approached Snake River reservoir which is our signal that Monday we will be in Idaho. Here are some details of the day.
Loading the Baggage at 7:00 am. Here is the baggage line up that precedes each ride. Our first job in the morning is to load the bags after breakfast. Then we pump tires, then we roll. This is a little like bicycle bootcamp. Today we got a later start than usual (7:00 am vs 6:30) as yesterday was a long ride and many of us got in late.
Early Morning Stop and Peel. It was 45 degrees when we left at 7:45 am. By 9:00 am it was approaching 75 (enroute to a high of 85 degrees). So we all stopped to peel off jackets and knee warmers. This is also morning pee stop when we're in the back country. Bikers have to make do.
On the Oregon Trail. Our route today parallels the Old Oregon Trail used by the Conestoga wagons. Today there is the Interstate (I-84) in the back ground, the Oregon Pacific Railroad, and old Rt 30 East where this picture is is taken from.
Farms along old Rt 30E. I was particularly taken with this farmer who is raking alfalfa into big rows using the latest raking equipment. Sometimes I think I am a farmer at heart.
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Oregon Mountains in the Background, Mike Phyllis, Colin
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Last day in Oregon - looking back at the Cascades
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The Long downhill - we're heading for Idaho!
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| Here is I-84 (The Oregon Trail), our first ride on the interstate. |
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| Now we are on I-84, trucks to the left, trains to the right! |
Rt 30E parallels the Interstate. We are headed to Ontario. Here is a cement plant used to build and maintain the interstate.
Our Trip Leaders, Karen Bauer and Mike Munk. Our Trip Leaders frequently bike with us. Here is Karen Bauer and Mike Munk, our two leaders. They are both expert cyclists. Mike Munk has been leading ABB Tours since he retired from the Air Force in 1996. He is recognized as one of the best trip leaders in the cycling industry.
Stopping for Gatorade at the Country Store. Jeff Laser, Mike Munk, Karen Bauer, and a few others.
The Cafe in Huntington, Oregon. This old cafe sits right on the Oregon Trail. We stopped for a noon bowl of potato soup (best I've had) and cornbread. We didn't realize it was a Sunday until the Church Crowd came storming into the cafe at high noon.
Stevenson Park in Huntington, Oregon, right on the Oregon Trail and a site of a Shoshone raid on westward bound settlers
The Oregon Trail Cemetery. Just east of town is the old cemetery for travelers along the Oregon Trail. See the many tombstones on the left. Many of these westward travelers didn't make their final destination due to either illness or Indian attacks. The Shoshone were particularly notorious in this area for raids on wagon trains.
The Snake River Reservoir (and Oregon Trail to the Left). This is a our first view of the Snake River coming out of Huntington. The Oregon Trail is just visible on the left near Highway 84 in the background.
The Snake River in Oregon. We began to follow the Snake River just east of Huntington. We will follow the Snake Idaho for the next few days as we approach the Continental Divide.
Nancy and Adrienne at the Snake River SAG stop. These are mother and daughter riders. Mother Nancy has biked all over the USA and Europe. Daughter Adrienne is a marathon runner, recently taken to biking. We enjoyed a nice lunch in Huntington and are now making a beeline for the Hotel in Ontario to prep for our Day 8 ride into Boise.
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| This Eastern Oregon is beautiful country |
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| Beautiful flowers at the end of the Day's Ride |
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