Yesterday was probably the hardest thing I have ever done physically. Originally the plan was to bike around 60 miles and stop in La Pine, OR.
So, I woke up around 7 and went to a McDonald's for breakfast and internet. Got all my stuff packed and headed off on my day. I took highway 58 up Willamette Pass, then took a cutoff towards 97N (to Bend). Well it turns out that the road up to Willamette is uphill the entire way. I am not talking uphill part of the way. I am talking there were literally no downhills for 4000 feet of climbing and 25 miles of riding. I had to do this method near the last 3 miles of the uphill where I would bike for 5 minutes, then take a break for 2-3 minutes. It took me almost an hour to bike up it. It was so dang pretty though. I got to pass snow banked waterfalls that dropped hundreds of feet. I got to bike past little hidden mountain lakes that would just pop up as you rounded corners. It was crazy. As I was biking up that last section, it started to snow. I am not talking about little sissy snow. I am talking flakes the size of quarters. Flying down so fast you couldn't see 40 feet in front of you. It was crrrazy. Well I got to the summit, which might have been the most exhausting thing I have ever done. Started going down, and decided against it. The turns were too sharp and I definitely would have got merked if I tried. So I hitched a ride with a truck for the 4 or 5 mile descent. The couple that drove me down was Megan and Danavian (or something like that). They were awesome. Super nice. They actually were from the Pigeon Forge area in Tennessee.
The weather was beautiful after we left the blizzard. I got these little candies at the gas station. They are the old time Anise candies. SO addicting. I took this road called the Crescent Cutoff, or something like that. It was long slopey downhills for 14 miles. Such a relief after so much climbing.
So I got to 97 N and started biking to La Pine, which was the original goal. I biked that 17 miler in a little over an hour. I didn't really feel like stopping there (it was pretty small). So I got the number for the YL area director in Bend and gave him a call. Then biked another 32 miles up to Bend. He gave me the number of this leader named Jack that I could stay with.
Jack is awesome. They stay in this sick house overlooking Bend and the mountains, (they only pay 150 for rent which doesn't make sense.) But he made me a sick pasta dinner last night. I got a bed to crash on. Woke up this morning and took me to an awesome coffee place. I had the best cappuccino I've ever had. I think that west coast coffee places should move out east. Just saying.
So yah, level 2 of the trip was the Cascade Mountain range. Finished that sucker in a day.
Boom Roasted.
Level 3 is the High Desert. Bring it on High Desert. You ain't got nothing on me.
My legs feel like jello, but look like tree trunks.
So, I woke up around 7 and went to a McDonald's for breakfast and internet. Got all my stuff packed and headed off on my day. I took highway 58 up Willamette Pass, then took a cutoff towards 97N (to Bend). Well it turns out that the road up to Willamette is uphill the entire way. I am not talking uphill part of the way. I am talking there were literally no downhills for 4000 feet of climbing and 25 miles of riding. I had to do this method near the last 3 miles of the uphill where I would bike for 5 minutes, then take a break for 2-3 minutes. It took me almost an hour to bike up it. It was so dang pretty though. I got to pass snow banked waterfalls that dropped hundreds of feet. I got to bike past little hidden mountain lakes that would just pop up as you rounded corners. It was crazy. As I was biking up that last section, it started to snow. I am not talking about little sissy snow. I am talking flakes the size of quarters. Flying down so fast you couldn't see 40 feet in front of you. It was crrrazy. Well I got to the summit, which might have been the most exhausting thing I have ever done. Started going down, and decided against it. The turns were too sharp and I definitely would have got merked if I tried. So I hitched a ride with a truck for the 4 or 5 mile descent. The couple that drove me down was Megan and Danavian (or something like that). They were awesome. Super nice. They actually were from the Pigeon Forge area in Tennessee.
The weather was beautiful after we left the blizzard. I got these little candies at the gas station. They are the old time Anise candies. SO addicting. I took this road called the Crescent Cutoff, or something like that. It was long slopey downhills for 14 miles. Such a relief after so much climbing.
So I got to 97 N and started biking to La Pine, which was the original goal. I biked that 17 miler in a little over an hour. I didn't really feel like stopping there (it was pretty small). So I got the number for the YL area director in Bend and gave him a call. Then biked another 32 miles up to Bend. He gave me the number of this leader named Jack that I could stay with.
Jack is awesome. They stay in this sick house overlooking Bend and the mountains, (they only pay 150 for rent which doesn't make sense.) But he made me a sick pasta dinner last night. I got a bed to crash on. Woke up this morning and took me to an awesome coffee place. I had the best cappuccino I've ever had. I think that west coast coffee places should move out east. Just saying.
So yah, level 2 of the trip was the Cascade Mountain range. Finished that sucker in a day.
Boom Roasted.
Level 3 is the High Desert. Bring it on High Desert. You ain't got nothing on me.
My legs feel like jello, but look like tree trunks.
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