Monday May 23, 2001

The Big One

Day: 4
Location:  Redmond, OR - Mount Vernon, OR
Miles: 130
Total:440

My Journal entry from today was brief to say the least. After miscalculating my finish point, I spent the last two hours of the day struggling to get another 20 miles under my belt which would all together lead to what would for a while be my biggest day on the trip. Early today, I had tackled two passes. The first comprised of a pleasant climb through a beautiful forest followed by a ridiculously long downhill into a dessert sprinkled with mesas. The second would have been a significantly less enjoyable climb if it hadn't been for the motivational messages, directed at cyclists, that had been spray painted in its shoulder. Little things like this really give you a boost when you've spent so much time alone, and I was delighted to read things like "piece of cake!" every half mile or so.  

Curiously enough, while flying down the first descent, I rode by one of the most bizarre things on my entire ride. There, on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere, was a tree that was covered in hundreds of shoes!  

The ride down from the second pass was beautiful and reminded me a lot of the scenery in southern Utah. I spent most of my time getting video there so I don't have many pictures but it was fantastic to zip down through dessert canyons while riding along side a beautiful river.

 Now the reason I had made the extra effort to ride those last 20 miles today was because "The Bike Inn" was listed on my maps in Mt. Vernon, the next town over. I had no idea what to expect there, but boy was it great! When I rolled up the drive way, Cristie, the owner, was gardening and jumped with excitement when she saw me! She explained that I was their first cyclist this year and quickly ushered me into their guest room. I couldn't have been more satisfied with anything else. The modest room was so homey and welcoming! It even had a kitchen and a wall of VHS tapes to watch. I however was beat, and crashed on the futon. The Bike Inn is truly a terrific and special place! Thanks Cristie and Auna!