Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Sisters, OR

This looks like where they filmed the opening scene from Little House on the Prairie (supposedly set in Minnesota, but where did they get the mountains?)
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

McKenzie Bridge to Sisters, OR

Via Hwy 126. 54.6 miles. It was a very hard day. We rode over Santaim Pass (McKenzie Pass, which is shorter but steeper, was closed). From McKenzie Bridge to the top of the pass was 35 miles of mostly uphill terrain, with several sections of steep climbing that seemed to go on forever. In addition, it was very hot (it was 99 degrees when we staggered into Sisters) and there was a lot of traffic, particularly RVs and huge logging and other trucks.* Despite all that it was a good day, at least until we hit the heat of the afternoon.

We met a couple of other cyclists today, including a guy traveling with his dog and a young couple from St. Louis who were on their way to the west coast. The dog guy was definitely unique. He asked us whether we knew of any nearby campgrounds (there were lots of them; we were traversing a national forest) but he didn't appear to have any camping equipment (the dog had the entire bike trailer to himself). He said that on the steep sections he makes the dog get out and walk with him! The couple, who could not have been older than 25, reminded us of those pictures from the '70s of people riding across country on Schwinn Varsity bikes in cutoffs and tennis shoes. While they were both wearing cycling shorts,** he had on a tee shirt and was bear handed (i.e., no gloves). She was riding in open-toed sandals on rat trap pedals (no cleats). She said she had never worn cleated cycling shoes, so she didn't know if they might be an improvement. We thought she was very 'backward' but I have to admit she looked fit enough to (rapidly) ride circles around me. I made a joke about people our age needing to take advantage of every technological advance that exists and, much to my disappointment, neither of them laughed or said "oh, you two can't be that old".

*BLFTs (Big Friggin' Logging Trucks)

**You only have to ride once in jeans or any other pants with a seam to appreciate the benefits of seamless cycling shorts.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Mount Washington

Near the top of Santaim Pass, OR.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Santaim Pass pic #3

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Santaim Pass pic #2

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Santaim Pass pic #1

Beautiful but a tough climb for us.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Cyclist traveling with his dog

The guy was a little weird (he was riding in work boots, blue jean and a baseball cap) but the dog seemed to be enjoying the trip.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

It's a long way to the top...

If you wanna rock 'n' roll or if you are stupid enough to ride a loaded tandem over mountain passes.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry