Day 11: Saturday, April 15

Today was quite the adventure. We woke up to a cold, steady rain. Three miles after leaving camp, Shayne got a flat tire. Our first flat of the trip couldn't have come at a more inopportune time as it started to snow. The snow intensified as we climbed up the pass. It didn't take very long before I was soaked. My feet became part of my pedals since I couldn't feel below my ankles. Thankfully, there wasn't very much traffic. Shayne and I joked about what the people in the cars who did pass us must have thought. They were isolated in the warm, comfort of their vehicles while we were building character. However, the climb up wasn't the worst part. At least then we were working and able to stay warm. The wind tore through our soaked clothes while we descended at 30 plus mph down the other side.

I was still chilled to the bone after we ate lunch at the Little Pine Cafe in the small town of Mitchell. The sun was kind enough to come out as we took a nap in the city park. However, when we work up, another front had moved in, so we decided to stay in Mitchell for the night. At first we were just going to camp in the city park, but the owner of the Oregon Hotel across the street told us that she had bunks available in the hostel room for only $10. It is a very nice, Victorian hotel, and we are glad to have a warm shower and a roof over our heads. Mitchell is also home to Henry the Bear.