Day 17: Friday, April 21

We crossed another pass first thing this morning. That wasn't too difficult, but then we battled head winds all the way to Cambridge. Unfortunately, Shayne got another flat somewhere between Cambridge and Council. Today we rode about 58 miles, and now we are camped in the National Forest somewhere between Council and New Meadows. We will have another climb first thing tomorrow morning, but according to the elevation profile, we should spend the rest of the day coasting downhill (from over 4,000 feet to below 2,000.)

Day 16: Thursday, April 20

We crossed into Idaho this afternoon! Unfortunately, there wasn't a big "Welcome to Idaho" sign there to greet us, but we were thrilled none the less. After over 800 miles in Oregon, we have finally crossed our first state line. There was one pretty steep pass right as we left Richland this morning. We stopped to check out Hell's Canyon, but the trail only goes through the back corner of the park, so we weren't able to see any of it. However, the route took us parallel to the Snake River for about 11 miles.

















Riding on the road, any biker will tell you the importance of watching the white stripe to make sure you are out of the way of traffic. Today I had an idea to take a picture from the perspective of the white stripe. Perhaps, if it turns out, I will take pictures like this from all across the US.
We crossed into Idaho near the Brownlee Dam.
This part of Idaho is in the Mountain Time Zone. However, we didn't change our watches since we will be crossing back into the Pacific Time Zone in the northern part of Idaho within two to three days. We have set up camp about two miles into Idaho overlooking the Brownlee Reservoir.

Day 15: Wednesday, April 19

We spent most of this morning doing our laundry and running errands around town since Baker City will be the last big city we will be going through for a little while. In the afternoon we rode 45 miles to Richland where we have set up camp. Tomorrow we hope to check out Hell's Canyon in the morning and then cross over into Idaho. Shayne and I have begun to joke that Oregon is the state that never ends.

Day 14: Tuesday, April 18

We definitely made the right decision to stay in Prairie City last night. When I woke up this morning, it was about 20 degrees, however, the rest of the day was sunny and warm. There was a huge caravan monument on the climb up the first pass that we stopped to check out.

We took our time, but we made it over all three passes today: Dixie (5,277 feet), Tipton (5,124 feet), and Sumpter (5,082 feet.)

Tonight we are at a campground in Baker City after riding over 70 miles today. This marks the completion of the second section of maps! We plan on waking up early tomorrow and we should be able to make it into Idaho. If not tomorrow, then definitely by Thursday.

Day 13: Monday, April 17

We woke up to freezing temperatures and snow this morning. We spent over an hour at a McDonald's in John Day hoping to wait it out. The clouds broke for a little while, however it continued to snow off and on throughout the morning. We stopped by the Ranger Station in Prairie City, about 15 miles from John Day, and they said they were expecting snow and freezing temperatures the rest of today. However tomorrow's forecast was much brighter and warmer so we decided to spend the rest of today and tonight here in Prairie City. We are camping at the Depot County Park, where they have some historic buildings and an old train car.

Day 12: Sunday, April 16

When I woke up this morning to frost on the windows, I was glad that we weren't sleeping outside. Keyes Creek Pass was only about 7 miles from Mitchell and the ride over was quick and pretty easy. About 20 miles after the pass, we entered John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.

The ride through John Day was picturesque. We stopped to hike up to an overlook just beyond the park. Unfortunately, Shayne got another flat tire shortly after Dayville. We spent most of the day riding and covered almost 70 miles. Tonight we are here at the Grant County Fairgrounds in the town of John Day. The next three passes are all within 30 miles of each other. The plan is to ride over all three tomorrow and then camp just outside Baker City, so we can do some shopping Tuesday morning in Baker City.

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.