Day 6 – 🎶 Over the forest and through the woods đźŽ¶

June 23, 2018
Day 6 – John Day to Baker City, OR – 81 miles, 5,075 feet vertical climb

My momma told me there’d be days like this. Actually, no, she didn’t, but that’s what I was thinking as I sat down for breakfast on the hard wooden chair and pondered my aching butt. Today’s ride profile had three climbs, all to mountain passes at elevations over 5,000 feet.

I warned Randy that I didn’t expect the hammer train to wait for me today, and he quickly agreed (although maybe just a little TOO quickly.) Anyway, we started off nice and steady and rode together in a paceline for the first ten miles.

I was behind Randy when he held up two fingers and called out to everyone, “Two minutes!” I yelled up to him, “What happens in two minutes?” He said, “That’s when the guns come out.”  <sigh>  Well, it was nice while it lasted.

At the start of the first climb, I quickly realized that I had left my climbing legs back at the hotel and it was too late to go back and retrieve them. So, I took it slow and chit chatted with new folks and took lots of pictures. We climbed up to the summit of Dixie Mt. at 5,277’, Tipton Mt. at 5,124’ and Snall Summit at ~5,100’.

We were still in National Forest country with tall pines and amazing scenery. But the first descent from Dixie Mt. was C-O-L-D and as much as I was sweating like a pig going up the climb, I was freezing going down. Where were the throngs of French spectators handing out copies of Le Monde to stuff down our shirts for protection? The cold air came shooting through the vents in my helmet like icy spears and my fingers lost circulation (I have Reynaud’s). The long fingered gloves I brought along were safe and warm in my luggage.

The good news was that we regrouped at the first SAG stop and got all the climbing out of the way after 50 miles. So it was downhill or flat the rest of the way … EXCEPT – for the final 10-mile stretch that was completely out in the open with a brutal headwind. Yeeesh.

Click on the first picture below for an annotated slide show and don’t forget to click on “Where’s Jeff” at jeffblye.com

7am and the train leaves the station for the trip to Baker City.
Skies are cloudy but may be clearing.
The paceline kicks it up a notch.
John Dobbs is looking good on the first climb.
Never a good sign.
Photo op.
Photo op.
Ahhhh …
Over the forest and through the woods …
It’s Pam’s turn to ride today and she is all smiles.
Doesn’t sound like a particularly happy place… (do you speak French?)
Robin meets us at the first summit.
That’s right – 5,277 feet.
Yours truly at the first summit.
Man oh man, it was freezing going down.
Heck out remaining mileage to Baker City.
Mother and son, looking strong at the second summit.
More summit pix.
Here’s Reid looking larger than life. Oh, sorry, that says “lager”.
Mary and Bob again.
Another … National Forest …
… with more spectacular scenery …
On the third climb …
… and another descent …
Today’s ride in a nutshell. Start, John Day. End, Baker City.
Narrow gauge tracks
Detour to see the Sumpter Valley RR Museum.
Detour to see the Sumpter Valley RR Museum.
Detour to see the Sumpter Valley RR Museum.
What did the fish say when it swam into a wall? … “Dam!”
River is flowing downhill -that’s the right direction to Baker City.

3 thoughts on “Day 6 – 🎶 Over the forest and through the woods đźŽ¶”

  1. Ya see, if I’d been on the sidelines, I’d a given you Liberation, not Le Monde.
    (Think NYT to the Washington Post or WSJ).
    Photos are amazing, as are you for doin this. Hey, but don’t let Trump know there’s more than one National Forest; he might think we don’t need it.
    What did the therapist say to the depressed elk?(you remember that elk from earlier in the trip?) “keep your chain up.”

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