... And on the 8th Day They Rested

When last we left you we were exiting Eugene OR on our way to Blue River. We very quickly realized that navigating cities is not as easy as say, navigating from one town to another. Our trusty map had a very clear line denoting where to go from street to street in Eugene. Nice and simple, follow the bike path. It turned out to be not so nice and simple, the bike path turned out to be any street in the town, you simply improvise and head east. Once out of Eugene we had a wonderful ride following the McKenzie River 58.6 miles to our destination of Blue River. Our FANTASTIC driver/group mother/grand negotiator found us a free campsite to stay that night and access to natural hot springs the next morning via a wonderful girl named Maria. We were told that the hot springs were "clothing optional" after a group vote, clothing was worn. This evening was our first encounter with the heavens opening, a.k.a rain, after setting up camp. No worries, no one floated away. And Jane, our trusty Chevy Express Van 1500 series, served as a great temporary shelter.

Day 4, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEN!! What present do we have for you? Well, how about natural hot springs?? How about a hotel room to stay in complete with a hot tub and free continental breakfast?? And how about a nice dinner out in the lovely town of Sisters OR??
The bike ride for day 4: Let's just say that we cycled 58 miles, reached our destination, and will never discuss it again. Note to the people who make the maps that cyclist follow from Blue River OR to Sisters OR.............CHANGE THE ROUTE....PLEASE!!!!

Day 5: 46.6 miles from Sisters to Prineville OR. This was an absolutely wonderful ride. The weather this day gave us some of the first glimpses of blue skies. After the "fun" ride on day four, the flat terrain was a welcome surprise. An accidental departure from the map lead us through Terrebone which provided excellent views of beautiful Smith Rock, known worldwide as an excellent place to rock climb. Upon arriving in Prineville we were blessed by pastor Larry McGarry of Assembly of God Church, who allowed us to pitch our tents on church grounds free of charge.

Day 6: 48 Miles from Prineville to Mitchell OR. This day's trip brought us through the painted hills of Oregon; through canyons, up and down small mountains. Mitchell is a thriving metropolis with a population of 153. It was a booming mining town at one point, but has unfortunately faced some natural (and unnatural) disasters that left only two businesses (a restaurant and a grocery store) to occupy the main street. Picture a wild west ghost town... think Guss Chiggins for you Will Farrell fans out there. We were able to camp for free at the town park where there were flush toilets (gasp!) and we had the pleasure of meeting a fellow cross-country cyclist by the name of Tom Jerry... (best wishes Tom!)

Day 7: 69 miles from Mitchell to John Day OR. The first 6 miles out of Mitchell were straight uphill and then the last 63 or so were beautifully downhill. A gradual descent that offered stunning views of the John Day Fossil Beds and surrounding canyons, rivers, and mountains. These gave way to green fields and huge ranches with cows... cattle actually. It was our longest mileage yet and we were triumphant, if a little sore when it was all said and done. Autumn, our valiant chariot driver was waiting for us in John Day and we loaded up the van and back tracked a few miles to Mount Vernon where we are camping at a Clyde Holliday State Park. Yet another random blessing that camping in Oregon State Parks is free on the first Saturday in June!

Day 8: REST DAY!!!
This morning we awoke at the usual 7am and cleaned up (ahhhhh showers!!!) for church. We had passed the Living Word Christian Center on our bikes and decided to worship there today. The beautiful sanctuary was only outshone by the hearts of the congregation who shared with us their kindness, prayers, well wishes, and coffee. It was there that we met the lovely and talented Sherry who has opened her home to us for internet use, doing of laundry, and a lavish steak dinner. Her house is perched up in the mountains of Canyon City outside of John Day, and the view here is indescribable. ...to the 4+ moms out there who are currently worrying, never fear, we are being taken care of!

So that's all for now. Apologies for the mass update. As internet becomes more readily available, postings will hopefully be less sporadic. Thank you for your comments on the blog, thoughts, and prayers!