Thu 23 Apr 2009
3 days 300 miles
Posted by Andy under Beautiful Things, The Route
im very tired. this will be concise. harmiston to pendleton; chilly and partly cloudy, gradual but looooong climbs, switchbacks, sidewinds making us pedal downhill. bummer. pendleton to el grande, this part is called cabbage hill. holy shit cabbage hill. 4,000 feet of elevation. more and more gradual but looooong climbs, more intense switchbacks, more intense everything basically. and to top it off it began to snow when we reached the crest and made our way back down. we didnt have any winds to fight on the descent but we had snow piercing our eyeballs. then we find out the only way to get in to el grande is the highway, not the state route we had been enjoying perfectly well for the past 90 miles. descending a 5 mile %5 grade with big rigs barreling by a couple feet away is pretty invigorating. it definitely makes you feel alive and awake. we just finished scarfing down 3 pizzas. and now im out. here are some pictures.
toby gummer
these horses ran with us for a while. then they got bored and turned around.
comforting greetings
Ken gets down with the snow.
isn’t it fun when the horses run alongside? i have the same photo in my tour diary. luckily i never had to deal with snow. keep having fun.
I hope you can stay warm at night. I’m so happy the Gummers opened their home to you. Mandy has gotten some great places to stay through warmshowers, too. She’s in TN already; started in San Diego. You’ve done a lot of miles in a lot of wind….good work!
Do they have age limits for travelers? Is there an old fart web site for wanderers or is that called something else? You young people have all the benefit of this modern tech stuff! We would have had to walk up that climb with trucks barreling past us, both ways! 300 miles in 3 days and now you say your tired! Andy Rooney’s right, after you guys stop to HIKE a gorgeous waterfall. You need to keep moving!
Just kidding. Can’t imagine your efforts. Only thing missing from your description are the smells. Fresh air, mountain air, snow in the air. Too cool. Take it all in. Enjoy your ride. We are!
Pedal, pedal, pedal.
Good job, especially the recent tough part that is testing you for the flat desert part that you’re sure to experience. Marine Corps Motto: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” I’m not kidding, think it, use it, embrace it. Love you.
Not to worry guys, better weather ahead. The forcast is for clear days and cold nights so bundle up. No more big hills after Ladd Canyon. Hey lee withak, there is no age limit for this kid of fun. We are both 55 and plan on touring for another 55. Keep your tires hard and I hope the wind stays at your back.
Ken and Nancy Gummer aka The BikingVikings