I was in John Day OR almost exactly a year ago, following a Cycle Oregon route with friends Leisa, Tim, Jeff, Linda and Henry. I had so much fun and it was on that trip that Leisa and I vowed to do the TranAm in the spring…and we did! Left Clyde Halliday CG after sleeping in and having a leisurely breakfast. The headwind going west was brutal and consistent all day. Stopped in Dayville for a pumpkin spice latte and a BLT at a cafe we visited last year. It had made quite an impression because the young couple that own it and work it each pack pistols at their hip. Weird…your order is ready, here is your latte…and she is carrying a gun at her hip. Just another day in Central Oregon. I just had to see if they are still locked and loaded and they are.
After Dayville one enters the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. The geology gets very interesting with volcanic relics, uplifts and basalt rock. It was a steady climb and though the total ascent was only 2582ft for the day compared to 3665ft yesterday, it was a taxing slog into the headwind. I ran out of water and got a bit forlorn. Finally, I got to the big descent into Mitchell OR.
The plan was to park the trailer just outside of Mitchell for the night for free on some janky BLM land but we stopped by the Spoke n’ Hostel because I wanted to show Bill what a neat place it is (we stayed here last year) Jalet the owner was just leaving. She remembered me and the gang from last year. She told Bill we could park the trailer in the parking lot and have the run of the hostel, its kitchen and the showers. She is a trail angel extraordinaire!! Writing this post from inside the hostel with some nice hot tea, rippin’ WiFi on a cozy sofa. People are so nice.
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