Day 66 Sep13: John Day OR to Mitchell OR, 62.5mi 2582ft

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.

Day 65 Sep12: Union Creek CG to John Day OR, 68.2 mi 3665ft

Today was a trifecta: three ascents all 1000ft climbs followed by going all the way back down 1000ft. I heard someone on the TransAm near the Blue Ridge Mountains call these PUDs. Pointless Ups and Downs. But I don’t mind climbs and I certainly love the downhill rewards so today was a gratifying day. The towns along this route came to be because of logging and railroad. Prairie City was very cute and had a railroad museum that Bill visited (I will catch it on the return journey).

Met the unlocked trailer in John Day and heated myself up some ramen with hot dog slices in it. Junk food for sure but pure salty comfort and after all it is the official cuisine of bike touring. Bill was in the Kam Wah Chung museum and was deeply impressed by it. Apparently at one time John Day had the third largest Chinatown in the United States! The museum showed the hardship and discrimination the Chinese folks suffered as well as their grit and perseverance. They focused on two particular Chinese men that became successful businessmen, generous and kind, pillars of the community. I didn’t visit the museum but very much look forward to catching it on the way back.

Settled down in Clyde Halliday State Park Campground which was a blue ribbon facility! Beautiful park with mown lush grass, water and electrical hookups, flush toilets and showers. You can even stay in a teepee if you want. We are living large!

Day 64 Sep11: Richland OR to Union Creek Campground OR, 63.5mi

Today was a pleasant pedal as the rugged, harsh terrain of Hells Canyon gave way to the Elkhorn scenic byway after passing Baker City. Bill left camp at Richland and headed straight to Baker City for some chores; grocery shopping, car wash and laundromat. On my way there was a historical site where you can see Oregon Trail wagon ruts. A very pleasant hilly pedal with very little traffic. We met for lunch at Good Wife Bakery which was super yummy. Another TransAm cyclist was there that started in Astoria and intended to finish in Pueblo CO. His wife was sag-supporting him from their Tesla. They are hoteling it, but apparently charging is a bit of an issue and they intend to mitigate by camping at the occasional RV park with electricity. 

The ride along the Elkhorn byway revealed idyllic mountain streams, chiefly the Powder River, ghost towns and lakes. We made camp at a huge but virtually empty Union Creek campground. A wonderful place with sites ranging from tent to partial and full hookups, a dog park, boat ramp, well spaced sites, empty camp store, tall lodge pole pines. It was kinda weird though. This recreation site is in on Phillips Lake and the lake is very, very, woefully low. So much so that one would have to hike way, way down through mush to get to it. All the docks are high and dry by I’d guess 200ft. It just feels wrong. It’s just another illustration of climate change at work. They say that Oregon is in a severe drought, there is reduced snow pack and temperatures are hotter causing evaporation. Well it looks pretty obvious here at Phillips Lake where the lake is pretty much inaccessible for recreation. A little web research revealed that Baker County has declared a drought emergency and the lake is at 11% of capacity. It just feels like this well developed campground is going the way of nearby ghost towns. 

Day 63 Sep10: Brownlee Campground ID to Richland OR, 55.1mi

Had a hearty eggs’n sausage breakfast and started the day with a long, beautiful downhill into Brownlee Reservoir basin. This is Hells Canyon country and the valley walls are steep, a bit volcanic with basalt and covered in golden grass. With the morning light it was gorgeous. Rode along the Snake River for a bit and enjoyed the serenity of waterfowl, fishermen folk, glassy water and zero traffic. Crossed the border into Oregon, the final state of the TransAm! Went through Oxbow and cruised the rolling hills into Halfway OR. Halfway is a cute, tiny town and today they had a little farmers market and an interesting Mercantile. Treated myself to a veggie burger, an iced tea and a leisurely sit down. 

Finished up the last 20 miles with a big climb on Highway 86 followed by a huge, ripping downhill. There was little to no traffic so I took the whole lane and refused my brakes. So fun. Pedaled right into Hewitt County Park and Campground near Richland to the awaiting land yacht. Bill had it all set up. We had electrical power for the first time, so microwaved Trader Joe’s fried rice was a snap. Today was a good day.

Day 62 Sep9: New Meadows (Zims) ID to Brownlee Campground ID 73.5mi

 Took off from the hot springs campground with a route whereby I would pick up the Wieser River Trail just after New Meadows. I have been very curious about this trail since I discovered it on a trip to McCall in May 2020. It is 82 miles long and ideal for bikepacking on gravel bikes. My route was to ride on it from New Meadows, through Council and end in Cambridge. So yeah, I entered the trail after New Meadows and found it to be a complete mess with very thick ground gravel, like riding in sand. So I got back on Highway 95, which has absolutely no shoulder. It felt completely dangerous and after being buzzed a little too close I jumped back on the trail. Joy! This part of the trail had lovely compact dirt, tall trees, streams and plenty-o trestles bridges. Delightful. That lasted about 10 miles then the trail turned to dusty, ground cementy washboard. Again I crossed over to the highway and a double trailer semi truck came super close (<3 ft?) and it completely freaked me out. Back to the retina detaching washboard. Met Bill in Council ID for lunch. Stopped in a cute Mennonite dry goods store and bought some jams, salsa, peach pies. 

After lunch back to the washboard for another 20 miles because there is no way I want to die in Idaho. The stretch of the trail between Council and Cambridge goes off into the backcountry range so there is no bailout. Not only was the washboard jarring but every mile or so you have to unchain and re-chain a cattle gate. I thought if I can just get to Cambridge, we are camping at a hot springs resort there and I will be golden. Alas, when I arrived Bill reported that the resort/campground is closed for the season. The next campground is 20 miles up the road. So be it. He offered to load the bike on the car and drive in but No Way! EFI !! (Every #$@‘ing Inch as my Jamestown VA friend Debra says!! So I wrapped my head around riding another 20 miles (it’s simply like doing the morning Rocket Ride, right?) and pressed on. It was smokey, hilly and straight into a head wind. 

We camped at Brownlee CG US forest service which was nice and treesy. I ate, took a shower, took two Advil PMs and slept like a rock.