Day 14 - August 13: Halfway OR - Baker City OR
54 miles. 3769 feet up, 2976 feet down.
Before we even rolled out of bed this morning we could hear thunderstorms happening outside. The rain had stopped by the time we wandered over to the main building for breakfast, but continued to be intermittent after that. We've had such consistently hot and clear weather that it seems a bit of a shock to my system to even think about rain. Breakfast was wonderful - made by our host, Shelly. Lots of fresh fruit, yogurt, scrambled eggs, etc. After breakfast it was raining again, so I was in no rush to get away. I had had a decent sleep, but unfortunately my roommate froze in the air conditioning all night as I slept with only a sheet. I must do better next time...... Here are some pictures of the Pine Valley Lodge property.
A quick look at the forecast told me that the rain wouldn't last for long. Some people were "bumping" up and down over the first hill, and most of the others were keen to get away. The guides don't like folks to get too spread out so that it is easier to support everyone, so I somewhat reluctantly headed out shortly after 8. At these temperatures, though, and with a long climb coming up I didn't even contemplate taking a jacket. I tucked my camera into a waterproof bag, so not many pictures right away. Although - the exit from Halfway was really quite pretty. By the time we started the climb the rain had stopped so out came the camera.
I didn't get the story on the Pine Valley Lodge and its history, but apparently it is owned by the folks who own Pine Valley Ranch. We saw several Pine Valley Ranch signs as we did the climb, so I thought I would see what I could find on-line. PVR is a commercial cattle (Black Angus) producer and covers 30,000 acres of private deeded land and has permits to graze an additional 25,000 acres of BLM land and 75,000 acres of USFS land. Hay production is carried out on 1400 acres of irrigated pasture.
The climb was about 7 kms long, steady but nothing too steep.
I had caught up to many by the summit, so waited a bit (to create some space) before heading down the other side.
Oh, ok. If I must......... Some fabulous views on the way down.
Note our road running out at the bottom left of this picture.
And into the town of Richland. There was a big fire camp set up there, and an information board with the latest info on the Town Gulch Fire, which I believe is the one that was threatening Halfway last week. The logistics of fighting and managing wildfires appears to be a bit fascinating to me....
And the osprey sighting du jour.
We were on this route (State Route 86) all day.
We weren't done with the rain yet, although it didn't amount to much this time. The next stretch was particularly pretty. I just love all the wide open spaces, the sweeping views, and the winding canyon-like areas.
A rare sighting of Cy riding her bike within range of the group. She was riding at warp-speed to catch up to some of us before heading back to her van/trailer driving duties. In addition to being excellent guides, all three of them love to ride bikes!
A gentle climb toward SAG#2.
The contrast in vegetation between irrigated and non-irrigated land. We saw lots of both today.
A brief downhill before our final substantial climb of the day. The National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center is seen perched at the top of a hill in the third photo. The prospect of yet another stiff climb towards the end of the day turned most people off.
Nice of them to include a bike lane on the approach road to the center, which was about 1.5 long with grades of up to 12%. Ugh, but worth it...........
Too many pictures to include here, but I quite like the center. I had more time to explore than last time I was through here. Three of us watched the hour-long movie, and were careful not to snore as we caught up on our sleep.
And with that history lesson under my belt it was an easy few last miles into Baker City. I'd had so many breaks during the day and was so energized by the terrain that I really wasn't ready for the day to end.
And to cap off an already wonderful day, when I checked into the hotel I found out that this was the night for me to have a room to myself on the layover day, and look at my room!
I showered and changed and just made it back to the lobby in time for the 5pm tour of the Geiser Grand Hotel that was originally built in 1889 and saved from the wrecking ball in the 1990s. Just a few pics from that tour.
And this fabulous day was topped off with a lovely buffet dinner in a private dining room at the hotel. The only bad news on the day was that two ladies will be leaving the tour here - one a planned exit to tend to other commitments and one with a health issue that needs tending too. We'll miss them both! Rest day in Baker City tomorrow.
The Ride:
Garmin: 90.00 km. 4007 feet up, 3158 feet down.
RWGPS: 90 km. 1385 m up, 1144 m down.
Temperature range: 13C - 33.5C
The Route:
Baker City OR. Population 10,099
The city was named after Edward Dickinson Baker, the only US senator ever killed in military combat (during the American Civil War). By 1900 it was the largest city between Salt Lake City and Portland. The city is situated in a valley between the Wallowa Mountains to the east and the Elkhorn Mountains to the west, with the Powder River running through the center of downtown on its way to the Snake River. In 2000, about 17% of the population lived below the poverty line. The National Historic Oregon Tail Interpretive Center is located about 5 miles east of the city and offers exhibits and activities related to the Oregon Trail.
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