Day 19 - August 18: Prineville OR - Sisters OR

52 miles.  1609 feet up, 1307 feet down.

Another beautiful day in Oregon.  Ready to roll by about 8:15.  


Some sights getting out of Prineville.




Today's ride was on reasonably quiet roads but often with no shoulder.  There were certainly a few ya-hoos (mostly driving pickups) who didn't believe in moving over for us in the slightest.  Oh - and I crossed (walking) at two crosswalks today.  In both cases cars did not stop for me until they were in imminent peril of hitting me.  Hmm.  

Lots of (irrigated) agriculture in evidence pretty much all day, along with lots of cattle, a few goats, and hundreds of alpaca on a single ranch.  I love the looks we get from cattle...............





We started to catch sight of some pretty interesting rock formations to the north; a prelude to getting to Smith Rock State Park.  





 

And some snow on mountains to the west.  I believe they are (right to left; all three are seen in one of the pictures below) North Sister, South Sister and Broken Top. We'll be heading that way the day after tomorrow.


We had our first SAG stop at Smith Rock State Park at about 9:45.  What a beautiful place!  A big destination for rock climbers, but I think I could probably spend a few days hiking around here.






Last time we were here we saw a tightrope walker going between these two peaks.






And a few parting shots........




I thought this was an interesting-looking plant; no idea what it is.


I saw this sign several times today.  And - beside it is a juniper tree.  We've seen lots of these the last couple of days.  By day's end we'll be more into Ponderosa Pine territory.


Coming up on the alpaca ranch.  I think someone said there were over 1000 alpacas there.  So cute.....










This one was my favourite.  He/she looked like an ostrich trapped inside an alpaca body.

I went a short way down a gravel road to look for a gift shop.  Also they were closed, but some folks who went in just a short time later were treated to a tour.  I did, however, find some mamas and babies who weren't out in the main field yet.


Back on the road, and the lovely scenery continued.  Unfortunately so did a stiff headwind!




For some reason I seemed to be hungry a lot today, so SAG 2 was a happy sight.  A bit of lunch from my lunchbox and some great treats from the SAG table.  No rush to get in, so I had a nice leisurely stop.  Only about 15 miles to go......  The suburbs of Sisters stretch quite a way out of town, and there is no shortage of high-end home around here.  Even a nice little airport where I'm sure a lot of private planes fly in & out of.





And finally into Sisters - along with hundreds of cars hauling tourists around.  The last time I was here was six years ago and I dare say it is quite a bit busier than it was then.  I rode up and down the major streets a couple of times looking for the t-shirt shop where I bought a nice McKenzie Pass sweatshirt last time I was here.  I think I found the store, but they don't sell that particular design anymore.  Someone else said they may have found something similar at one of the bike shops, though.  

Through town and into the BW hotel.  It almost feels like home.  This is my third time here, with a rest day each time.  I got laundry done as soon as I got in.  Then we were celebrating a 75th birthday.  What fun.  Appies, a pinata (which I had never experienced before), then burgers and a birthday cake.  It was great, and I think the birthday girl was very appreciative.



The Ride:

Garmin:  89.0 km.  2185 feet up, 1670 feet down.

RWGPS:  90.1 km.  580 m up, 486 m down.

Temperature range:  12C - 28C.


The Route:


Sisters OR.  Population 3,064

Sisters takes its name from the nearby Three Sisters mountains.  In the 2000 census about 10% of the population lived below the poverty line.  Since 2000 the population has grown from under 1000 to over 3000 and judging from the housing we saw yesterday I would guess that not too many of the new inhabitants are under the poverty line.  Sisters is a busy tourist town with the main downtown area filled with specialty shops and galleries.  Local annual events include a rodeo, a massive outdoor quilt show, car show, folk fest, artwalk, and studio tour.  For recreation, there is lots of hiking, biking, horse riding, and skiing.  








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