Oregon! OR the whole state is perhaps one of the most dynamic places I’ve been; Sunday: big city, Monday: ocean, Tuesday: ocean & mountains, Wednesday: mountains and lava lakes, Thursday: great beer & incredible people, Friday: high desert & badlands (head winds) and Saturday: horrible winds, high heat and desert mountain ranges.
Yesterday we traversed 106 miles of the high desert from Bend to Riley passing through Brothers, which has a population of 10 hearty soles. The head wind was as potent as the 110 degree heat baking our skin.
I have never been in the desert, never heard a rattle snake and since last Saturday I have seen three and heard many.
This evening I’m sitting outside our hotel in the only town for 127 miles – Burns. I can not believe that there is this much open space in our country, its amazing.
As we were riding we could see the road stretch on for miles & watch the heat, smolder up on the tar as if it were a river. There is no shade out here, just fences, dirt and a lot of trucks.
We ventured further into the desert abyss today – with another fierce uncontrollable head wind, forcing me to fall off the bike three times.
The last hour up Stinking water pass was incredibly beautiful – but the pain was too much to continue.
We’ve met so many terrific people in Oregon who have gotten behind our advocacy mission. I would like to mention the great support we received from Daniella & Elliot Crowder, owners of Bike Newport- an amazing shop, who gave us some additional gear for our mountain bikes. Also, the hospitality of Patti & Jeff Evans, a Bend couple who really believe in what we’re doing. They are both incredible cyclists and human beings. While out on a brand new Scott Plasma, Jeff was clobbered by a car, his fourth car/bike accident where he broke his fibula. It’s been 10 weeks and he’s back on his bike(s) limping when he walks but his fervent focus on staying active is intoxicating. I hope that I can ride with him and Patti soon.
-Pearson 8/16
Hi Pearson,
Today’s Dear Abby has a letter about bike riding and one man’s great experience in Miami Valley, Ohio. Dear Abby replies that she is hesitant to encourage large numbers of people to bike ride until their is more education and driver awareness about bikers’ rights. She urges the print and TV media to be a significant help by informing their audiences. SO……I emailed her a letter just now telling her about you and your website. Hopefully she will look into this and pass it along to her readers. Now wouldn’t that be great?????You might want to write to her yourself at dearabby.com
Keep the faith. Good for you for perservering through the desert and those winds. I can’t wait for you to come back to visit my students either in Sept. or later in the year. It is wonderful that you are meeting so many good people and making new friends and I am sure lasting impressions on everyone. Take good care of yourself, Pete, too.
JF
1stopmountainbike…
Bike racing for me has always been a sort of identity. From racing around the neighborhood to retiring my BMX career to my current love of mountain biking, racing has defined my life….