I developed a rating system. The base for the
system was a "Mary's Peak". We rated this ride a
2-Mary's Peak day!
The morning started mild but wet. This was the first
morning with a significant amount of moisture to
actually note that it had rained during the night.
In fact, there was almost a mist in the air as we
packed up the tent.
Dorena Lake has some wonderful paved paths and we were
blessed to ride the smooth pavement for about twelve
miles. After that we were following a road by Brice
Creek. Although we did not stare at the the water,
the soothing sound of the water flowing was
rejuvenating. We needed the miles of a refreshing
uphill ride as soon enough we started a climb of over
eight percent for over ten miles.
There were two peaks. The first was 4,782 feet in
elevation and the second was 4,834 feet. Between the
two, we had a nice little downhill stint before we
started climbing again. The last downhill was not as
steep as the previous day, but there were sections of
9% grade where our brakes had a workout.
We basically coasted in to Oakridge and set up our
tent in the track of the high school. The weather
was threatening us with showers and clouds. Both
Randy and I were tuckered out. We contributed our
exhaustion from not pacing the day before and racing
other riders. The result in soreness and lack of
energy were evident on this ride. The main stage was
set up several blocks from the high school. We never
made it to hear the performers. The night was spent
resting after dinner. I don't think we were alone in
this activity.
At dinner, we had one of our most interesting
conversations to this point on the trip. A seasoned
Cycle Oregon rider sat across the table from us. He
came from Dallas, Texas and this was somewhere around
his thirteenth ride. He had a friend on the board
of Cycle Oregon who told him 48 of the 50 states had
riders and several countries had riders in Cycle
Oregon. It has become the model for other biking
events. People want to know their secrets for
success. Then the conversation switched to
different types of bikes. Randy was in heaven. I
listened and learned. Slowly I am picking up what
brands are reputable and how the workings of the
frames and materials make a bike top notch.
A comical moment: Remember our noisy neighbors from
La Pine? They decided they liked us so much that
they pitched their tent next to ours again! Lucky
us! However, this time they gave us space. That and
the fact we were exhausted helped us to sleep soundly
through the night.
Statistics: This was a 55.5 mile day. We gained
5,227 feet in elevation. Our average speed was 12
miles per hour.
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