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Oregon |
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greetings from Frank's Place restaurant in Mapleton, Oregon (on the SR126 if
u gotta map) After some minor mishaps at the get go, most notably getting my
feet soaked while dipping the bike in the pacific, and Felipe bending wheel rim,
we set off today for the other coast. nothing but beautiful scenery and blissful
sunshine (i should work for Oregon Tourism board with this lofty garbage!) for
the first 25 miles, and i expect much of the same in the future. Eugene is about
54 miles away. we might or might not get there this evening. hope everyone is
doing well.
-Darren & Flip
yesterday was tough, I'll admit it. after the last email from Mapleton,
things got hilly. plus it takes time for your body (the wrists, back, and ass
specifically to adjust to all the pressure constantly exerted on it. but we made
it 55 miles to Noti, Oregon. I stopped by the first house I saw to ask them
where a suitable place to camp would be. Jusin Mitchell and his wife immediately
offered to let us stay in their beautiful backyard, which we accepted. they went
out of their way to help us, letting us cook our mac & cheese with tuna
topping in their home, and told us if we need any help to be sure to call. it
was very refreshing to meet such kind people on our first night out. Thanks Mr.
& Mrs.. Mitchell! we settled in for the night at about 10pm and we are
scampering about camp right now getting ready for our ride into Eugene and
beyond....
-Darren & Flip
sorry for the delay folks. yesterday afternoon we made it into Eugene after a
short 25 mile ride into town. we needed some work done on our bikes, which took
up most of the afternoon. we asked Steve our bike mechanic, where a good place
to camp would be, and he immediately offered to let us stay in his backyard. we
accepted, and set up tent there, and spent the evening with Steve, and his roommates,
a husband and wife, both students at U of Oregon. they treated us fabulously,
and it was very nice to relax in their home after two days of riding. this
morning the two hosts are going to ride with us for some time, which will be
great. we hope 2 get 2 McKenzie bridge by this evening, some 69 miles from here.
more later....
-Darren & Flip
sorry for the delay in the updates folks. these past two days have been a study in
contrasts. Friday we rode 65 miles from Eugene to Mckenzie Bridge,
at the base of the Cascade Range. Smooth ride, beautiful weather and scenery,
and a nice USFS campsite to relax, get my fishin' on (till the shitty Taiwanese
rod broke in half) and cook a wonderful concoction of rice and our staple of
choice, tuna. Our camping neighbor next to us, Mike from Syracuse, is doing the
same trip as us, so it was nice to talk shop and compare the journey so
far.(side note; anyone who tried to call us yesterday , sorry but the forest was
to secluded for any reception) anyhow, we awoke to rain this morning, packed our
gear accordingly, and set of on a whopper of a climb, up and over the
cascades via the 47 mile long Santiam Pass. I do not wish today's ride on my
worst enemy, as the combination of cold weather, cold wind, cold rain, slick
roads, logging trucks, RV's out in force on Memorial day weekend, and 5000 feet
of climbing on poor shouldered roads made things interesting to say the least.
but we got many cheers from passing motorists which gave us some strength to
carry on. The descent was equally hairy, but once over the cascades the
weather improved somewhat. we rode 61 miles in total today to bring the total
trip mileage to 196. we thought we'd treat ourselves to a motel in
Sisters, but Alas they are all booked. so we're kickin it here with Mike from
Syracuse in Sisters City Park, a cyclists refugee camp of sorts...no mac and
chese tonight though. we getting us some grub in town! peace out!
-Darren & Flip
ps. I gotta leave Mr. and Mrs. Bates of this one, because if they read about
today's ride they'll send out the rescue party. so no one forward this one to 'em
-Darren
What a day in Sisters, Oregon. No mileage today, as I got the word from my
partner in cycling, Felipe, that he is quitting tomorrow and heading back
to LA. I'd rather not go into details over this informal emailing, but email me
personally or call me if anyone wants to chat...So, no joke this time, who wants
to ride with me? Any volunteers? Adventure of lifetime in store? I cook a
mean Mac n' Cheese nightly! Anyhow, as Felipe packs his gear I am contemplating
my future on the road. NO WAY do i wanna throw in the towel on account of this,
so I am looking into meeting up with a cross-country tour that left 5/26 from
Astoria, Oregon. Any other suggestions to alternative to soloing it, which I am
not down for, is really welcome at this time....Goodbye for now, and I'll keep
everyone posted....
love, Darren
To everyone,
As some may already know, I, Felipe am not continuing with Darren
in biking across country. Given the past few days on the road, I have
realized that the trip is not for me and I am returning to LA. Many people
supported my decision to come on this trip and hopefully many people will
support me on my decision to depart. I know there are those that are upset
with my decision and do not understand, but that is a consequence that I will
have to face. I apologize to everyone for not completing my journey, leaving
Darren, and for bringing an inconvenience to all. Darren is an excellent travel
partner and am sure he will be successful in completion.
As of Monday, May 29, for those that wish to continue contact with
me, have a word with me, or send me hate mail, my new email is Mofotifo@hotmail.com.
Thank you for respecting my decision.
Sincerely,
Felipe Padilla
So where did we leave off folks? I didn't get any biking volunteers, so you
should all feel like you've let me down! That's cool though, I understand.
Yesterday we stayed in Sisters City park for a second night; busy repacking all
our shit as I have to be rather self-sufficient cyclist from here on out.
That means all the food, stove, clothes, bike parts, the essential Frisbee, etc.
had to be loaded up on my bike, adding some considerably weight. But I sent home
(wherever that is!) some crap with Felipe to offset it, so its all good! This
mornin Felipe and I had our farewell ride complete with pomp and circumstance
to Redmond, Oregon. My plan was this: I couldn't ride solo for weeks on end, so
i had to find Matt, you know that guy from Syracuse who we met a couple days
back. He is a skilled rider who had a two day head start on me, so that meant
renting a car (forget sending me an email regarding my cheating ways! Anything
to continue the journey, and mark my words I will return to Redmond one of these
days and fill in the 80 mile gap. Maybe one of u slackers will join me then)
and....finding him on the route. With Felipe at the wheel we took off on route
26, and sure enough spotted him at the Dayville Hostel (the dayville hostel
happens to be the local Presbyterian Church. Millie the caretaker of the church
was kind enough to let us spend the night. I scoped out the padded aileway in
the sanctuary as my evening resting spot) Anyhow, Matt looked as if he saw
two ghosts when he spotted us, but quickly recovered once I pointed to our
rental car. We explained the scenario; Felipe leaving, me wanting to go on but
not solo, etc. To make a long story not so long, Felipe and I said our goodbyes
and he took off for his bus ride to LA.. Matt said I was welcome to join him for
the two weeks before I return to SD for graduation, so that's the plan. All you
Jewish mothers out there fear not, for Darren will not be by himself in
Hicksville. So that's the story....The church is lovely, with two nice pianos for
me to tickle the ivories a bit, a great kitchen to cook my staples, and you would all be thrilled
to know I had my first shower of the journey today! (compliments of Millie, of
course)
-Darren &....just Darren
Good morning. After a wonderful nights rest in on the synagogue floor, I
awoke at 7 ready to hit the road on a planned 50 mile ride to Prairie City,
Oregon. But....the weather today sucks big time. Cold and rainy. Oh well, a
little rain never hurt...So we're setting off from Dayville at about noon,
hoping the rain will subside by then. The Idaho border is getting close, and
we're both anxious to cross our first state boundary!. I talked to Adventure
Cycling today, the company that designed the route and operates a 10-12 person
tour that leaves from Portland on the 1st of June. Although I'll have to cough
up some big dough, in all likelihood i will fly or bus back home from Missoula ,
Montana mid-June to graduate, and then return to Missoula and join up with their
tour for the rest of the haul. By mid June, Matt and I hope to have put some
distance between us and the tour so I can return to the Big Sky Country
without having the tour pass me by, and then having to play catch-up. If anyone
would like to surprise me with some biking goodies; i.e. dried fruit, energy
bars/drinks, cash, jewels, etc. then I will be checking for my mail at the Missoula
Post Office.
General Delivery
Darren Bates
1100 W. Kent Ave
Missoula, Montana 59801
That's it for now. Everyone Pray to the weather gods for me today.
-Darren
Today was a fine ride from Dayville to Prairie city, some 45 miles east. The
weather was mixed , with some brief moments of sun but predominantly rain and
coldness prevailed. Currently we are lounging in Prairie's Depot City Park, under
then picnic gazebo to protect ourselves from the elements. My 2 quarters bought
me 6 fine minutes of the public shower, which was scalding hot and much needed.
Tomorrow is a BIG day, and the weather MUST cooperate. The goal is Baker City,
closer to the Idaho border and 70 miles from Prairie. Oh yeah, and 3 5,000 foot
plus mountain passes. Caution will be heeded to be sure. I'll keep you posted. In Sisters a couple days back,
I bought myself a portable radio at Radio
Shack for weather reports, Laker games, etc. I struck up a conversation with the
manager, who was away from his normal managerial post in John Day, Oregon. I
told him of my trip, and he gave me some helpful advice on roads, places to stay
etc. He told me to look for the only stoplight in Grant county when i pass
through, and if I stop by at the local Radio Shack, he'll give me a gift. Sure
enough, I passed the stoplight, found the Shack, when in and chitchatted for a
while, and got a free pack of AA Batteries (Alkaline to boot!) Could it get any
better than that?
-Darren
This day sucked the big one, for starters. oh yeah, hello everyone, yada yada.
Please excuse my piss poor mood. Care for me to explain? The day started in
Prarie City after a sub-freezing night in Prarie City Park. We awoke at 5:45 to
get a head start on our 69 mile ride to Baker City, Oregon. Went breakfast
at the Branding Iron at 7:30, and was on the road by 8:30. The first mountain to
climb was Dixie Summit (confederate sympathizers abound in Oregon's past) 2,500
feet above Prarie View. I was greeted by a mixture of slush snow and rain at the
top. Following Dixie was a short descent to Austin Junction, and then another
steep ascent to 5,100 ft. Tipton Pass (no, not named for the legendary Drafting
teacher at Van Nuys High) Then a hair raising descent and a another steep ass
climb to Sumpter Pass (settlers named it for S. Carolina's famed Ft. Sumter, site
of the first battle in the Civil War , but the fools misspelled it) Then another
descent into Baker County where somewhere in between the last Pass and the city
of Sumpter, my trailer tire (where i keep all my gear) flattened. I knocked on
the door of Vaugh and Pam Mattsen, asking them if I can leave the trailer at
their home while i ride bare bike 3 miles to Sumpter. Turns out , Vaughn is a
gunsmith, artist, mechanic, and bike smith, so we headed to his shop to work on
the trailer tire. After some quality patchwork, Vaughn , Pam and I headed to
dinner together (my first meal in over 8 hours) while we left the tire back at
the shop to see if it would hold air. After a tasty meal, we returned to find
the tire flat as a proverbial pancake. So we managed to use an odd size tube ,
ad prayed it would hold till Baker City, 30 miles away. 10 miles from the
Mattsen's, the entire trailer tire flew off its hinges and rolled down a hill I
scampered down to chase it, wasting valuable daylight in the process. Already
7:30 at the time, i started pushing it to try to get to Baker before nightfall.
I fell, 4 miles short, and with Matt waiting for me at a pre-arranged site, no
doubt wondering where the fuck i was, I was left with little options. That is
until a friendly Sheriff in his flatbed truck rolled up and gave me a lift into
town,, sparing me from having to camp inn unfamiliar territory by the of the
road, and sparing matt a sleepless night....I finally arrived in Baker city RV
park at 10:30 enjoyed a hot shower and some cold leftover pizza, and laughed
with matt at my pitiful day...Got to end it on a good note though. I'm expecting
some good weather over the next couple days. Sunshine always makes biking
bearable, so expect upbeat and optimistic reports from here on out (no guarantees!)
-Darren (818)2702101 from 8-9pm pacific time
Good afternoon! Thanks for your vigilant prayers, for its 70 and beautiful
today in the former gold mining boom town of Baker City (pop 9,500) Today I've
been relaxing on Main Street, eating up a storm as my bike is being worked on at
the shop. First I had myself some rather mediocre chicken fajitas (oh how I miss
the delicioso Mexican grub in San Diego and Los Angeles. No Baja Fresh, La
Salsa, or Cotixan to be had in these here parts! After that i got myself some
desert at Wild Flour bakery, where the cinnamon rolls were scrumptious. Then off
to another bakery 10 minutes later for some apple strudel. Then off to Dairy
queen for a tasty chocolate cone! i figure that food is my fuel on this trip, so
no use cutting back. So that brings us up to speed. Tonight I hope to get some
good rest for tomorrows ride through the first half of Hell's Canyon. As the
name implies, its brutally hot, so the earlier the start the better...
-Darren
That's right. Today we made it all the way to Halfway, Oregon (no idea where
its halfway to or from, but in case your curious I'll check up on it for ya)
Today was a challenging ride. We awoke at 6am , and after TASTY breakfast
of ham (the secret is out, I am not glatt kosher after all), eggs, home fries, and
coffee, we departed from Baker City and headed for the hills. First up was
Flagstaff Hill right out of town. Child's play...But that was before 9 in the
mornin' when the weather was still bearable. Then it got hot as a mother f'er,
pardon my French. It was probably about 90 when one of my rear spokes broke in
the Powder River Gorge, a beautiful river canyon but completely exposed to the
sun .I spent an hour on the side of the road trying to repair it; waving off
truckers, RV's, FedEx and UPS dudes, etc. that thought i might be in need of
assistance. I finally said screw it and rode the remaining 20 miles into
Richland, where i had some Chicken fingers n' fries while discussing the day with
Matt. We worked on the bike for a while, getting my wheel trued up a bit thanks
to the assistance of Steve at Performance Bike Shop in San Diego via cell phone.
Leaving Richland, i made sure to fill up all my water bottles. Thank heavens! By
3pm, the temp must have been approaching triple digits, as we took off for a
1500 foot climb over an unnamed mountain pass. Lord was it hot, but with
a combination of super slow riding and a good deal of walkin', I made it up to
the top, had myself a victory apple at the summit, and then raced down the 6
miles to Halfway. A beautiful city nestled at the foothills of some mighty
impressive 8-9000 foot snowcapped peaks, Halfway is a mere 25.5 miles from the
Idaho border. Total riding miles to date, a hair short of 500. Tonight we're
camping out in front of an abandoned barn next to a motel that will let us use
their showers for 3 bucks. Tomorrow, an early rise to beat the heat, and then
off into the land of potato's , with a new time zone I might add, so all u folks
ringing my phone off t
he hook (Ha!) know that as of tomorrow I am 1 hour later than the west coast and
two behind the east, but open phone hours will remain 8-9 in my zone. Go Lakers!
-Darren
p.s. welcome newcomers to the list. Dave katz, Sloan, Dana, Vaughn & Pam
Mattson, and astrosing (who are you astrosing?)