Day 3 Welches-KaNeeTa

Miles:  65.28               Terrain:  Hills in the Cascades and high desert 
Depart:   7:02  AM      Arrive:  2:12 PM
Riding time: 5:21:21        
Average Riding Speed:  12.2 (Lots of climbing!)
 

           Today’s Garmin Download (for cycling data junkies!) 

 

                             Today's Ride  

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Today was the most challenging day of cycling I’ve ever done.  In 63 miles there was almost 5,000 feet of climbing.  But it was also the most exhilarating day I’ve ever had on a bicycle with fabulous scenery and large changes in terrain from the beginning to the end of the ride. 

We started out early this morning with a 13 mile climb through the Mount Hood National Forest to a sag stop at 4,000 feet elevation (the start was at 1,268 feet so actually about 3,000 feet of climbing to that first stop).  Mt. Hood was not obscured by clouds as it often is, the sky was clear, the sun was bright and it shone off the snow at the top of the mountain.  While the grade up the mountain was only about 4-5%, it was relentless.  However, I got into a nice easy cadence and rode well…until I got a flat a mile from the top!  Finding the cause of the flat was a challenge, but one of the riders, Paul Meincke, had the eagle eye and caught sight of a tiny thorn that had penetrated the tire.  Then with a new tube in the tire, the chain fell in past the chain guard that is supposed to keep it from falling in.  Of course, it kept it from being pulled out to be put back on the chainring!  Rusty, the
other America By Bicycle (ABB) mechanic, (I’ve already talked in yesterday’s post about Jim) adjusted that and I was back underway.  (I had mentioned this to the bike shop when I brought the bike in before the trip, and they had supposedly adjusted it so that that wouldn’t happen.)  When I got going I’d lost my momentum, though, and felt I was slogging to reach the sag stop a mile up the road.  Soon though it was a fast descent down the other side, almost reaching 40 miles per hour.  I was trying to imagine how cycling pros can actually handle 50 mph downhills with much sharper curves and rougher pavement than we rolled over on U.S.26 on the way down.

The entire Mt. Hood National Forest looks just like you think of when you think of the Cascade Mountains...tall green trees everywhere!  In addition to the views of the mountains and trees, I saw a sign near the 40 mile mark advising that the road at that point is exactly midway between the Equator and the North Pole!


We turned off the highway onto Native American lands enroute to the Kah-Nee-Ta resort that was formerly a casino resort, but is now a resort, sans casino.  Here the terrain turns from lush green mountains to high desert, and the cool temperatures from the

Mt. Hood area give way to more typical desert temperatures that approached 90 degrees (to use that old saying...”but it’s a dry heat!”  If it wasn’t for the mountains still visible, one would think they’re in West Texas.  There was more climbing through the high desert, but then an exciting couple of miles descent toward the resort.  Unfortunately I don’t have pictures…I was too busy controlling my bike down the winding road into a canyon.  At the end there was a very short (half mile) very steep (8% grade) climb up to the resort.

All told, a tough day physically with elevation gain of 74 feet per mile, but a satisfying day that rewarded everyone with wonderful scenic diversity.  Tonight was going to be the first “laundry night” for me, but the laundry facilities here require a bus ride to the village.  The people from ABB said that there is a Laundromat across from tomorrow night’s hotel, so that’s on the agenda tomorrow.  Therefore, it is possible that there may not be a post tomorrow night.  If not, I’ll cover tomorrow on Friday night’s post.