Day 3

Day 3 was the first real physical challenge.  I started the day at the base of a 4000 or so ft climb over McKenzie Pass, rt 242.  There were no shoulders but the road was nearly empty and I saw only 6 cars or so in the first 10 miles.  Once I hit the snow gate it was just me and other bicyclists.

Past the snow gate the climb was gruelling but the scenery made up for it.

The road is very popular with local cyclists and I was passed by dozens of them. Most of them were on lightweight road bikes and were clearly a bit amazed by the weight I was hauling.  Once when I was taking a break by the side of the road one guy joked to the rest of his group as they were passing, "I think I am going to pull over next to this guy and start complaining about how heavy my bike is."

On the way up I ended up having numerous conversations with other riders and received endless encouragement from them. Most were out for day rides to the top and back but a handful were travelling between Eugene and Sisters.  One woman I met was in her 70s and said she does the climb weekly when the route is open.  She also casually mentioned that she rode across the country her FIRST TIME when she was 64. To say I was humbled is an understatement.

Below is a series of pictures I took on the way up.

First snow on the ground, around 4000 ft:

Random places on the way up;

 The summit:

Inside the observatory:

Just past the summit:

From there I dropped the 15 miles into Sisters.  Due to being a bit dehydrated and hungry the first thing I did was drink a quart of gatorade and eat an ice cream bar. Then I tracked down a local Mexican restaurant someone at the summit had mentioned to me and had a huge meal.

All the food made me a bit slow for the last 30 miles. I ended the day in Terrebonne at a hiker/biker camp at Smith Rock State Park, a place that is popular with rock climbers. Despite the climb over McKenzie Pass I managed to cover about 68 miles.