August 5, 2001. Austin Junction to
Dayville, Oregon. (62 mi.) Mile 3947
Downhill
cruise to Dayville
Dawn broke with sunny skies again;
the mountains fresh and clean from yesterday's rain. More than once the
Weather Channel has seemed a day off in its predictions. Mike thinks that it
helps improve accuracy by predicting what has already happened.
Dawn brought
sunshine to our Austin Junction camp
Yesterday we only got
through 2 of the 3 minor Blue Mountain passes, but this morning it was much
easier to finish off the last climb and sail down into the John Day River valley,
stopping briefly to swap stories with a couple of bicycle tourists grinding up
the climb in the other direction. Except for the short climb this morning,
today has been a relatively easy downhill cruise.
We had a great breakfast
in Prairie City, our first small town. For about a month, we've
both been ordering the same thing for breakfast when we eat out: 2 eggs + 2
pancakes. It's inexpensive, predictable, and fast, and it seems to give good
mileage. Sometimes we would rather order fresh fruit or a
vegetarian omelette, but doing this can throw the small town short order cook
into a tailspin, give unpredictable results, and take forever.
Coming out of the
Blue Mountains, looking toward the John Day Valley
Eastern Oregon
farmland
Oregon is a bicycle friendly state
and reminds other tourists on its brochures that cyclists have a legal right
to claim their lane and to be on the roads like any other vehicle. In Oregon
we have enjoyed good shoulders and noticed signage warning motorists to
"Yield to Bicycles" when appropriate.
The John Day River east of Dayville
We were glad to arrive in Dayville
just as it was starting to get hot and windy. Dayville is an especially friendly place
for bicycle tourists. A banner outside the Dayville Merc says "Welcome
TransAmerica Bicyclists". The owner of the Merc, Steve Cookinham, noticed
the building for sale while riding through the area on a bicycle tour a few
years ago, decided to buy the store, quit his cubicle job in Seattle, and move
to Dayville. Steve has extensive touring experience and participated in
the around-the-world Odyssey 2000 bicycle tour last year before suffering a
serious injury when he crashed on a downhill in Africa. He offered suggestions
for extending our tour through the John Day Fossil country, which we may
incorporate into another bicycle trip later. It is not far for us to return to
this area from our home in eastern Washington.
Mike chats with
Steve Cookinham outside the Dayville Merc
One
of the best parts of Dayville is the Presbyterian Church's bicyclist hostel.
The church generously opens its doors to cyclists, and offers kitchen and
shower facilities, including clean towels. Donations are appreciated, but
otherwise, this is the church's gift to cyclists, Christianity at its best. A stained glass image hanging in the window was donated to the
church by another Oregon group as a token of appreciation. The inscription
reads,
"To the Dayville Presbyterian Church,
Thank
you for your kindness and hospitality to bicyclists."
Countless other
cyclists have expressed gratitude for this hospitality in the Church guest book.
We have the church all to ourselves
this evening. We noticed that Walter Francke had stayed here last night. He
signed the guest book and wrote, "Five more days and I'll see the
Pacific!!" How long ago it seems that we shared the Elk Garden Methodist
Church Hostel
with Walter, and again, the hostel at Pippa Passes (June
2-3 and June 5-6). We
remember talking to Walter about his motives for wanting to ride across the
country. He could have spoken for us when he said that he hoped to be able to
look back on his life with a collection of rich and varied memories.
We know
that this trip has generated more memories and experiences for us than we
can begin to touch on in this journal. These have
already altered our concepts of this country and the people who live here.
These memories will be with us forever. We too are looking ahead to the end of this
long journey, to seeing the Pacific,
and our family once again.
