The ride from Pacific City to Salem was nice, especially for a plus eighty mile day. There were some short, kinda steep climbs in the beginning, but it was doable. The toughest part was the trucks on the narrow roads where there was not a shoulder. Ate at the Ram in Salem for a decent steak and good craft brew. The night of sleep I got at the RV Park in Salem was okay, considering that I was 100 feet from I-5. But they did have great showers and facilities and I didn't have to go out of my way.
On Friday, I started the climb into the Cascades. I thought I would make it to Detroit. It was not really a bad ride, just the end when you had to climb to Detroit Dam. Took good rest breaks in Stayton and Mill City. I enjoyed the ride until the end. Detroit is a resort little town that people come to for the lake. The RV park was junk, so I biked another 5 miles to Idanha where there was a nice, friendly park. I got a great campsite on the N. Santiam River (compared to I-5). In all, a 61 mile day.
I got up on Saturday and took my time packing camp. Stopped at the lone diner/store in Idanha where the cook gave me extra food for my climb up to Santiam Pass. The day was trudgery. It was about 40 miles to the pass and most of it uphill. The elevation difference was 3200 feet, total climbing just to Santiam probably close to 5500. I averaged just over 10 MPH going up. My total average at the end of the day (84 miles into Bend) was 13.3. So you can see I took advantage of the descent.
I'm trying to gear myself up for the next few days. There will be few places to hide from the sun, the terrain sure to be rolly tough, and the distances between places really far. Until then, I have one more night in Bend and I'm gonna enjoy it. See you in a few days!
Baron when we stopped for lunch in Mill City.
Broken Top and Three Sisters
Me and Baron
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