| We wake up early, at 6:30am., after enjoying a 10-minute snooze, since this is going to be a long day. An hour later, we have breakfast at The Gallery Restaurant: oatmeal with fruit ($3.50 + $4.50) for Tomi and Traveler's Breakfast (French Toast, 2 sausages + egg + apple sauce) ($6.95) for Tei. As usual, we split everything. After filling our water supplies we hit the road at 8:30am. There is no wind, no traffic and the tranquil pine forest shields us from the sun. After 7 miles of riding the chain breaks in Tomi's bike. The problem turns out to be with the rear derailleur hanger. There is no way to fix it on the road, so the only option is to kick-bike back to Sisters and its bikeshop. Luckily, the way back is practically all downhill. | |
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Soon after noon the bike is "fixed"; the shop does not have spare parts
for GT bikes, so their only option is to bend the derailleur hanger back to "shape". They
give no guarantee for how long it will last. We have lunch at Bronco's, a salad
and a veggie sandwich. Tei is carded before being served a beer. Still
the server is not convinced that the birth year in the ID is not
forged.
At 1:15pm. we re-attempt to conquer the MacKenzie pass (elev. 5325'). There is no way we can reach Eugene today, but there is no point staying in Sisters, either. More than three hours later we finally reach the beautiful basalt surrounded pass. We climb to the Dee Wright Observatory and enjoy the view for a few minutes before continuing riding. |
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First, the descent is comfortable, but after a
while the road turns into sharp and steep switchbacks. We have to stop
occasionally to rest the wrists tired from braking. The light sifting
through the spruce trees is magical.
In the picture at right Three Sisters are viewed from a different direction. |
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It is getting late and chilly. Last few miles we are on the
highway 126 west, which has very wide shoulders and good pavement. The road
goes slightly downhill and we have tail wind, so the ride is smooth
and swift. Just before dusk we reach McKenzie Bridge (elev. 1400') and seek room
at Log Cabin Inn. The rooms
are pretty expensive, but a Tepee (with a carpet) costs only $45, towels
and host showers included. We set up our camp, take shower and
hurry to the dinner that is served till 9 pm. Dinners are pricy but
good (Rainbow Trout and Chicken Breast accompanied by some micro brews
on tap). We enjoy some dessert in the bar and go to sleep early.
Today we rode 94.1km in 6:25. |
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