Diary

Mileage:  62.88 miles (101.86)

Elevation Change:  3412 feet (1040 meters)

Weather:  sunny, cool in the early morning, hot later

Morale:  good morale, but tired and sore

Incidents:  Rode through Madras, Oregon, home of PFC Tom Tucker, killed last week in Iraq.  The whole town is decorated and he is all they are talking about.

Daily Summary:

We’re all starting to get a bit tired.  I think everyone in the group is starting to feel the miles!  Today we rode across the open plains of central Oregon.  The geology is magnificent.  Lots of mesas and the ever-present volcanoes all along the horizon.  The area here is very agricultural.  The ride today was relatively short, with relatively little climbing.  Like all of the rides so far, the scenery has been spectacular.   Tomorrow we have the hardest day of the trip, however:  117 miles with 5500 feet of climbing.  Everyone is a bit nervous. 

 

Below is a picture of the boys in front of Mount Jefferson, in the middle of a climb out of the Dechutes River Valley.  Also a picture of our limousine.  The bike is working well—no mechanical problems so far.  It sure draws a lot of attention!