October 2
40mi/64km
800ft/240m elevation gain
After all the climbing of yesterday, we had a mostly downhill day today. It was cold in the morning and we descended in the shade, so we had freezing fingers until we finally got into the sun.
At first we were in the mountains among the pine trees, and as we dropped we got back into ranch land. From the vanilla scented pine, back to the lemony sage. We did 20mi/32km by 10am, when we arrived in Prineville. We got some groceries and stopped for sandwiches, then left town a little after noon to follow the Lower Crooked River.
It was very scenic riding through a canyon. There were lots of people out flyfishing. We rode past campground after campground, all mostly empty. There were cool rock formations in the canyon walls. It was hot, but the riding was easy.
We stopped at the last campground around 2pm. Although it’s early to stop, it’s another 35 miles before we can legally camp again, and it’s at the top of another climb, which is too much to get done before dark.
Not that we are upset about the decision. We’re right on the river, we have shade from the trees, we’ve got a picnic table, and the campground has potable water. We sat on the shore for a long time watching the herons and kingfishers. A little later, a couple cyclists rolled in. Two retired guys are doing the Oregon section of the Golden Gravel Route. We visited with them and shared stories as the sky grew dark. Once again, the stars are incredible.
