Day 3 (6/7): Struggle bus

A 0430 text message brought me back to awake and as I struggled to read the message I remembered that I was in my bivvy...on the lobby floor of the Sisters, OR post office. It occurred to me that this should feel a little weird about holding up in the post office but all I felt was a pair of tired legs.

After Stephan and I raced down the Sisters side of McKenzie Pass and "took refuge" in the post office it had only taken a minute or two to fall asleep. Now it was "up and at em" time for a big day 3. Stephan was out the door first and I wished him well, only to find him at breakfast a few minutes later. Food onboard and resupplied, I headed out down the road, only mildly harassed by the trucks passing along the road. Rolling through Redmond, OR I made a stop at the local 7-11...had a bad USB cable that was causing charging issues on my Garmin. While I was a little irritated by them not having a bathroom I did still purchase the cable and my "obligatory slurpee". As I was raised in CA we had 7-11's everywhere; not the case in NC so I grab a slurpee whenever I get a chance....kinda my own personal requirement.

From there, a short but somewhat challenging ride to Prineville...there was a decent headwind) for lunch. I settled on DQ for lunch - burger and fries. What I did not do was buy anything from the McDonald's in Prineville - last year they would not let me sit in the lobby to eat my cheeseburger that I had already purchased. The staff cited Covid but the sign on the door said lobby open. Now it wouldn't have been that big an issue except that it was pouring rain outside, my knee hurt, and I was the only person in there. This was not a "covid issue" as much as it was someone not wanting to wipe down the table I was sitting at which irritates me to this day - it's your job, do it.

Not my normal diet but calories needed so...

Anyway, lunch done and additional supplies purchased. I had hoped to find some "bag balm" which supposed to be good for saddle sores. The Rite-Aid had some but only in the big square can which won't pack well so decided to stay with Desitin for now. Down the road and out towards the East.

As previously mentioned, my fantasy about getting to Baker City by end of day 3 was just that, a non-doable plan (for me at this point). Looking over the course, it looked like a run to Mitchell was a good option. Now, Mitchell is only about 85 miles from Sisters and you might think "that's not very far compared to the mileages already done". Well, there is this little climb in the Ochoco National Forest that looks at your mileage history and laughs at you. It's not it is the toughest climb but it comes at a time when you've been going hard for 2+ days and is just soul crushing.

Caught on film having a good time...or pretending to anyway 🤪 (photo credit: Nathan)

The only saving grace is that once you crest the summit the surrounding topography switches from forest to high desert which is a nice change of scenery.

There is a diamond in the rough of this very isolated part of Oregon and that gem is the Spokin Hostel. Just inside the town of Mitchell, Spokin provides lodging and services for weary cyclists (and you are weary at this point - doesn't matter who you are) and the hosts, Pat and Jalete, literally go to the max to make you comfortable. I can't say enough about these people and their ministry - they are just awesome folk. Decided after a big plate of spaghetti and a couple of cookies that it was time to put a pin in the day's activities and get a decent night's sleep.