Day 4: Kah-Nee-Ta to Prineville, OR

Easier day..or are we getting fitter?..but there were mechanical problems. My bike wheel seized up and Rod's cassette broke. But we have Jim, the mechanic, in a support van and he lent me a front wheel while he fixed mine. 60 miles and a climb of 4,000 ft today over arid, rugged country, always heading east, the air getting drier and hotter daily. Tomorrow is the most challenging day of the tour. So we went to a restaurant famous for its pies...mine? Lemon meringue.

Day 3: Welches to Kah-Nee-Ta

Today was glorious but hard work. Straight out of the hotel gate we had to grind uphill for 14 miles without relief to 4,000 ft, passing the slopes of Mt. Hood almost at the snowline ourselves. It took over 2 hours to reach the summit. The payoff was an exhilirating fast descent (38mph)through pine forests. Then it changed to desert. Another long climb, and then the best descent of my life into the arid valley, curving round rock formations and ending at the hotel (photo after my shower!)

Day 2: St. Helens to Welches

Today was a little longer, 78 miles, but gorgeously scenic. In the morning we biked along the Columbia River to Portland. In the afternoon we climbed up into the Olympic foothills with the majestic snows of Mt Hood brilliant in the sunshine. I broke a spoke on the way down and limped home the last five miles, but the repair crew took care of it quickly.