Day 3

The third day did not start off well and that was an omen of things to come.  We were scheduled for a 7 am breakfast in the same cafe where we had dinner.  All 24 riders (one more to join us in Montana) and 3 crew members showed up and the same time and overwhelmed the staff of one waitress and one cook.  I didn't get riding until 8:45 am.

We started with a hair-raising crossing on I90 over the Columbia River.  There is no bike lane on the bridge and the cars and trucks buzzed us at high speeds.  Once we crossed the bridge we had a 2 mile climb out of the gorge.  The climb actually went easier than expected and I was feeling pretty good.

After a brief stop in George (I used to love to come to Martha's Inn for cherry pie--no lie!) we turned north toward Ephata.  This day turned into the most boring, tedious ride I have ever been in.  I rode with Mike and Noel all day.  Noel kept us entertained with sailing songs--he actually sounds OK, but I'd never tell him that.  I asked him if he could sing, "Over the hill and far away"?  He didn't know that one.

The day turned hot and the ride was brutal.  The headwinds increased all day and by the last 10 miles my butt, feet, and back were killing me.  We rolled into Odessa about 5 pm, just in time to help unload the truck again.  Noel's wife (who has been shadowing us with a little truck and trailer) had Coronas for Mike, Noel, and I.  The last group didn't get in until about 8 pm.  Everyone, including the young pups, were tired and beat.

Dinner was provided by the high school business leaders club and we slept in the gym.  After the wind-blown 83 miles (average speed was 12.2 mph) everyone was off to sleep by 9.