What a difference a day makes!

When I got to John Day, OR from Mitchell, I didn't honestly know if I could continue to go forward.  About two-thirds of the way on what should have been a really great day, things went from bad to worse.  For days I've been suffering from a sore back-side.  The seat that I had, that came with the bike I bought this year, just wasn't working for me. The seat is flat where it should be curved, and it puts undue pressure on two spots on where I was sitting.  It went from being sore at the end of the day, to being sore at the beginning of the day.  And on the ride from Mitchell to John Day, it finally tore through my flesh and opened wounds.  For the last 12 miles of the ride, I could not sit and either stood, or rode using my aero bars so that I could keep my seat off my seat.  This is no way to ride and I was afraid this might be it, after only about a week, a DNF.

As we were finishing the ride to John Day, Oregon on Thursday afternoon, it was obvious I needed to get this fixed.  Jerry was able to find a Brooks leather saddle, the kind I should have bought before I left, at an Internet reseller.  Further, this reseller was located in Portland, so they could ship this seat immediately, and we would get it the next day.  We quickly made a reservation at a hotel in John Day, and then sent the new saddle to the hotel.  This also meant that we would need to wait for the saddle to arrive, so we made the decision, for logistics and for simple healing time, that we would take a day off in John Day.  The other major difference was purchasing and applying 3M Tegaderm patches, which are kind of like a second skin, to cover the wounds.  Hopefully this could provide protection for the skin and at least allow the spots to begin to heal.  This was our hope, because going forward without making changes just wasn't going to happen.

New leather saddle, skin patches, and a day off.

And get rid of that old seat!

Well, the saddle arrived just as promised.  We applied a leather softener, left it in the sun to warm it up, and began to work the softener into the leather to help in the break-in process.  Leather seats, or saddles, are kind of like a baseball mitt.  They arrive stiff and inflexible, and you need to work them to make them custom fit.  Like applying needs-foot-oil to a baseball mitt, you apply a softener to the saddle and eventually, after miles of riding, it forms to your shape and becomes more and more comfortable.  Saturday we tested this new combination of seat and patches, and at least for now, it seems to have worked miracles.  While I can still feel some pain, the seat is no longer putting pressure like the last one did.  I hope that this continues and the seat continues to form to shape.  

And what a day Saturday turned out to be.  We were expecting rain all along the way, but somehow we avoided it all.  We were told that the route from John Day to Baker City had very little on it; and even though the services were limited, the route was absolutely beautiful.  We went from riding the last two days in an arid climate with little vegetation, back to riding through beautiful forests! 

View from a hilltop on the way to Baker City

After a long climb that we had nick-named "the wall," because that's what it looked like on the topographical map, we enjoyed about 30 miles of downhill riding the rest of the way.  We glided through beautiful landscapes and past a huge man-made lake at Mason dam, then followed the Powder River down toward Baker City. 

 Despite the last 9 miles that had winds straight in our faces, we were able to get into the city, and checked in at the Rodeway Inn and went out for dinner at Lefty's Tap House, one of the only places open in town, and had pizza for the second time in two days.  Oh well...

Sunday we set out to see how far we could make it from Baker City towards Idaho.  Our options were limited, because there are few facilities along the way.  We set out for a place called Oxbow, Idaho, right alongside the Snake River, knowing we might have to be flexible with our plans as we went.  

Well, the rain finally caught us, and we ended up riding in conditions that could be described as... Cleveland winter.  The temperature dropped to the low 40's and the rain continued to drizzle all morning. Even though we were relatively prepared, it still is very difficult to stay dry when it just rains all day.  Further, when riding up hills, the heat generated by your efforts makes you sweat under all the water-proof gear, getting you wet from the inside.  Then at the top of the hill, you sweep down at speeds of 25-35mph, wind-chilling you because of your wet condition.  It can be a long day.  

getting ready for the rain

Today we stopped in Richland, about 40 miles from Baker City.  There was one cafe open, a delightful local place for all of the local ranchers and farmers.  It felt so warm when we opened the door and found our way to a table.  Heaven on Earth with an onion slice.  We tucked ourselves into our Sunday Special meals, topped with a dessert.  We thought we would dial ahead to our intended spot for Sunday night's stay, at a B&B in Oxbow.  Unfortunately the owner has decided not to open up again until the end of the summer, so we were out of luck there.  Our options were camping in Oxbow or looking to find something on the way.  After lunch we had to do a climb that I think was the steepest in our two weeks on the road.  It was between six and seven miles straight up the side of a mountain into the clouds, and I think it took the wind out of our sails. 

 

top of today's six mile climb

We went downhill for a few miles, and each of us independently thought the same thing: If we could find somewhere indoor to spend the night and dry out we would be in much better shape for the coming week.  We approached Halfway, OR not knowing what they had.  We found the Halfway Motel and RV Park, but it looked closed.  Thankfully we found the manager and she rented us rooms where we have showered and feel human again.  We are drying out our clothes and gear and getting ready for the days ahead...

Totals so far:  about 580 miles, and about 28,000 feet of climbing, so far...