Sept. 12, 1999 - CYCLE OREGON XII
Cycle Oregon was fun. It was harder than last year, but that is why I came to ride my bike and get away from the ordinary things in life. Something new is fun and the people you meet are fun. You talk to them and the next day it is someone else. In fact usually it is someone new every stop or passing on the bike and then there are the kids and adults standing along the road. They are more than happy to talk to you about where they live.
I drove up to La Grande where it all begins, parked my car, set up my tent, ate, and was ready to go to town on the bus. There was the opening ceremony and then The Paul deLay Band, “one of the finest blues songwriters around”. I walked around town. There was a drive-in and the cars were neat to see. Back to camp, and yes, I lost my tent. Lots of people had put up their tents while I was gone and REI is a popular one. An hour later I found the one with my bike in it.
Day One: Lagrande to Ukiah – 56.4 miles. For a short distance we rode along the freeway. There was a wide shoulder, no problems. There was a head wind and it was cold, but I was dressed for it.
I stopped at a hot spring with four pools, all different temperatures – 54 degrees, no one; 96 degrees, lots of people; 104 degrees, a few; 114 degrees, no one. I was there for two hours and had a lot of fun. That night at the meeting they said it was going down to 16 degrees; they didn’t lie.
Day Two: Ukiah to Haines – 80.4 miles. Started out cold. Packed camp and it was still froze when I unpacked it. Lots of clothes so I didn’t get cold.
After the first up-hill, I was not cold again all day. It was an up and down day. Lots of it. Good thing I have three rings on my bike. It seemed like the hills were 20 miles up and then lunch. 4,000 ft. in 10 miles down.
Just as I started down there was a lady who took a fall and was in a lot of pain. When I put on my brakes hard and finally stopped, I fell myself a little. Scratches were not the big problem. One guy, a strong rider started back up to get help. Someone was telling her to stay down. Another lady was holding her coat open to keep the riders over and I walked up the hill to tell everyone there was someone down and to slow down. There was an ambulance and police person there in about 5 to 10 minutes. Things did happen fast. By the time I walked back, she was talking to the medic and was doing a lot better. I left and went on down.
It was hard to keep it under 40 miles an hour. I got to camp at 6:30 p.m. – not too bad. There were 200 to 425 that got sagged in. The problem was taken care of and things went on, but it will be talked about for many years to come.
Day 3: Haines to Halfway – 63.6 miles. Good ride in the morning up to the Interpretive Center. There was a lot of good information regarding the pioneers. The loan tree is a good story. I rode up to the Center.
One thing about the High Dessert is that you are either cold or hot. There is no “just right.” Well, for a minute or two you are “just right.”
Day 4: Halfway to Hells Canyon Options, 34 miles, 80 miles, or 104 miles.
Talk about strange things – a cotton wood tree was in the camp. It was dead and a good two feet through at the base, about 75 feet tall. A limb fell out and landed on a tent. The people were gone at the time. It didn’t hurt anything and they put up a fence and moved a lot of tents.
It was a day of rest for me. Down to the river, eat lunch and back, It was hot coming back so in and out of the creek a lot. The things that get you down: Hot (100+ degrees), head wind, up hill. They make you wonder why you ride, but the ride to the river made it all worth while.
Day 5: Halfway to Joseph – 70.5 miles. Up the rim of Hells Canyon and a side trip out to the edge. What a view! It is something you can’t explain. It is so big!
I didn’t do enough hills in my training for this ride. Legs are getting a little sore and where the seat goes – but not bad enough to slow me down. 2500 miles – I guess I didn’t push myself hard enough. One of the bikers had a thermometer. I hate it when they do that – 97 degrees. Oh well, I am not going back.
Day 6: Joseph to Flora Option – 86.8 miles. It is a little town that use to be a big town with 3 hotels and a lot of stores. Over the years it has gone down to a very little town. They are rebuilding the school that use to have 100 students; now it has none. The place is full of history that the people are more than happy to tell you about. There were only 400 who went to lunch in Flora. Let’s see, that makes 1900 people lazier than me. The view point was great both times. The State Police closed the port-o-potties until we could get a line to stand in and wait for them. In reality they were placed well and were taken care of very well for the large crowd. Most of the people spent the day in town seeing the sights and riding the tram to the top.
Day 7: Joseph to La Grande – 71 miles.
It was another good day. I talked to the kids on the side of the road and had a good time with the other riders. Lunch didn’t arrive for all of us, so a few snacks and I could miss a meal or two and it wouldn’t hurt me. As I left, I said to another rider, “I hope someone enjoys my lunch. The meal they had at the end more than made up for it. All the food was good. At the beginning one guy in the line was worried about getting enough to eat and told him that was not a problem.
This was another great year that I will always speak highly of. It is hard to get everything to go perfect and as the saying goes: “If you don’t make any mistakes, you are not doing anything.” I had a great time and a lot of fun. I appreciate all the hard work and time that goes into putting this together.
I know I put a lot of time in riding so I would not get to ride in a sag van, all the time knowing that it would be there if I needed it. There are no words to say how much I liked it. Oh yes, the people at work fight over who gets to read the papers from the ride.
Forever grateful,
Byran Babcock
Cycle Oregon was fun. It was harder than last year, but that is why I came to ride my bike and get away from the ordinary things in life. Something new is fun and the people you meet are fun. You talk to them and the next day it is someone else. In fact usually it is someone new every stop or passing on the bike and then there are the kids and adults standing along the road. They are more than happy to talk to you about where they live.
I drove up to La Grande where it all begins, parked my car, set up my tent, ate, and was ready to go to town on the bus. There was the opening ceremony and then The Paul deLay Band, “one of the finest blues songwriters around”. I walked around town. There was a drive-in and the cars were neat to see. Back to camp, and yes, I lost my tent. Lots of people had put up their tents while I was gone and REI is a popular one. An hour later I found the one with my bike in it.
Day One: Lagrande to Ukiah – 56.4 miles. For a short distance we rode along the freeway. There was a wide shoulder, no problems. There was a head wind and it was cold, but I was dressed for it.
I stopped at a hot spring with four pools, all different temperatures – 54 degrees, no one; 96 degrees, lots of people; 104 degrees, a few; 114 degrees, no one. I was there for two hours and had a lot of fun. That night at the meeting they said it was going down to 16 degrees; they didn’t lie.
Day Two: Ukiah to Haines – 80.4 miles. Started out cold. Packed camp and it was still froze when I unpacked it. Lots of clothes so I didn’t get cold.
After the first up-hill, I was not cold again all day. It was an up and down day. Lots of it. Good thing I have three rings on my bike. It seemed like the hills were 20 miles up and then lunch. 4,000 ft. in 10 miles down.
Just as I started down there was a lady who took a fall and was in a lot of pain. When I put on my brakes hard and finally stopped, I fell myself a little. Scratches were not the big problem. One guy, a strong rider started back up to get help. Someone was telling her to stay down. Another lady was holding her coat open to keep the riders over and I walked up the hill to tell everyone there was someone down and to slow down. There was an ambulance and police person there in about 5 to 10 minutes. Things did happen fast. By the time I walked back, she was talking to the medic and was doing a lot better. I left and went on down.
It was hard to keep it under 40 miles an hour. I got to camp at 6:30 p.m. – not too bad. There were 200 to 425 that got sagged in. The problem was taken care of and things went on, but it will be talked about for many years to come.
Day 3: Haines to Halfway – 63.6 miles. Good ride in the morning up to the Interpretive Center. There was a lot of good information regarding the pioneers. The loan tree is a good story. I rode up to the Center.
One thing about the High Dessert is that you are either cold or hot. There is no “just right.” Well, for a minute or two you are “just right.”
Day 4: Halfway to Hells Canyon Options, 34 miles, 80 miles, or 104 miles.
Talk about strange things – a cotton wood tree was in the camp. It was dead and a good two feet through at the base, about 75 feet tall. A limb fell out and landed on a tent. The people were gone at the time. It didn’t hurt anything and they put up a fence and moved a lot of tents.
It was a day of rest for me. Down to the river, eat lunch and back, It was hot coming back so in and out of the creek a lot. The things that get you down: Hot (100+ degrees), head wind, up hill. They make you wonder why you ride, but the ride to the river made it all worth while.
Day 5: Halfway to Joseph – 70.5 miles. Up the rim of Hells Canyon and a side trip out to the edge. What a view! It is something you can’t explain. It is so big!
I didn’t do enough hills in my training for this ride. Legs are getting a little sore and where the seat goes – but not bad enough to slow me down. 2500 miles – I guess I didn’t push myself hard enough. One of the bikers had a thermometer. I hate it when they do that – 97 degrees. Oh well, I am not going back.
Day 6: Joseph to Flora Option – 86.8 miles. It is a little town that use to be a big town with 3 hotels and a lot of stores. Over the years it has gone down to a very little town. They are rebuilding the school that use to have 100 students; now it has none. The place is full of history that the people are more than happy to tell you about. There were only 400 who went to lunch in Flora. Let’s see, that makes 1900 people lazier than me. The view point was great both times. The State Police closed the port-o-potties until we could get a line to stand in and wait for them. In reality they were placed well and were taken care of very well for the large crowd. Most of the people spent the day in town seeing the sights and riding the tram to the top.
Day 7: Joseph to La Grande – 71 miles.
It was another good day. I talked to the kids on the side of the road and had a good time with the other riders. Lunch didn’t arrive for all of us, so a few snacks and I could miss a meal or two and it wouldn’t hurt me. As I left, I said to another rider, “I hope someone enjoys my lunch. The meal they had at the end more than made up for it. All the food was good. At the beginning one guy in the line was worried about getting enough to eat and told him that was not a problem.
This was another great year that I will always speak highly of. It is hard to get everything to go perfect and as the saying goes: “If you don’t make any mistakes, you are not doing anything.” I had a great time and a lot of fun. I appreciate all the hard work and time that goes into putting this together.
I know I put a lot of time in riding so I would not get to ride in a sag van, all the time knowing that it would be there if I needed it. There are no words to say how much I liked it. Oh yes, the people at work fight over who gets to read the papers from the ride.
Forever grateful,
Byran Babcock
posted by Byran on the side at 12:20 PM
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