Wow! What a storm! For about the last hour I was out running the storm. It was like a dark monster moving across the valley. Then road turned right under it.

There was rain, buckets of it, there was wind, lightning and thunder. To top it all off, hail!

I saw it coming so I looked for cover and found it just as the first drops fell. It was a very nice day until this.

I also came across this shoe tree yesterday. Thought i would include the picture today. There were hundreds of shoes, boots, and flip flops.

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Today has been wonderful, by far the best day of the trip. 82 miles today. I have been in 4 different eco systems. I started in high desert, then moved into a wetlands area. It must be a migration corridor. There were so many different birds, many of whom looked to be ocean fowl. Then I moved into the mountains, dry and wind swept. Finally, I followed a river through a gorge. Absolutely beautiful. I took so many pictures, but I am sure they will not do it justice. The canyon walls towered what had to be 1000 feet above the river and the road. Amazing.

I am just about to sleep, and I hear an owl hooting. Night before last it was coyotes. I think I like the owl better.

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Stinkwater Pass elev. 4848 the highest point in this trip so far. Just a few details. Since leaving LA I have peddled 711 miles. One week ago I left the ocean. That was 381 miles ago and almost one mile in elevation. Not bad for a weeks work.

711 miles seems like a long way, but it is about 1/6th the distance I will travel in this trip. 4848 feet seems high, but I will go at least twice this high in Yellowstone.

As I look back, this has been a great trip. Tomorrow, I plan to leave Oregon, another mile stone. I am very excited about the Rockies. I hope that the rest of this trip will be just as exciting as the first part.

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Another milestone today. I just entered a new time zone. Mountain time.

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Today is a rest day. I got into town about 10:30 am. I am always excited about getting a shower. Then I eat a big meal and go to sleep. Remember this is about rest. So, when I get up I eat again and then sleep again.

I also took some pics. I think they will be great, the problem is that the public library has win 98 machines and my card reader does not work with them. So, I will have to upload them later.

The new camera is working great. It is nice to just take pictures and not worry about all the batteries.

I have been taking panoramas. If I ever do something like this again I am going to take a laptop. Then I could stitch the panoramas and have everything up to date on the website. This library thing works, but not very well.

Anyway, just a little over 2 more days in Oregon. I am looking forward to riding again tomorrow. I will cross the highest mountain yet at 4848 Ft. I am at about 4145 Ft right now. So, it shouldn’t be that bad.

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I have to tell you that this desert is really taking it out of me. I was just looking at the map and I guess I didn’t do too bad today 69 miles.

It was hot and at one point at about 1 I just stopped and slept under a tree along the side of the road. It is not just the heat, or the wind, or the narrow shoulders, or the soft ground just off the shoulder, or the rough pavement, or the bugs that keep flying into my eyes, it is that there is nothing to see. When I stopped to sleep under the tree, a bunch of cows gathered on the other side of the fence. So boring that cows run across the grasslands to watch a guy sleep under a tree for hours. Probably the most excitement since the FedEx truck broke down in ’02.

On the other hand, just before breakfast I saw some cow boys branding some cattle and I saw 3 porcupines run over on the road. I think you would get a flat tire from that

Today while playing my new favorite game ‘identify that road debris’ I saw what looked to be a CB radio, a CD player, a CD (not related to the player), 3 different cassette tapes, a watch, several hub caps, a wrench and some porn. This is not the first time I have found porn. This is the 3rd time. I just wonder how some of this stuff finds it’s way onto the roadside.

Tonight, I am camping on the edge of a prairie dog town. I keep seeing them run by the front of my tent. Cute. I hope they are good neighbors. I would hate to wake to some rowdy prairie dogs in the morning.

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The days are so long now. It really doesn’t get dark until 10 pm and the sun is up at 5 am.

The high desert is cold at night. When I got up this morning it was 41 inside the tent. When I got out I realized the tent was covered with a very heavy layer of frost! The tent is defrosting (and I hope drying) now.

I talked to the shop keeper 2 towns back and he said there was a restaurant at Hampton (about 15 miles ahead). So, I am ready for breakfast.

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About 51 miles today. Not a bad number when you realize that I started after noon and had to climb through the pass.

I am calculating that I have about 3 days till Idaho.

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Horse Ridge summit 4292 ft

Not too bad. Nice view from the top.

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So, Bend OR is interesting, but it is time to move on.

I listened to some John Denver this morning. It was good and I am excited about the Rockies.

The next few days will be through the mountains with few towns. So, I am not sure when I will post again. To tide you over I have added new pictures to the gallery and linked them in the old posts. I hope you enjoy them.

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