Another library, another computer. I didn't think there were any computers left without a USB port, but there are, and they are all in Burns. I guess when I get home there will be a major picture fest, unless I have better luck later on.
My guess is this will be my last computer access, unless I can talk the hotel in Frenchglen in to letting me use one.
Since my last post in John Day I have seem some parted ways with the group I had fallen in with. I had kind of gotten used to the company, but they did distract a bit from the journey. I'm hoping for good roads for them as they continue east.
John Day and Canyon City have some interesting museums, Kam Wah Chung in John Day is an amazing peek into gold rush era Chinatowns, and the Grant county historical museum is a fascinating hodge-podge of antiques, mining and cattle equipment, tribute to leading citizens, and some truly hideous "sculpture" of local notables.
I had intended on another short day from John Day, intending to stop at Seneca, maybe Silvies, and not hit Burns until today sometime. My stop at the Grant county museum set me on the road as the day was heating up, and I really should have taken a closer look at the topography of my route. By the time I hit the roughly 5200' summit, I was getting a little concerned about my water supply. I've used the filter already on this trip, but that only helps when there is something to filter from. Summit to Seneca is nine miles, some downhill, mostly flat. Seneca city park had the water turned off, so the next stop was the mini mart, virtually the only business in town. At least the Gatorade was cold, and the hot food case burrito was fresh sometime this week. Filled up the water bottles at the store, and since I wasn't getting any real welcoming vibes from the locals, I figured Silvies was the next spot on the map, about ten miles away.
Silvies is a sign, a defunct post office, and a ranch with lots of no trespassing signs on the fences. You also start climbing again. I was half way between John Day and Burns, really not in to a 70+ mile day with two major climbs, so I started watching for a campground. I also watched a couple of nice sized buck deer bound along the road, parallelling me until they saw a truck coming, then they needed to cross the road. The results of this were slightly better than anticipated, everyone lived, but I heard the ping of the second deer's hoof on the hood of the truck. He missed a stride or two, got his feet back under him and kept going. The driver stopped to check the damage, acknowledged that he and the deer both got lucky, and since we were the only two people for miles, I refrained from asking how he failed to see the deer in time to stop. It is not like he had just come across a bend in the road, none of those for miles either way. I did ask what was ahead for camping and water, and he assured me it was only a couple miles to Idlewild campground, and there was water there.
Eight or so miles later, still no campgrounds, and the gathering clouds I had been watching were starting to concern me a little. A flash, an interval, then a boom, far enough off that I wasn't too concerned yet. More flashes, more booms, shorter intervals, a few big fat drops of rain. Okay, I'm ready to find that campground and get set up before it really hits. Then, it really hit. Hail instead of rain, and a headwind like I hope to never find again. Stop, pull on the rain gear, turn on the lights so the other idiots on the road in this stuff might see the idiot on the bicycle. Finally, the big brown sign announcing the campground, adorned with a blue sign stating simply "closed".
Too late to get set up dry even if I ignored the closed sign, and closed would mean the water was shut off, so I decided the 22 remaining miles to Burns was my best option.
Now, at 47 years old, I had been scared in a storm once, when I was living in Arkansas and the oak tree about twenty yards from the trailer I lived in was struck. The count is now up to two. When you simultaneously feel the reverberations of the thunder, and a pretty significant tingle, that is just way too close. Fortunately, I had hit the final summit at about this time, so I was able to make a little better time downhill, at least once the rain and hail let up enough that I could see where I was going. At this point, camping was no longer an option. I was going to get to Burns and get a room.
Eventually, I hit Hwy 20, buy which time the storm had cleared, and the rain gear was now a very effective sauna. I stripped off as much as I felt was appropriate, shifted into the highest gear I could still push, and cranked it on in to Burns, found the City Center Hotel, rooms starting at $36.99/night. Score! The AC didn't work, most of the light bulbs were burned out, but it was the first real bed since I left home, and a shower that felt so good I took two.
Today is sunny and beautiful again, I've hit the laundromat, visit info center, and now the library to post this. Harney county museum is next, then another short day south towards the Pete French round barn!
In spite of a couple of weather incidents, I am having a great time still. If I get access to a computer, I will post again, if not I will update at home. Gotta get some pictures up eventually!
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