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Day 6 - June 13 - Rainbow, OR to Sisters, OR - 59 miles Click on the thumbnails to view larger pictures.
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| What a day! This turned out to be the toughest day of
bike riding we have ever done. Fifty-nine miles of uphill and into
the wind.
The day started with breakfast at the Rustic Skillet Restaurant in Rainbow. In spite of the name we had a delicious meal of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. We needed it for the ride ahead. The next 37 miles were all uphill as we climbed over the Cascade Mountains. Initially our route was to take us over McKenzie Pass, but we found out from the Forestry Service that it was closed. A spring wind storm had put down many trees, and the snow plows weren't able to clear the snow to open the pass. They told us it would be closed till late July. The alternative was to cross the Cascades via Santiam Pass. It's an easier grade than McKenzie, but 12 miles longer. There were strong headwinds the whole way, especially near the top of the pass. Once over the top we looked forward to "coasting" into the town of Sisters, but to our dismay the headwinds were stronger on the other side. We found ourselves peddling 10mph much of the way down the other side of Santiam and even slower into Sisters. With the most difficult day of our trip behind us we treated ourselves to a stay at the Best Western. We enjoyed a true non-smoking, spacious room with pool and hot tub just outside the sliding glass doors. A half hour soak in the hot tub and pizza from Figero's revived our spirits. |
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