Day 8, Dayville-86 miles

Got an early start out of Prineville because I had two significant climbs and over 85 miles to ride. There's not much you can do about it in this area if you are cycling through. There's basically nothing between the two towns but desert. The first pass, Ochoco Summit was a long and steady climb with about 2,000 feet in elevation gain.

The second pass, Keys Creek Summit was much steeper and shorter and it was there that I began to unravel. The pass was 7 miles long with about 1800 feet of elevation gain but it was the last four miles where all the climbing took place and the grade was about 8 percent for the majority of it with no relief. My bike weight, coupled with fatigued legs not only forced me to take the ponies out of the barn, but run them into exhaustion in 90 degree heat. It took every thing I had to get to the top of Keys pass. When I stopped at the sign to take this picture, my thighs were like grandma's boysenberry jelly. If it weren't for the fact that the remaining 30 miles was primarily downhill I would have been toast.

OUCH!

I passed the John Day Fossil Beds on my to downhill into Dayville but I was too spent to do anything else but get to town. Dayville is a small one horse town, like so man others up here in the wild west part of Oregon. Dayville also has a church that is famous. The Dayville Community Presbytarian Church, which at the east end of town, opened it doors to cross country cyclists 37 years ago and never stopped. it's location makes it ideal for weary bikers to find a place to shower, do laundry ad even eat for free! The church is listed on bike touring guides all over the world and I knew way back during the planning stages of this rip that  I would find a way to stay there. Today I was in Luck. I was the only one staying there and I had the run of the place! The care taker Rose Saul, who had mannerisms and voice inflections absolutely identical to my sister's, made me feel completely at home and showed where everything was located.

I could sleep wherever I wanted in the church, just not on the pews themselves. I choose to put my pad and bag in the social hall, which looks a lot like a classroom. I was extremely tired and hot so after a long cool shower and my first shave since day one( I was starting to scare myself), I threw  a load of laundry in and set out to get food.

This is what desert cycling looks like

Here is where I would like to apologize to some friends. After sitting down in the town cafe, I began receiving text messages from a few friends who felt like checking in and chatting. All I could focus on was getting food in my stomach and having a beer, the latter of which was not served in this diner, along with any other kind of alcohol. I was too fatigued to focus on much and may not have been as responsive or engaging as I should have. Lets call it bad timing and I promise to do better from this point on.

After the meal I asked the waitress where I might procure a beer. I was directed to a liquor store/ feed store/ deli/ library/ bait shop where I was able to buy a beer. I bought one beer. I walked back to the church and decided it was time to relax, kick my feet up and enjoy every sip of this fine Blue Moon Pale Ale. I opened the beer and began perusing the wall notices for guests of the church. Rule #1......Please respect our church by refraining from any alcohol or tobacco use while on site.....shit

I knew for sure somebody in that small town saw me walk into the church with a brown paper bag fresh from the liquor store. I resigned myself to a life in hell next to Nancy Pelosi when it occurred to me that I was in the perfect place to ask for forgiveness! After that I simply walked off the property line, sat on the curb and drank my beer like a good bum.

I had just enough usable brain power left to complete the blog for the day before and go to bed. later, after actually reading said blog, I may have over estimated my remaining brain power.