Michael Richardson
Hello everyone! I’m Michael, the resident bike mechanic and food vacuum along for this big adventure. I’ve been a fan of bikes for as long as I can remember and it’s been such a relief to get back in the saddle after a hiatus during college.
Our day began in a comfy clubhouse at Hoodoo’s RV park where we ate a big breakfast in preparation for an even bigger ride ahead. Our goal was to make it up and over Santiam pass before cruising all the way to Terrebonne- 85 miles in total. This will set us up to reach the next few towns and campgrounds as they become increasingly spread out.
Hoodoo’s RV park in McKenzie Bridge, OR
We spent about 10 miles warming up the legs before reaching our first serious climb of the trip. A couple more downshifts and I could already feel my quads starting to burn and resist my efforts. Little did I know, this mini battle would continue for the next 4.5 hours. While previously an inconvenience, the rain helped break up the monotony of the climb, showing up about every 30 minutes- jacket on, jacket off, jacket on, jacket off…
The crew heads up Santium Pass (jackets on)
We ended up in pairs for most of the morning based on our eating and pedaling habits but planned to regroup at the top before our big descent. After finally cresting the nearly 5000’ mountain, I quickly realized a flaw in our plan. The peak was practically in a cloud, windy, raining, and there was no shelter in which to hide- whoops. I put on every piece of clothing I had available, Brian boiled up some tea, but eventually we just crawled into the bushes and toughed it out until the others arrived. By that point, the rain was picking up and we all just wanted to get to lower elevation and out of the wind.
Michael hunkers down on the top of Santium Pass
Luckily for us, we had 7 miles of uninterrupted downhill just over the horizon. On any other day, I would have gone slow and taken in the view after spending the whole morning working for it, but today I raced down that mountain like my life depended on it. We quickly started to dry off and with the help of a tailwind, made good time into the town of Sisters. Hot pizza brought us back to life and we remembered to stop at the bike shop for spare parts before heading back out.
Michael digs into some Martolli’s pizza in Sisters, OR
Now for my favorite part of the day. We took full advantage of a direct tailwind, sunlight, alpaca farms, and marvelous views as we spun our legs all the way to Terrebonne. This was the first time since the start of the trip where I genuinely felt giddy and I think the others also shared this moment of euphoria. We picked up dinner at the grocery store and pedaled a few more miles to Smith Rock State Park where we’ll be spending the night. This happens to be one of the best climbing spots in the country and it’s my second time passing through without any of my climbing gear! Next time.
Michael rides toward Smith Rock, just outside Terrebonne, OR
Tomorrow we have a slightly less grueling ride toward Mitchell and I’m excited that the routine is starting to solidify!