Michael Richardson
Today marks exactly one week since the start of our trip and is also the first zero-day since we dipped our tires in the Pacific. It feels really good to give the body a break. We’re spending this weekend at a bike hostel in Baker City, tucked inside an old elementary school converted into an art center. The town itself is situated between the Wallowa Mountains to the east and the Elkhorn Mountains to the west, with the Powder River running through downtown toward the Snake River (where we plan to camp tomorrow). It’s given us the perfect home base to refresh our systems and explore the area on this rainy day.
“The Old School” bike hostel in Baker City, OR (try to find our contributions to the stickers on the lockers)
Last night we prepared a family meal together (tacos of course) and indulged in several pints of ice cream to celebrate our first week on the road. After sleeping in, we walked our bikes to The Trailhead Bike Shop for a quick tune-up before continuing on to our real destination, the laundromat. I found it funny that half the group had never been to a laundromat before today, but that’s precisely what this trip is for—new experiences. While our clothes were spinning, I finally had some time to call home and tell my parents that I’m still alive and having fun. Truthfully, it’s been difficult finding a time to step away between one day of biking and the next, but it does make those moments even more meaningful.
Michael gives the taco dinner two thumbs up
After a quick lunch break back at the hostel, we headed out for some more walking—no excuse for not getting 10,000 steps today. We stopped at the Baker Food Co-op which sells a lot of local produce and bulk foods—everything from mung beans to mushroom popcorn. If I lived in Baker City, this would be my favorite store to shop at and I’d be buying oats by the barrel. Further into town, Brian spotted a couple of Surlys parked outside the grocery store and we introduced ourselves to Rob and Irene. They began in Astoria and are also biking the Trans-Am so maybe we will see them on the road! Even though we’re a bit early to the party, I’m hopeful we will meet more bike-tourists to exchange stories and laughs with.
Rob and his Surly Disc Trucker
For dinner, we made pizza bagels with mozzarella, pesto, tomatoes, sliced tofu, and arugula which seemed to be a crowd-pleaser and certainly my favorite meal thus far. For dessert, however, we walked down the hall to attend Pops & Pies, a concert fundraiser to send Baker High School students to choir competitions and festivals. The singing was spectacular and it was nice to sit and appreciate the performance after hearing them practice yesterday. In between acts, students would parade homemade pies down the aisle and the bidding would commence. My mouth was watering as each one passed by, but after a huckleberry pie sold for $1000, I slumped woefully back into my seat.
Brian, the host of The Old School Hostel, auctions off a homemade huckleberry pie for $1,000
Even without huckleberry pie, it’s been a phenomenal recovery day and I’m excited to get back on the road tomorrow. We’re almost done with Oregon and before you know it, we’ll be through Idaho as well so stay tuned.