Jacob Friend
Everyone in Baker City was so kind to us during our two night stay. Together the compassionate community and copious amounts of ice cream helped raise our morale going into our second week on the road. This morning we woke up with renewed spirits and bodies to continue our journey eastward. It was bittersweet saying goodbye to our host Brian, but soon enough we were off to Richland, Oregon.
The crew says goodbye to The Old School bike hostel in Baker City, OR
Oregon has already delivered so many incredible views and lasting memories to kick off our trip. But today really felt like the cherry on top. The 40 mile ride to Richland couldn’t have been smoother. We had a perfect tailwind, long descents, and amazing views of snow-capped mountains all around. This was easily our group’s fastest 40 miles of the trip so far.
The Trans-America Trail, East of Baker City, OR
During our rest day I came across a flyer in Baker City about a 3-day Americana festival happening in Richland with live music and food vendors. So when we arrived in town we made sure to stop by the festival. When we got to the location we quickly realized the festival ended the night before and instead we had just joined the Sunday morning church service. Before we knew it, we were participating in communion with a completely foreign town.
Surprise communion and 3$ breakfast burritos at the Chautauqua Americana music festival in Richland, OR
With our biking gear on, the four of us stuck out like sore thumbs. Once word got around that we were biking across the country, one of the church leaders informed the congregation and then proceeded to deliver a heartfelt prayer wishing us a safe trip. A truly unexpected moment, but we were overwhelmed with love and support from a group of wonderful people. Thank you Richland ❤️
The final 40 miles of the day were certainly not as easy as the first. I think Oregon was sad to see us leave. We fought a relentless headwind for the rest of the day, but the grape juice and wafer from communion was just the boost we needed to persevere. Soon enough we made it to Hells Canyon and biked along the Snake River into Idaho!
Michael rides through Hells Canyon, on the Oregon side of the Snake River
The crew crosses over the river into Idaho
Making it to our second state is a huge milestone for the group. I couldn’t be more proud of the boys and I’m beyond excited to see what Idaho has in store for us. We ended our beautiful Sunday camping beside the beautiful Snake River.
Wood head campground in Hells Canyon, ID