Day 03 - Welches, OR --> Ka-Nee-Ta, OR

The ride began with a downhill cruise to a restaurant which had a buffet set up on the bar. It was good food but I tried to eat less because we had a long hill to ride starting right there. The hill was an average of 4% for 15 miles with many more hills to follow. Today's total was over 66 miles with 5600 feet of climbing. After the previous two days, that was a little daunting but it turned out ok and here we are, ready for another day of climbing tomorrow.

Everyone seems to be settling into the daily routine of taking care of things. It's definitely a significant project management exercise. During the day, we, the tourists, enjoy the scenery and consolidate in our minds and our muscles the memories of sights seen and efforts made.

The more climbing there is, the slower I become. That continues without exception. I think that I'll have easier days when we get to Minnesota. When I'm climbing and when I'm not, every time I get on my new bike I think, "Ahh, nice bike". I'm lucky to have it and lucky to get to ride it here. I also frequently think that I'm lucky that I have a wife whose forbearance made this possible.

The next few days will be difficult. An especially long one is coming up soon.