AAN day 06 - John Day, OR --> Baker City, OR

What a stark contrast with yesterday today was! Besides the scenery for which Oregon is well known, we passed through little towns that seemed like a good place to be. One of them, Prairie City, struck me as a cross between Disneyland's main street and a Prairie Home Companion set. If I were coming back to Oregon, I would try to come back to Prairie City for a longer look.

We were tired after yesterday and up at the usual 5:00 am to prepare to roll out of there at 7:00 am. The choice of clothes was more difficult because of yesterday when I was woefully underdressed for the surprising weather. It turned out to be a great day with a clear sky and stunningly beautiful views of the snow-capped mountains in the background with neat, well tended farms‌ in the foreground. There were so many perfect pictures and so many places where a photographer could set up for the day and look for the perfect light.

There were three big hills on the route. Each one had a good, smooth road and was great for a fast, smooth 6% descent through gentle, sweeping curves. The third hill was the steepest climb with grades of a sustained 8% and briefly becoming 9-10%. Even Colorado seldom has roads that steep. (The Pikes Peak road comes to mind but there are many places in Colorado that I haven't seen.)

A song runs through my head occasionally the last few days. I hear it with the full orchestration typical of the Moody Blues. The song is Out and In from the album, To Our Children's Children's Children. The only verse that I remember is this one.

Gazing past the planets Looking for total view I've been lying here for hours You gotta make the journey Out and in Out and in Out and in

Why this song bubbled to the surface, I have no idea. But I hear the music in my head and I like it.

The second SAG stop was in a perfect roadside park overlooking a lake. It's a birdwatching site where bald eagles and ospreys can be seen fishing. It was definitely a place to linger. I did that but Baker City was still 20 miles away and headed out. By then, I could smell the barn and treated the downhill ride to Baker city as a time trial. It was fun but I can feel it in my legs now.

Tomorrow, we ride 83 miles to Ontario, Oregon. The elevation profile of the route looks great --- it's practically all downhill.