Day 5...Condon to Hermiston

 When transiting through this great country I often think of what the settlers experienced. The seemingly endless rolling hills, the snow topped mountains, the rushing rivers, and the magnitude of all of those, must have left them in awe. Now it’s settled, farmed, fenced, tamed, and I still experience the same feeling of awe.

Today we cycled from Condon to Hermiston. In between those two villages is farmland, acres upon acres of fertile farmland. I have a lot of respect for the farmers in this area. Homes are few and far between, the towns are distant, and the conditions, particularly winter, are harsh. These are hardy people.

We did a bit over 90 miles with just north of 4000 feet of climbing. Fortunately, most of the climbing was on the front end, so our legs were relatively fresh. At about 70 miles, a wicked thunderstorm began churning its way toward us at about 20 mph. Lightening was crashing in the distance, making for a spectacular light show, and the wind was reaching a fever pitch. We had about 21 miles to the hotel, so we bore down at 25 mph and raced the storm home. We won. I burned a few matches doing that, but it felt good to be at speed, and it felt even better to be dry.

There wasn’t a big change in the scenery over the course of the ride, so there’s not a lot to share. Regardless, I hope you enjoy them.

And please remember that this ride is for the Oasis Center. They sure could use your support. If you’re so moved, Please give according to your means. You access their site at the link below.

Until tomorrow….