Summer, where did you go? We rose away from Ashland, following the cerulean patches between the clouds, sure that we would find you and ride some miles in your company.
But all we found was springtime. Blue disappeared and clouds blocked the sunshine. Temperatures hovered in the mid-40s to high 50s, making for comfortable climbing but chilly descents.
Felkerino and I both wore jackets much of the day and I was glad to have had the forethought to purchase a pair of long-finger gloves at a local shop in Ashland when it looked like a cold front would be intersecting us. Supposedly Crater Lake had temps in the 30s today. Eek!
Our route from Ashland to Prospect followed a portion of Dead Indian Memorial Road, an historic highway (with a questionable name) that originally served as a wagon wheel road through the Oregon Cascades. We eventually left it to head to Butte Falls to lunch at the convenience store and then pedaled on to Prospect, where we are overnighting.
Today’s ride had the feel of a spin in the countryside. Away from it all, Felkerino and me the only souls tooling down the road.
I don’t know if these roads are always so sedate this time of year, or if the colder weather encouraged the nearby residents and tourists to hunker down indoors with mugs of hot chocolate.
Whatever the reason, we enjoyed this day, even though it was cooler than my ideal. I like to take breaks and stand around sometimes, but the weather meant that any time off the bike would chill us. On the up side, the cool temps took away any possibility of overheating and dehydration became a non-issue.
The 13-mile climb in the early miles took some concerted effort, but after that we spent most of our miles in steady rollers. And the bike sailed over some swoopy downhills, too.
As we arrived in Prospect the sun came out. Better late than never, Summer! Hope to see you tomorrow.
77 miles with Crater Lake on tap for tomorrow.
Chasing Mailboxes 