Well, the saga continued through the weekend with yet another bout of cruel and unusual training sessions. Friday was our first real rest day as Kerry left for a California Xterra and Macca failed to return from the mother country. But somehow, Bobo managed to drag me down to the local park for a short run through the trails of central Oregon. Saturday began with the first poor weather I’d seen since arriving in Bend, but after a nice, long, free massage it didn’t seem to bother me. Now, when I say “poor weather,” most of you will undoubtedly picture a south Louisiana summer thunderstorm. To my surprise, it doesn’t seem to really rain at all here in Bend, but that doesn’t seem to keep the locals from calling a light mist a downpour. The most shocking part of the storm was the lighting that sparked dozens of wildfires all over the area. Unfortunately, the rain subsided around 7, and again Bobo convinced me to do a slightly quicker paced trail run.
Sunday is when the real fun started. After a late breakfast, Bobo informed me that we were going to spend a good 4 hours in the saddle with a massive climb from Sun River up to Mt Bachelor before descending back into Bend. He also said that we’d begin with a quick 45-mile loop north through Redmond and Alfalfa. Just the thought of riding through a town called Alfalfa excited me. As we set out, the heat began to press down on us. The initial hills were just large enough to begin the lactic buildup in my legs. As we descended into Redmond I noticed I was low on fuel and suggested we stop. After being delayed by a FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) gathering outside of Redmond, we paused under a tree to refuel, hydrate, and answer nature’s call. Bobo assured me that we weren’t 5 miles from Alfalfa and constantly pointed out the mountain coming into view. But, as with most of Bobo’s rides, there were a few unforeseen problems. First of all, the mountain was appearing on our right, but we weren’t moving in its direction. Second, Bobo and I had both run out of liquids. And to top it off, we were quickly approaching the 3 hour mark. With Bobo in the lead, we kept turning on roads leading us away from our destination and deeper into the farmlands of Oregon. As we passed the 3 ½ hr mark, we still hadn’t reached the illusive Alfalfa, but we had reached a sign reading “Bend 5 miles.” If it weren’t for Bobo, I would never have made those last miles. Dehydrated and fatigued, we pulled ourselves into the Shell station on the outskirts of Bend and quickly consumed a gallon each of cool, refreshing H2O. Needless to say, we cut the ride short to come home and lick our wounds. Something tells me I’ll get to make up for the missed climb.
MonkeyBoy