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Distance: 37.66 miles
Ascent: 3806 ft
Weather: clear, sunny
Starting time: “11:30am.” I woke up around 6am after about 6.5 hours of sleep, which I would consider to be good for camping. Morning activities (breakfast, bathroom, packing, …) took much too long as usual. I tried to use my dad’s screw-on bike pump on my front tire, except it unscrewed my valve core upon removal, thus deflating the tire entirely. After pumping up the tire again, I got on my bike only to find my front brake lever to be completely floppy. I had adjusted my front brakes during the rest day in Corvallis, and I think I must not have torqued down the cable bolt properly. I am thankful this happened before any serious descending. We also spent some time adjusting my dad’s saddle.

Road conditions: car-free. We took our chances with McKenzie pass, and it was the right call. The roads were pretty much clear of hazards/debris, apart from a few short sections of snow near the summit of the pass. We encountered only one construction vehicle near the beginning of our ride, and it ignored us.


Food: breakfast was (overly sweet) instant oatmeal. During the ride I constantly ate trail mix and beef jerky. For dinner, the “Patty Melt” (if I remember correctly) from The Gallery in Sisters, with an extra patty. Reminiscent of a Reuben except with 2 smashed patties and no kraut.
Highlights: biking up the Old McKenzie Highway without encountering a single car. Looking back at the forest as we ascended. Reaching the lava fields at the summit and taking in the alien landscape. We also ran into a few bikers on the way, with most of them descending west after climbing up the east side. Shoutout to Jordan from Eurosports in Sisters, who we ran into at the summit and gave us good lodging advice. Descending the summit was fun too, but a bit chilly.





Lowlights: the morning was stressful. I really don’t like waking up at 6 only to set off 5 hours later. I hope we can get better at this. My knees continue to be an issue, and they don’t seem to be getting much better. Unsurprising, since we aren’t really lowering our biking volume. I found some PT exercises online which I hope will help.