June 20, 2018
Prineville – Dayville
138 km (86 miles)
1287 m (4222 feet) elevation
5:57 moving time
759 km (472 miles) total

Woke up early to get a few miles in before the heat. Felt much better this morning because of proper nutrition and hydration the day before.

Stocked up on Gatorade and left the town in cool temperature. Tackled two summits which were relatively easy compared to McKenzie pass. Headwind big parts of today.

After having reached Ochoco pass summit the weather was great and the road conditions perfect. However when we were coming down the road conditions were terrible. A road crew was fixing the road and had put gravel on the road for 22 miles.

The landscape has changed again from forest to cliffs and barren areas. Wherever there are creeks and rivers the vegetation is much more lively. We feel like riding through the scenery of a cowboy movie.

Rode past two gentlemen who we had met in the bike shop the day before. They are going to West Yellowstone and are meeting two friends in Mitchell.

Reached Mitchell around noon and spotted a big barrel of water with a sign that read “water for the cyclist”. We had stumbled upon the most amazing hostel we have ever seen. There were bunk beds with electrical outlets to charge phones, a common kitchen, board games area, shower, washing machine and a huge area for relaxation. Didn’t take any photos inside but based on what we saw we would recommend this place to all cyclists. Talked for a while to the hosts (forget their names) who were very friendly. The hostel is basically an old church run by pastors who now cater to cyclists.

The town of Mitchell is adorable. Very old fashioned looking buildings that is great for us Icelanders to see. Had lunch at a great place called Tiger Town.

Pushed on up the Keyes Cr summit and got a bit worried when we heard thunder from the south of us. Wouldn’t be nice getting caught out in a thunderstorm but fortunately the weather passed us by.

Rode down a gorgeous canyon called Picture Gorge and finally arrived in a small village called Dayville. We had heard that the church here allows cyclists to use their facilities and sleep inside. Met two nice ladies, one of which is the pastor of the church who showed us around.

On the way down we came across a ‘shoe tree’. Many dozen pairs of shoes have been thrown up and are hanging on the branches. There is supposed to be another tree called the ‘brassiere tree’ which sounds much more interesting but we unfortunately missed it.

Met an interesting fellow called Patric who has been on the road cycling for 8 months, volunteering for work where he is needed, all in the name of Habitat for humanity.

Outside the shop we met a happy couple who were traveling and told us about a hotel in Jackson, Colorado we should make sure to visit.

Long but good day. Looking forward to sleeping next to the altar 😀.