Lime Kiln Hill

Monday....

All those rides up Lime Kiln Hill didn't prepare me for today's ride.

I was on the road at 7 a.m. Unfortunately, there were no stores open and all that I had for food was 3 Cliff Bars. The next services were 60 miles away. I've done many rides of 60 miles and so I figured this might be a bit more challenging, but very doable.



This was the first sign of the challenges ahead. However I quickly forgot about the winds when I started going up the mountain. Starting at 800 ft., I finally reached the Rainy and Washington (5400 ft) passes about 7 hours later. Much of the riding was at speeds below 5 mph. There were lots of 5 minute rests.


A light rain fell most of the day, but I was dressed for it until I started coming down the pass. The last 17 miles were basically coasting downhill. My hands got tired from riding the brakes and the effective 25 mph winds gave me a good chill.

When I got into Mazama, I decided I wanted the comfort of a warm room and hot bath. I met the day's challenge; I didn't see any need to sleep in a cold tent.

On the way up the mountain I met a couple coming down on a pair Surley Long Hauls, with Rohloff gears. They were coming from Toronto, going down the West coast, and on their way to Chile. Now that's an ambitious ride!

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Location:Mazama, WA