Day 9: June 30 Mitchell to John Day 71 miles

Sheep Rock, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.

Tuesday, 6/30/81
John Day, OR trailer park

One of the men last night was 71 and one was 76. He'd done the trail going west last summer. An inspiration to us all.

We all headed up the hill between 6:30 and 7:00 this morning. The rest gave me boundless energy. I was over the top first for the 25-mile downhill. At the bottom was the beautiful Painted Gorge and the John Day Fossil Beds. I took a two-mile detour to view the fossils at the visitor's center, so ended up behind everyone else. We all gathered again for an early lunch in Dayville. And grouped within three miles for a liesurely, if hot, ride into John Day. We're all staying at a trailer park. $1.25 for a tent site and showers!

Picture Gorge, John Day Fossil Beds.

I was the only one who visited the John Day Fossil Beds that day, because it required a two-mile side trip. Crazy people! They missed seeing a Mesohippus skeleton. Seriously, when riding cross-country, it is very hard to leave your route to ride any distance. Your energy has to go toward moving yourself on down the road.

I don't recall if that exclamation mark is because the tent site & showers were so expensive at $1.25 or so cheap.

Picture Gorge.

Picture Gorge.