Sisters to Smith Rock Bivy, day 1!

Well here it is, my first blog post here since I finished the Divide in 2019. I had to take a break from touring during the pandy, and also the last few summers. I got married twice (to the same person, don't ask me, ask Covid) and had a great honeymoon. I tried to fit doing the Oregon Outback into those summers but I couldn't make it happen. That's a desert offroad ride from Washington to California - it only takes a week but it needs to be done in June for consistent water sourcing (things dry up) and to avoid smoke. 

Now that it's been five years since I toured, I wanted to return with something relatively easy, so I'm doing the same route to Missoula that I took in 2003 (my first tour - Astoria to Boston) and 2014 (my 3rd, a 62 day 4k mile ride from Eugene and eventually looping around Lake Superior). The route is the Adventure Cycling Trans Am Route and it's amazing. It appears I'm destined to do it every 10 years or so. I'm actually going to Ovando, a day past Missoula because I love that town. I stayed there on my 2014 tour and my 2018 Divide run. The Divide race is happening right now, so I want to visit! 

This trip will only be about 12 days because I have other things to do this summer and a wife who I already miss dearly. I started today in Sisters because McKenzie Pass is under constuction and I'd have to take car-busy Santiam Pass, so I skipped two days of traffic out of Eugene.

The stats are small today, I left Sisters at 2:45pm, road 30ish flat miles to Smith Rock Bivy Camping, arrived at 5ish and had about 2:08 on bike. Tomorrow I ride through Pendelton to Mitchel, one of my favorite towns on this route.  It'll be long, 70 miles with 4k feet of climb over Ochoco Pass.

I'll be blogging here, of course. This serves as a diary/record for me. The last time I did this route is also on this blog, linked lower on the right of the page (2014).  It was super useful in planning this trip since I know where to stay etc.

Normally I'd have made a post before now, but I just went on summer break 4 days ago and things have been crazy slammed. I'd prefer to do this tour in August, but it's too risky with wildfire smoke. June is the time to tour Central and Eastern Oregon.

II'll say a bit about my purpose out here.  If you follwed my Divide blog (also on this website, linked on the right) you'll know I've gotten pretty introspective and mega-extrospective on these things.   I very much do these kind of rides because some things are worth doing just because the are hard - and testing myself is part of myself.... BUT... I'm not out here for a destination or a goal this time, not really. I'm out here to find my peace. My previous goal, touring to a destination, is now a tool. Its not a replacement goal but an additional one.

All my tours have taught me something. Short version: 2003 across the US taught me how to be tough and gave me confidence (I was 22). My 2007 tour, at 27, helped me decide between going into nursing or teaching, and also taught me about male privilege (I rode with 3 women, and how they were treated differently than me was very eye opening). My 2014 tour, at 34, was my 1st solo tour and it taught me to how to be alone. My 2015 loop around Eastern Oregon taught me not to tour Oregon during wildfire season, but also how not to quit.  My 2016 tour from Indiania to Virginia Beach taught me.. I'm still not sure - my ex-wife left me during that one and I'm still unpacking it. My 2018 1st half of the Tour Divide taught me soooo much - philosophy, my place in the world, but also how to quit when I need to.  I went home halfway through to preserve my relationship with Andrea and it was the best decision I ever made. I finished the Divide in 2019 - and that taught me how to find peace, finishing the lessons of 2018. I also gained a new confidence in my abilities. I'm a Divide rider now, that's a very small club.  This current tour is cupcakes compared to that. 

So year, this tour. I'm just looking for peace again. I want to think thoughts that last longer than several days. I also want to hang with other bike tourers (we're a small, wierd club) and this route will have several since it's a popular route. I barely did any planning this time, so I'm a little on my heels, but I'm good at this, and you have to fit things in when you can. 

The tool is the goal the goal is the tool. Words fade to thought, thought fades to the world. Smith Rock is beautiful, and the setting sun is in my eyes but will soon be behind it.