USNA 1973 Ride-2-Remember

Day 10, 13 August: Unity to Ontario, OR

Day 10 was by far the longest so far. 86 miles, with a cold start out of Unity Lake in the 40s, but warning up quickly today. Not a lot of climbs, but a couple of summits and some rolling hills on a plateau. After a gratifying descent (especially for Dave), it just plain got hot, well into the 90s by midday. I did switch to my road bike at the halfway point — the Scattante was much more comfortable on the long flats.

We entered the Mountain Time Zone in Malheur County, OR. Most of us took an extended lunch break at the only café anywhere after someone told us it was just a mile and a half ahead (turned out to be well over 8 miles). Food helped but service took forever and split us up even more.  Mark monitored everyone for signs of heat issues. 

Following some erroneous cues and a detour, we all made it into Ontario. We had a slightly later dinner and meeting due to the time zone change. We honored Randy and Bruce. I made a few remarks about how much Randy had contributed as essentially our informal class chaplain. Doug will ride tomorrow for Steve Weise, with whom Sally has family connections.

We move on to Idaho tomorrow, and will be linking up with Tom Simmonds for the last stretch into Boise. It’s been a great tour through a big state, and we’ve enjoyed everyone’s hospitality. 

Bill Montgomery