Climbing: I thought I was done with this crap

Still smiling at mile 90

The Three Sisters

Since so much has happened in the last few days, I'm going to split it up into two or three posts. You'll have to bear with me on pictures though. The measly data coverage I'm getting right now can carry text at most; there won't be any pictures til tomorrow, but trust me, they're brilliant.

On Friday, I left my host's house in Bend, OR. We had mutually decided the day before that Crater Lake was far too lofty a goal for the next day. But, what the hell, I went for it anyway. After already riding three consecutive centuries, I went for a monstrous number four: 105 miles with a 4000-foot climb.

Enlarge this picture. This was 18 miles of climbing!!!

I rolled along, happy as can be, for the first 70 miles. But at mile 75, I turned a corner to see a completely vertical mountainside in the distance that someone had apparently pasted a road to. It turns out that the ride didn't have much elevation gain at all until mile 75. That seemingly vertical wall was what I had to climb to reach Crater Lake.

I'm going to gloss over how much that portion drained from me. The burning in my legs was threatening to cook every muscle by the time I summitted. But, God, did I whip that road. 18 miles of serious climbing with two short rest breaks. Summitting was one of my proudest moments.

However, 105 miles in at the park entrance at 7 PM, I was informed by a ranger that it was another 20 miles uphill to the closest campground. In that moment, I almost broke apart into individual atoms and just drifted away into the wind. But park ranger Nannette saved the day by offering to drive me there. Thanks, Nannette!! I would have died without you.

Next problem: it's Friday night so of course the campground is full. But I didn't even have my panniers back on my bike after the car ride over before that problem was resolved. A Russian woman with a thick accent came over and told me that she was camped in the woods across the street and I could join her. This started a great day-long friendship that culminated in her suggesting I join the military. God, she was great.

The sky

 A few facts about Crater Lake:

1. It's incredible beyond what words or pictures can reproduce. You need to see it for yourself.

2. It sits inside the crater formed after Mt. Mazama blew its top 7000 years ago.

3. It's the deepest lake in North America, 3rd deepest in the world at 594 meters.

4. Because no rivers run into the lake and its fed by only rain and snowmelt, it trades titles on and off with a lake in Russia as the purest in the world.

Just kidding, it's actually lake water!

The water is so pristinely still and blue. I've been thinking for days about how to describe how blue it was and I've come up with nothing. I can describe violent colors like red and orange well, but I have trouble with softer ones like blue. Just wait for the pictures.

After spending the morning riding and lollygagging around the rim of the lake, I packed my stuff at camp and headed out. I made it another 45 miles that day before I hit John Stewart State Park campground. Park ranger Randy offered to pay for my campsite for the night after we chatted for a bit and I accepted his incredibly kind offer.

National parks really are not bike-friendly at all

It's bed time so I'm going to type up the next post in the morning and upload pictures ASAP. I'm in an amazing campground in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, sleeping among some of the tallest, oldest trees on Earth. I'm blissfully happy. 8 more days until San Diego!

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