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6/20: Hello readers and friends. I am having my second (of two) total knee replacement surgeries today so I'll be out of commission for a bit while I recover. Please be patient while I get back to full health. I hope to be back to posting as soon as I can. I look forward to getting back out there. 🙏. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor

Cycle Oregon Day 4 – Sumpter to Union

Cycle Oregon Day 4-Sumpter to Union

Well, I made it.

Yesterday we left Sumpter and climbed up and over Anthony Lakes pass at 7,400 feet. Now I’m here in Union (population 2,000), yet another charming old town I feel lucky to visit.

We arrived yesterday and today is our layover day. There’s an optional 91 mile ride that I’m sure would have been fun, but I opted to catch up on some things and soak in the local hospitality.

The ride yesterday was tough, but cooler temperatures made it much more comfortable than the previous two days.

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Cycle Oregon Day 3 – Starkey to Sumpter

cycle oregon Day 3 ride Starkey to Sumpter

[Leaving Starkey]

Ride Details: 53 miles, 4,400 feet elevation gain

This morning we left Starkey and rode along the Grande Ronde River valley. It was a frigid but unbelievably gorgeous start to the day. I couldn’t resist joining the many other riders that stopped on a bridge for a cheesy photo of me and the river.

Today’s ride was a roller-coaster with more tough climbing and unrelenting heat. We pedaled over three separate peaks on our way into Sumpter.

After a morning in the mountains, our route opened up into a vast meadow. Cows and serpentine creeks left their mark on my memory and on the wide-open landscape.

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Cycle Oregon – Camp at Starkey

Cycle Oregon day 2 - Starkey camp scenes

[Dave, owner of
the Starkey Store]

The folks in Starkey, like Heppner and Umatilla, welcomed us with open arms; all 42 of them. Starkey is the first real small town we’ve stayed in. Total population is 21 and according to Dave (owner of the Starkey Store) they were the last town in Oregon to get phone service.

Setting up the Cycle Oregon circus of 3000 people in a place like this is—in the words of ride director Jerry Norquist—“a challenge” and that’s putting it mildly.

There was no running water for us to tap in to so the ride crew trucked in 30,000 gallons for the showers. Then, some forest fire crews called up and took some of the trucks, leaving some folks without their daily bathing ritual.

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Cycle Oregon Day 2 – Heppner to Starkey

cycle oregon day 2 - heppner to Starkey

[Leaving Heppner]

Ride details: 82 miles, 6000 feet elevation gain

Leaving Heppner was bittersweet. While I looked forward to getting back in the saddle and the ride into Starkey, I felt like I didn’t have enough time to enjoy the sweet little town nestled between golden, rolling hills.

The community in Heppner gladly let Cycle Oregon take over their entire downtown and the night’s entertainment—an awesome Irish music ensemble—fit with Heppner’s strong Irish roots.

While hanging out around the stage, I noticed a familiar T-shirt on Cycle Oregon founder and emcee Jonathan Nicholas. The design was created by Portlander Justa Louise-Phillips and he bought the shirt from her at last year’s BikeCraft Fair.

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Stolen Trek unknown

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

White, woman’s frame, 21 speed. At the time I left it, it also had torn foam grips on the handle bars.

Stolen Trek 4300 disc

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

New 2006 model, Has disc breaks, I had a bell gel seat cover on it, hybrid tires, not the stock bontragers.