Day 2: La Pine to Diamond Lake

A sub-freezing start.
Full slideshow below

The two numbers I will always remember from today are 28 and 94. 28 is how many degrees it was when I woke up and 94 is how many miles I rode.

To say it was cold this morning would be a vast understatement. My tent and my bike were covered in frost. People piled on the layers and tried standing in the rising sun, but it was little help. It took me about 8 miles of riding before the feeling came back into my fingers (my feet took quite a bit longer).

But once I got rolling and the sun found its strength, it was another memorable — but not particularly beautiful — day of riding. Our route took us from La Pine (“Oregon’s Newest City”) south to Diamond Lake. It was by far the longest ride I’ve done since last year’s Cycle Oregon.

Now we’re at Diamond Lake Recreation Area, where we’ll spend the next two nights. Tomorrow we can either hang around the lake, or opt to ride a grueling 33 miles up and around Crater Lake. I have no business doing that, but what the hell; the photos will be epic.

A roadside market in Chemult was inundated with cyclists.

Ahhhh, the open road.

Tonight and tomorrow is the Made in Oregon Bike Expo. Can’t wait to check that out. Stay tuned for photos.

For more photos, see my slideshow below. And for a real insiders look at Cycle Oregon, you should definitely take a peek at Michael Rollins’ daily coverage. He’s doing a great job blogging the event for the Oregonian.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.