Day 2 Climbing the Cascades; Corvallis-Sisters, OR 105 miles

Today I suffered like few other days in my life. A main challenge in my cross-country trip came early in the month, and abruptly. The ride started reasonably as I made good time to Sweet Home on Route 20. Caught a swim in refreshing Santiam Creek (photo) Then the Cascades showed themselves, and on a brutally hot, still day, usual for the west side of this spectacular range. First was the climb to Tombstone Pass, as I made 6 mph for 2 hours on the long 4 percent grade. Time just melted away, and I ran out of water frequently. An imaginary tip of the water bottle got several cars to stop. Strangers saved me. How much water can a biker carry – I went through gallons today. Route 20 in the normally wet Cascades was bone dry save for a couple tiny creeks. In my most desperate moment I filtered water from a trickle of a muddy creek. At the base of the Santiam Pass climb a couple from Canada gave me a cold Coke. In the most challenging moments of a trip like this, one looks for the smallest slivers of hope, or resolve, where really there should be none at all. After the soda stop, I struggled up mighty Santiam Pass, and at the top peered back into the steamy haze of a Cascade sunset. As daylight faded I descended the east side of the pass, so tired that I had to stop going downhill. By nightfall I made it to a Forest Service campground, skipped dinner, and crawled into my tent. Today may be a benchmark by which others on this journey – and throughout life - are measured. I can say when I struggle again, ‘relative to the Cascade climb in 09, this is not too bad.’ Very little wildlife today, I had little energy to focus on anything else but the pavement under my wheels.