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* Day 11, Baker City - Prairie City (8/11/00)
Map: Day 11
Day 11
Day: 109.2 km | Trip: 799 km

Leaving early after a lazy day was just not possible. I left at 9 AM, a new record for being late, and this on my longest day, 68 miles.

The road from Baker City started out very nice, the first 10 miles were no problem. Then the road goes up a steep hill and follows along the very picturesque Phillips Lake at some hight. After the lake the street runs past the McEwan station of the Sumpter Valley narrow gauge railroad.

The station can be reached via a side street and is about a quarter of a mile off the route. The railroad operates on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from Memorial Day to Labor Day. It runs from the Mc Ewan station to Sumpter. They do transport bicycles on the train. I walked around the station and the other buildings. It was very interesting. They also have a soda machine and tap water so I refilled my bottles. Even though it was already past noon time it was not very hot. There was a strong cool breeze blowing all the time.

The first pass is not too bad. It is only 4 miles to the summit. The road is under construction but well ridable. When I reached the top I was stopped by the construction crew. One Lady came to me and told me to put my bicycle on her pickup truck. Then she attached a "follow me" sign to the rear of the truck and started downhill. I was sitting in the back next to my bike. It was a fun ride. She partially drove on the wrong side of the road because there was construction going on on the right side. All the other cars that were waiting on the summit were following her. They escorted the cars and trucks up and down the hill. That took about 5 miles off my trip, too bad it was on a downhill part.

Whitney is a ghost town. There are many abandoned buildings. The town stopped to exist when the Sumpter Valley Rail Road closed down in 1947(?). The SVRR went from Baker via Sumpter all the way to Prairy City.

By the time I reached Austin Junction I was tired and worn out and I was very hungry. I did not have much since breakfast and it was already 4 PM, I was craving for some food. The restaurant was closed for remodeling, though. The shop opened only 21 days ago. They had muffins and danish and plenty of Gatorade, no tap water or bottled water. It was a savior anyways. I took a long break and refueled.

The last of the three hills this day started out slowly and is not very steep but long, 7 miles. It is a most rewarding hill though. It offers awesome views of the valley and the Strawberry Mountains. I could roll down right into Prairy City.

The campground in Prairy City is at the museum which I wanted to visit anyway. So I put up my tent on museums grounds, funny. I also met another bicyclist Bill, he is on his way from Florence to Colorado Springs. The restaurant at the end of town that was recommended to me for its great burgers closed already at 8 PM. The Restaurant and Lounge served food till 9 PM and they have great food. Finally something different than burgers. They had a special, a great and big Swedish Meatball with noodles and salad. A good local beer and I was happy!

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