Day 8: Rainbow, OR to Sisters, OR

Miles: 44

Elevation (ft): 4400

Total trip mileage: 269

Where's the worst place to get caught in a snow/sleet storm? On top of a mountain at 5300 feet elevation!

Today was the ride we have been dreading...our first true climb of the trip. McKenzie Pass is a scenic route through the Cascades that is only open for a few months a year due to heavy snow falls. Currently, it is only open for cyclists and hikers Friday to Sunday. The night before our ride, it snowed at the summit and temperatures got down into the 20s, which we’ve been told is unusual for this time of year. We were both pretty nervous as we set out, Chad because of the cold and Chelsea because of the climb. We were hoping that our fears were unfounded...they weren't.

The climb was extremely strenuous and took us about 3 hours to get to the top. That’s 3 hours of pedaling uphill for 20 miles on an average of 5-8% grades. It seemed like it would never end, and when we asked several riders on their descent if we were close, their response was always “not really.” Finally, we reached the lava fields near the top of the climb leading to the summit and thought we would have an easy-ish ride to the observatory and down the other side of the mountain. But, Mother Nature would not allow that. As we passed 5,000 feet of elevation, the skies opened up, unleashing sleet and snow, and the temperature dropped suddenly to 34 degrees. We were freezing and all we could think was we have to get off this mountain (before loss of life or limb occurred.) As we reached the observatory at the summit, the sleet and snow stopped, but we didn’t know for how long. We were soaked and could only manage one quick selfie before descending into Sisters.

The descent was chilly. Our hands were frozen, and we could barely work the brakes, but luckily the sun came out and we were soon off the mountain. Our original plan was to camp, but it was already late in the day and we were cold and wet. We stopped to warm up with some hot chocolate and strategize. Luckily, we found an air bnb a mile away, got some DQ (thanks Aunt Judy!) and headed there. Debbie, our host, was extremely welcoming and says she likes to be flexible so that people can make last minute arrangements. After a hot shower and a change of clothes, we sunk into the warmth of our air bnb bed and let sleep overcome us.