Baker City to Huntington to Ontario

Yesterday we began our ride in Baker City. After a breakfast of oatmeal and cereal we took off for our 45 mile bike ride. The route was to be all downhill. Not feeling challenged enough, my dad and I (Mark) decided to follow a fellow cyclist on and adventurous expedition over a mountain pass nearby. So we departed on our adventured and rode 5 miles up a mountain pass, 2500ft. Then we continued on our way, searching for a rode to lead us to our next camping site in Huntington. The rode we were biking on ended in gravel, a depressing site. So we turned around and went back up the mountain, 5 miles and 2500ft, versus the 20 miles on a gravel rode. Eventually retracing our pedal strokes, we arrived back again in Baker City. We already had about 60 miles logged onto our bike clocks. After stopping at a local gas station for mountain dew and some sour apple slushies, we left on our original planned route for huntington. The ride was hot, but enjoyable since it was primarily all downhill. All around us was desert and sagebrush. Huntington was a small town, built around the railroad and concrete industy. Now things have slown down, but the people are just as friendly as ever. A laundry mat near the school of the Huntington Locos allowed Sea to Sea cyclists to do their laundary for free. Such hospitality. Arriving in Huntington, we pitched our tent and went into town for some appetizers before supper. The local cafe served us some amazing homemade marion-berry pie and a chocolate shake. Both were delicious and the air conditioning in the cafe a welcomed relief. The evening progressed with the normal activites: peleton, small groups, teeth brushing. Eric went for a mountain hike nearby. We thought we could pick him out from camp, a samll white dot in the distance. However, all this while, the wind was picking up. That night the wind was about 40 miles per hour depending on the gusts. Some rainflies were lost and a tent blew away (but we caught it a 1/2 mile down the road). The night was restless, but refreshing since we could sleep in, knowing that tomorrow our route would only be a mere 35 miles to Ontario, Oregon.
This morning started out with breakfast, oatmeal and cereal again (our staples). Then Eric, my dad, and I started out of Huntington. We traveled along the winding Snake River. My legs were feeling a little tired from yesterday's adventure up and down a mountain. Good thing the ride was flat. There were many irrigated fields along the route containing onions, radishes, corn, wheat, etc. The hills and small rock formations were quite amazing. Despite being in the desert, the scenery awed us by its extreme diversity of green farmland and barren desert. We had no flats. The locals tell us that goatheads (like a sandburs) often prick a rider's tires. We were lucky I guess, until we were about a mile away from the Ontario high School and my dad got a slow leak. We did patch it up though and decided to explore town since the ride was so short (35 miles - took us 2 hours so we got here by about 11am). We stopped at a local coffee shop called Java and Juice. Extremely friendly service and great ice water.
For those of you who wonder what we are eating, tonight's supper consisted of mashed potatoes, meatballs, salad, green bean cassarole, chocolate pudding, carrots, and peanut butter sandwiches. My second plate turned out to be bigger than my first. I'm going to have to start to watch my weight. Right now, some fellow cyclists and I are using the internet at the local library. Our satellite internet is not working as planned. They say it's missing a part I think. Hopefully that can be fixed. Otherwise, we'll look for those handy libraries to let you know what's going on. Tomorrow we're off to Boise, Idaho, our third state. We're really starting to really move along now.