Day 5 - Rain, Cold, and 116 Miles!

The day was predicted to have 20% chance of rain in an area known for its dry climate.  Partway into our first mountain pass climb, we were treated with a downpour and 41 degrees at the summit, followed by a 7-mile descent in increasingly pelting rain.  If you've ever been soaking wet and moving at 25 mph at that temp - imagine being in a convertible in a downpour with the roof down - that's how the day started.  Luckily, in the small town of Mitchell, we found a drive-through espresso stop with a covered shelter to give us warmth to continue on.  Here's Greg with a cup of goodness after the wet descent.

It continued to be so very cold and wet, there are not many pictures to share.  Here's a few from when the rain stopped at a beautiful entrance to a canyon carved by the John Day River.

Here's a pic of Don taking that picture (sorry - couldn't help but put this in).

The John Day River at the base of the canyon was as clear as glass.  Pretty impressive considering all the rock it had to move to carve a canyon.

Lastly - we stopped at the 100 mile mark to celebrate our first "century" ride of the year with this Selfie Shot.  Note we are both wearing the glasses we hoped would shelter our eyes from the sun when it came out today.  Note the sky.  Against many odds, we and our entire group made it into the small city of John Day, 116 miles from where we began in the morning.

Tomorrow - 3 climbs to make our way to Baker City, OR.  Please sing along with us:  "The sun'll come out, tomorrow!"