Day 71 - Burns, OR to Wagontire, OR

So basically, I'm really tired of being in the desert and I can't wait to see trees and feel a cool breeze again. We have seriously been riding through the most desolate of regions. Need proof? Our host tonight is a man named Marty who lives alone in a town called Wagontire. His trailer and rundown RV park/motel are the only things for miles and miles and we rely on him year after year for water and other basic necessities as we traverse the desert. Needless to say, there's not much to see on a ride like this. Nevertheless, biking today was pretty fun. In the early morning we rode through a short-lived rainstorm and I was thankful for the cooling drops because I'm pretty sure the alternative in this area is heat, heat, heat. We hung out at the lunch stop for a while because we knew there wouldn't be much to do in Wagontire. We didn't stay there long enough though. By that I mean we should have just camped there instead. The ride after lunch was equally as fun but we finished by about 1:30 and literally just sat around in Wagontire in the blazing sun until a storm hit and night fell, all the while trying our best to not get shot by Marty for looking at him the wrong way or sitting in the wrong section of the campground.   

Devin's route meetings are my favorite of all route meetings! He always makes up hilarious nicknames for people, like "I Do Declare Dunphy", "The 2x Grammy Nominee, Erika", and "Stone Cold Steve Southern". For dinner tonight we will "kill livestock" and instead of showers will we have "cat lick baths".

During the ride I talked to Erin for a long time about Harrison and the day of the accident and the week following his death. She talked to me too, about her dad. I ended up on the side of the road, crying in her lap. I can't say enough how thankful I am for her and what she's been through and how we relate on so many levels. I told Erin that I'm really excited to finish this trip; it's probably my biggest life accomplishment thus far. But I'm really sad that Harrison won't be there waiting for me at the Pacific. I fully expect to fall facedown in the sand, wailing like a baby, when I arrive in Santa Cruz. And I'm okay with that. 

Wagontire. Population: 3. 

Well, here you have the entire "town": Marty's trailer, camper, and shed, a closed cafe and motel, an "international airport", and a handful of campground slots? 

If you look closely you can see Marty walking to his trailer. He's wearing a white shirt and jeans and is in far left of the frame. We were warned by previous routes and by the leaders about Marty's temperament. But when we met him we all thought that he was a pretty normal guy, that is, until he flipped out on us for having too many people in the hotel room. A select fews riders had the privilege of being screamed at and cussed out by him. We were expecting to get kicked out of Wagontire; I don't think anyone would have complained. But much to our surprise, he let us stay the night and even kept the water on for us.  

I really felt like an orphan during dinner tonight, mostly because we were camping and our dinner consisted of orphan food: a mixture of instant mashed potatoes, canned corn and shredded cheese. Erin and I even had to share a bowl. We had our own forks though...  

I came up with a game while I sat in the van for 2 hours waiting for the time to pass. It was called Create a Constellation. Everyone who wanted to play got to draw on my leg with a Sharpie, connecting freckles to make their own constellation. Then, they got to name it and look for it at night once the real stars came out. Erin went first. Naturally, her constellation was a chocolate milkshake. 

Eric made a dancing goat!

In honor of LSU's crew team, Reuben drew a boat and an oar dubbed "The Flying Dutchman". 

Safety Katie's constellation was a ghost pig named "The Ethereal Swine".  

Ummm... I'm pretty sure tents aren't supposed to be flat. Right? But that's what happens when a desert storm rolls in. One of the tents ended up snapping and those folks had to sleep in the van. The rest of us attempted to sleep in the violent wind. I slept great, as usual, but Erin, Erika, and Southern woke up in the middle of the night to the tent collapsing on top of them. They described the experience as similar to a nightmarish horror film in which they imagined Marty creeping in the shadows, out to get all Bike & Builders. How I didn't wake up, I'm not certain.

The Catty Corner:
Erika: "Where's my phone?"