Independence Day began with a classic breakfast served in the historic Prospect Hotel dining room. Ethan and I then rode down to the local waterfalls and hiked to some beautiful vistas. Back on the road, we followed the Rogue River down to Lost Creek Reservoir and climbed up a valley to the South until we got to his Uncle Peter and Aunt Debbie’s house.
We drove down to Medford and Peter and a couple friends, Bobby and Phil, performed at the 2Hawk Winery for the 4th. Peter is a great Blues guitarist and we were quite entertained! When we got back to the house, he introduced me to the ukulele; I might have found an instrument to take touring in the future!
On the 5th, we rode to Gold Hill to visit old friends of mine, the Murray’s. Mike and Ruth have known me since I was about six. Ruth, in turn, worked for me as a teacher in the late 1990’s at Winham Street Christian Academy.
This was the end of the trip for Ethan; he did really great and I think had an enjoyable first experience at self-contained touring.
Mike and Ruth took me over to visit their daughter, Michelle, and her family- husband Lonnie and Makala and Micah. We spent some hours visiting and catching up about the last eight years or so.
Today was a long day of mostly uphill. After riding from Gold Hill to Medford, I followed a wonderful bike path called the Bear Creek Greenway to Ashland, then climbed the Old Siskiyou Highway all the way to the Summit at 4310′. Descending the other side on Interstate 5, I said goodbye to Oregon and hello California! (And I’m not even halfway yet)
My second ascent of the day was an eight mile climb up the Shasta River Canyon to the town of Yreka, which started as a gold rush boomtown in the 1850s. 75 miles and a cloud of dust ( plus two flats)