Day 3 - Welches to Kah-Nee-Ta Averaged 13.0 mph

Day 3, with a couple of complications, was one of most scenic days I have ever had riding a bike.  From Welches we headed up towards a mountain pass of about 4,000 feet at the base of Mt. Hood.  The mountain pass was the home to a couple of ski resorts.  The initial part of the ride was through thick forest that was right next to the road.  Every once and awhile it was possible to glimpse a cabin in the woods.  

After about eight miles the complications set in.  I noticed all the riders in front of me had assembled next to a support van.  When I pulled in to stop I was clipped into my bike.  A note -  most long distance riders have clipless  pedals which means the shoe has cleats that clip into the pedal which is great; however, if you have to clip out quickly, it can be a problem.  In this case, I clipped my right foot out not realizing I was leaning left.  I could not clip out and ended up tipping over in front of the group.  I was a little bloody, but not hurt, and very embarrassed.  I did say a few naughty words.  The group was very supportive, behind giggles.  The first picture is me getting bandage up by Barb, one of the tour support staff.  

We had to be sagged by a construction area which took some time.  The second picture is riders waiting for the sag ride.  Notice the trees behind them.  

Once we got close to the summit, we had a great view of Mt. Hood.  As we rode past the first summit and thereafter, there were a number of views.  The third picture is me with Mt. Hood in the background.  A side note, Mt. Hood has skiing all summer (the only resort in the US to have summer skiing) and we rode by one resort that had summer ski school.

Of all the bike rides I have done, this has had one of the most varied scenery.  We road through think forests of pine trees, raging rivers and streams, four different snow covered mountains in the horizon, and finally into high desert with sparse vegetation and red rock canyons.  We are staying at a resort and casino in Kah-Nee-Ta which is very nice. The last picture is me in from the of the resort with high desert in the background. The girl who took the picture could not believe I rode up the hill to the resort, not to mention 65 miles from Welches.  

I am very tired, but looking forward to another day tomorrow.