Major Alterations

So we've made a lot of changes the last couple days, unfortunately it means we're not on the road but in the end we'll be happier.  Sam no longer has to have a trailer behind him and instead is sporting panniers and Ryan now carries Sam's trailer instead of the cargo trailer, with all the kitchen stuff in there.  Sam was so excited and demonstrated how fast he could fly up the hill clocking himself at 14 m.p.h. We have knocked off over 45 lbs. and have streamlined significantly.  We also traded the Burley trailer for the girls and got the Chariot instead because of storage problems, they seem way cozier and it's red which is my favorite color.  We're itching to get going but this is good stuff.

Bend, reunions, and fortune cookies

We had the most wonderful time visiting here with folks in Central Oregon, staying up till 4:30 in the morning, visiting a Yerba Mate shop, which is about like solid gold in my books, laughing our guts out, playing in the sunshine with the Love family, beauitul reunions with our roommates, the Harris's, and lot's of reconstructing of our load.  We have shaved easily 30 lbs. of gear and 15 lbs. of trailer, we've totally reexamined our load after learning alot crossing the Cascade mountain range, and gotten alot stronger.  Ryan's legs are totally morphing, he has some crazy, mutant calves and his thigh muscles are just plain sick, they start jutting out right after his knee in a super-heroisc fashion. All the children have the same wild muscle stack on their legs and also are noticable stronger looking.  I feel good and look forward to riding more, but  it will be hard to leave everyone here.  We really feel like we are leaving our familiar territory and venturing out into the unknown,we've always hung near the coast and E. Oregon is foreign.  We've been shown so much kindness by complete strangers, giving water, places to stay, money and just time, wanting to stop and talk to us and know our story, in Terrebonne, outside Smith Rocks, the owner of the local Thriftway came out and was asking us questions, she herself was an avid biker who has pulled off several, 400 and 200 mile races, a wiry and energetic lady anmed Bonnie with a shock of blond hair, she asked us all kinds of questions and was so fascinated with the whole touring aspect of life with a family, she is taking pictures of us and jumping about excitedly and could tell she was so thrilled she could have busted out of her skin. "Is there anything you need?" she asks "I own the whole store, you name it" I was just flat taken back, "we could use some water out of your faucet to fill our bottles" I tell her, she goes inside and comes back with the jug filled that I gave her and a bag full of Powerbars and snack-y stuff for everyone. She is standing there talking to us and notices my arm covered with poison oak and runs back in and brings me calamine lotion and cotton balls to take with me, she wanted to aid us in whatever way she could,and when she could see we were in need of nothing else, she gave us money,  her kindness was so precious to behold.  People we know have been equally amazing in their  giving of themselves to us, pampering us, encouraging us, letting us keep them up all night, and putting us up.  The Bray family that we've bee staying with here has nothing short of just plain doted over us constently, they gave us their bed to sleep in, made meals and treats, loved on us severly, and smile the whole time, we will never be able to repay their kindness.  Rachel Harris wanted to take me out for coffee in Bend and took me to this little tiny place called the Sparrow bakery and got me the most amazing breakfast sandwich on the planet, a poached egg on a homemade croissant with a giant slice of peppery bacon and covered with arugula and garlic aioli sauce, I just groaned the whole time I ate it, and they had an amazing execution of an americano, it was all just way too dreamy.  The Harris family watched our bunch while we went out for the last date we'd be having in a long time, we grabbed last minute items and went to a Chinese restaurant and talked about the next jaunt over tea and dinner.  We also had a chance to cut hair, Ryan and the boys probably shed 3 or 4 lbs. of hair and are now looking way more streamlined, Jessica did a great job but the hippy in me was kind of sad to see all the locks come crashing to the ground, maybe the birdies will make sweet little nests with it.  The next stretch is going to take a lot more planning as there are alot less ways to secure water and towns seem more spread out but we are excited.  I know we've been well taken care of and the Father's provisions have been more than enough and that never ceases to amaze us.

Obby and his new pals Octavius Steen (9) and his brother Darius (6) taking us back home with them to their cool, desert oasis home outside of Sisters. This is about the hardiest bunch I've met in a long time. They are a rare breed. These boys met us at the road and chased our bikes for three miles with no hesitation. They know these parts like the back of their gnarly little hands. Obby and Sam had no problem getting cozy with this bunch.
   The boys Dad, Peter Braun is an avid climber and woodworker who has crazy knuckles like knots in a pine tree from climbing but is the sweetest gentlest soul who loves babies. and gives the greatest hugs in the world.  Peter and Dorris have a sweet house nestled in a lonely canyon with their 4 rowdy boys, Octavius, Darius, Cannon, and Dax and lot's of rabbits, cats, chickens and turkeys.  Dorris carries a dagger in a leather case on her belt loop, I of course loved her instantly, it was very hard not to linger here for days, weeks maybe. I hope I see these ones again.

Anny is enjoying some time running around on back roads to break loose from the trailer. On our way down the 3 mile driveway in Central OR to our new friends house, Octavius Steen (that's really his middle name) and his brother Darius escort us to their home in the McKenzie Canyon area outside Sisters. The Deschutes are a beautiful and I can't believe all the views, Smith Rocks (famous climbing spot), rivers, snowy peaks, sprawling ranches with cool barns and the healthiest horses in the world and all these animals are running majestically up to the fence to seemingly greet us, I feel special.

Our Flagger over the pass

I gotta shut you down
-police officer of the Cascade Range area

Real men wave pink ponchos
-Jelena Steen

These guys are hardcore

Santiam Pass

We wake up in the morning spent at Koosah Falls and pack up, getting a good early start, all of a sudden Joe Bray and Mike Harris pull up in Joe’s little car with bikes strapped to the back, it is so nice to see Mike, we shared a small house on a farm near Portland with he and his family this winter, we were thrilled to see his mug. “What in the world are you guys doing here?'” we inquire, Joe states very assuredly that we are not climbing this pass without assistance, he designates his vehicle as the pilot car, he and Cammie were driving home around 1 in the morning from visiting with us over back home over the Santiam Pass and Cammie has a whole new perspective of this road after considering a family of 8 trying to pass it, or maybe it’s the late hour and strong coffee, whatever the reason, they are passionate, they are helping get over this monster.  Mike wants to ride bad, I somehow have this tinge of guilt about not taking the Pass like the rest of them but think about the babies and very probable snow storm on the way up and consent, he’s taking Abby up while I drive the cars with the girls. So we get suited up and get going, “so what’s the plan here?” I ask Joe, “O.K., so I am going to ride until I can handle it and after that I am going to sit on the roof of the car and wave the traffic around” I am thinking, this just does not sound legal at all and tell him to be prepared to get pulled over, he doesn’t seem to much care, he’s more concerned about our safety.  We take off and I follow in the car, this feels odd, driving with exerting much effort, before long Joey is off the bike and on top of the car waving cars by using a bright pink rain poncho, I think we are fetching more dropped- jawed looks from passerbyers because of Joe’s theatrics rather than the kids on bikes over a giant pass.  Slowly they creep up the pass, the kids are doing great, they stop every few miles to rest and drink, but keep on grinding.  The weather is looking ominous with huge, swelling clouds settling all the way around and sure enough it starts to first hail than giant snow flakes start flying down.  Even with the car with behind them with hazard lights and a man on top with the pink poncho just a wavin’ there are a few that race pass way too close and fast for the crazy conditions, I  am now fantasizing  about having a stack of rocks on my lap to chuck at them, or some other damaging, shocking thing I could do to deliver these people back to the reality that there are children right there next to there monster SUVs, instead I just pray fervently.  This pass is brutal, the Cascades are the first of three mountain ranges, so we are curious how this goes over, it appears to be endless, up and up, after you think it’s over, no, there’s more.  My guts are aching for them all, I wish I were suffering with them instead of this car, but I look back at the babies all dry and warm and the gear ( to lighten their load) and feel a little bit better. I am still waiting for the cops to show up any second, at places there is zero or negative shoulder and I’m hanging out in the road making the traffic move around us and it feels precarious.  Finally, we reach the top and the sun comes out, there is snow on the ground and everybody is so happy, we play in the snow, the kids build a snow girl with pine needle ponytails and take some pics and start heading down, I continue to follow them with the hazards on, we want to get down as far as  possible to escape the weather and they are making great timing, then it happens, a cop coming the opposite direction turns around and tears after me, I pull over, “Are you the one following those bikers?” he asks, “yes I am” I tell him, “ those are my kids there on those bikes and there getting away from me here” I tell him, temporarily forgetting his position over me. “do you realize that what you are doing here is illegal?”  he says patronizingly, “I wondered” I tell him apologetically and sheepishly, “i got to shut you down” he says emphatically (yes, these were his words verbatim) “I gotta shut you down” he repeats, “we’re getting calls from folks up the mountain about you”, yeah I could see why, if he had been here 15 minutes earlier, Joe would have been on top of the car and we would most definitely would have been extra excited. I explained to the officer that I realized this looked bad but I was a little protective about their vulnerable position on this pass with these nut ball drivers, he agrees, they are nut balls and says he has to respond to these calls and lets me go after telling me to meet him up the road when he catches up to the bikers so he could scholl us on the dangers of our venture, I meet up with him and the rest of the bunch on a shoulder and he explains that there are a lot of people coming back from their weekend trips ( it’s Sunday) and they are being rude and impatient and suggests we get off at the next camping spot, Suttle lake resort until the traffic dies down.  We thank him for his mercy to us and concern and head back down, this time I leave the hazards off and meet them periodically on shoulders, we passed Suttle Lake as it is totally surrounded by snow, not great for camping, and head lower, now I envy them, sailing down the mountain, Obby looks back at me with a look of complete elation, smiling so hard he’s going to bust his cheeks.   The weather is getting warmer and drier and we settle into the high desert, we are stoked, a 30 mile day, we find a camp at Indian Ford campground, make a fire to warm everybody up and Joe and Mike take off, we settle in and I am totally savoring this dry air, after days in the driving rain, this desert stuff is welcome, we dried all our soaked gear and went to sleep, I didn’t sleep much, I am still itching bad, blasted poison oak.