Day 3: Wallowa Lake to Elgin

Today’s Highlights:

Today’s ride had some of the best scenery of any ride I have done. My day started at 5:00, with breakfast at 5:30 in the dark with temperature in the mid 30s. People are actually quite cheerful doing this. I started the ride at 7:00. It was 40 degrees and very cloudy. It stayed cloudy all day and also remained very cold for cycling. I never warmed up until the nice hot shower in camp around 1pm.
Otherwise, it was a beautiful ride. We traversed the east side of Wallowa Lake and went through the quiet town of Joseph. Outside of town are farms with rolling hills of green and gold, with a backdrop of the Wallowa mountains. We passed through Enterprise and a couple other small towns which also had nice farms and ranches. One stretch of the ride followed along the Wallowa River through a canyon with step high walls.
The first 46 miles we’re mostly downhill, which was a relief after yesterday’s climbing. After having lunch near the Wallowa River, we climbed the one big hill of the day, a steady 6-mile climb. It wasn’t bad, and again had nice views of cliffs, mountains and farms. At 53 miles, we enjoyed another 8 miles of downhill into Elgin Oregon. An entire class of elementary students lined the sidewalk cheering and waving flags as each cyclist rode by. All the communities are very supportive of this event.

Pictures Of The Day:
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Statistics:
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Check out Cycle Oregon Classic Day 3 on Relive! https://www.relive.cc/view/1845989243