This year’s route took sixteen BCI members and BCI-affiliated persons through northeastern Oregon. We began in Madras, about forty miles north of Bend, and cycled a counterclockwise loop to the east. Our nightly camps were at Madras, Prineville, Paulina (pronounced “paul-Eye-nah”), John Day for two nights, Spray, and Antelope.

The route was challenging with nearly 20,000 feet of climbing and 70 miles of cycling per day over seven days. The nice thing about a loop route is the fact that with 20,000 feet of climb comes 20,000 feet of downhill. The geographic features ran the gamut from rolling farmland to serene valleys to picturesque gorges to tree-covered mountains.

The OBR experience can be summed up in one phrase… “Eat, ride, eat, ride, eat, ride, set up camp, relax, eat, sleep, take down camp, and repeat!” You notice that there is a lot of eating and riding in that sequence. OBR is what a bicycle tour is all about… eating and riding! All of your camping gear, toiletries, and clothing are transported from camp to camp for you. A hearty breakfast and awesome dinner are prepared for you each day. Two food stops along the route keep you more than adequately fueled. Sag wagons are there, if you need one. Mobile and stationary mechanic crews pamper your bicycle. Clean, I repeat CLEAN, portapotties and clean mobile shower facilities greet you at the end of each day’s ride. Ice-cold beverages await your arrival at camp.

It is really tough waking up every morning knowing that all you have to do is break down and set up your camp and eat and ride the rest of the day. The weather was nice enough the entire trip that I never used my rain fly on my tent. The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of OBR. I forgot to mention that we had nightly entertainment besides the astral display. Lindy, the keyboard-playing singer, was exceptional!

In Paulina the camp looked like something out of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Everybody was exiting their tents and looking skyward at about 9:30 p.m. as the full moon slowly crept up over the surrounding hills. Then Mars made an awesome appearance. There was hardly any artificial light to ruin the spectacle. It was one of those experiences we will not soon forget.

Lines. Don’t you hate waiting in lines? There was never a line at the portapotties. There was never a line at the showers. There was a line at the public telephone though. Most of the camp towns were so small that they only had one pay phone. Most of our mobile phones did not have a signal in the Oregon outback. So the only line I ever had to wait in was the pay phone line.

Traffic. Don’t you hate traffic? We rode a stretch of 395 for a couple of days and I was really getting upset when a moving vehicle passed us every half-mile. Heck, I was spoiled! During one stretch in the Strawberry Wilderness, Penny Poorman and I encountered at least three vehicles in a 30-mile stretch. I almost tossed my BeerView mirror in my jersey pocket due to non-use!

People. Don’t you love people? Especially BCI people. I couldn’t convince Steve Devore, Jim Luparello, Wayne Broadhag, Sonia Triana, Joe Raines, Jackie Ledbetter, Rick Anderson, Izzy (pronounced “Easy”) and Larissa (pronounced “la-Reese-ah) Leybovich, Dick Bird, Tommie Kozlov, Bill Kramer, or Jo Wilson (Phew! Did I get everybody’s name in???) to ride the layover day 75-mile, massive climb ride into the Strawberry Wilderness. Penny Poorman accompanied me on this assault and Chris Norton did it on her own. It was a tough ride that climbed to nearly 6,000 feet twice with a visit to the peaceful Logan Valley at 5,016 feet in elevation. I hereby declare Penny Poorman fit for next year’s Ride Around the Bear. Sign her up!

BCI was a force to be reckoned with on the second day of riding with most of us clad in BCI jerseys. It looked awesome seeing the “team” rolling down the road. The rest of the riders were impressed. Next year we’re going to run a BCI flag up a pole at each camp.

Mel Counts, ex-Laker, Celtic, Sun, 76er, and Jazz NBA star, was on the ride. He kept mostly