Riding into Bend with the Eye of the Tiger
By Day Three, the Backroads crew had logged some serious miles. Let’s just say there were sore legs, stiff backs, and in my case—no delicate way to put this—a sore ass. We gathered at Tumalo State Park to start the day’s ride along the Oregon Scenic Bikeway.
The average age of our group hovered around 60, and you could see a little dragging in the crowd. Enter Livie, our leader and resident motivational speaker. She queued up “Eye of the Tiger,” acted out the ride profile with props, and crowd participation, with me playing one of the Three Sisters Mountains. By the time we mounted up, I didn’t scream when my backside hit the seat—thank you, Survivor.
The ride was gorgeous: mountain views, farms rolling out on either side, horses clopping along the road, cows and ponies dotting the fields, and the kind of houses that make you think, “Yep, someone cashed out big in tech.”
Then came the twist. Our Wahoos (the navigation devices) barked at us to turn onto Two Bridge Road. Unfortunately, a large man stood guard at the intersection and announced it was closed until 5 p.m. Not exactly an option. Luckily, Chad—my husband, navigator, and human with a fully charged iPhone—rerouted us straight to Tumalo’s food truck park. Beer in hand, sunshine on my face, I decided roadblocks weren’t always a bad thing.
From there it was an easy 12 miles into Bend, where we checked into The Oxford Hotel—right downtown, perfect for shopping. I squeezed in a pilgrimage to Title Nine (rare on the East Coast) and a shoe shop that happily shipped my new green boots home. Dinner that night was small plates at Bar RBC with new friends, great service, and… zero pictures. Food blogger fail.
The next morning ready for Day Four, we shuttled out to Elk Lake near Bachelor Mountain. The day’s ride back into Bend was about 35 miles, with the first half all uphill. Sabrina did a great route wrap but now I just believe they need theme songs. (Tomorrow I’m going to suggest Send Me on My Way by Rusted Root.)
Chad and I pulled out early, passing half our group still grinding on their regular bikes. I don’t consider my e-assist “cheating,” but every time I call out “on your left,” I feel like I owe those riders a medal. Or at least a sticker that says: Bad Ass.
By now, the Cascade views were still spectacular but no longer stop-the-bike-every-mile spectacular. The real highlight came at the top—when gravity took over. I tucked into a ball and flew downhill, my speedometer flashing 30 mph… then 40. That’s when my survival instinct politely suggested I ease up before testing Bend’s ER facilities.
Back in town, our group refueled at Crux Fermentation Project with tacos from the food truck lineup. (The winner: gooey cheese and peppers taco—simple, perfect.) Later, while the group headed for a brewery tour at Deschutes, we opted out. Beer-making science was not a subject that I needed more information on. Instead, we Ubered to the local theater and saw Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. Absurd, ridiculous, absolutely perfect. Tomorrow when I get on my bike I hope it goes to 11 and Big Bottom is going to be my theme song.