Baker City to Huntington —46 mi, 74 km
Today was an easy ride, Baker City to Huntington. It was a short distance, only 75 kilometers, and after some climbing, most of it was downhill. We were in the “town” of Huntington early. It is very small, has a few stores and few cafes. There is one small library, but it is closed because the lady who runs it had a death in the family. Now the library is closed until next week.
The main vegetation consists of sagebrushes, a shrub that is very drought resistant. For the Dutch people – it looks like “heide”, but a little bigger. From time to time you see some trees, when there is more moisture in the ground.
In the valleys there were some irrigated fields, mostly grassland with livestock. We saw a few nice farms, but also several places for sale. It seems that this part of Oregon is rather poor, according to American standards. The people in Huntington said that it used to have 5000 inhabitants and now there are only 500 left.
On the road we often see snakes in this area. I took a picture of a dead one, because when they are alive they vanish too quickly to take a picture.
We have been staying close to the I-84, an Interstate Highway. Today we had to bike on the highway for 17 kilometers, because the valley was so narrow there was no alternative road. Riding the bicycle on the shoulder of the highway is not fun. With cars and trucks passing so close, the ride becomes more stressful.
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