Day 6: Prairie City, OR to Baker City, OR

Jacob Usher

We treated ourselves this morning by sleeping in until 7. I think I’m still on EST deep down because I seem to wake up at 5:30 no matter what. 

The day started off cold and damp, but luckily all the rain came and went while we were asleep. Once on the road again, we began our first and longest climb of the day. The arid shrubs and grasses gradually turned into green trees and colder air. We passed an old covered wagon and I couldn’t help but think about how the Oregon Trail makes our trip look easy by comparison.

Covered wagon near Prairie City, OR

After crossing the first pass, we arrived at a cute cafe called Austin House. We chatted with the owners while trying to warm up by the fire. Eventually we came to the conclusion that the second climb was probably the only way to get warm.

Brian, 1 mile above sea level after 5.5 days of biking and a few extra steps uphill

Blue skies started to peak out a little as we went up and over the second climb and the day got a little warmer. We stopped for lunch in a nice grassy patch before completing the final climb of the day.

Michael fuels up during a lunch break on Sumpter Pass

We passed Phillips Lake and followed the Powder River down into a canyon almost all the way to Baker City. I think this was my favorite section of riding so far. We made it to Baker City in no time with a tailwind and plenty of motivation.

Usher rides through Baker City, OR as the sun sets over the Elkhorn Mountains

Day 5: Mitchell, OR to Prairie City, OR

Brian Richardson

One of my favorite parts of a trip like this is being able to watch the land change at the speed of a bicycle. Earlier this week, we were in the foothills of the Cascades, riding through Cedars, Hemlocks, and Douglas Firs, and getting rained on every day. As we climbed up Santiam Pass, the rain turned to snow, the rocks and soil turned igneous, and the trees thinned to a sparse few gnarly sub-alpine firs. Then in the span of minutes, we descended East into a new biome with Ponderosa Pines, Bitterbrush shrubs, and about a twentieth the annual rainfall of the Western Cascades. Between Terrebonne and Prairie City, we alternated between grasslands and desert scrub, sometimes with miles between trees.

Wet roads and thick foliage, two days ago in the Western Cascades

Dry roads today, in the high desert East of the Cascades

Our ride today began with a 1500 foot climb up Keyes Pass and then descended along Mountain Creek, which has carved out a winding canyon through the desert. This section of HW 26 is called the “Journey Through Time Oregon Scenic Byway.” Here the road passes through the John Day fossil beds, where a layer of exposed basalt rock offers up millions-year old fossils of plants and animals.

Usher and Friend finish the descent from Keyes Pass

Where Mountain Creek runs into the John Day River, we took a 2-mile detour to see Sheep Rock and the Fossil Beds National Monument museum.

Friend (left) and Sheep Rock (right)

Two-horned rhino skull and other fossils at the John Day National Monument

A few more miles got us to Dayville, where Doug’s cousin (remember Doug, who we met in Vida on day 2) owns the Mercantile. Doug had said that his cousin would give us some free food here.

The Dayville Mercantile, Dayville, OR

Doug’s cousin Scott was in fact there, and he more than delivered on Doug’s promise. Scott hooked us up with homemade peanut brittle and a “King Slab” of beef jerky (approx. 3 square feet), then drove us up a dirt road in his 4x4 to see a fossilized dinosaur tail. This kind of unexpected and delightful kindness from strangers is another one of my favorite parts of bike travel.

King Slab (left) and Friend (right)

Fossilized dinosaur tail, somewhere outside of Dayville, OR (the exact location is apparently a local secret)

From Dayville, we had another 45 miles, trending uphill, to Prairie city. A steady tailwind, a big lunch and a quick nap in Mt. Vernon got us to town in time for dinner. Tonight we’re camping at a quaint RV park on the edge of town. Tomorrow we have three passes between us and Baker City, where we hope to take our first break day.

Friend takes a post-lunch nap in the Mt Vernon town park

Day 4: Terrebonne, OR to Mitchell, OR

Jacob Friend

Yesterday was quite the adventure. After conquering the Santiam Pass, our crew was pretty confident we could tackle any challenge ahead of us. Waking up this morning my body couldn’t have disagreed more. My legs felt like cinderblocks as I slowly limped around the campsite trying to prepare for another day of climbing. Nevertheless, we got on our bikes around 8am and headed for our first stop at Prineville.

Smith Rock campsite outside Terrebonne, OR

The route to Prineville was very enjoyable, featuring long flat sections, friendly elk, and great music. Since we were headed to Prineville we thought it was necessary to listen to John Prine music. In case you were wondering, my favorite John Prine song is Illegal Smile and Brian’s favorite is Lake Marie. After arriving to town for some groceries and guzzling down some energy gels, we were off to Ochoco Pass.

Friend and Usher start up Ochoco Pass

It was refreshing to have our first day free from rain with a bright sun and puffy white clouds. We made good time as we cruised along beautiful ranches, rolling hills, and quiet roads. Lunch was quickly devoured on the side of the road right before our final ascent to Ochoco Pass. The 50 miles of pedaling we invested into the day quickly paid off as we reached the summit and descended more than 2000’ through the next 7 miles. Flying down the pass was breathtaking. With no car traffic to worry about, I could appreciate the high desert mountains and rocky cliffs surrounding me on the descent.

The crew descends Ochoco Pass into the high desert

Today concluded at Mitchell, Oregon, a quaint and welcoming town which is a popular stop for adventure cyclists. Immediately upon entering town we came across the Spoke’n Hostel. We were planning on camping at a nearby park, but all of that went out of the window as soon as we saw how perfect this biker-friendly spot fit our needs. Here we were able to fix up our bikes, cook in a kitchen, enjoy a warm shower, and share stories with our host and 2 Swiss cyclists. This is the first time I’ve ever stayed in a hostel and I have a feeling it’s going to be a hard one to beat.

Spoke’n Hostel in Mitchell, OR

Oregon has been great to us and we’re looking forward to exploring the rest of the state in the coming days. Please pray for our legs as we continue to obliterate them ❤️

Day 3: McKenzie Bridge, OR to Terrebonne, OR

Michael Richardson

Hello everyone! I’m Michael, the resident bike mechanic and food vacuum along for this big adventure. I’ve been a fan of bikes for as long as I can remember and it’s been such a relief to get back in the saddle after a hiatus during college.

Our day began in a comfy clubhouse at Hoodoo’s RV park where we ate a big breakfast in preparation for an even bigger ride ahead. Our goal was to make it up and over Santiam pass before cruising all the way to Terrebonne- 85 miles in total. This will set us up to reach the next few towns and campgrounds as they become increasingly spread out.

Hoodoo’s RV park in McKenzie Bridge, OR

We spent about 10 miles warming up the legs before reaching our first serious climb of the trip. A couple more downshifts and I could already feel my quads starting to burn and resist my efforts. Little did I know, this mini battle would continue for the next 4.5 hours. While previously an inconvenience, the rain helped break up the monotony of the climb, showing up about every 30 minutes- jacket on, jacket off, jacket on, jacket off…

The crew heads up Santium Pass (jackets on)

We ended up in pairs for most of the morning based on our eating and pedaling habits but planned to regroup at the top before our big descent. After finally cresting the nearly 5000’ mountain, I quickly realized a flaw in our plan. The peak was practically in a cloud, windy, raining, and there was no shelter in which to hide- whoops. I put on every piece of clothing I had available, Brian boiled up some tea, but eventually we just crawled into the bushes and toughed it out until the others arrived. By that point, the rain was picking up and we all just wanted to get to lower elevation and out of the wind.

Michael hunkers down on the top of Santium Pass

Luckily for us, we had 7 miles of uninterrupted downhill just over the horizon. On any other day, I would have gone slow and taken in the view after spending the whole morning working for it, but today I raced down that mountain like my life depended on it. We quickly started to dry off and with the help of a tailwind, made good time into the town of Sisters. Hot pizza brought us back to life and we remembered to stop at the bike shop for spare parts before heading back out.

Michael digs into some Martolli’s pizza in Sisters, OR

Now for my favorite part of the day. We took full advantage of a direct tailwind, sunlight, alpaca farms, and marvelous views as we spun our legs all the way to Terrebonne. This was the first time since the start of the trip where I genuinely felt giddy and I think the others also shared this moment of euphoria. We picked up dinner at the grocery store and pedaled a few more miles to Smith Rock State Park where we’ll be spending the night. This happens to be one of the best climbing spots in the country and it’s my second time passing through without any of my climbing gear! Next time.

Michael rides toward Smith Rock, just outside Terrebonne, OR

Tomorrow we have a slightly less grueling ride toward Mitchell and I’m excited that the routine is starting to solidify!

Day 2: Eugene, OR to McKenzie Bridge, OR

Jacob Usher

Hi guys, I’m Jacob Usher (or just Usher). The first 2 days of (and week leading up to) this trip have been super exciting but also pretty tough. Tomorrow is going to be a pretty big day but I’m looking forwards to it.

We started this morning at 6:30 after a good night of sleep in Eugene thanks to our Warm Showers host. The day started on bike paths taking us through the Oregon University campus. We had breakfast at a nice covered shelter with picnic tables.

Breakfast at Armitage Park

The rain started not too long after that. We briefly got onto I26 in the pouring rain, but luckily had a wide shoulder. We found our way onto smaller roads and got just ahead of the rain, but it started to sprinkle again at every small stop we took.

Michael, Friend, and Usher try to escape the rain clouds along McKenzie River

We got to Vida around noon and stopped at a gas station right in time, as it started to pour again. I got chicken tenders and fries which was a huge moral boost.

Usher enjoys some chicken tenders and a break from the cold rain

After lunch it got sunny and we met Doug, a local Vida resident. Doug told us about his cousin, who owns the only establishment in Dayville, a tiny town three days ride down the road. He told us to stop by his cousin’s restaurant for free food and drinks.

After lunch, the sun came out and the landscape became beautiful as we followed McKenzie River farther into the mountains. We arrived at Blue Sky Market after a few hours of steady, but low grade, climbing. We bought our dinner supplies and waited out another rain storm there before heading to camp. It got sunny once again and we were able to dry out before dinner.

McKenzie River near Rainbow, OR

Our campsite in McKenzie Bridge, OR

Day 1: Florence, OR to Eugene, OR

Brian Richardson

We’re on the road! This morning, we dipped our tires in the Pacific Ocean at North Jetty Beach. This is tradition for a cross-country bike trip, with the goal being to dip our tires in the Atlantic in a few months.

It’s taken a lot of planning and effort to get this trip off the ground, and reaching the beach for the start felt like a fitting final challenge. The North Jetty Beach parking lot was just a few easy miles from our campsite, but between the parking lot and the beach was a quarter-mile slog over sand dunes and boulder fields. Per-foot, this is probably the hardest terrain we’ll encounter all summer.

Brian and Usher haul their bikes through the sand and towards the Pacific Ocean

With the help of Varun, we took a quick picture at the water, trudged back, and hosed all the sand off of our drive trains.

North Jetty Beach, the official start of our route

After all of the logistics needed to transport ourselves and bikes to Florence, it was a relief to finally start riding. From Florence, we followed some beautiful roads East along the Siuslaw River. Unlike the North Carolina geography I’m used to, the terrain near the Oregon coast quickly turns hilly, and the trees tall and lush. Within 10 miles of the ocean, we were on roads that reminded me of the mountains of western NC. By lunch time we were already 1000 feet above sea level.

Throughout the morning the clouds had been threatening rain, and eventually they delivered. We had a few hours of riding in a cold 50 degree drizzle, and were thankful to see the sun creep out before we arrived at our destination of Eugene.

Michael and Usher take a quick break in the sun

We had hoped to make it to a Eugene bike shop for some repairs on Usher’s bike before it closed at 5pm. Thanks to a stellar bike path through the city, we made good time on the last 10 miles and reached the aptly named “Arrived by Bicycle” bike store 1 minute before they closed. Their mechanic was kind enough to stay a few minutes late to help Usher. Another employee added our names and photo to log book they keep of cross-country cyclists who visit the store.

“Arrived by Bicycle” bike shop in Eugene, OR

Tonight, we’re sleeping on the living room floor of a generous Warm Showers host here in Eugene. After a rainy night camping followed by a lot of biking in the rain, it’s great to be able to shower, do some laundry, have a delicious dinner (featuring homemade sauerkraut), and sleep inside.

Day 0: Carrboro, NC to Florence, OR

Jacob Friend

YAYYY!!!! DAY 0!!!! After months of preparation and excitement, today is finally the day we get to set out on our adventure. Before I dive into the details about our long travel day, I want to give a bit more information about why I decided to embark on this journey.

My first exposure to camping trips was at Camp Don Lee. Since about second grade (2011), every summer I went to this overnight sailing camp on the Neuse River where I met lifelong friends and engaged in lots of tomfoolery. Summers spent at camp are a large part of what has sparked my interest to explore the outdoors.

Friend, age 9(?), sailing at Camp Don Lee.

Since sailing was a fun outlet for me, going into college I thought it would be a great idea to try out for the NC State sailing team. That’s where I met Jacob Usher. We instantly became best friends and ended up being roommates from sophomore to senior year of college. Usher and I both studied computer science and we ended up sharing a few classes with Michael where we all became close friends very quickly. Sophomore year (2023) Michael and Usher took me on my very first backpacking trip at Smokey Mountain National Park and we’ve been going on trips together ever since.

Friend, Michael, Usher, and friend backpacking in the Smokies.

When Michael brought up the idea of joining Brian on the Bike Tour as a fun graduation trip, I was a little skeptical. I hadn’t owned a bike since middle school and I’ve never been on a camping trip longer than 3 nights. Fast forward to Day 0 and I still barely know how to take the wheels off my bike, but we’re here and I couldn’t be more stoked.

Enough about me… Day 0!!! We all spent the night in Chapel Hill and got to RDU airport at 4:40am. Since we shipped our bikes and most of our gear in bike boxes last Saturday (Day -7), there wasn’t much we had to carry with us other than one pannier each and our helmets. Our first flight departed at 6am to our layover in Minneapolis, Minnesota. From there, we landed at Portland, Oregon around 11:30am PDT.

Brian doing some last minute route planning in the Minneapolis airport

Michael has a friend that lives in Portland named Varun who was kind enough to pick us up from the airport, drive us to Florence, and camp with us for the first night! I’ve only known Varun for a day and I already love the guy. Huge shoutout to him for helping Day 0 run super smoothly!

We shipped our bikes to Florence Motorsports and that’s where we retrieved them around 4:00pm. Our bike boxes were banged up a little more than we hoped for, but all of the damages we discovered have been fairly minor so far. After assembling our bikes for over an hour, it really started to hit us that we are biking across the country. We’ve all been smiling pretty big today 😄

Once our ducks were in a row, we biked to the nearest grocery store, then to a nearby campsite to end a nearly 22 hour day of traveling. It’s only Day 0 and the level of support we’ve received from our friends and family is unreal. Thank you to everyone who has sent us words of encouragement and helped us get here! Can’t wait to get on the saddle tomorrow!!

Day -9: Carrboro, NC

Brian Richardson

Hi there! If you’re reading this, then I’ve managed to upload our first blog post for Bike Loud! 2025. Once the ride starts (on May 11th), we will update the blog daily with rotating posts from the four riders.

I was first introduced to the concept of bike touring when I was in Boy Scouts — every few summers, our troop would send a group of bikers across the US. In 2013, I got to meet that year’s cyclists along their route, which sparked an interest in me to attempt the trip one day.

Me (age 13) meeting the “Lucky 13” cross-country bikers from Boy Scout Troop 845.

In 2015, having reached the required minimum height, I joined 6 other kids from our troop to ride from Oregon to North Carolina. This was the first iteration of “Bike Loud!” — a bike trip fundraiser for the Be Loud! Sophie Foundation, which supports adolescent and young adult cancer patients and their families. In 2019, I set out again with two friends for round two of Bike Loud!, this time from Washington to Maine.

Me (age 15) arriving to Wrightsville Beach, NC after 3,900 miles of biking.

Me (age 19), along with fellow bikers Evan and Wes Malinchock, finishing the Bike Loud! 2019 ride in Bar Harbor, ME.

Six years later, I got the itch to spend another summer on the bike. I’ll be joining my younger brother Michael and two friends Jacob and Jacob (going by last names Friend and Usher), who are all graduating from NC State this weekend. Between final exams, we’ve been making final preparations for the trip.

Me (age 24) packing up my bike for Bike Loud! 2025.

We’ll spend ten weeks biking from Florence, Oregon to Bar Harbor, Maine—averaging around 450 miles per week and camping in town parks and campgrounds along the way. Our route weaves together four different Adventure Cycling Association routes: the Transamerica Trail; Parks, Peaks, and Prairies; the North Lakes Route; and the Northern Tier.

The route for Bike Loud! 2025. Some highlights include the Oregon Cascades, the Rockies of Idaho and Montana, Yellowstone, the Badlands and the Black Hills of South Dakota, the lakes of Minnesota and Wisconsin, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Niagara Falls, the Green and White Mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire, and Acadia National Park.

That’s all for now— we look forward to sharing more posts once the ride starts!