Day 17 - Susanville, CA to Baker City, OR

When I opened the door this morning I didn't really expect rain. This was the first rain I've run into since leaving Alaska. But that's why I brought rain gear. So far, the Tourmaster one piece rain suit is the only item that I'm not very satisfied with. It does a great job keeping me dry but is a pain to put on or take off. The zippers on the pant legs are too short so I have to remove my boots first. If its raining, that's a real pain. It only actually rained for a hundred miles or so and it was pretty spotty.

This was at a rest stop when I stopped to remove the rain gear. As you can see, it is wide open and not much traffic at all.

I did see over a dozen of rattlesnakes on the road in both California and Oregon. Many were smashed but some were still working their way across the road. For those that like to pull over and run around without boots, you may want to rethink that strategy. This was a sign at the same rest area but there were signs at the other stops I made along the way. Not much of an incentive to pull over and stop at any random pullout.

Another shot from along the road. This was a "rain gear on" stop. This is a pretty boring section of highway. There are some beautiful dry lakes (they currently have water in them) along the road but no handy turnouts to take pictures. When there is a turnout, I didn't like the view. You'll just have to ride the road and see them for yourself.

My itinerary indicated a stop in Burns, OR, but since it was still mid-afternoon, I continued up to John Day. No cheap motel so I continued on. I arrived in Baker City, OR, the starting location for the blogger meet up grandly referred to as IMBC2012, one day early. I was hot and tired and looked for a cheap hotel. There were two others here early as well, Bobskoot and VstarLady. We met at a local pizza place for dinner and the Greek salad I had was excellent. No pictures from me as Bobskoot was taking pictures like there was no tomorrow. Plus, I was hungry.

447 miles (719 km) today and 4343 miles (6989 km) so far on this trip.

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