Today, we had a very fast ride out of Crater Lake, as we got to enjoy a 10-mile descent and take in the views of Klamath Lake on flat roads. We enjoyed a great meal at The Orchid Cafe, where we indulged in some amazing Thai food and coffee! We also got to do a portrait with Mike Angeli at The Ledge, an amazing human who has helped Illini 4000 in the past. The day ended with a dinner donation and some delicious huckleberry ice cream for dessert!
Quote of the Day
Mike (from The Ledge): “Anyone here from outside of the States?”
Sofia: “Yeah, I’m from Ohio!”
RIDE OVERVIEW
Mileage: 54.6 mi
Elevation: 863 ft
Points of Interest: Crater Lake Resort, Klamath Lake, The Orchid Cafe, The Ledge
Ride Dedication: Katie
Tales of the Trail
The day started at Mazama Campground as we took down our tents, ate cereal, and prepared for the day. The ride started with a very quick descent out of Crater Lake National Park, which was our reward for the long climb the day previous. It was really great to coast for 10 miles and take it easy first thing in the morning. After our descent, it felt like we were back in the country, as the rest of the ride was flat. The first rest stop was at Crater Lake Resort, where we relaxed, got more breakfast, and enjoyed some coffee before getting back on the road. The flat roads were nice, and we had some great views of Klamath Lake right next to us, although we had to be pretty focused on the road due to heavier traffic. Our second rest stop was on the side of the road, where we quickly grabbed some snacks before finishing the ride. Micah also found a good number of license plates, which is kind of a normal occurrence.
We finished our ride quickly as we rode into Klamath Falls, where we stopped at The Orchid Cafe, an amazing Thai restaurant, where the team got some good eats and amazing Thai coffee. At the restaurant, the first promposal took place, as Nicole asked Jessice by running a route on Strava that spelled P-R-O-M (she ran the route in Crater Lake and it looked more like a P-Y-O)! After eating, we walked over to The Ledge to do a portrait with Mike Angeli, who also let us use his store as storage space for our bikes while we were eating. It turns out that Mike had hosted numerous I4K teams at his old rock gym, and us running into him was pure coincidence. We had an amazing, genuine, and philosophical conversation with Mike, and he made a lasting impression on the team with his stories! After we left The Ledge, it was a quick ride to our stayover, where we got some packages and were given dinner for the night. For dessert, the stayover hosts brought out a large bucket of huckleberry ice cream, which the team really enjoyed! We ended the night with an amazing view of a sunset atop the hill our stayover was situated on, with views of Mount Shasta in the distance (our destination for tomorrow)!
Thank you, United Evangelical Free Church, for giving us a place to sleep for the night and donating an amazing dinner! Another big thank you to Mike Angeli for showing us compassion and letting us store our bikes at The Ledge while we were eating!
Cyclist’s Corner
Today’s Rider: Yuncong Geng
How are you feeling today?
I’m feeling eight out of ten. Today we had no climb, and I think I really enjoyed the descent and the view. I feel like I was in heaven when I biked down Crater Lake.
Which chore have you been doing for the team in the past week? Can you share your process doing this chore?
I'm with Harbin and Hanxi, and we're doing breakfast and cooler, and we just need to boil the water in the morning and portion the oatmeal or grits and put things into the cooler, and at the end of the day, we just need to bring things out of the cooler and put them in the fridge. That's pretty easy.
What’s the best food you’ve eaten on the ride so far?
I still remember the meal at the church at State College. I feel like they have a very good potato salad and the meat is also very well seasoned. My favorite snack is Power Crunch Mint Chocolate. So usually I buy, like, a whole box, and I will put some of them in your (Nicole) bag secretly, but now I won't do that, because I know you don't like it.
Do you have a favorite accessory to wear with your ride uniform?
Yes, my lucky socks and my lucky penny. So my lucky socks are a pair of socks featured with Colorado and it's my lucky socks because I completed my first 90 miles and first century with them. The lucky penny was when I was very frustrated one day and Andres gave me it saying that it will bring me luck. So I put it in my wallet, and I carry my wallet while biking.
Any favorite team memories so far?
I like the Independence Day. I feel like that day was surreal because we watched Interstellar together and everyone was kind of soaked in a same, like mood. I feel like we're all soaked in a similar liquid. We feel the same thing, and we kind of breathe together. After that, we had the fireworks, and everyone was so happy, and they played my favorite music. After that we had the phenomenal pie eating competition, and, our team didn't do well, but, I feel like everyone was crazy.
Anything else you want to talk about?
I want to shout out to our journal chores (Nicole and Dev). They've been working very hard. I know they're kind of behind. They spend their rest days working on the journals and yeah, they work very hard every day. So yeah, thank you.
*Thank you Yuncong! - Nicole and Dev!