Day 16-Unity Reservoir to Milepost 243 (33 Miles)
Waking up at 4:15 in Ontario, we started running at about 5:30 after a 1.5 hour drive (time change from Mountain to Pacific). We moved at a pretty quick clip with about 6 miles being sub 6's-we had a World Cup Final to watch (which Germany won 1-0), Our desire to get done quickly allowed us to beat any significant heat. We piled into the car and drove back to home base in Ontario.
Sleeping in the same bed as the two previous nights gave the illusion that no progress had been made. The drive back also allowed us to see our miscalculation in splitting the difference and that tomorrow was to be two miles longer than today-shoot!
Day 17-MP 243 to Vale (35 Miles)
Today was pushing some limits. Before the sun rose, it was 80 degrees. After a power nap in the car after a 4:15 wake-up again, we left out. One bonus was the cart had been fixed and I could once again use it as walker.
Our fast pace (3:02 for the marathon distance running) was offset by longer breaks. Drinking the same amount of water regularly through the day, piss breaks went from every five minutes to non-existent. Even in saunas, I don't think I'd ever sweat that much in my life. The tailwind blew beads of sweat onto the cart with every stride.
Sam was hoping to find a place in Willow Creek (about 11 miles from Vale) to rest 'til evening, but with no such luck we pushed on. Outside of the approach to Mitchell, this was the most dehydrated I'd been this trip. We found refuge under a shelter for a transformer (one similar to the one I designed for PGE!) and in the shade of several trees. We finally found our way into town and saw a five-story building for the first time in a week. After "cleaning" off in the Malheur River, we established camp in the city park and went grocery shopping. Idaho tomorrow and a baseball dugout to sleep in tonight. Keepin' it classy!
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