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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 18, 2015)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7 Sports / Local PUBLIC NOTICE WILDFIRE AWARENESS • SEPTEMBER 24th, 6:30 p.m. at the School House Hosted by the City of Sumpter Volunteer Fire Department. Guest agencies: • Baker County Emergency Management • Oregon Department of Forestry • United States Forest Service • Bureau of Land Management Learn the term "Defensible Space"; as it refers to area between a house and an oncoming wildfi re where the vegetation has been managed to reduce the wildfi re threat and allow fi refi ghters to safely defend the house. In the event that fi refi ghters are not available. Defensible space also improves the likelihood of a home surviving without assistance. Community awareness and involvement can help you, your neighbor and your city. It's your chance to ask questions and get answers. to Suzan & Bebe! Cycle Oregon comes to Baker County • ROUTES CHANGE DUE TO WILDFIRE BY BRIAN ADDISON Brian@TheBakerCountyPress.com More than 2,200 partici- pants landed in Baker City setting up camp on the northern grounds of Baker High School Saturday, September 12, preparing to depart on Cycle Oregon’s 28th edition through some of the most diverse and scenic sections of north- eastern Oregon. Cycle Or- egon 2015 Hell on Wheels Hells Canyon/Wallowas covers about an approxi- mate 400-mile loop over the course of seven days. “We have participants representing 48 states and nine countries this year,” said Portland resident Steve Schulz, Ride Direc- tor for Cycle Oregon. “Riders range in age from eight to 82.” Cycle Oregon 2015 riders departed from Baker City Sunday morning on the fi rst leg of the trip down Old Highway 30 to Farewell Bend State Park. After resting for the evening after the approxi- mate 60 mile warmup, with temperatures in the 90s, the pack peddled on to Cambridge, Idaho. Follow- ing the fi rst day heat came a cooling trend with light showers predicted for the remainder of the trek. From Cambridge, the route next originally would have wound to Halfway, Oregon followed by one of the most scenic portions of roadway in the United States, from Halfway over the Forest Service Road 39 to Joseph, Oregon. This portion of the route reaches into the Wallowa Mountains and, with about 16 miles at a six-percent grade, may test the fi tness of some of the riders. Instead, due to the 15,000-plus acre Dry Gulch Fire, riders were re- routed to bypass Wallowa Lake and instead head to Huntington and Farewell Bend on Wednesday, then return to Baker City Thursday. “I’ve been trained on all the hills in Florida,” joked fl at-land Florida resident Roger Johnson, who works as a fi nancial advisor back in the Gulf coast region. “This is my fi rst trip to Oregon. I love it. It is beautiful country.” Johnson was urged to join the Cycle Oregon adventure by his lifelong friend Craig Pieringer who resides in Lake Oswego and works as a money manager for Wells Fargo. “I’ve known Craig since I was three years old, and it was his great idea to do this,” Johnson said as he embraced his friend for a photo. Pieringer and Johnson enjoyed the Cycle Oregon opening ceremony and joined several hundred oth- Brian Addison / The Baker County Press Friends (from left) Tim Colahan, Harney County District Attorney and Marcie Colahan meet with Oregon State Representative Cliff Bentz (R-Ontario) and Lindsay Bentz on Saturday evening, September 12, to begin Cycle Oregon 2015 preparations. er participants in the beer garden as the Rock Creek Jazz Band played contem- porary jazz favorites “One of the best parts of Cycle Oregon is the chance to make new friends,” said Pieringer. “Look around, the average age of the people here is probably 60. The event always takes place the weekend after Labor Day and all the kids have gone back to school.” Oregon state Representa- tive Cliff Bentz (R-Ontar- io) and his wife Lindsay were preparing for the ride Saturday evening and met up with friends Harney County District Attorney Tim Colahan and wife Marcie. “Lindsay talked us into doing this,” said Bentz. “This is our third time rid- ing in Cycle Oregon.” Ever the politician, Bentz said Cycle Oregon 2015 would be an opportunity to communicate with major- ity leader of the Oregon House of Representa- tives Val Hoyle who also participated in this years’ ride. Hoyle is running for Oregon Secretary of State. She is an avid bicyclist and owned a bike shop for 20 years, according to Bentz. “Val is a Democrat and a good friend,” said Bentz. “It’s a good chance to talk about the issues like the fi re—and we’ll travel through some of those fi re areas on the ride.” “We’ll be going very slowly over that hill,” Bentz said of the trip from Halfway to Joseph. First-time participant David Crosby, a self-em- ployed engineer from Ca- mano Island, Washington, also had some trepidation about the level of fi tness required for the journey. “Not nearly as much as I should have,” he answered when asked about training preparation. “It’s going to be mostly muscle-memory for me. Sometimes life gets in the way of proper preparation.” Upon reaching Joseph, Oregon, participants have the opportunity to recharge with an overnight stay at Wallowa Lake State Park. “The reason I came back was the ride from Hells Canyon up the mountain to Wallowa County,” said Peter Bonafede, originally from South Africa and now a rheumatologist living in Beaverton, Oregon. “I’m on my own this year but I’m going to make a bunch of new friends. I partici- pate because of the beauty of Cycle Oregon, the won- derful atmosphere, and the chance to bond with folks.” This year marks the third time Cycle Oregon has begun in Baker City. The event departed from Baker City in 2008 and in 2003. This years’ ride would have replicated the 2003 route. “We’re so happy to be back in Baker County,” said Ride Director Shulz. We just love the people.” The fi nal day of Cycle Oregon 2015, Day Seven, routes from Union, Oregon through the back roads of Baker County in the shadow of the Elkhorn Mountains back to Baker City. On Friday, the group was headed on to La Grande then will return to Baker City Saturday evening for the end of the race. BMS Volleyball Why advertise with us? David Conn • Low rates per column inch & promotional deals Baker City, Haines • Color at no additional charge as space permits david@thebakercountypress.com or call 541.523.5524 Wendee Morrissey wendee@thebakercountypress. com or call 541.805.1688. Sumpter, Bates, Richland, Halfway, Medical Springs, Keating Family owned and operated. Packed with local news! • Friendly, professional sales staff • All display ads are also posted to our Facebook page, which means thousands of individuals see your ad from that source alone. We’re the only local paper that offers this service! Wendee Morrissey / The Baker County Press Top: Baker Middle School Volleyball played in La Grande last night. 8th grade results: First set 25-21 La Grande, Second set 25-19 Baker, third set 17-15 La Grade. La Grande won 2/3 sets. Bottom: 7th grade girls won in 2 sets over La Grande. 25-16 Baker and 25-18 Baker.
