Today was a long day, with Roger riding 115 miles. The first 13 miles, to Prairie City, were so beautiful. A large, snow-capped mountain range was the backdrop to long stretches of lush, grassy land with cattle grazing.
After we met at a checkpoint in Prairie City and Roger headed on his way, I stopped at the local grocery store to get provisions. There was a coffee bar next door that was also a gift shop with some interesting items in the window, so I popped inside. I passed a loom and some colorful displays of yarns on my way back to the coffee bar.
Behind the counter at Roan Coffee was Kathy, an Arkansas native who moved to nearby John Day, Oregon fifteen years ago with her husband, a contractor. When I asked about her life in Arkansas, she commented on the change in weather patterns over the years. In Arkansas, March used to be considered tornado month. Now, the weather can get bad any time of the year and tornadoes can occur in other months. Kathy has been through three tornadoes and is glad she’s living in a state where they are not a threat.
Prairie City has a population of 900, with 147 kids in the town’s one school that includes grades K-12. As Kathy made my latte, I noticed a box on the counter containing a few dollars with the words, “For school library books.” As I paid for my coffee, I told Kathy, “Here’s a $5 bill for my coffee and a $5 donation for books, because books are important!” She thanked me and proudly told me that her kids love to read. I let her know that I was impressed by that, and I bemoaned the current culture among youth who spend their free time on their electronic devices instead of reading books.
I asked about the basis for the town’s economy, and like many towns in this part of Oregon, the economy is based on ranching. The owner of the coffee shop, a friend of Kathy’s, is a rancher with her husband.
I’ve heard from several people along this journey that many cyclists pass through these towns on cross-country bicycle rides. It is after all, the main east-west highway across Oregon that is not an Interstate, and it is designated as an Oregon Scenic Highway. What I didn’t expect was Kathy’s news that, last year, thousands of people converged upon the town all at once, because it was at the center of the total solar eclipse viewing area. Many people who came for the eclipse have returned to vacation in the area because they loved it so much.
Rebecca, who works at the grocery store next door, stopped by to get a beverage. She heard what Kathy had told me and mentioned that the preparations for the eclipse-viewing crowds were two years in the making. Many ranchers rented out their property to visitors. I later read that the preparations by Prairie City and other nearby towns in the eclipse-viewing area relating to traffic, store provisions, and land for tents and RVs all paid off, as there were no major problems.
I asked Rebecca about the political leanings of the town, wondering if it primarily leaned toward liberal or conservative. She said that the residents are mostly Republican, but the teachers are primarily Democrats. She also said that people don’t necessarily vote along party lines if someone from the other party has a really good idea. Then she said some things that brightened my day. She said, “You never meet a stranger, because we are all in this together. We all need to get along. Even if people in town disagree, we work together on solutions.“ The last thought she left me with before heading out the door was this: “The town’s most important focus is the kids. They are our future.”
Yes, they are.