Leaving Oregon

Columbia River Gorge

A large section of the country had been dealing with a heat wave while the PNW was having a cold snap  as we prepared to head south. Now we are in Utah preparing for a cold front from the North.

Taking one last bike ride through Willamette Mission before packing up, a Barred Owl swooped over my head landing in a tree near us. We were surprised how long he stayed in the tree watching us watch him before flying off.

Oregon State Parks were originally roadside parks for picnicking and not camping. Viento State Park nestled between the highway and railroad tracks in the Columbia River Gorge was our first stop. 

There are so many hiking opportunities in the Gorge. We had previously stopped for a hike on Labor Day weekend but made a hard pass when we saw all of the people lining up. This time, we chose the 1.3 mile climb up along Multnomah Falls then along the Lark Mountain Trail for some amazing views and very few people.

Mosier Twin Tunnel Trail

The old Columbia River Highway was closed to traffic when it was found unsafe for cars and was opened to hikers and bikers! The winding route of this historic highway hearkens back to a time when roads were designed for Sunday drives along the scenic Columbia River Gorge. Set high above Interstate 84, the old highway offers views in every direction.

We rode the Mosier Twin Tunnel Trail past vineyards and orchards to Rowena for 24 miles. My wrists were so sore from breaking on the downhill after 6 miles of climbing. I don't like to ride faster than 24 mph downhill. You never know where the next pothole might be. 

A bikeway from the Dalles to Troutdale is to be completed by 2020. Much of the Troutdale bike path section has already been completed.

Mosier Tunnels

Rowena Crest

It is a slow and winding road from Rowena to the Crest but slow and steady got the job done.

Baker City, Oregon

We had driven by Baker City several times in the past but never stopped. It was a short 70 mile drive from Emigrant Springs State Park, another noisy campground on the highway and I wanted to visit the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.

The National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center offers living history demonstrations, interpretive programs, exhibits, multi-media presentations, special events, and interpretive trails. 

As the morning warmed up, we hiked the 4.2 miles of trails to the actual ruts carved by the pioneer wagons. Then we sampled the Dutch Oven stews that were being judged in the cookoff.

Using life-size displays and a film theater presentations, this Center tells the story of Oregon Trail pioneers, explorers, miners and settlers of the frontier west. The 500 acre site includes remnants of the historic Flagstaff Gold Mine.

Blacksmith with his coals and anvil demonstrating for us.

We made it to the ruts.

The Great Salt Lick Contest started when Whit Deschner realized the used salt blocks around his friend’s cabin bore a resemblance to abstract sculptures he’d seen sold for exorbitant amounts of money. He devised a plan to display, judge, and auction off the blocks to benefit Parkinson’s research.

People leave the 50-pound blocks of salt outside, and the artists—horses, cows, deer, and goats—use their tongues to carve them into beautiful works of art. The best works are rewarded with cash prizes, ranging from about $50 to $150. Blocks at the auction can go for even higher sums; the current record is $1800.

The Great Salt Lick Contest and Art Auction has been going strong since 2006. It’s been so successful, the city opted for a public monument to honor the event.

Deschner carved the four-foot sculpture out of styrofoam with a piece of wire attached to a battery charger. It’s a replica of a people’s choice winner from a past auction.

We had ridden the northern section of the La Grande Scenic Bikeway's 134 miles last summer. By staying in Baker City, we could ride some of the southern portion which covers some of the route traveled by pioneers on the Oregon Trail while taking in the mountain views of the Elkhorn Range, the Blue Mountains and the Eagle Caps of the Wallowa Mountains. 

After our ride, we stopped at the Sweet Wife Bakery for some quiche before riding back to the campground.

 Mike got his coffee and returned to our table in Sweet Wife Baking. I had already dug in (it's hard to be patient and polite after a bike ride when he is doddering around) and told him that he had to try my quiche. It was sooo good! He was quick to point out that I was eating his ham and gruyere quiche and the other was my roasted garlic and veggie selection. Oops.

We are bracing ourselves for a blast of cold air from the north as we head into Capitol Reef. 

Sisters, Oregon

Heading to the high desert

 

The landscape changes dramatically as we traveled towards the Cascades from the green agricultural Willamette Valley to the high dry plains with pines and sagebrush. The air is much drier making our Canasta cards no longer stick together.

Staying at Sisters Creekside County Campground on the edge of Sisters was a great location close enough for us to walk around the town, drive to some nice hiking on the McKenzie River Trail and Smith Rock or just visit Bend. Driving into Bend wasn't as pleasant as the rest but we managed to accomplish our required tasks.

Detroit Lake

Mt Jefferson and its glaciers

Washington state requires fingerprinting before a person can volunteer in WA. We made an appointment at the police station in Bend. Having been fingerprinted several times in the past when I got a nursing license in a new state and it always went smoothly. This time, it took over an hour for both of us. They tore up several cards because they didn't like how they looked and a new fellow was training. I hope the cards we walked out with were ok.

One reason we decided to volunteer in Oregon or Washington is they only require 30 days and are very nice states to visit. Many other states require volunteers to stay the entire season. We are a little too itchy to stay that long. Even when I was a traveling nurse three months was pushing our outer limit of time to stay someplace other than when we were in Alaska and Seattle and we extended a couple of months.

Mike getting fingerprinted

 

 

McKenzie River Trail

We used our hiking project app to find a hike on the McKenzie River Highway. Boy, was it a treat. Three waterfalls and a blue pool. We continually saw the influence of the volcanos from many years ago on this area.

Sahale Falls

The Waterfalls Loop Trail hike along the McKenzie River to Sahalie and Koosah Falls is about 3 miles long for hikers and mountain bikers with foaming white water cascades in between.

Koosah Falls

The 25 mile McKenzie River Trail is a favorite of hikers and extreme mountain bikers. As we walked along, we could see that it must have taken a great deal of effort to build and maintain the trail.

Before reaching Blue Pool, the McKenzie River goes underground a few miles up stream when the flow is lower.  The river only flows over the falls a few times a year, the rest if the time the water emerges from the rocks underwater in the basin of waterfall pool.

 

  The topaz colored water is so clear that is seems to be only about 5 ft deep but in many spots its over 30 ft deep.  The waterfall ledge is a favorite for jumping on a hot summer day.  You can hike over the waterfall ledge and find a trail that leads you down to the side of the pool when the waterfall is dry.



Tamolitch Falls and Blue Pool

The rhododendrons bloom later in the valley. 

The campground on the edge of town was a great location for walking to the farmer's market and breweries.

Music at the farmer's market

 

It can be difficult to find a cycling route when we arrive in a new location. We often checkout the local cycling clubs which are often welcoming to visiting cyclist to join a ride. Usually, they list their rides and cue sheets on their websites. Another resource is the local bike shops. They are often good about giving us information or copies of their ride sheets for a small fee or free. If I feel uncomfortable with the roads and cycle lanes, we take a drive to scope out the roads and traffic conditions ahead of time. It is not worth not enjoying ourselves and feeling like we

might die. We have only called a ride a few times and that was due to poor planning or heavy rain.

 

We had a few nice rides during our ten day stay with many more easy to moderate routes left unridden. 

Smith Rock State Park

 

 Smith Rock State Park's spires rise above the Crooked River and is known for rock climbing with routes for levels from beginner to expert. As we hiked, we had the opportunity to watch not only beginners but the expert climbers. A volunteer was also present at the visitor's center with his spotting scope and let us look at a number of  golden eagle's nests and was very informative. This made our short list of places we would like to volunteer in the future.

The volcanic evidence is all around central Oregon.

You have to love a place where the people in the restaurants have hat hair and look like they have been outside hiking, cycling or rock climbing. Everyone looks tired and happy. The food was fresh  and locally grown. The fresh air from hiking made the food and beer taste even better.

On mile steep hike up Misery Ridge to the top.

 

When my children were small and would wake up in the middle of the night, I would get them settled back to sleep then head to the back deck with a warm blanket to look at the stars for 10-15 minutes before returning to bed my self.  Even now, I still like to go out and listen to the quiet night when we are away from the lights of the cities. Last night at 3 am, we were both awake. (It could have been because I dropped something on the floor that made a crash noise when I got up.) The stars were out after many cloudy nights. We sat in our loungers with a down blanket and listened to

the breeze through the trees. A shooting star or comet with a long tail shot across the sky. Does it get any better than that?