Sunriver, OR

We have been fortunate to have cool temps while here in Sunriver. This area is called the high desert and we were told that we were going to be hot as we were leaving the cool coast.

 

Sunriver has a network of bike paths and do not allow bikes on the streets.

This eagle's nest houses the parents and two offspring. As we were riding our bikes down the rode, I saw two people sitting along the road with their cameras. I had to see what they were looking for. (Mike calls me the "interrogator") This couple had been watching the family for 9 weeks and showed us some great pictures of the eagles landing . Their cameras on tripods with clickers were much better than mine.

It has been a busy two weeks here in central Oregon. We wanted to get another mountain bike ride in before leaving. Seeing some cross country ski trails that looked like they might be nice, we chose the  going up hill for 3 miles through some sandy single track before leveling out. At one point, I said I might be done. After sitting a bit and having some water, I realized if we turned around, our day would be over in 15 minutes riding downhill and was glad that we didn't turn around.

 

Paulina Lake had some nice chair to enjoy the cold drink we bought at the little store before starting the downhill.

Mike informed me that my front brake had been dragging as he was cleaning up the bikes after we returned home. Maybe, that is the reason I thought about turning around. I always check my brakes before taking off for a ride. I don't want a brake incident. This time I was checking them while he was messing with my odometer and he told me to stop. I may have not noticed the drag during my check but let's put it on him.

 Several people had told us to visit the High Desert Museum and the rainy weekend seemed like the perfect time.

 

Early mobile home

The Works Progressive Administration was a New Deal measure during the Depression that I was not aware.  It was a government attempt to employ a variety of artists, writers, and musicians so that the work they produced could help them make a living and enhance the quality of American life during the Great Depression. The WPA commissioned thousands of artists to observe the American scene; its people, its landscape, and its architecture, and capture through their brushstrokes and lenses, the life they were seeing.



There were many interesting exhibits with lighting and sounds to enhance the experience.

 

Heading to Cloverdale

It is good to be leaving southern California after living on the Coast Hwy for two months. We seem to always have that itch. As we were walking in the surf a bee stung me in the foot. I seem to get stung far too often.

Cloverdale is a small town in the north of Sonoma County bordering Mendocino County. When we arrived and stopped at the visitor's center, they happened to have a farmer's market just a block away. 

After getting some items at the farmer's market, we realized it was 3 pm and we hadn't had lunch and found this cute hamburger place.

The gal at the visitor's center gave us a map with suggestions of bike routes. She suggested that we ride up to Sonoma Lake since we were from Colorado and used to hills. Forget that we haven't seen Colorado in a year on our bikes.

 

It was a pretty good climb up to the dam with nice views of the vineyards. The riding here is much more pleasant than Napa with less people and traffic.

We went back to the lake's visitor center and met a couple of guys leading the Road Scholars on a bike tour. They gave us some tips on wineries to visit and things to see. Cycling tours are not cheap. $1500 for 4 days of riding with meals and hotel per person for this tour. There was another tour group just up the rode as we were heading back home.

There were plenty of hills and the wind made us work a bit. Mike was a good guy being the lead so I wouldn't have to work as hard against the wind.

We are here for a week and looks like it is a gem even if another bee stung me in the back of my leg this morning.