Day 2: Middle Fork Campground to Long Creek

Part of what I love about bike touring is when the unexpected happens and you find yourself with a completely different tour than expected, often for the best. And that is exactly what happened. When I did this tour four years ago, we had a group that was pretty experienced and ready for some big miles, and so I had it my mind to try to do something sorta similar. When we ended up stopping early the first day, we decided we would find somewhere to stay in Long Creek to make each day feel a little more manageable and to give Poke's digestive another day to literally get all the shit out.

We had a glorious day of empty quiet backroads and gorgeous scenery. We all agreed this was our favorite day of riding and we were happy to be able to savor it at a more leisurely pace.

No cars all day!

Big Bang's tube did not hold and we were lucky that Poke had a spare that was actually the right size.

One of the more harrowing sections of this route is hopping on the 395 with minimal shoulder for a short amount of time... but right up a hill. At this junction, the most magical trail magic happened. Big Bang was running low on water and then we saw this little stand with a cooler filled with bottled water and a recycle bin! It also had a note for bicyclists that if anyone was in trouble or needed help, to call some folks named Richard and Silver. 

The joy!

As we rolled into Long Creek, we eyeballed the RV Park, which was the only official camping there... we did not love the look of it, but figured we could make it work if needed. We continued onto the store to get snacks and beers and scope out any other camping options. The clerk at the store was open carrying a gun and kept calling us "madam"... and while he kindly offered for us to dry camp on his property, we didn't feel great about that either. On a whim, I told him that we were really thankful for Richard and Silver for the water, and he mentioned that they lived just down the road across from the town park. We decided we would go thank them for the water and see what they had to say. We all hoped that maybe they were really nice and would let us camp in their yard.

I was exhausted but Elisa (Big Bang) offered to go knock on their door... and lo and behold, we had an invitation, a shower, and ended up having a lovely evening full of stories, wine, and camaraderie. It turns out Richard and Silver used to host bike tourists a lot through Cycle Oregon to be able to meet new people and even tried to get a community center started in Long Creek. 

The door to Richard and Silver's place.

A beautiful fenced in yard, complete with a lovely garden, bird feeders with a lot of happy birds, and friendly old doggo.

Moments like this are what restore my faith in humanity and remind me why I love bike touring. Whether it is the joy of an unexpected shower, kindness in moments of need, or just a night of sharing stories, these are the things that keep me pedalling!

A few notes for bike tourists:

• Although the town park looks very inviting for camping, there is no camping there and we were told the town residents will sometimes turn the sprinklers on folks there.
• Richard and Silver told us to tell our friends about them... all are welcome! While they aren't officially hosting through Travel Oregon or WarmShowers, they will welcome anyone. 

Day 1: John Day to Middle Fork Campground

It had been four years since I last toured the Old West Scenic Bikeway, and I felt the itch to do it again. Because there are so many amenities along the way and Travel Oregon provides great intel on where to camp, get food, water, and everything in between, it also makes for a great "Level 2" bike tour for newer folks getting into bike touring. With the pandemic still in full swing, I curated a small group of vaccinated badass lady cyclists who were hankering for something a little bigger! We would slowly earn our touring names... me (Jet Pack), Nicole (Cokes), Elisa (Big Bang), and Natalie (Road Soda (fka Poke)).

Ready to head out to John Day... all clean and full of stoke!

The Kam Wah Heritage Site was not open, but we checked it out anyway.

Just seconds after this photo was taken, Elisa earned her touring name Big Bang when the seal on one of her tubeless tires blew. We tried to take it to the local bike shop in John Day, but it is only open on Saturdays and turns out the guy who works there just does it as a side gig. We decided to throw a tube in it and hope for the best. The weather was HOT and we got started off right in the heat of the day. 

It was a hot, slow, sweaty climb to the Big Wagon overlook... but at least we got these amazing views of the Strawberries!

Working my way towards the summit.

Still some snow patches up here... great for cooling off.

Refilling water from a glorious stream by the side of the road...

Natalie also earned her first touring name early on after a poke bowl gone slightly bad caused some digestive issues... she had a great attitude about it, but had to stop and dig a hole every so often. While I had originally had planned us to do a bigger day of 50+ miles and get to campground slightly off route, we ended up biking 30+ miles and shifting our plan... in part because the primitive BLM campgrounds along the Middle Fork were just too damn inviting! There was not a soul in sight and we had the entire campground to ourselves, complete with a perfect stack of firewood and kindling that we were able to start with just a single paper towel! 

Sometimes it's worth it to stop early when you find the perfect campsite.

Happy hour with... crowns!? Poke likes to get a lil fancy.

Seriously, these perfect stumps and a campfire just topped off the day. 

A few notes for bike tourists:

• If you do this route early in the season, the Kam Wah Heritage Site will not be open, but I called the number on the site and confirmed we could park in the empty lot next door as it is open year round.
• The Austin Junction store was also not open this early in the season, so you cannot depend on it for water or huckleberry ice cream. The Bates Campground was also not open yet either. Just before the turnoff to the Bates Campground though, on the right hand side of the road, is a random pipe sticking out with luscious spring water gushing out for your drinking pleasure. 

Bikepacking Overnight: Mitchell (via Sutton Mountain) Spray Loop

Sometimes, a route is so good, it is worth riding again and again. The last time I rode the Sutton Mountain - Spray loop, it was a solo jaunt during peak wildflower season in early June. Riding this area in early April means you need to watch out for snow patches at camp, pack cold weather sleeping gear, and pack a filter since the pumps at the campsite were not turned on yet. With a few good friends and extending the route by starting and ending in Mitchell, it was a great way to kick off the Oregon bike touring season. 

There are a ton of ways to extend or shorten this route, but this was a really lovely iteration that allowed for lazy mornings, an extended lunch stop in Spray, happy hours, and lots of time for fellowship.  

Screaming descent down Girds Canyon.

The three amigos.

Our snowy campsite at the Shelton Wayside and Jordan's makeshift bivvy.

I wish this was a video because Jordan had an amazing conversation with a baby goat. We also had an emu chase us.

The surprisingly well stocked store in Spray with a convenient spigot out front.

Mark's happy hour selection.

A much sunnier campsite right on the John Day.

It's worth looking back every so often.

The last descent into Mitchell... time for burgers, wings, and beer at the brewery!