Days 2 and 3: Steens Mountain Circumnavigation

After luxurious night in our heated M.A.S.H. unit, we peeled ourselves out of bed only to realize that it wasn't *that* cold out. We watched the sun rise over the Alvord desert as we drank our coffee and made breakfast. We knew the second day of riding was going to be the longest with the most climbing, but we couldn't leave the Alvord desert without an obligatory roll out onto the playa.

Breakfast in the morning sun overlooking the Alvord desert.

Morning light on the backside of Steens mountain.

Playa selfie. 

Morning jaunt on the playa.

After playtime on the playa, we set out for what would become known as "the shitty windy day." We finished the last 10 miles of dirt road with no problems and climbed around the south side of Steens mountain. As we turned back north, we were pummeled in the face with a headwind so strong we had to pedal down the steep descent. With 60+ miles left to the ride, we put our heads down, created pace lines, and told long bad jokes to grind it out. There aren't many people who would make it through a day like that and still want to be my friend, but that's why Ani and Ed are the best!

Rolling out for the day and leaving behind the Alvord desert.

Breaktime.

More breaktime. We took turns drafting and slowly but surely made it to Frenchglen.

Ed's happy face... just 2 miles to Frenchglen and its all sweet sweet sweet downhill.

As we rolled into Frenchglen at sunset, high on the sweet descent, we had a decision to make. The Page Springs campground was still a 3-mile ride and we weren't 100% sure if the pump was still on, or if it had been shut down for the off season. The Frenchglen Hotel was full of people sitting down to a buffet dinner and looked so cozy and I felt done for the day. I wanted to ask about the Page Springs campground... and it dawned on me maybe there might be somewhere to camp in town. So we tiptoed in and asked if there was somewhere we could pitch out tent with access to a toilet. The owner said we were welcome to camp in their lawn and use the pit toilet. I asked how much it would cost, and he said "well, not really anything." Done and done.

What happens when you try to sleep three people in a two-person tent. We were surprisingly comfortable and with lows in the 20s, we were happy to snuggle.

Another perk of camping in the hotel lawn was a hot breakfast with all-you-can-drink coffee.

Turns out the hotel was half full of other folks who bike toured. We chatted with a few and got one last group photo before rolling back to Crane hot springs for one last dip.

The last day of riding started off with a leisurely breakfast at the hotel. We soaked in the warmth and drank bottomless cups of coffee and set off with a small cheering squad. Luckily, the wind had calmed down and it was a relatively easy ride back to the Crane hot springs, where we had one last soak before heading home. 

Day 1: Steens Mountain Circumnavigation

I've had my eye on a bike tour in Eastern Oregon for quite some time that the awesome folks at Oregon Bikepacking mapped out that circumnavigated and went up and around Steens mountain. The route has all my favorite things, including empty back roads, gravel roads, hot springs, and quirky tiny "towns." Sometimes, I find myself on so many adventures, that I just need to commit to a date on the calendar for a bike tour with friends and then make something happen. So a few months back, we put a 3-day weekend randomly on our October calendar for a bike tour.

As the date neared, we needed to figure out where to go. Three days was not enough to do the Steens route I had on my radar, but I realized that by cutting out the massive dirt road climb to 10,000 feet, we could still circumnavigate Steens mountain if we averaged about 70 miles a day. There are only a few people in my life that would find that kind of mileage fun, so team Ecuador was reunited for a lot of Type 2 fun, good food, and hot springs.

We piled our bikes onto Ani's car and headed out the Crystal Crane hot springs to camp before starting our bike tour. The folks there will let you park your car for $5 a day and having a hot soak in the outdoor pool made for a lovely starting and ending point. We demolished a pot of homemade pozole and then soaked and took in the brilliant starry skies, made more brilliant by the new moon. Shortly after sunrise, we pulled our gear together and braved the cold morning to head out for the first day of riding.

It may have dipped below freezing our first night at Crane hot springs. Ed shows off his new swim trunk style.

Crane hot springs is more like a ginormous pool. Don't let the sunny skies fool you, it's only about 27 degrees out.

After a leisurely breakfast, we set out and willed the sun to heat up the desert landscape. We blissfully rolled down the empty road. The air was still and there was nothing but blue skies. While Eastern Oregon does not have the majestic landscape of other parts of Oregon, the vast space and emptiness of the desert has a different beauty. These roads are empty, whether paved or gravel, and the few drivers cyclists encounter are generally kind people. We had folks pull over to ask us if we needed Cokes or water or just slow down to make sure we didn't get dusted out.

And, we are ready to head out, all bright eyed and bushy tailed or something like that.

On the long empty road.

First mechanical of the trip... a broken spoke. We were excited to try out the fiber spoke fix kit! It was amazing and it totally worked.

Road side snack break brought to you by the following sponsors: beef jerky, cheese, Trader Joe's fishies, olives, and peanut butter.

Delicious descent towards the Alvord desert.

The day passed by quickly and we transitioned from pavement to dirt. While the dirt road we easy, it had been a long day. One of Ed's front racks also broke and so Ani took one for the team and threw his pannier on her rear rack. As the sun set, the temperature dropped and we pushed on to make it to the Alvord hot springs by sunset. And then, at long last, the oasis in the desert appeared and we celebrated with some beers and whiskey. It had been a really long day and we decided to splurge on a sweet M.A.S.H. unit to sleep in. That, and Ed thought he had a 3-person tent, which was actually a 2-person tent, and having our own beds sounded awfully grand.

My favorite road sign.

M.A.S.H.

Our mansion for the night... drying out the tent from the frozen night at the Crane hot springs.

A few tips for cycle tourists:

• The route we ended up mostly taking can be found here. Depending on the time of year the route is ridden, it can be insanely hot and my understanding is that the dirt road from Page Springs Campground back to the paved road can be impassable after rain. We ended up camping in the lawn of the Frenchglen hotel and not Page Springs Campground as originally planned. The Oregon Bikepacking website does a good job of marking all the shady spots if you do an earlier season tour.

• Highway 78 has the "most" traffic and it can be fast-moving, however, there are very few cars and most will pass you with a wide berth. After the turnoff onto the Anderson Valley road, traffic is virtually non-existent. There is about 40 miles of good 2-lane dirt road on the eastern side of Steens mountain and it is basically flat. While there are sections with washboard, bikes can usually find a good line. 

• There are no reliable natural water sources between Crane and Fields. There is, however, water available for purchase at the Alvord hot springs office which is generally open from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm. 

• It can get really windy on this route. Really windy. Our second day, we biked into a headwind the entire way and it almost broke us. Tent camping could be challenging in high winds both at Crane hot springs and Alvord hot springs, but both have options for "cabins."

Bikepacking Overnight: Outback Scenic Bikeway

For a self-proclaimed introvert, I spend a lot of my time with people. This is in part because human connection is so important to my mental health and in part because I don't know how to say "no" very well. Sure I can squeeze that coffee in between work, teaching salsa, and a board meeting! I'm learning in my older-ish age of 38 that I really like doing short solo bike tours. While I love being grounded in my community, there is something liberating and calming about being completely self-sufficient for a weekend... meditation on two wheels.

There is something special about rural Oregon that I can't put a finger on, and it's not just the sweeping open landscapes. Maybe it is that a little bit of the Wild West still lives or the kindness that I encounter every time. Mind you, these are folks who I am pretty sure have diametrically opposed politics than myself, but manage to make me feel welcome almost every time. Whatever the reason, the Oregon Outback Scenic Bikeway is a gem in southern Oregon. The drivers all wave and pass with a wide berth, the pronghorn hop along side you, the birds swoop above you, and even now, in early summer, various wildflowers dot the roadside.

I decided to escape the crowds that inevitably invade my hometown of Bend, Oregon by swinging by Summer Lake Hot Springs to break up the drive to Lakeview and to unwind under the stars in the outdoor soaking pool. I was exhausted from the week so ended up sleeping in until 8:00 am! I threw my gear in the car, got a quick breakfast at the Homestead cafe in Paisley, and drove the last bit to Lakeview to set out.

Heading out from the Lake County Fairgrounds, where the caretaker let me park for free overnight. Ended up rolling out at 10:45 am, whoops!

Forested views as I made it to the summit of the Warner Pass (5850 feet!) in the Fremont National Forest.

Roadside lunch time! On these short overnight tours, I allow myself the luxury of real food.

The climb up to the Warner Pass wasn't too bad, but as I turned off onto the Plush cutoff road, I was met by a pretty strong headwind. The forested mountains gave way to wide open exposed desert. This part of the route was a bit of slog as I fought the wind, but I made it to the tiny oasis of Plush before 3:00 pm. My stomach was grumbling and snacks weren't going to cut it, so I decided to stop at the Hart Mountain Store, which proclaims that Plush is a small quiet drinking town with a cow problem. The store offers a variety of amenities, including a book exchange, a small grocery (can you believe they had huge avocados!), a bar/restaurant, and a storage area for packages shipped ahead by hikers through hiking the Oregon Desert Trail. 

I was welcomed by a couple who had passed me in their truck... "Oh good, you made it!" A hot plate of french fries and a 10 Barrel pub beer later, I felt like a million dollars.

Cow problem, indeed, except that the "maybe" should have been a little bigger. Not a single cow to be found on the road.

Descending into the Crump Lake area to look for a place to rest for the night.

Well, I suppose this will do. Waterfront property with birding (and no mosquitos)? Check and check.

By the time I found a good place to camp, the heat of the day and left its mark and I was salty and grimy from the hours spent on the road. I hung out for a bit to just relax, write in my journal, and read, and then took a glorious chilly swim in the lake about 20 minutes before the sun disappeared behind Fish Creek Rim behind me. Then, as the air cooled off, I set up camp, made dinner, and crawled into bed. I woke up with the sun... peeked my head outside the tent flap and saw a family of pelicans peacefully floating by. It was only 5:00 am, but I decided to get up since it was forecast to breach 90 degrees and I wanted to beat the heat.

I can't even count the number of birds or species of birds I saw out here!

Taking advantage of the morning light for a panoramic shot of the view from my campsite.

My tent basking in the warm glow of the morning sun.

After a leisurely coffee and breakfast just soaking in the sight of the calm lake waters and wildlife, I began the journey back to my car in Lakeview. The morning air was still a little brisk as I passed through Adel (which was still asleep). It was an easy spin back and I was headed back home by 11:00 am.

Taking one last look behind me before turning into the Warner Canyon.

The one usable selfie of the weekend.

I was bummed, the sign promised big horned sheep, but not one to be found!

And out of nowhere, this beautiful waterfall!

Just a few miles before the fairgrounds, these horses decided to give me one last moment of "squeeeee!

A few tips for cycle tourists:

• There is nothing I can really tell you that isn't already already outlined at Travel Oregon's write-up of the Oregon Outback Scenic Bikeway. I had a printed map and the route downloaded on Ride with GPS, but honestly, the route is so well signed that I barely needed either.

• I would advise to fill your water up in the towns as the streams and lakes were fairly cloudy and with so much agricultural runoff from the many many many cows, it just felt easier to carry an extra liter to be able to camp without having to filter my own.

• Finally, wild camping was not as easy to find as I thought it might be between Plush and Adel. The Priday reservoir has nice sites but I bypassed it because there was a huge RV already there, and then I found just one really nice spot along the lake right off the road around mile 49 or 50 of the route. Just one. I imagine there are other places you could camp if you wanted to wander off the road, but much of the countryside is fenced off and it seems like half of it is either private ranch land or part of a geothermal field. 

Getting Through A Not-So-Long Winter... And Introducing, Kung Fu Panda

Last winter was a harsh battle against endless snow and bikes were stored in sheds never to see the light of day. This fall, I braced myself for another long dark winter, which included splurging on huge studded snow tires for the Tank (who has since been reborn as The Abominable Snow Tank). No more cross country skiing to work, I would ride my bike this winter. Much to my joy, and sometimes chagrin because studded bike tires were overkill this year, the pendulum swung the other way. We had just a few days when the snow stuck and there was not a single day I couldn't ride my bike.

With the weather warming up, explorations east to the Alvord Desert on the far side of Steens Mountain called for bikes. We relished crisp mornings in the Alvord Hot Springs and tooled around the pristine gravel roads and explored every inch of the playa. My mind raced at night as the stars twinkled at us about putting together a dirt road bike tour here...

Leaving the van behind to ride to the Pike Creek trailhead for a lovely hike up Steens Mountain.

Tooling around the playa is an otherworldly experience.

In other news, I made a life changing decision this year. I decided it was time to retire the Tank from her status as my "go to" touring bike. She was built to be indestructible in far off lands, but I often found myself wanting a more nimble setup for exploring the Pacific NW. Once her transformation to The Abominable Snow Tank was complete, I could not imagine her being anything other than my winter commuter. And so, with the help of the amazing bike mechanic Tory Sox from Bend Velo, I started building a custom gravel bike. Originally, I had started the build from a Surley Straggler frame and fork, but Surly launched a new gravel bike called the Midnight Special which made even more sense... more stable, slighter better geometry for my midget self, and more options for upgrades later. So I made a last minute crazy switch, praying that my custom frame bag would fit the new frame.

Behold, I call her Kung Fu Panda... in addition to the Rogue Panda custom Cascadia frame bag, it will include two small Ortliebs up front, a Rogue Panda seat pack, a Rogue Panda top tube bag, two Revelate Designs feedbags, and a Revelate Designs harness. 

Mother Nature can be cruel. We had a number of fronts come in dumping regular snow and rain on us right after my bike was done, so I haven't been able to properly test out Kung Fu Panda. But that hasn't stopped me from scheming! There's been a lot of local bike touring momentum coming out of the Central Oregon Adventure Cycling group that I started last year, and slowly but surely, we are connecting with each other and growing.

Days 3 and 4: Lick Creek Summit To Random Summit On Forest Road 400 To Cascade

I woke up early to birds chirping and bright blue skies after a long drooling sleep.  Some people have a hard time sleeping in a tent on the hard ground.  Me?  Out like a baby.  I was excited to get started and into McCall for some real food, so I made a quick breakfast and off I pedaled to finish up the Lick Creek Summit.  As summits go, it wasn't too bad, and I was rewarded with stunning granite rock formations and views at the top.  I was also rewarded with swarming mosquitos so I didn't linger long.

The long beautiful road towards the summit... so glad I decided to wait for the morning to take in these views.

One last look back at the terrain I left behind.

Summit glamour shots.  Brief.  Darn mosquitos.

I relished a long fast easy descent on the other side.  It was chilly, and I stopped twice to warm up my hands and once to put on an additional layer.  These sunny skies are deceiving!

No matter what you have heard about Idaho, there are a few truths to know.  It is quirky, isolated, and beautiful.  There is a charm in its "rough around the edges" residents, some more urbane than others, some more tolerant than others, and some more kind than others.  But I will say this... this day proved to me that there are truly warm and inviting folks here and that it was this day that I fell a little in love with the backwoods of Idaho.  I think I could live here one day when my corner of Bend feels too big.

Mid-morning discovery.  I decided to accept the invite written on two random lawn chairs in the middle of nowhere. 

Taking in peaceful views of the Tyee creek and its wildlife.  No hurry to get to the relatve metropolis of McCall.

Shortly thereafter, I found myself quickly in McCall, the biggest town on my short route for this trip.  Initially, it seemed quiet and bucolic, only to blossom into the realization that all of Boise comes here for the holiday weekend.  McCall has a quiet charm and just enough tourist dollars to bring the good things in life... a great bike shop, a good brewery, and a pretty darn solid food scene.  Coupled with the ability to be in the mountains to ski or mountain bike in 10 minutes, and I'm sold.

Little Payette Lake, aka, the one with fish and nice and quiet and all that good stuff. 

Payette Lake, aka, the one with all the tourists, but at least there was a good coffee shop right there.

I decided to take advantage of a little shade and a bit of manicured grass when a guy carrying a paddleboard for some tourists started chatting me up about my bike and bike tour.  He admired my setup and let me know if I needed anything, I could find him over at the local bike/gear shop Gravity Sports.  I realized that I needed to charge my phone so that I wouldn't risk it dying because I was using Pocket Earth as my offline GPS to make sure I stayed on track.  So I ventured to the bike shop and they let me plug it in the back area where the bike mechanic was working on bikes.  Well, turns out that Aaron, the bike mechanic, is a bikepacking and bike touring enthusiast.  When I say enthusiast, I mean it.  We waxed philosophic about our past bike tours, our bike setups (he had a Troll, too!), and future bike dreams for a while, and then he invited me to stay the night with his family.  Generally, my rule is to always say "yes" to hospitality like this.  This is the stuff that bike tours are made of.

Alas, it was just 11am and I was itching to have some lunch and get back on the road... plus I was trying to get back to Bend for Death Machine 2016 (aka my dorky trivia friends duct tape fireworks to a remote control car and otherwise terrorize the neighborhood kids).  I reluctantly declined and headed out.

I got distracted by the local brewery, which also happens to have delicious food.

It felt good to be on the road... Farm to Market road is one of the prettiest traffic free paved roads I've had the pleasure of biking.  Even in the early afternoon heat, it was easy pedaling even after 2 beers.  My goal was to get to somewhere near the summit of my last climb so I could have a fast east ride back into Cascade where my car was parked.  I found the most beautiful campsite in all the land and watched the sunset.  Life, in these moments, was exactly what I wanted it to be.

Wildflowers were at their peak.

Magic in the historic "town" of Roseberry.  There's a flea market of sorts and some historic sites not too far down the road from McCall that is very popular on the weekends.

Gold Fork hot springs... they cost money and are off grid, but still feel too much like manufactured pools to me.  Lots of kiddos and families, but still a nice break and chance to rinse the grime from the road off.

Sometimes, you set up camp early because you find the perfect campsite.  'Nuff said.

View from inside my tent.  The reason I was inside was because an hour after I set up camp, the flies and bugs came out with a vengeance.  I stuck my earplugs in to dull the sound of the buzzing and finished my book to these amazing views.

Last light from my tent.

I woke up with the sun the next morning.  Because I was so close to Cascade, maybe 30 minutes downhill, I bundled up and hopped on my bike without eating breakfast.  As I often do, I decided I wanted biscuits and gravy and eggs in town, with loads of hot coffee.  It was a chilly morning and I was thoroughly cold by the time I arrived to the local diner.  A couple of cups of coffee later, I waddled off with a full belly to my car.  I left $10 for Kevin at the Alpine Lodge and Motel and I started my long drive home.

A few notes for bike tourists:

• McCall basically has everything you need, including a very competent bike shop.  Seriously, go hang out with the guys at Gravity Sports.  They are some of the nicest folks I've met while bike touring in the U.S.

• There is a ton of camping on both sides of Lick Creek Summit, but I felt like the sites were better prior to the summit.

• Mosquitos are terrible at some times of the year.  Run!  Kidding.  I didn't really use bug spray, I either kept moving or just hid in my tent. 

• I am in love with dirt road touring in Idaho.  You cannot ask for more.  No traffic, gorgeous summits every day (yes, I'm weird, I like summits and climbing and all that jazz), rivers to jump into and to fish in, hot springs to soak off road grit, kind people, grizzly backwoods people, isolated and solitary camping sites all over, and tiny gems of towns in between.  I will be back and often.  Until the next time!