Day 2: Warm Lake To A Few Miles Shy Of Lick Creek Summit

Sometimes it's worth it to do a little bit of strategery while bike touring.  I set up my camp just a few miles from Warm Lake, which from researching this section of the tour, I realized was my last bit of civilization for a while.  I also had read some stellar reviews about the North Shore Lodge and knew they opened for breakfast.  So instead of having powdered coffee and oatmeal in camp, I packed up and made a bee line for breakfast.  There is something magical about finding these gems in the middle of the woods.

There's always time to stop and smell the roses.  I'm a sucker for pretty bodies of water.

The North Shore Lodge did not disappoint... I conquered my huge Spanish omelet and half a pot of coffee.

My breakfast companion.  One of the servers told me she loves her job because this guy gets to come with her every day.  The only place he isn't welcome is in the kitchen.  He was just one of several resident puppies.

Just a few kind words to start my day off right.

With a full belly, a new bottle of sunscreen spray, and an impulse buy of Fritos, I headed out in the morning light feeling pretty darn good.  I took another few minutes to explore the area before heading up the road along the South Fork of the Salmon River.

Neverending glamour shots.

The start of gorgeous traffic free single lane roads...

Poverty summit hiking trail detour.  I learned all about the burn that happened 10 years ago in the area.

One of the reasons Idaho is so special is the abundance of pristine hidden hot springs.  The ACA map for this tour has all of the hot springs marked and short descriptions so you can decide if it's worth hunting that particular hot springs down.  I had decided last year to buy the GPX tracks for something ridiculously cheap like $5 and today, it was worth it.  The GPX tracks show you where each point of interest is, and without it, I would not have found what might be my favorite hot springs of all time.  Mostly because on a busy Fourth of July weekend, it was empty, clean, and just about the perfect temperature... and ideally situated right next to the river.  This hot springs doesn't even have a name, just Mile 16 hot springs.

Between mile markers 15 and 16, there are wooden stairs that descend steeply.  Blink, and you might miss them.  I did and had to turn around and use the GPS to locate the spot.  Once you go down a third of the way, you get this view of the hot springs.

Bliss.  Hot, cold, hot, cold... aaaaaaah.  Also, nekkid.

After tearing myself away from these hot springs, I prepared myself for the long climb up to the Lick Creek Summit.  The afternoon sun gave way to cloudy skies and the grade wasn't very steep in comparison to some others I have climbed in this area.  But soon, the valley become socked in and I felt a few rain drops here and there.  Then... it got a little heavier.  The weather forecast hadn't prepared me for rain so in order to keep light, I hadn't packed rain gear.  I spent another 30 minutes pondering whether or not to throw up my tent or just keep going.

Ominous clouds gathering...

I stopped to check the map and my GPS and after 2 minutes, the mosquitoes were feasting on my legs and any exposed parts.  Choice made.  I decided to set up camp and hide from both the rain and the vicious bites!  Besides, I had brought a book that I have been trying to finish for a few months and this was the perfect opportunity.  It felt good to end the day early and just relax.  I drifted off to sleep fairly early to the pitter pat of raindrops on my tent fly.

A little Bill Bryson to keep things topical.

A few notes for bike tourists:

• The North Shore Lodge at Warm Lake is open year round from breakfast through dinner.  Food is served from 8 am to 8 pm and the store is open until 9 pm.  The bar is also open from 11 am to 2 am. I'm told these hours may change seasonally.  They also have camping and cabins!  The store stocks basic food and supplies, enough to get you to the relative metropolis of McCall.  

• There are a ton of portapotties and disbursed campsites on the road past Warm Lake.  Some folks were literally just pulled over in pullouts and had thrown tents up.  It's worth it to get past the established sites and get a bit further up the climb and camp somewhere closer to the summit.  That said, I found out the next day that all the best disbursed campsites are on the Warm Lake side of the summit, and for whatever reason, not nearly as numerous or nice on the other side.

Day 1: Bend, OR To Cascade, ID To Just Shy Of Warm Lake, ID

Sometimes life hands you unexpected free time and the need to find space to heal from the bumps of life and work.  The Fourth of July weekend in my lovely hometown of Bend, Oregon is notorious for its debauchery and influx of tourists from far and wide.  This was not what my soul needed.  It had been far too long since I unplugged and rebooted.  My solution?  A solo bikepacking tour in the middle of nowhere Idaho.  For those not in the know, Idaho boasts some of the most pristine, isolated, and beautiful forests, mountains, rivers, and hot springs.  Just my kind of escape.

Last year, I biked 70% of the Adventure Cycling Association's Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike route with my buddy Ryan.  There was a small section that we skipped because of time and so I decided that I would go back to conquer that section.

Getting fancy with my meals... homemade veggie pho with tuna, complete with dehydrated CSA veggies, dried mushrooms, buckwheat noodles, and siracha packets.

I had a relatively lazy morning in Bend, packed up the car, and drove the 6 hours to Cascade, Idaho from Bend.  I rolled into the Alpine Lodge and Motel, which is where I parked last year.  Kevin, the owner, remembered me from the year before and graciously allowed me to park there again.  Apparently, the Google drone had captured my car there and so my red Honda Fit was forever immortalized as being there.  At least that's what Kevin said.

Plenty of daylight as I start an easy spin on Warm Lake road towards Warm Lake.

Random pretty lake and glamour shot for my sexy steed.

Idaho gets it right.  Also, I enjoy that this is a bike and truck.  Appropriate also for Idaho.

Although I have done the vast majority of travel solo traveling European backpacker style from hostel to hostel on chicken buses from Mexico to Argentina, I haven't done much solo bike touring.  It's a different beast.  You are the captain of your own ship and you might go days without any real interaction with anyone.  Nothing but the thoughts racing in your brain.  I find cycling to be meditative and enjoyed watching the scenery pass by as I soaked in the late afternoon sun.

Long shadows late in the afternoon.

I had intended on camping at the Trail Creek hot springs, but a family with kids was already there.  Luckily, just a mile later were a few dispersed campsites, still empty, despite it being a holiday weekend.

A few notes for bike tourists:

• There is a fresh spring water spigot on the north side of Warm Lake road just a few miles in in just short of the junction with forest road 400.  It doesn't flow fast, but the water is cold and refreshing.

Bikepacking Overnight: Old West Scenic Bikeway (Eastern Oregon)

Traveling by bike is an addiction and one that is best done in the company of good people.  It's hard to find folks that want to explore the world 50 to 70 miles at a time and earn views with sweat and tired quads.  I've been lucky to find enough kindred spirits in that respect to hit the road several times a year.

Summer seemed to come late to Central Oregon this year, so I decided it was time to head east to get some sun and explore a part of Oregon that has eluded me so far.  Also, Memorial Day weekend in Bend is notorious for being overrun with tourists so I was looking to escape far from the madding crowd.  My cycling partner and I opted for roads less traveled and charming small towns with just as charming friendly people.  Friday came upon us and we made our great escape.

Car camping at Priest Hole just past the Painted Hills before the bike tour.

Day 1: Gorgeous sunny skies and views of the Strawberry mountains.  Also, the biggest climb of the trip to earn our views.

Day 1: We found an amazing dispersed campsite along Highway 20 between the two USFS official campsites along the river.  Perfect spot also to chill our happy hour beer that I had carried from the car.

Day 2: Ecosystems change, alpine desert landscapes emerge.

Day 2: Long Creek all but shuts down on Sundays.  The most important places stay open... the gas station, liquor store, and hamburger cart.  Dinner and happy hour!

Day 2: Sunset from camp.

Day 3: We decided to avoid a long cruddy day of riding and rushing back to real life by making a detour via 395.  It was gorgeous and totally worth it.  We even made a friend who followed us for a mile.

Day 3: Brunch in Mt. Vernon.

Day 3: The trivia brochure at the diner in Mt. Vernon told us that this stone building was built for a prized horse named Mt. Vernon to protect it from being stolen by native peoples...

Day 3: We ended our cycling day early and decided to take our time heading back to Bend by stopping at the John Day fossil beds.

Day 3: As always, I find myself upside-down.

A few notes for bike tourists:

• A detailed map, cue sheet, and GPX tracks can be found at http://rideoregonride.com/road-routes/old-west-scenic-bikeway/.  Take a look at the comments for updates, in particular with respect to a section that is scheduled to be chipsealed soon.  There is great information available making this route easy to do wild camping or credit card touring.

• John Day is a great starting point for the bike tour since there is secure parking at the Kam Wah Chung.  The volunteers who work there are incredibly friendly and helpful and it's a great way to start your tour.  I also highly recommend the brewery downtown, 1188 Brewing.  The beer and food are on par with anything you would find in Bend or Portland.

• Take your time on Highway 20.  Seriously.  The most pristine empty roads you will find.

Bikepacking Overnight: McKenzie Pass 3.0

It's official, the start of the bike touring season in Central Oregon kicks off with a car free McKenzie pass overnighter.  I suppose since this is the third year I've done this bike tour, it qualifies to be an every year kind of thing.  It seems like each year it also gets just a little bit better.  Check out the 2015 trip and the 2014 trip for actual ride details.  Really, the only trip details that changed this year was a little shortcut from McKenzie River Drive via the covered bridge directly to Aufderheide Road.

Greig and Ani take in the snowy views at Windy Point.

Approaching the summit!

Summit celebrations!

My sexy Troll.  And a pub beer cooling for my roommate Stu, who zoomed up to meet us at the top.

It was too windy for headstands atop the Dee Wright Observatory.

All my favorite dorks in life.  Greig, Stu, and Ani.

We left the boys at the summit... they went back to Bend, and Ani and I continued on to greener pastures and a stroll to Proxy Falls.

The two of us looking normalish at Proxy Falls.

Happy hour at the McKenzie Bridge General Store.  Organic red quinoa, thai peanut sauce, and other fancy foods can be bought there now.  Good thing the beer fridge is still awesome.

I love bridges!

Cougar reservoir and dam.

Obligatory stop at the hot springs to wash the grit and grime of the road off.

Sneaking into a campground...

Oh wait, don't need no steeenkin' campground, we found this badassed site instead.

Testing the cold waters of the southern fork of the McKenzie.

Misty morning ride back towards the pass.

Obligatory bike touring glamour shot with the Three Sisters.

Mountain Biking Oakridge Oregon With The Shredding Shorties

One of my favorite parts about Bend, Oregon is its incredible community of hardcore ladies who mountain bike.  I was fortunate to bond with a few of these amazing gals at a mountain bike clinic last year, and since then, we've torn up the local trails ever since.  Even though Bend is a mountain biking destination in and of itself, we wanted to cross the mountains to check out the misty cool jungle-like trails in Oakridge.

So five of us loaded ourselves into a gigantor truck and my Honda Fit to invade the sleepy town of Oakridge for a weekend of mountain biking.  We nicknamed ourselves the Shredding Shorties because we all stand between 5'2" and 5'4" and make for a hilarious posse when tromping into bike shops.  After consulting with the friendly folks at the local bike shop, we decided to set up our own shuttles to the top of Dead Mountain (aka the ineptly named Flat Creek Trail) and the iconic Alpine Trail.  These two rides provided us stunning views, sweet fast flowy descents, and just enough challenging sections to keep things interesting.

View from the top of the Dead Mountain!  Ask a local for intel on how to find the viewpoint, lest you miss the short hike to this nearly 360 degree view of the area.

First views from the Alpine Trail... gorgeous exposed ridgelines!

The Shredding Shorties take a minute to enjoy the views.

Back to work!

Yours truly coming tearing down... or rolling sorta fast down.

After 5000+ feet of descent and 2000+ feet of climbing over 15.4 miles, we had huge grins on our faces as we zoomed off the trail.  The ride was perfect in every way, including the blackberries at the bottom.  We stopped for 15 minutes to stuff our faces full of perfectly ripe blackberries before heading back to Bend.

Mmmm free blackberries.

The whole Shredding Shorties crew celebrating a great ride before we headed back to Bend.

Post-Trip Ramblings: The Idaho Hot Springs Tour Edition

We woke up obscenely early most likely because we passed out early the night before from our afternoon of drinking at the Dirty Shame.  Ryan had a 6 hour drive back to Bend, but I decided to take my time in the morning to have coffee and breakfast over at Wild Bill's and then head north via Hells Canyon to my parents' house in Tri-Cities.  It felt good to come full circle since we started our tour at Wild Bill's.  A bunch of wildfire fire fighters were there having breakfast... turns out there was a fire on Highway 55 south of Crouch, which is the primary way to get from Boise to this area and a bunch of people got stuck trying to go home.  As I waited for my food, I saw that the 100+ degree weather was supposed to continue for the next week, and although I was sad that the tour had been cut a few days short, it was a silver lining knowing that I wouldn't have to bike in that weather.  Since I had some extra time, I decided to make a stop at Palouse Falls State Park on the way.  It was blazing hot so I only explored for a very short period of time, but it was worth it!

Scenic views of Hells Canyon recreation area.

Nez Perce national wilderness area... I recalled the old stories of the Nez Perce as I marveled at the stark landscape.

Stunning and unexpected in the middle of southeastern Washington state.

Views down the canyon.

I stalked this momma and her not-so-little offspring for a bit before leaving.

In no particular order, there are some things I think are important to know for anyone who is planning on doing this tour this year or in the future:

• Bring a bathing suit for the hot springs and rivers.  While many hot springs in Oregon are clothing optional, many hot springs in Idaho are bathing suit mandatory.  I did not see a single nude person at the hot springs, though I may or may not have skinny dipped in a river or two.

• Ryan severely underestimated his cycling fitness for this tour despite the fact that he (a) mountain bikes on occasion and (b) has done lengthy bike tours before.  It wasn't that he was unable to do this tour, but he really struggled on the climbs.  Rule #1 in Zombieland?  Cardio.  We saw some other folks on the road who had no idea what they were getting themselves into and looked pretty miserable on the road.

• Although I understand that it was about 10-15 degrees hotter than normal, the weather in this part of Idaho is extremely variable, but it is mostly hot.  Really really really hot.  If you idealize this tour as partaking in all the hot springs, you are sorely mistaken.  The rivers, though, are also awesome.

• We really struggled with knowing when and where water sources would present themselves.  While most of the campgrounds identified on the ACA maps had pumps, not all of the did.  When we had wifi or cell phone access, we tried to research which campgrounds had pumps so we could plan accordingly.   It was also hard to decipher on the map whether or not we would be able to access the river to filter water (bring a reliable water filter... my personal favorite because it is so lightweight is the mini Sawyer).  While much of this route follows rivers, sometimes there are 20 foot steep banks (cliffs, really) which would make it impossible to get to the water.  I hope in future editions that the water sources are marked -- one icon for a pump or spigot and one icon for river access for filtering water.  We sometimes carried enough water for 2 days just in case because we couldn't reliably tell. 

• If you come from a traditional road touring background, just know that you should cut your average daily road miles in half to get a safe estimate for how much distance you will cover on dirt.  We were aiming for 42 miles a day on average.  We had days we biked anything from 28 miles to 75 miles (which included pavement sections). 

• There is cell phone service for much of the corridor between Cascade and McCall, in Ketchum, and in Stanley.  Everywhere else is fairly off grid.  Crouch and Twin Springs Resort both have publicly available wifi at the various establishments. 

• I used PocketEarth on my iPhone with an external battery to have an offline GPS and imported the GPX files from ACA.  I used it mostly to doublecheck our route and didn't keep it on the whole time to save battery.  This saved our butts a couple times and I highly recommend having a GPS for this tour, as some of the dirt road intersections are unmarked or confusing.  It is also very helpful in finding the various points of interests and hot springs, which are not signed many of the times.  Ryan had a bike computer to be able to follow the cue sheet.  These two combined were the minimum needed for this tour.

• We were told that may folks do this tour clockwise, and I think it's because there may be less total climbing that way.  We did it counterclockwise because the ACA map made it seem like that was the logical way to do it.  Regardless, if you don't like climbing, you are going to hate this route.  

• Parking cars in Cascade and Crouch gave us a multitude of emergency bailout options via the Lohman cutoff and Warm Springs road and I would do it again like that in the future.  Starting in Crouch also made Ketchum, the biggest town with the most amenities, around the halfway point-ish, which made us appreciate it more.

• When in doubt, take less gear if you are used to fully loaded touring.  The climbs are brutal with the extra weight and then factor in food and water for 2 days sometimes and... yea.  I have certain luxuries like a hammock I like to have, but I wore the same clothes the entire time and otherwise didn't carry many extraneous items.  Whatever you do, don't skimp on your repair kit.  Dirt road touring is tough on bikes.  Ryan broke his chain and lost a bolt on his rack.  Luckily we were able to repair both from my repair kit.  We were lucky and zero flats!  There are very few bike shops on the route, so prepare to be fairly self-sufficient.  

• Fire season is here early this year.  Use this resource before your trip if you travel mid to late season to see if a wildfire will affect your route: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/state/13/. 

• If you go early season, check to make sure all the mountain passes are open here: http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/. 

Aaaaaanyway, my final words are to just go!  There wasn't a single terrible view or a climb that wasn't worth it.  There wasn't a single ugly river or moment when I regretted this tour.  In fact, I can't wait to come back and finish that little bit of the upper loop I didn't get to do this time... maybe in September, maybe next year, maybe I'll do whole thing again!