Smith Rock and Painted Hills

Monica did a great job planning a route and sites for us to see on our "Beaver State Tour 2008" as I have dubbed it. She prefers to call it the Eastern Oregon Ramble.
We got up fairly early today and headed out. It was already getting warm. We rode out to a site called Smith Rock, just north of Redmond. It was beautiful. We hiked a little bit and watched some of the rock climbers. It made me want to go rock-climbing again. I can't believe it's been 6 years since I was climbing in Joshua Tree. This would be a fun destination. I kept my eyes peeled for rattlers, but didn't see any.


Our next stop was a nice ride down the road to the Painted Hills, a part of the John Day State Park along SR 26. We rode back to the site and found a long gravel road leading to the hills. After much trepidation, we decided to take the gravel road. I'd seen other bikes go up and I didn't want to be outdone. Besides, I hate traveling so far and then not be able to see what I want.



The color variation reflects changes in ancient soils and vegetation during a major global cooling event approximately 33 million years ago. The volcanic ash that accumulated here and formed these colorful deposits, also records the onset of Cascade volcanism.

We hadn't gone very far when we found the tiny town of Mitchell. We thought we'd stop and have a cold drink and then move on to another part of the John Day Park.
We were lured by the charm and the folks sitting on the front porch of the historic hotel, drinking beer and enjoying a relaxing afternoon. We checked into the Oregon Hotel
which was run by a Paul Bunyan/mountain man/Marine who was about 70 years old and built like an ox. He was quite the storyteller. He told us how he lived in the mountains before he met his current wife, who was around our age. They'd been together for 25 years and she sort of tamed him a bit and got him to use electricity for the first time. He also ran the one-pump gas station across the dirt road where he kept, much to our horror, a large black bear that he'd captured a while ago. I'm not sure how he came to have the bear in the first place. He called him Henry. We went next door to the only other establishment in town, the Little Pine Cafe, and had a really good dinner, including a fresh baked peach pie out of oven that made Monica happy.
We met a few bicyclists who were on the road on their way to Virginia. The one guy who was in his late 50's was regretting his decision, especially since he was pulling a trailer. We're wondering if he gave up his trip.

Getting Away

It's always a challenge to get our bearings, get the house and animals in order and pack before a trip, especially after a long work stretch. Things are so chaotic sometimes I just want to throw a bag on the bike and take off. I didn't prepare much the last few weeks since I've been sick. Today I was still feeling a bit under the weather, but still anxious to get on the road.
We gassed up and filled the tires in Phoenix (Oregon). Our first stop was at Beckie's in Union Creek because everyone has been raving about the pies and foods. We were disappointed. Monica couldn't even finish her peach pie. The fruit was brown and rubbery and she sent it back.
We pressed on until we hit Highway 97. I learned to loathe this straight, truck-filled, dull road on our trip last year. It got kind of windy as we got into Bend. We found a place to stay in Redmond after spending 30 minutes at the Chamber trying to book a room. I took a nap while Monica went for a swim and then we checked out a place called the Cross Creek Cafe and had some dinner. It was run by 2 women, obviously "family." I had a curried chicken and noodle dish while M had a pulled pork with raspberry chipotle sauce sandwich.

Getting Ready for Takeoff

There's always a ton to do before we take off for a trip. Mostly, it's getting the house together and the animals squared away. The daughter of one of our friends is watching the house so the animals can stay all together. It seems to be less traumatic for them all.

Hopefully, there will be a few places to post a blog. If not, I'll catch up with you all when we return.

Summer is Finally Here!

Things are a lot different living in Oregon than living in California, especially when it comes to riding. It's been a long cold snowy winter and we are so happy to finally be back on the bike.

Tuesday, we leave for a trip to the northeast area of Oregon. It's supposed to be beautiful.