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Oregon Outback 2015 – Day 3

09 Tuesday Jun 2015

Tags

Crooked River, Deschutes National Forest, Fort Rock, Gravel Touring, Hammock camping, hammocks, Oregon Outback, Prineville Reservoir, tuff ring


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-Endless

Day 3 started out with the epic straight flat road common in areas wealthy in sheer space. We rode into the tiny town of Fort Rock realizing we had missed our chance at a party the night before. Lots of bikers were camped out behind the bar and in the patio. We filled our water reservoirs and bottles, and carried on past the Tuff Ring that is Fort Rock. This was formed 50-100 thousand years ago when a 150-foot-deep lake filled the basin and an upswell of magma hit the mud and water of the lake bottom. The area looked a lot like what I would imagine of a drained sea, with the scrub brush like a floor of coral and seaweed. It reminded me of areas of southern New Mexico – vast concave landform.

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– Yours Truly

We gradually climbed out of the Fort Rock Valley ascending into the Deschutes National Forest. Trees were still sparse, but we were getting back into the pines. The smell – if they only bottled it! This was the first sunny day, so it was a warm ride. It would require most of our water on this stretch – I don’t recall a refill until we reached our destination.

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– Looking Thirsty

The third day is supposed to be tough, and I felt it. After the dry forestland, we meandered across more sparse brushy vistas. At mile-57, we started an amazing descent down into Sage Hollow. For the next 10 miles we followed Bear Creek and speeds were in the 20+ mph range.  Not many photos on this day – too much good riding to do.

At the bottom was a beautiful, green ranch with a paved road, but there was one wicked climb up around Taylor Butte. This was in the heat of the afternoon, and no cooling wind was helping us out – it felt like we were pedaling in an oven. We only went up 800 ft in 2.5 miles, but it was brutal granny-gear crawling with the loaded bikes. We felt our destination nearing as we reached the top, and after a nice descent, we reached the Prineville Reservoir.

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– Water

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– Crooked River Cliffs

After a short hop across the dam, we made good time down the paved road along the Crooked River, and arrived at our favorite campsite of the trip: Big Bend. I had a nice rinse in the cold water of the river, and washed a few items. Lots of folks were fly fishing up and downstream.  This was the height of the Memorial Day weekend, but there were still plenty of campsites open. Remote areas don’t get much business even in these heady dayz.

Our water had lasted around 70 miles – one of the longer dry stretches. That said, there were several places we could have begged water along the way if things were worse.

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– Camp. Picnic!

Knowing more about the correct level for my hammock, and after a 78-mile day, I retired around 7:30pm and the birds sang me to a deep, restful sleep.

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– Just the stars to look at tonight!

Route Map – Day 3

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Posted by Stonehog | Filed under Cycling

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Oregon Outback 2015 – Day 2

08 Monday Jun 2015

Tags

badgers, bones, Cowboy Dinner Tree, Gravel Touring, Hammock camping, hammocks, Hunqapillar, Oregon Outback, Silver Lake, tall bikes


Waking up to rain is not a great start, so when it happens, I generally go back to sleep.  It worked this time!  The rain stopped, we got up, ate, broke camp and were on the bikes on a nice paved section by 9:30am.  The first part of the ride was a welcome relief from the day before on the bumpy OC&E, but we knew it wouldn’t last long.

Our first surprise came when we surprised a badger who had made a den right on the side of the road.  With some trepidation, I went back for the photo opp as we were cruising when he popped out.

Say “meat!”

He seemed curious, but we stayed well away.  He looked to be about the size of my dog (40 lbs) but likely much more fierce.  Onward then.  Lots of washboard road this day.  It helped that dozens of folks had already been through on bikes.  We had a nice, packed trail to follow most of the time.

We had filtered 2 liters from Fivemile Creek at the beginning of the day.  The only town we would pass through was Silver Lake at the 50-mile point, and we didn’t know the state of the rivers, though with the recent rain, we probably ended up carrying too much water most of the time.  We stopped around 11am at a picturesque bridge with a ton of swallow nests to refill for the haul up to town.

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Shortly after 11:15am, John’s rear tire sprung a leak.  Similar story to the day before.  Rear tire (of course), but with some careful pumping and spinning, we got it to hold air.  Tubeless – 2, flats – 0.

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This was another partly cloudy, forested day.  The scenic level was high as we meandered past the Sycan Marsh area and stopped on a flat spot for our lunch.  The first couple days we generally had an oatmeal and hot chocolate breakfast, and salami and cheese for lunch.  We also snacked throughout the ride on various healthy snacks including gorp, seaweed chips, coconut bars and plenty of filtered water.

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We managed to stay dry, and at 1:30pm, we came upon our second badger of the day.  This one was seen scampering across the road in the distance, and we didn’t really know what it was until we rolled up nearby and saw the den.  He was smaller, but just as photogenic!

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We started to get into the red pumice part of the ride.  The roads were pretty packed from the moisture, so riding was not a problem here. Pretty road – no traffic whatsoever.

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The fabled Cowboy Dinner Tree was in this section, and we rolled in around 3:30pm. No reservations, so I took some photos, and we pedaled on.

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We rolled into Silver Lake in time to catch a couple guys on tall bikes. They had left a few days earlier, and were making pretty good time.  My bud Colin from last year’s Entmoot ride was there with his solar-power-charging-stationed Cycle Truck, which made a great tall bike kickstand.  It’s amazing who you meet in the middle of nowhere.

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The proprietor of the local store said the guys that were racing had been through the night before looking hypothermic in not much more than lycra.  They had gone through a couple thunderstorms with hail, and were looking worse for wear.  She had been worried about their health, but they managed to continue on.  Alas – no coconut helado bars, but we filled up our snack bags. and were soon on our way.  The remainder of the day was a fairly long flat slog for about 8 miles on Pitcher Road.

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We saw a few vehicles on this stretch, and I just tucked in behind John “leg of ox” Halunen after taking a feeble attempt at leading.  We found the “last of the trees” for our hammocks on a small rise before Fort Rock, and made camp in a small turnoff.

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It was here that I learned that having my head too low was not a workable sleep situation (see pic above).  I ended up sleeping pretty poorly that night. Perhaps the bones and the sounds of coyotes exacerbated the blood rushing to my head?  That or the last of the bourbon? There were several types of animal remains in the immediate area. This really added to the western outback feel.

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– Dubbed – Camp of Bones

Route and Map – Day 2

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Posted by Stonehog | Filed under Cycling

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Oregon Outback 2015 – Day 1

07 Sunday Jun 2015

Tags

bike touring, gravel grinding, Gravel Touring, hammock, Hammock camping, Hunqapillar, OC&E rail trail, Oregon Outback, rivendell, Surly Troll, touring, western backroads


I have a lot of photos from a recent adventure, so I’m going to break up this post into riding days.  At the end, I’ll try to sum up several things that worked really well, and what it took to get ready for an offroad tour.  Onward!

I haven’t been as excited for a trip in years.  The Oregon Outback travels through a lot of area I’ve never seen.  For good reason – there aren’t many roads that bisect it.  I had an inkling of the terrain, but what it would really require or be like was still unknown.

With lingering doubts about knee pain, soft shoes with flat pedals, and lightweight tubeless tires, I set out for adventure. These sort of epic trips generally come with solid learning experiences.  The first one happened when we arrived at the train station in Seattle with nicely packed bike boxes, carrying our bike baggage.

Boxed and ready

After we checked the bikes, we noticed there were four or five bikes that were being wheeled around the lobby with everything put together and be-bagged. Wow. I wanted to go back and un-check our boxes.  That would have saved us an hour up front packing the bikes.  Not to mention the re-build at the end of the journey…

The train ride out of Seattle was nice, going mostly alongside the Puget Sound and the Columbia River before moving more inland at Portland.

Bridge view

The Coast Starlight!

When we reached Klamath Falls, OR, we waited as 100+ ready-to-go bikes were handed down to their owners to be immediately ridden away. After carefully putting on the front rack, bags, and straightening the bars and stem in the dark railroad yard at 10pm, we rode over to the Olympic Inn for a short rest before the 7am start.

Pack’n

Surly Style

In the morning we double-checked our packing job, and then ate a good breakfast that included oatmeal, biscuits and gravy, and eggs.  At a bit after 7am, we were off.  The forecast was for rain and scattered thunderstorms.

Rain ahead

The OC&E is a great trail.  Nice and flat, but with a fair amount of cow deposits and cattle gates, the going was flat, messy, and interrupted.  At this point in the ride, we  were still seeing a fair amount of riders, but as the day wore on, we quickly spread out and found ourselves with lots of quiet time to think.

One of the many – open/close

At one of the 40+ cattle gates, I noticed my rear tire was losing air.  I stopped and pumped it up.  The hole was obvious, losing some of the sealant (Stan’s), but it didn’t seem too bad, so I spun the tire, put the hole at the bottom, and pumped it up again.  We rode on a few more gates, and it started holding air.  After bringing it back up to 40psi, I never had to gas it again.  Now that’s what I’m talkin’ bout!

One of the food highlights of the first day during a rare warm sun break was a brief stop in Beatty, about a mile off the trail.  We had coconut helado ice bars.  I was looking for them at every stop for the rest of the trip.

Coconut Helado, I love thee!

The OC&E steadily turned more remote, and less groomed.  The trail was great, but more grass was on the trail as we got further north/east.  After a good climb up an old railway switchback, we stopped for the view and some water.  It was misting at this point.

Misty low pass

We were entering ranch country.  No towns were bigger than a few houses, and perhaps a post office.  It was never-ending ranch lands with few roads or access.  This is the real west!

Relic

Lost tracks

We lasted about 7 hrs of moving time for about 72 miles.  We both felt pretty good and set up camp in between showers right where we were hopping off the trail.  There was a river nearby, so we knew we had water for the next part of the journey.

Up off the wet ground – Hammocks for the win!

John said it poured on us at 2am, but I heard nothing.  I never knew sleeping in the woods could be so comfortable.  To be continued…

Ride With GPS Route Info – Day 1

Posted by Stonehog | Filed under Cycling

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Bike Camping

17 Sunday May 2015

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling, Northwest, Randonneuring

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Bike Camping, bikepacking, camp lists, Hunqapillar, Oregon Outback, rivendell, whisky


Big trips have a way of creeping up on me.  I’m heading down to Klamath Falls, OR on Thursday for a week in the Oregon outback, and I felt the need to re-do my bike today (and buy a new lawn mower).  Is this trip nesting?

After modifications

I am borrowing a pair of panniers from a co-worker for the trip, but I still feel like I’ll be strapping a lot of extra stuff to the bike when I finally set out.  I have a bike box thanks to my touring partner, but I haven’t even started to pack up yet.  At this point, I’m going through my various camping lists from past trips, and trying to figure out what I may and may not need.

Camp List:

  • Hammock
  • Fly
  • Tarp (in case I have to bivy)
  • Headlamp
  • Knife
  • Cook Kit (Trangia stove and various pots)
  • Fuel
  • Matches/Lighter
  • Bug Spray
  • Sun Screen
  • Toilet Paper
  • Wipes
  • Soap
  • Towel
  • Water Filter (doubles as 4L water storage)

Bike Tools:

  • Tool kit (fixit sticks with 3,4,5,6,8mm, phillips, flat, assorted torx)
  • 3-way socket wrench with 8, 9, 10mm
  • 2 tubes
  • 1 spare tire
  • Patch kit
  • Levers, duct tape, zip ties
  • Rubber gloves
  • Master link
  • Brake/Derailleur cables
  • Loose nuts and bolts (5, 6mm)
  • Fibre spoke
  • Bike pump

Clothes:

  • Short-sleeve wool shirt (2)
  • Long-sleeve wool shirt (1)
  • Camp Pants – nylon (1)
  • Wool undies (2)
  • Wool socks (3)
  • Sandals
  • Evolv Cruzers (shoes)
  • Rain jacket
  • Hat
  • Hankerchiefs (2)

Miscellaneous weight:

  • Phone running RideWithGPS app
  • 2 spare rechargeable LiIon battery packs
  • Possible solar charger (if I can borrow it)
  • 2 water bottles
  • 1 whisky flask

As for food, we made a list based on each day and where we think we will be.  There are a few small towns where we hope to re-supply and perhaps even dine out, but will be carrying some minimal food in case we get lost.  I’m bringing a bunch of Perpetuem, since it seems to agree with me on the rando rides.  Light weight calories are a good backup.

Only a few days left to gather everything and make sure it fits in my bags.  I also have to pack the bike into the box and get everything taped up and secure.  I’m really starting to look forward to this trip!

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First Prep Ride

05 Sunday Apr 2015

Tags

bikes, Gravel Touring, Oregon Outback, Rivendell Hunqapillar, Schwalbe Thunder Burt, Surly Troll, Whidbey Island


I’ve been planning to do the Oregon Outback ride this year with a friend, and yesterday was our first trial ride with our camp bikes.  We did the 26-mile mostly paved ride I had done on my rando bike a few weeks ago.  There is a short stretch of gravel, so it allowed us a bit of feel for the twisty dirt roads, but this was mainly an equipment shakedown.

Testing the OO setups

We loaded up his Troll and my Mammoth with some bulk, but not a full level of kit. I had the hammock, sleeping bag, and stove, and John had a front bag, frame bag, and a full Ortlieb dry bag. All in, my bike was probably 10+ lbs heavier than my last ride on this loop.

John's Troll

Observations:

  • The Thunder Burts are nice pavement tires – minimal buzz, and great float, and the tubeless setup is holding air nicely
  • I will likely need to put my rear rack back on to support the bag – it rests on the fender, and there will be more weight out back when I add food, clothes, etc…
  • I’m going to put a triple on the front for the extreme climbs with weight – the 48/34 compact double is good, but I want more granny
  • John is checking his chain rings – threw the chain a few times
  • Flat pedals rock
  • Ready to tape the bars – they felt fine on the ride
  • Both bikes had a bit of shimmy at ~20mph – attributed to more weight high up in the back – we should be able to sort it by adding weight in the front, and lower down
  • Our speed was not too different then my solo ride of the reverse loop;  12.3 mph ave vs. 13.7 mph ave – only took an additional 12 mins over the course of 2 hrs
  • The bikes are plenty comfortable
  • I can’t wait for this trip!

 

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Posted by Stonehog | Filed under Cycling, Enduro Offroad, Northwest, Randonneuring

≈ 2 Comments

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