Day 7 - Downhills and headwinds
Once again Lorri rode with me while Charlie drove ahead with the dogs. We were treated to a great downhill on Hwy. 62 after leaving the park. It went on and on until it eventually reached the flat lands a few miles from Fort Klamath. This was familiar turf for me, but Lorri had never been here before and this part of the trip was an unexpected bonus for her. Once on the flats we realized we'd be dealing with headwinds the rest of the day. I had originally planned to do the loop out to the Wood River, but once we got out on the flat I really didn't feel like climbing back up into the woods. It was a good choice because I had under estimated the distance to Rocky Point, and with the wind in our face it was a hard enough ride without adding more.
I was happy to see the little Organic Market was still alive at the old motel/cabins in Fort Klamath. We stopped to get some snacks and spent some time talking to a couple who were also coming from the Crater ride. They had done a lot of touring and the woman had a really nice touring bike from Sweat Pea in Portland. Lorri got to talk to her about her bikes and about the touring they have done, which fit right in with my mission to introduce Lorri to as much about touring as possible. After meeting Jessica, who was a hard core bike packer, this was a good contrast as these people's touring style was more like what we call "credit card touring" where you don't carry a whole lot and stay at motels, or B&Bs, rather than camping.
From Fort Klamath we headed out across the farmland towards Rocky Point. Even with the wind it was a pleasant ride. Once we got to Westside road we were up against the hills and at times were sheltered from the wind. It was a bit farther than I thought to Rocky Point but we still got there relatively early. We had a nice cabin waiting for us, and the store had beer, so what more could we ask for. I kicked back while Charlie and Lorri took out a kayak to paddle around in the reeds.