Rides

Day 11 - Heading north

I took my time getting out of town. I stopped at the Co-op for second breakfast, even though I hadn't done any riding since first breakfast, and ran into the Thursday moring retired guys breakfast. So I got to see Ed and Larry, which was really nice. So I had some oatmeal and talked with them for a while, and then got a few supplies and headed out. 

It was threatening rain as I found my way down to the bike path, then it actually started raining as I met another bike tourist headed the other direction. He had been following the Sierra-Cascade ACA route but got of course and ended up in Medford. Unfortunate, but now he was almost to Ashland and back on route. I had a bit of a struggle getting through Medford myself, but finally found my way out to the roads that parallel Hwy. 62 out to Shady Cove. It had stopped raining by now and was a pretty nice day. Rogue River road on the other side of the river from 62, is a particularly nice ride.

Once I got on the Trail/Tiller road my plan was to just ride until I got tired and look for a nice place to camp. The road followed a completely dry river bed. I guess it was Trail Creek. It looked like it would be a good sized creek in the spring. I kept going until I had been climbing a good ways and then found a gated, but not signed, logging road off to the west. I pushed and rode my bike up this road for about a half mile until I found a nice spot and made camp.

Day 8 - Back to familiar territory

Got an early start. Very beautiful morning at Rocky Point. Its a great spot to see the sunrise over the lake and reeds. Took the side road along the lake front out to highway 140. 140 had a really wide shoulder, then no shoulder, then an adequate shoulder for the 2 mile climb. The climb was not steep` and soon I was at the junction for Dead Indian Memorial, the road to Ashland. It was still quite cool and shady in the woods but I was warmed up from the climb. I remembered why I like these woods so much. In the Coast Range and western Cascades the undergrowth is so thick you can't easily walk out into the woods. Here the woods are open and you can wander off anywhere, yet the trees are still good size with a mix of Doug Fir and Ponderosa Pine.

I took it easy stopping a few times to eat and drink and enjoy the morning. Before I knew it I was at Lilly Glen horse park so I stopped for lunch, hung in my hammock, and played my Shakuhachi, before the final climb to Buck Prairie.

The descent down into Ashland was spectacular. In all of my touring nothing matches this. The views of Mt. Ashland and the Siskiyous were breathtaking, as was the curvy mostly smooth road down. I was glad I had disc brakes and that I had tightened them a bit before the descent. As Ashland came into view nestled against the mountains at the end of Bear Creek valley, I remembered what a scenic spot it is.

I always get emotional on bike tours, partly due to the physical exhaustion of riding everyday, and partly from the exhilaration from the spectacular climbs and scenery. So riding down a fabulous mountain road to a place I called home for 25 years, and where my kids grew up, brought up a lot of feelings. I could move back here. Its a great place and I have good friends here. Its an option I will have to consider.

I rode through town directly to the Caldera pub and had a beer and second lunch. This is bike touring at its finest. Then proceeded to my hosts Dan and Ellen's house, which of course is on a street as steep as any of the mountain passes I rode over to get here.

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.

Awesome. Thousands of riders. Supported rest stops with water, Cliff Bars and fruit. A bit windy and cool but still beautiful.

Paul and John met us at the parking lot as planned. It was a bit cold to start but we knew we'd be climbing right away. Many riders were doing the ride in the opposite direction, presumably as an out and back to avoid the construction. As expected no one seemed to have too trouble on the unpaved section, and everyone had a blast on the new pavement on a fast downhill. There were more cars parked at north entrance than we'd ever seen here before. They were lined up for about a quarter mile past the gate.

The wind was starting to gust as we came around the east side. It remained a factor the rest of the day. It was never directly in our face, except maybe for the climb up to Cloud Cap, but the side wind made for some tricky descents. It was also partly cloudy and cooler than it had been the day before.

I was riding my Trucker. I left all my gear back at camp but I still had a very heavy bike over all of these hills. I did fine, not really climbing much slower than I do on a lighter bike. The Trucker was especially nice and stable on the fast downhills, something I really appreciated after my experience 2 years ago on the Grand Randonneur when I had some front end wobble issues. Though the GR is much better now (after installing a roller bearing headset) I still don't have as much confidence on fast downhills as I did on the Trucker. It was great fun.

This was certainly a different rim ride this year. The car-free days attract thousands of riders from all over. And this year there were 3 rest stops with lots of Cliff Bars, fruit, and water. I especially enjoyed the new nut butter filled Cliff Bars. I ate a bunch of them and really felt an energy boost on the last big climb. I don't think I had been eating enough on previous days of this tour. I will try and east more from now on.

Day 5 - Over the Rim.

Today I had a riding buddy. Lorri rode with me while Charlie drove the car, took care of the dogs, and got our campsite. We wandered around the Diamond Lake campgrounds a bit trying to find a bike path but soon got back on track. It was a few miles on highway 140 heading east before we got to the park entrance. All up hill of course. There was a long line of cars at the entrance, which at first was not moving. When we finally got there I just flashed my old-folks-get-in-free card (a.k.a. senior pass) and the ranger just waved us on. Free is good! There was a lot of traffic, more than I expected. It was a plesant climb, gentle at first but increasingly steep as we neared the rim. We stopped at a nice viewpoint on what they call the Pumice Desert as nothing much wants to grow on the volcanic debris there.

We finally got to the rim and stopped to celebrate. I was just shy of 200 miles from home. I have no idea what the cumulative vertical was but Corvallis is at about 250' and we were now over 7,000'. That's a lot of climbing! The weather was still great and it was warm and sunny on the rim. I had my bike leaning on it's kickstand and Lorri was sitting a bit too close to it when a big gust of wind came along and knocked it over, bashing her arm in the process. Fortunately it did not impede her riding. Even though we had ridden less than 20 miles at this point I think Lorri was impressed to have climbed to such an incredible place.

It was now time to navigate the construction we had heard about. The first part was new pavement! The pilot car took all the cars ahead and we pretty much had the road to ourselves. It was all up hill on this stretch. We got to the end of the new pavement and stopped at a viewpoint. We then had a mile or so of unpaved surface. It was not so much gravel as hard packed dirt and rocks. Not at all a problem for our bikes, which both had wide tires. I wondered how it would be for the skinny tire riders the next day.

We were soon at the tourist area on the west side and stopped at the restaurant for a snack. Then it was the really fast 3 mile downhill, followed by 4 more miles of mostly fast down hill, and then the campground.

We were hanging out at the store/bathrooms/showers at the entrance to the Mazama campground when we met Jessica. She was riding a gravel bike with very minimalist bikepacking setup. She had a front roll, a small frame bag, and a Revelate seat bag. She had come 300 mile from Truckee taking forest roads around Mt. Shasta, solo. Certainly more impressive than my 200 mile ride, but I have no problem being outdone by a much younger woman. We made friends with Jessica and she joined us for diner at the lodge. This was an introduction to bike touring trip for Lorri so I was really glad for her to be exposed to a solo woman bikepacker.

Day 4 - Lots more climbing

Another beautiful morning. Nothing but sunshine so far. I'd driven the North Umpqua highway before so I sort of knew what to expect. There is a great mountain bike trail that follows the river, with trail access every 10 miles or so. I knew it was a real mountain bike trail and not something I could ride on my loaded Trucker. The road climbed steady but at a manageable grade. I was hoping to find a store to get some ice tea and soon noticed one of those 'road supported by' signs with 'Dry Creek Store'. Sure enough I soon saw the big sign on the highway saying 'Dry Creek Store - Opened'. Only it wasn't opened. It was closed permanently. Another rural business gone. There would be no store until Diamond Lake.

The North Umpqua is very scenic and has some amazing waterfalls. We had been to Lemolo Falls some years ago. Its a ways off the road and then a good hike in so I knew I wouldn't get there this trip, but I did stop at Clearwater Creek falls which is right on the highway. Another beautiful spot. There is a campground there as well. I talked to some people from California who were enjoying a road trip though Oregon.

There had been no cell service since I left Cottage Grove. I was to meet Lorri and Charlie at Diamond Lake but we had neglected to plan where to meet in the event of no wifi. I started to worry about this a bit as the day wore on. Then somewhere high in the mountains I came into cell service and things started beeping at me as messages came in. I continued climbing for what seemed like forever until I finally got to the Diamond Lake turnoff. There was a store right there and I stopped and got a drink, but passed on the ice cream thinking I'd get some at the resort further down the road. But then I rode right by the resort and soon came to the campground entrance. There are several campgrounds at Diamond Lake and we had discussed staying at either of the others, but not this one. I was exhausted and when I saw that the campground was mostly empty, and that there were great spots right on the lake, and that it would only coast me $8 with my senior pass, well not much to debate. I found a spot, got settled and pulled out my phone to let Charlie and Lorri know where I was. No service! What! I had service all the way in. So I rode back out thinking I'd have service up on the road. No luck. Starting to panic now I headed back to the resort a mile or so back down the road. For a minute I had service and tried to text them, but it didn't go through. I got to the resort, the lodge, and they had wifi. Lucked out again. Got my message through, and confirmed our camping spot. Got some ice cream and other treats at the store, and headed back to camp.

It was a beautiful spot and I got to watch the sun go down on the opposite side of the lake. Lorri and Charlie didn't show up until after sunset but they saw it fro further back. They brought dinner so we feasted and enjoyed the evening. The full moon soon rose and it was a spectacular night. I sat down by the lake side and played my shakuhachi before bed.

Day 3 - Over the divide.

Another beautiful morning. Today I would cross over from the Row River valley, which is in the Willamette drainage, to the North Umpqua. The road was still as wide as a highway with a good shoulder and zero traffic. The first few miles were easy and I started fantasizing that it would be that way the whole way over the divide. Of course not! At about 8 mile up I came to a fork. The map showed the gravel road on the left, as well as the paved road on the right, both going through to Canton Creek road, which is the road down to the North Umpqua. There was a road sign saying to take the paved Clark Creek road, and so I did. It was a nice single lane paved road all the way over.

Very steep though. I had to push at least 2 miles of the 4 miles of 10% and steeper grade. Eventually I started noticing how high up I was and how stunning the views were. I was way up in the western Cascades. At the top there was a Y with no signs at all. The map showed the left fork as the road I wanted but it was very reassuring to see that someone had written "Steamboat" with an arrow on that road. Steamboat is the town on the North Umpqua I was headed for.

"Every mountain has a down hill, every mountain has a fast thrill, you may be crawling on the upside, but you'll be flying on the down side." Sung to the tune of "Good Old Rock and Roll" by Bob Seeger. Just a little ditty I made up to get me over the top. Sure enough I was soon flying down the mountain. In this case the downhill was much longer than the uphill had been. I had not seen one car, but just 3 motorcycles the whole way over. I ran into the first car 12 miles from the top. It was a guy pulling a teardrop camper. He said his wife was not far behind riding a bike. I said he'd better wait for her before it got steep as it was a really hard climb. I ran into her a few minutes later, riding a light weight road bike and looking really fit. I told her about the steep climb but had little doubt she would have no trouble with it.

I got out to the North Umpqua highway hoping to find a little store, but there was none. I didn't know at the time that the town of Steamboat was a little ways down the road in the opposite direction. So it was on to the campground, which was deserted except for Derral. Derral had living in the Apple Creek campground BLM campground all summer. He had a big pile of firewood and all the comforts of living in the woods. He invited me for dinner. A while later when I showed up he offered me a beer and said to fish it out of the cooler. He had a bunch of typical American beer and two small cans he said someone had given him. I took one of those and saw it was Caldera. "Caldera" I said, "this is brewed in Ashland, where I lived for 25 years". "Ashland" he said, "you must be a liberal. I hate liberals". It was an interesting evening. He still fed me dinner and we managed to tiptoe around the political discussions. It somehow escaped him that he was living all summer, paying $5 a day, in a federal campground, the kind that republicans would love to shut down. I enjoyed the food, thanked him for it, and then went off to play my shakuhachi along the North Umpqua river on a beautiful moonlit night.

Day 2 - Free beer

Woke up and got going at a reasonable hour. Days are not long as they were in mid summer, but I knew I'd have plenty of daylight to get in the distance I needed. Had a little breakfast but no tea and hoped I'd find a cafe in Lorane for a good second breakfast. I was not disappointed. The Lorane store had a nice little cafe and I had tea and a second breakfast of eggs, hashbrowns, and toast. I think second breakfast might be the most important meal for bicycle tourists.

From Lorane I took the road to Cottage Grove. Here I encountered the first real climbing of the trip, though nothing like what I would encounter later on. There is a nice divide between the Coast Range valley that Territorial goes through, and the Willamette. It was a short climb though and soon I was cruising down into Cottage Grove. This is a town I have passed through on the freeway hundreds of times, and even stopped for the night at a motel, but never actually saw the town. Such is the beauty of bicycle travel. I stopped for a snack and a rest in a nice little park on the Row River, and then rode right down Main street. Cottage Grove really is a nice town that I never appreciated before.

I missed the turn to the Row River rail-to-trail, but that turned out to be a good thing. At some point I had the thought that I should get a map. Google is always a little sketchy when it comes to forest roads. Not long after I thought about it I saw a sign for the ranger station. It was still a few miles down the road but I found it, got a huge map of the Umpqua district, and chatted with the ranger. Things continued to work out well.

The road had a good shoulder with little traffic. Once again I missed a chance to get on the bike path. The paved rail-to-trail went on the north side of Dorena Lake and for some reason I thought I should stay on the south side. It wouldn't have matter. The road I wanted was well past the lake. I passed the lake and what I thought was the town of Dorena, where there was nothing, and then came to an old store that looked like it was on its last legs. They told me this was actually Dorena. I got water and a few other things to get me through the next day as I knew I'd be in the deep woods all day.

Some days are likea bike tourists dream. The last town I passed though before heading up into the woods was Culp Creek, once again with no services. As I entered the town I heard someone call out so I stopped. A guy about my age and his son were working on their house. They had never seen a loaded touring bike before. We chatted and they offered me a bottle of home brew to take with me. Can't beat that! I got to the campground 5 miles later and it was closed. I love closed campgrounds! Free camping and I had the whole place to myself. I found a sunny spot on the edge of the woods, put up my tent and drank the beer, then relaxed in my hammock, just thinking what a great life this is. ​

Day one. Tailwinds. 

My first stop was the garden first to water and get some veggies for the trip. Green pepper, tomatoes, and kale will all survive several days in my panniers. I decided to take 99 instead of Bellfountain to avoid the hills, then from Monroe I took Territorial. Tailwind was great and I made it much farther than I had planned. It felt like a very good omen for a bike tour to have a tailwind get me started. Territorial had very little traffic. it was a lovely ride through farm fields and forests.

I had a snack at the Crow store and continued on down the road. I saw a really nice place to camp under some trees next to a field by a creek, but it was owned by some rick folks and the caretaker said he wasn't 'authorized' to let anyone camp there. I continued on and found an unlocked gate, with no 'no trespassing' signs, leading down to a neglected field with plenty of places to pitch my tent out of sight of the road. So that was my first camp. A quiet and very pleasant night.

Joined the Tenners for a short ride before turning back so that I could get to the "Water is Life" event on the river front. Warm morning, hot afternoon. 

Started and ended in Blodgett. Summit -> Hoskins road -> Alexander road -> Kings Valley road -> Harris road -> Tum Tum road -> Blodgett. Beautiful day, mid 70's. I was running on low energy. 

Still doing all my running around on the Saga.

Several weeks trips to the garden, shopping, January on the Piccalo, and into town.

Showed up at 9 but no one there. Started to ride solo but then circled back and went with the tenner. Most of the group split of early and I stayed with Rann and Doreen on their tandem, and Tom. Fast paced ride, but not as bad as the Wednesday group. A little wind. Not too hot.

Via Dever-Conner. Back over Scrael Hill. Bet fast paced ride   

Managed to sleep past 9. Must have been dehydrated because I didn't have to get up and pee. Cool but sunny in the morning. Really like this spot by the path. Had my tea on the beach. Then walked and played my Shakuhachi. Had a leisurely breakfast then started riding north. The fog was drifting in and out. Stopped at Driftwood beach during what turned out to be the hottest part of the day. Sat on a dune and played my Shakuhachi. Tried to nap but not sleepy.

I decided to ride up Beaver Creek since I have never been up that way. Very nice as all these coastal valleys are. Went to where it turned to gravel about 4 miles up. Coming back down I could see the fog had moved in. It was much cooler when I got back to the highway. Stopped at South Beach to decide what to do. Decided it was cold and damp and I could camp but didn't feel like it so I caught the 5:30 bus home. I had to get home early the next day anyhow. The bus makes it very convenient  

Forecast was for 105 at home so I rode to the beach. Man said it was already 100 when I got to Alsea but it didn't feel that hot. None the less it was a hot ride until about 10 miles from the coast when I started feeling a cool headwind. It was 66 when I got to Waldport and cooled off even more by the time I got to Beachside. I tried to sleep on the beach but it was too windy. New camp site right by the path I like to take to the beach. 

Several rides. Getting very hot again. 

Got out early enough for the Wednesday club ride. Fast pace. Long hilly way to Brownsville. Normal route back with headwinds. 

Out 99 to Airport. Nice morning ride before it got too hot. 

Over several days. One ride with January on the Piccalo.

Night ride through McDonald Forest to Dimple Hill. Slept out watching the meteor shower. Back down Oak Creek in the morning to the garden and then home.

Discovered that dynamo powered lights don't really cut it when climbing at night. They dim down quite a bit when riding below 5mph. Fortunately I mounted my old mountain bike light on my helmet which worked great. That batter has to be close to 10 years old and still cranking.

Another beautiful summer morning. Wind was picking up out of the north, so that's the way I went. Extra loop out Oak Grove. Home via 99/Arboretum.

Cool cloudy misty morning. A nice change. Mellow ride. 

A couple of trips. 

First ride post cataract surgery. Beautiful morning. 

Plus some extra running around.

Rode from home aiming for 200k. Fell short by 2k. 

3 days. With trailer one day. 

Actually stayed with Trust and Modesty in Miunt Vernon Sundy night. Made it much easier to get to the train station in the morning. 

Bill and Lisa's place is actually south of Granite Falls near Lake Bosworth. 

Jordan road from GF to Arlington. Centennial Trail for a few miles, then 9 and some back roads. 

Got a fairly early start. It wasn't quite as cold this morning as it has been. BG trail to Bothell then roads to Snohomish, then the Centennial Trail for 5 miles, and then back on roads. 

Lots of hills at the end, especially a really steep hill up to Bill and Lisa's house. 

Got a late start but we drove to the ferry terminal. Very hilly, especially as soon as we started riding. Very scenic as well. We did the shorter route which was fine with me. Even though Lorri was on her MTB I still had to work really hard to keep up with her. 

Over 2 days. First day to REI and then Peloton bike shop and cafe. Day 2 to Discovery Park, back, and then to Lorri and Charlie's.

Went into town to see John Strayer playing. Then went to Free Range Cycles in Freemont, and then Performance Bike in U district. Got turned around a few times, but never lost.

Mostly on the Burke-Gillman trail. It was dark when I got back but with all the street light you wouldn't know it.

It was cold in the mountains so I kept on riding.

Got up early but was in no hurry to get going. Seemed like it would be a nicer day. Nothing much exciting from where I camped to the tunnel. The headwind was gone so it was very easy riding. There were some signs for the train stops that used to be.

Got my lights on and started riding into the tunnel. My light seemed inadequate, I suppose because my eyes were not yet acclimated to the dark. Almost from the start I could see the light at the end of the tunnel 2 miles away. I saw another, whiter light coming towards me. It was a woman heading for Cle Elum. First cyclist I met on the trail was in the tunnel. As I continued on I started making up a song "There's a light at the end of the tunnel ...". It never came together but it had a nice sound. And then I was through. There were some picnic tables so I stopped for a snack. The sun was out and it felt warmer, but as soon as I started riding it was cold again. Now the 2% grade was downhill and I was riding faster. I was doing 8-9 mph uphill and now I was doing 12-14. The surface improved as well with less loose gravel. I met another pair of cyclists that were headed for Ellensburg, and another one headed to the tunnel and back. Soon there were more people out for day rides. There was also a class of kids learning rock climbing.

Passed the first of two campgrounds which looked pretty nice with spots off in the woods and one right on a creek. Got to the second campground, where I was planning on staying, and it was not so nice. Plus it was cold, and early in the day. I only had about 18 miles. So I kept going thinking maybe there would be other places to camp, but the realization that I would ride all the way to Seattle kept growing.

The JWPT ended and the Snoqualmie Valley Trail began with little disruption. In some ways this part of the trail was even nicer as it was very green and followed the Snoqualmie River. After about 10 mile on this there was a bridge across the river and then a steep set of stairs down to a road. I could see a sign that the trail continued after the road, but I did not want to negotiate those stairs so I headed back about a mile to the last cross road. I had Google Maps reroute from there and kept riding. It never took me back to the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. Instead it took me through the town of Snoqualmie and then got me lost in a neighborhood. Once again I was saved by a local. Brent or Brett was out on a road bike and offered to guide me to the Snoqualmie-Preston trail. We wound around neighborhoods, through a no-cars access road, and down a really steep hill. I don't know how I ever would have found it. He said goodbye at the trailhead and headed home while I continued, now back on course. This trail was paved but soon turned to dirt single track down a steep switchback trail. I had to walk. I would have walked even on a mountain bike. At the bottom it continued a long a road and then back into the woods on a nice paved bike path.

Short ride. Cold and gray. Followed the Yakima a little more and then finally left it behind. Camped by a big reservoir. The freeway is on the other side but the camp is in the woods so I can't here it. Light rain. Should be nicer tomorrow. 

Second day on the Iron Horse Trail.

The wind blew hard all night long and kept right on blowing in the morning. I was in no hurry but still got going fairly early. With the fierce wind in my face I could only manage 6 mph. Waited until I reached a picknick table to make my tea. There were 3 or 4 spots in this stretch, one of which had a pit toilet and 3 actual tent sites. I hope to see more of that as I continue. After a while it stated getting colder and there were dark clouds to the west. It even sprinkled a bit. 

I met a rider named Dan going the other way. He had a 29er mountain bike pulling a Bob Ibex trailer. He had come through the Snoqulamie tunnel the day before and said there were lots of people and kids. I went through 2 short tunnels today. My light did not seem super bright in the tunnel. Bright enough though. The trail continued to be well packed gravel which would have been easy riding without the wind.

There was a steep hill to climb to get to Ron and Tish's house. After a day on the rail-to-trail it was different to be back on pavement climbing hills. I really like the 2% grade.

The forecast is for rain in the mountains and on the west side for 2 days and then partly sunny on Wednesday. I'll probably stay here tomorrow and wait it out.

The Yakima Greenway Trail, Yakima Canyon and the Iron Horse John Wayne Trail.

The start of the Greenway Trail was very close to the motel I stayed at in Union Gap. There was a detour right at the beginning but it was probably even nicer than the main route. The Yakima River is wide and fast flowing here. I completely skirted Yakima on a nice bike path which ended somewhere near Selah. From there it was a few connecting roads to road 821, a.k.a Canyon Road.

Canyon Road should be on every cyclists must ride list. Its closed to trucks which is good as it is narrow without much shoulder. This being a big holiday weekend there were a lot of cars, but everyone was courteous and gave me lots of room. It was a very scenic ride. As to be expected on a road that follows a river up a canyon the road would climb up off the river, and then zoom back down. There were a few steep climbs, but they were pretty short. There were a number of BLM recreation areas that were full up for the weekend. Lots of river rafting and fishing.

As I approached the top of the canyon the mountains came into view. It was a joyful moment to see the mountains again. While it can be beautiful in its own way I'm not that at home in the desert and I was really looking forward to getting back into the forests and mountains.

But first there was the wind. Ellensburg may be one of the world's windiest places and I was riding straight into it. It wasn't far from the end of Canyon Road to the junction of the John Wayne Trail. Although it is called by both names it is officially the John Wayne Trail, which runs through Iron Horse State Park. I was pleased and relieved that the trail was well packed gravel and very ridable with my 2 inch tires. I know further east there is a lot of sand and I wasn't sure about this section. There were some spots with loose gravel but my fat tires just floated right through it. I was really going to enjoy this ride, that is if I wasn't riding into a 25 mph headwind.

The first 10 miles or so was through farmland and fields. The trail parallels I-90 an in some spots was close enough to hear it. I was getting tired and beat up by the wind and started looking for a place to camp. There was not much as the railroad bed is raised up and drops off steeply to either side. Somewhere near Thorpe it crossed a side road by a freeway exit where there was a store. I had a nice ice cream break and met a father and son who were riding mountain bikes from Cle Elum. Must be nice with the wind at your back. A little further up, and still battling the wind I met a woman walking her dog. She pointed ahead to were the trail entered the trees and said I'd be back in the river canyon and the wind would not be as bad. Sure enough the trees offered some shelter. The trail was now on a wider ledge a hundred feet or so above the river. I soon found a decent place to camp for the night that was already getting some shade from the trees and ridge to the south.

The river was wide and very fast here and pretty quiet. The wind however roared all night. I was able to get my tent up during a lull. At first I left the rain fly off but I got up in the night and put it on to better hold the tent down and offer some protection from the wind. Even with the wind I slept quite well. I was dead tired from 2 long days of riding, and finally away from it all and camping in the wild.