Sunday's ride
Slide Show
Another super on-bike weekend! Friday evening we tromped out to the shop to replace the sprockets on Mike’s bike, only to be stymied by the worlds tightest countershaft nut. Mike decided to wait until the next morning and take it in to one of the shops and have it impacted off.
Saturday morning we both got up early and I took off for Salem. My best school buddy since first grade was having a birthday party for her dad. I got to Mom’s at about 10am and we had fun talking and moving furniture until the party at noon. It was so wonderful seeing old friends and catching up with everyone. I’m still trying to figure out how some people haven’t aged a day, and the rest of us really show our age. It’s not fair!
I lost track of time, and before I knew it, Mom was telling me it was 2:30 already! We raced back to Mom’s house and I changed out of my Sunday best, jumped back in the car, and raced home. Arriving in the driveway about 5pm, Mike had the bikes out, and shortly afterward we were geared up and on the road.
We met up with Eric and Josie in Prineville, then continued on towards John Day. Entering the John Day valley, Mike spotted a huge herd of elk in a field, then we started seeing masses of deer in nearly every green field by the side of the road. Now I know where they raise all the deer for the rest of the state, I swear we saw a thousand of them by the time we got to Bill and Sue’s place just outside John Day. After stopping to say hi, we continued in to town and checked in at Little Pine Motel. I was trying to rush everyone around so we’d get down to the restarant before it closed, but by the time we got there, the ‘Open’ sign was dark. Fortunately the door was unlocked, and a sweet waitress had pity on us! As usual, The Outpost served up a great meal and excellent service.
As we turned in for the night, Josie mentioned she might snore a bit. A few hours later, I got out the earplugs for Mike and myself, and we were able to go back to sleep. Mike really enjoyed teasing Josie about the snoring, and fortunately she’s a good sport!
Checking the map before we head out Sunday morning
After some coffee and oatmeal at The Outpost, we saddled up and headed towards Baker City. The sun was shining and the sky was blue and clear. The mountains look so beautiful with their fresh, white, snow-covered peaks.
Mountain views just outside Canyon City
We pulled into the Shell station in Baker City around noon and gave Lorrin a call. He arrived and led us back to his parent’s home on the outskirts of town.
Riding through downtown and seeing all the cool old buildings really reminded me that someday we’ve got to spend time exploring what was once the largest town in Oregon. It was a hub of activity for settlers following the Oregon Trail, and later served miners during Oregon’s gold rush.
It's the 13th house on the Right!
We settled into lawn chairs on Lorrin’s parent’s front yard and enjoyed some good conversation while waiting for Tom to arrive from Wasco. We didn’t have to wait very long before Tom showed up. The first thing he said when he took off his helmet is “Lorrin, do you know the difference between your left and your right?” Lorrin had told him it was the 13th house on the left when it was actually on the right. Tom had ridden along, looking at the lonely driveways on the left side of the road when out of the corner of his eye he saw a bunch of bikes in front of the house on the right! Lorrin doesn’t make many mistakes, so it was fun to tease him on this one.
We geared back up and were soon on Hwy 203, a beautiful winding road leading towards Union.
Above Baker City
We passed through Medical Springs, and Sue pointed out the pool where Lorrin was once enjoying a swim until he realized he was sharing the water with rattlesnakes.
Union is another great little town with many brick structures built in the late 1800’s. After ordering lunch, Mike and I took a quick stroll down the street to check it out.
There's gotta be some old bikes in here somewhere...
Unfortunately we had to go back to the restaurant and didn’t even get to check out the incredible school and hotel further down the street. We’ll have to come back and spend more time here (added to our growing list of places to spend a day – I think we’ve got enough to keep us busy for the next 25 years!)
As we were getting ready to leave town, I noticed a young man walking down the street. Not an unusual occurrence, except that he had a sheep on a leash at his side. Its not every day you see a kid walking a sheep downtown. Well, maybe it is if you live in Union!
Sheep Walking
Before LaGrande, as we were climbing a small rise I could see ruins of a large building. After cresting the hill I could see a huge barn-sized building which had twisted and collapsed onto itself. I was thinking how cool it would be to stop and take a few photos when an even larger and intact building appeared next to it. Out front was a massive sign reading “Hot Lake“. This brick and white-wood building looked like an old hospital. There were Christmas lights strung along the front balcony, and a steaming pond to the right. It looked a bit creepy, and I couldn’t tell if it was a going concern or abandoned. A large, new, and imposing gate on the entrance road hinted that something was happening here. After returning home, I checked it out online, and they are in fact resurrecting this old hot springs sanitarium. Can’t wait to go see it. Although, honestly, my initial impression of this place is that it’s a bit spooky.
Hot Lake Sanitarium in its heyday
We continued on 203 through LaGrande, then onto I84 for a few minutes, then to 395 and towards Dale.
We pulled into Meadowbrook Campground for a soda and final chat before Lorrin, Sue, Grant and Tom split off towards Wasco and we continued on home with Eric and Josie.
Eric and Josie
Eric was smart and gassed up at Meadowbrook, Mike checked his gauge and was still at half tank. Unfortunately it dropped another bar right after we pulled out of camp, and by Monument we knew we needed fuel. Pulling into the station at Monument, the windows were dark and the sign on the door showed Sunday hours as 8am to 4pm. It was after 5. Fortunately, Mike’s a tenacious fellow, so he rode around until he found a local and asked about options and they lead us to the station owners’ home, where he graciously followed us back down the hill, opened the store and filled us up. What a great guy!
We made it home before dark, and only had one deer scare on the road between Mitchell and Prineville. What a wonderful ride! Great friends, perfect weather, and incredible scenery the whole way.
