After Thursday's long ride we had planned a shorter leg on Friday. We weren't quite certain which way to ride to I-5 and Salem, OR, but we knew that we weren't going to be travelling on Highway 26 for two reasons. First, we had ridden it on our last trip to Sturgis, and second, it was closed because of a wildfire. We had been hearing about highway closures on account of fire, but to this point we had been 'threading the needle' so to speak, with our route avoiding any delays or road closures.
Before we began our day's ride we stopped at Starbucks then did errands that we hadn't been able to do yesterday. First, we returned to Wildhorse Harley Davidson because Garry wanted to buy one of their mugs. It is really quite an attractive mug showing a wild horse rendered in black, blue, and white, in full flight. Our next stop was at Deschutes Brewery, one of Bend's most well known businesses. If I'd had the time and didn't have to drive I could have spent a few hours there sampling their wares, but alas, it was not to be. Mainly because it was before ten o'clock in the morning.
A short note about GPS. GPS is one of the great inventions of modern man, ranking up there along with Coleman gas stoves and lanterns. However, I have found that as awesome as GPS is, having one can make you dependent on them to the point that you believe your GPS rather than your eyes. That has happened to me a couple of times on this trip. Yesterday I was so focused of following directions that I didn't notice the Starbucks right in front of me, so I rode to the one that the GPS told me was nearby. Garry, on the other hand, not being tethered to the machine, saw the Starbucks right in front of and went to it assuming that I had seen it as well. That's something to be aware of on future trips although in the vast majority of cases it is the best thing to happen to riding in strange places since the inflatable tire.
That being said, the GPS pointed us in the right direction to the little town of Sisters about twenty miles west of Bend, We turned from the secondary highway to the tertiary one which took us through a long avenue of pine trees as we made our way west.
Last night when we were looking at the map of Oregon I noticed a road with the notation 'Closed in the Winter'. "That sounds like a good road to take," I remarked to Garry and we agreed. This was the road and it didn't disappoint.
Serendipity is loosely defined as finding something of value when you aren't really looking for it. Finding this road was serendipity. Neither of us had ever heard of the Old McKenzie Highway (Highway 242) but it was to prove one of the highlights of our ride.
As the road began to climb from the pine forest it became a series of twists and turns, just the kind of road that a motorcyclist loves. As we climbed the temperature dropped from the low seventies (F.) into the low fifties or high forties. People who had been dressed in shorts and T-shirts soon received a surprise when they stepped out of their cars into the brisk wind. Most ran back to their vehicles and pulled on something warm to cut the wind.
The first viewpoint showed us a large lava field that was two or three miles across. Nothing grew on the lava, so I assumed that it must have been a recent flow. I took a few photos then continued on as the highway snaked through piles of lava on its climb to the summit which was 5325 feet in elevation. Here the wind was quite chilly and for the first time in almost three weeks I was really glad to be wearing leather chaps and a leather jacket.
At the summit of the McKenzie Highway is an observatory named for the man, Dee Wright, who was in charge of building it. The highway was completed in the 1920s and Wright died in 1934. He had worked for the Forest Service for twenty-four years so the observatory was named for him the following year and still carries his name eighty years later.
Because the highway loses altitude reasonably quickly it became a series of switchbacks and curves which had us losing two thousand feet in elevation in a short time. We stopped at one of the falls that are present in this area but it was a walk of more than a mile in our motorcycle boots so we decided not to see it. However, we did meet two young ladies who had a most unusual pet; Emmett, the miniature Vietnamese potbellied pig. We noticed Emmett because he was taking exception to being placed in his stroller and was expressing his displeasure with a series of loud squeals. We chatted with the women for a few minutes before they hiked up the trail to the falls. Emmett was looking forward to some free time and didn't like having to ride in a stroller.
We continued on to the intersection of Highway 126 stopping before the junction, at Sahali Falls which cascades some ten metres over a lava dam. Stopping was another serendipitous event, because the falls turned out to be an incredibly beautiful sight and there were very few people there to enjoy it.
We made the turn onto Highway 126 which again was a terrific ride with many curves, elevation change and some good vistas. However, we were getting into the later afternoon and needed to make some time s we made no more stops until we came to the town with the best name for a town that we saw all trip, although initially I thought they may have put it in the wrong state after listening to Lynyrd Skynard nine days previously.
Sweet Home, OR, is one of those little towns that time seems to have passed by. It was probably a thriving logging town in the 1950s and '60s, then sort of petered out and just maintains itself now with tourism and some forestry. We stopped at Subway for a sandwich and when I mentioned that this town had one o hte best names ever, he said that when people asked him where he was from and he said Sweet Home, people would say, "Funny, you don't sound like you're from Alabama."
Sweet Home has an A&W that has the original design with a covered drive in area and a main building with a rectangular peaked roof. Those who went to A&W in the 1950s and '60s would recognize the design. In addition, there were even car hops. People drive into a spot and turn on their lights when they are ready to order. I don't know if they had window trays, but it was close enough for me to experience a bit of nostalgia.
The remainder of the ride was quite straightforward. We hit I-5, rode to Salem, OR, took the exit to Salem H-D and went in to check out the dealership. And lo & behold! Our motel 6 was about fifty yards up the street, so we were able to park, check in, & get settled for the evening in short order. This was one of the few times when it was really easy because Garry had reserved the room at hotels.com the night before and as well as having the certainty of a place to stay, we were assured of a reasonable price for the room.
Today was a day of contrasts. Yesterday we were riding in the eastern Oregon desert, today in a coastal rainforest. Yesterday we experienced temperatures of more than 100 degrees F. today the temperature was in the high forties. Yesterday the roads were straight and we could see for miles. Today, there were curves and switchbacks and we could see only to the edge of the highway. Yesterday we rode for many miles before seeing signs of human habitation. Today, people are everywhere. This is probably the largest change from day to day that we have seen on our whole trip.
Saturday will be a work day, a ride straight up I-5 through Portland, Vancouver, WA, Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle, Everett, then to the final stop on our trip, Burlington, WA.
Before we began our day's ride we stopped at Starbucks then did errands that we hadn't been able to do yesterday. First, we returned to Wildhorse Harley Davidson because Garry wanted to buy one of their mugs. It is really quite an attractive mug showing a wild horse rendered in black, blue, and white, in full flight. Our next stop was at Deschutes Brewery, one of Bend's most well known businesses. If I'd had the time and didn't have to drive I could have spent a few hours there sampling their wares, but alas, it was not to be. Mainly because it was before ten o'clock in the morning.
Did Steve Austin open a business after retiring from wrestling?
A short note about GPS. GPS is one of the great inventions of modern man, ranking up there along with Coleman gas stoves and lanterns. However, I have found that as awesome as GPS is, having one can make you dependent on them to the point that you believe your GPS rather than your eyes. That has happened to me a couple of times on this trip. Yesterday I was so focused of following directions that I didn't notice the Starbucks right in front of me, so I rode to the one that the GPS told me was nearby. Garry, on the other hand, not being tethered to the machine, saw the Starbucks right in front of and went to it assuming that I had seen it as well. That's something to be aware of on future trips although in the vast majority of cases it is the best thing to happen to riding in strange places since the inflatable tire.
That being said, the GPS pointed us in the right direction to the little town of Sisters about twenty miles west of Bend, We turned from the secondary highway to the tertiary one which took us through a long avenue of pine trees as we made our way west.
Horse sculpture in Sisters, OR
Last night when we were looking at the map of Oregon I noticed a road with the notation 'Closed in the Winter'. "That sounds like a good road to take," I remarked to Garry and we agreed. This was the road and it didn't disappoint.
Serendipity is loosely defined as finding something of value when you aren't really looking for it. Finding this road was serendipity. Neither of us had ever heard of the Old McKenzie Highway (Highway 242) but it was to prove one of the highlights of our ride.
As the road began to climb from the pine forest it became a series of twists and turns, just the kind of road that a motorcyclist loves. As we climbed the temperature dropped from the low seventies (F.) into the low fifties or high forties. People who had been dressed in shorts and T-shirts soon received a surprise when they stepped out of their cars into the brisk wind. Most ran back to their vehicles and pulled on something warm to cut the wind.
Lava field on the Old McKenzie Highway
The first viewpoint showed us a large lava field that was two or three miles across. Nothing grew on the lava, so I assumed that it must have been a recent flow. I took a few photos then continued on as the highway snaked through piles of lava on its climb to the summit which was 5325 feet in elevation. Here the wind was quite chilly and for the first time in almost three weeks I was really glad to be wearing leather chaps and a leather jacket.
At the summit of the McKenzie Highway is an observatory named for the man, Dee Wright, who was in charge of building it. The highway was completed in the 1920s and Wright died in 1934. He had worked for the Forest Service for twenty-four years so the observatory was named for him the following year and still carries his name eighty years later.
Dee Wright Observatory at McKenzie Summit
On the western side of the pass the highway passed through different parts of the lava field which had come from three different craters and which had been formed about 1500 years ago. I found it surprising that in the ensuing millennium and a half not many plants seem to have been unable to establish themselves in the lava field but perhaps the altitude had something to do with that because outside the lava field trees and plants grow in profusion.
Lava field from the Dee Wright Observatory at McKenzie Summit
Because the highway loses altitude reasonably quickly it became a series of switchbacks and curves which had us losing two thousand feet in elevation in a short time. We stopped at one of the falls that are present in this area but it was a walk of more than a mile in our motorcycle boots so we decided not to see it. However, we did meet two young ladies who had a most unusual pet; Emmett, the miniature Vietnamese potbellied pig. We noticed Emmett because he was taking exception to being placed in his stroller and was expressing his displeasure with a series of loud squeals. We chatted with the women for a few minutes before they hiked up the trail to the falls. Emmett was looking forward to some free time and didn't like having to ride in a stroller.
Tyical section of the Old McKenzie Highway in Oregon
Emmett, the miniature Vietnamese potbellied pig
Sahali Falls
Sahali Falls
Sweet Home, OR, is one of those little towns that time seems to have passed by. It was probably a thriving logging town in the 1950s and '60s, then sort of petered out and just maintains itself now with tourism and some forestry. We stopped at Subway for a sandwich and when I mentioned that this town had one o hte best names ever, he said that when people asked him where he was from and he said Sweet Home, people would say, "Funny, you don't sound like you're from Alabama."
Sweet Home, OR
Sweet Home has an A&W that has the original design with a covered drive in area and a main building with a rectangular peaked roof. Those who went to A&W in the 1950s and '60s would recognize the design. In addition, there were even car hops. People drive into a spot and turn on their lights when they are ready to order. I don't know if they had window trays, but it was close enough for me to experience a bit of nostalgia.
A&W in Sweet Home, OR
The remainder of the ride was quite straightforward. We hit I-5, rode to Salem, OR, took the exit to Salem H-D and went in to check out the dealership. And lo & behold! Our motel 6 was about fifty yards up the street, so we were able to park, check in, & get settled for the evening in short order. This was one of the few times when it was really easy because Garry had reserved the room at hotels.com the night before and as well as having the certainty of a place to stay, we were assured of a reasonable price for the room.
Today was a day of contrasts. Yesterday we were riding in the eastern Oregon desert, today in a coastal rainforest. Yesterday we experienced temperatures of more than 100 degrees F. today the temperature was in the high forties. Yesterday the roads were straight and we could see for miles. Today, there were curves and switchbacks and we could see only to the edge of the highway. Yesterday we rode for many miles before seeing signs of human habitation. Today, people are everywhere. This is probably the largest change from day to day that we have seen on our whole trip.
Saturday will be a work day, a ride straight up I-5 through Portland, Vancouver, WA, Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle, Everett, then to the final stop on our trip, Burlington, WA.
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