This morning we got off the a later start without having a definite goal for the day. we made the decision to take our chances on riding as far as we felt like riding, then stop and try to get a room for the night.
After our stop for a morning coffee at Starbucks, we headed north along Upper Klamath Lake. The scenery along Highway 97 to Biggs Junction is varied and spectacular. Looking across Upper Klamath Lake, Mount McLoughlan rises to the west. It is one of the Cascade stratovolcanoes in that range.
Mount McLoughlan
View across Klamath Lake
Mount Mcloughlan
This is the high desert with evergreen trees and scrub grass, but not much else. The evergreens (I don't know the name of these trees) are the main type of tree here. At a rest stop I took some photos of them because they are representative of what we see at this altitude between 4-5000 feet.
Just because
While we were at the rest stop several Ford work trucks pulled in with young guys dressed identically pulled into the parking area. I asked one of the guys if he had been fighting fires. He said that they had been fighting the Lone Rock fire near Boise, ID. last week. It was the smoke from that fire that we saw last Friday when we left Boise, ID. These guys do not work for the Oregon State forest service. Instead, they work for a private company that contracts to fight fires that outstrip the state's resources.
Four firefighter trucks to the left.
We carried on to Bend, OR where we had a difficult time finding Wildhorse H-D, but eventually we did find the well hidden building. One of the reasons we stopped there was to buy coffee mugs with the Wildhorse logo on them. Turns out that they no longer had the mugs because the person who imprinted the logo was no longer doing it. Disappointment! They had a large number of bikes on the floor and on the lot and there seemed to be a steady stream of customers coming and going.
Great artwork on the dealer's trailer
Entrance with Wildhorse logo
After refueling we again headed north on Hwy 97. The temperature had ramped up so we made a stop in the town of Madras, OR for a lunch break. We saw this mountain on the way into town but there were no pullouts or wide shoulders, so I wasn't able to stop and take a photo of the whole mountain. This was the best view I had while we stopped. I believe that this is Mt. Adams, but I'm not certain. But what I could see was impressive.
Mt Adams? from Madras, OR
Carrying on north after our break, we stopped at a small town that seemed to have been built in more optimistic times. Shaniko, OR, seems to have fallen on tough times. Garry went into the General Store to buy some water and spoke to the proprietor, a woman in her early 70s by his best guess. She said that it was a slow summer and it seems like a hard way to make a decent living. The exterior of the store may tell the tale. Run down, but still not giving in.
Shaniko, OR, General Store
The main street has a hotel, cafe, town hall and some other buildings, all which seem to have seen better days. It is sad to see the dreams that people once had for places like this fade but still hang on. In out travels I have seen many small rural towns like this, one in Washington State which was a divisional point for the Milwaukee Road. When the Milwaukee road failed, the tracks were torn up and the population of the area dropped from near 10 000 to 150 and many of the buildings were in disrepair even though people were trying to maintain them.
Shaniko, OR town hall (yellow building)
Shaniko Hotel, the biggest building in the town
Paddy wagon from the turn of the last century, Shaniko, OR
Folk sculpture-horseshoes and barbed wire
Riding north we passed through the town of Kent, OR. To the north the country was wide open and rolling with large wheat fields and open vistas. The wheat fields were enormous and the wheat was golden and almost ready for harvest.
Wheat fields north of Kent, OR
My Heritage posing with a background of a wheat field.
The wind blows almost continuously in this part of Oregon and utility companies have take advantage of this to build wind farms. The one that I passed today is the largest one I have ever seen with what I estimate to be more than two hundred wind turbines. The size of these machines can be overwhelming but when they are working they must generate a tremendous amount of electricity for our increasingly power hungry world.
Wind turbines along Hwy 97
The rolling country allows views of two, and sometimes three of the Cascade stratovolcanoes. I believe the two here are mount Adams and Mount Rainier, but I can't be certain. It was difficult for me to stop looking at them as I rode along because they are just so massive and the snow caps are a beautiful contrast to the grey base.
Volcano views
We finished the day in Biggs Junction on the Columbia River. This is barren country built between the volcanic basalt cliffs and the river. It seems to exist as a truck stop where trucks run through on I-84 and stop here for fuel, meals, and a place to rest. at the junction trucks either funnel onto I-84 from highway 97 from the north and south, or split off to Highway 97 or continue east of west on I-84. Traffic is loud and continuous and the main purpose for this place is to service the hundreds truckers who pass through here each day.
The junction is set in a limited area with basalt cliffs and the Columbia River limiting its expansion. The bridge across the Columbia takes traffic north from here or brings in here from the north. We will be crossing it tomorrow morning.
Columbia River bridge at Biggs Junction
Wind turbines on the hillside across from Biggs Junction in Washington State
Biggs Junction, OR
The Union Pacific Railroad runs along the Columbia river and as I was taking photos of the bridge and wind turbines I was treated to the arrival of a UP container train heading east, so I was able to take a short video and a photo of the DPU (Distributed Power Unit) near the end of the train.
Union Pacific container train at Biggs Junction, OR, July 16, 2024
Union Pacific DPU
Today was a day with great variety and I was fortunate to be able to capture some photos of scenery and places that I have never seen before. This is one of the attractions of travelling this way and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to experience it. Tomorrow, we will head into Washington State and aim to make it to Omak, WA. We are making good progress on the way to Vancouver Island and are both enjoying the trip and looking forward to being home once again.
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