Tour De Volcanos with me
 

I got the ok from my wife to take the weekend off for riding and camping. I left after work on Friday and drove down to Oregon to ride the fabled McKenzie Pass before it opens for car traffic in another week or so. This one had been on my bucket list for a while.

I was up early on Saturday and started my ride from the town of Sisters. Heading out, you can see some of the mountains I will be riding by later in the day…
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Warm sun, the smell of lodgepole pine and wind whistling in your ears makes for a fine morning.
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I passed a few other cyclists on the way up out of the forest and into the Lava fields.
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I ride by McKenzie Pass. No one here (yet).
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And drop down into Western Oregon. The road was amazing, nearly new asphalt, sweeping turns and switchbacks.
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I reached the gate closure on the West entrance and turned around and climbed back up, soon the thick stands of Douglas Fir and Hemlock were replaced by the moonlike Lava fields.
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I stopped at the top of McKenzie Pass this time.
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And snacked while watching the hoards of cyclists arriving from Sisters. Glad I came up early.
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I descended back to Sisters and had lunch. It was still early and I had more energy to burn so I drove down 97 and parked off the highway near LaPine and climbed up the Newberry CALDERA* to Paulina Lake.
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I bought some ice cream from the wonderful store at the lakeside there. Cool little place with a little bit of everything.
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That was it for climbing. The legs were tired. I descend back to the car and drive back to camp.

After a great day of riding the sky put on a show for me before I went to sleep.
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I woke up early on Sunday, packed the car and began the drive home. Stopping at Trillium Lake near Government Camp for a ride up to Timberline Lodge.
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I was reliving a very fun part of my past as I climbed, thinking about the many days summer skiing and camping here back in the early 80's.
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Timberline Lodge was built during the Depression. Nearly everything hand crafted on site. Stone cutters, blacksmiths carpenters and artisans put to work as a part of the "New Deal". A really amazing place.
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Some cool vintage iron in the employee parking lot.
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After a very fast descent I am back in the car, heading north again. I stop one more time at Mt. Rainier to check up on my next car-free ride: Sunrise road. I ride through the park up to the gated entrance where the sign looks promising enough. Road open for recreation to hikers and bicyclists. It's still a little rough in places
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The joyride ends about 4 miles from the top.
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But it's ok, I am sure to be back with some friends in another week or two. I take one last photo of my bike next to the snow just because the light was so good then carefully picked my way down to the car for the drive home.
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So there it is, a tour of the Volcanos of Oregon and Washington.

You a lucky man, nb.

Caradhras
The great watchtower of Amon-Sul
GREAT PICS!

Thanks northbend for posting this wonderful weekend adventure. It helped me escape my weekend which was the antithesis of yours. You really do have a blessed life.

I think I love you.

:lol:

Good inspiration and thanks for the Sunrise update.
I will be at the USFS Silver Creek info station on Hwy 410 (near the Crystal Mt turnoff) a lot this summer.

Thanks for the pics, Nortbend. VERY nice bike, that.

Looks like it was a great ride. Thanks for sharing that with us.

On the topic of that old lodge, I am often in awe of the work that was done by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Civil Works Administration (CWA) and similar programs which built many structures, roads, airports, schools, national parks, state parks and other things that were critical to our infrastructure at that time and many of which are still in use to this very day. It is pretty impressive when we think about it in that context. If we had depended on private industry to give us these things we now take for granted, I seriously doubt they would exist today and we'd be the poorer for it.

Makes you think twice about what you want to spend your borrowed money on. Oh, well. I guess wars are a lot of fun, too :)

Thanks for posting. Looks like a great couple of rides.

Ain't that the truth? And he's riding that Singer like he stole it! :D

everything in these pics is just so perfect. Right down to the 'stache. Thanks for sharing.

Fantastic pics as always, northbend! It's a joy to live vicariously through these ride posts of yours, with the beauty of you Singer matched by the scenery.

Excellent pics!!!!!!

About 5 years ago, I took a trip down to Bend with my sister who lives in PDX. We did lots of hiking and made it to both Mckenzie pass and Lake Paulina. I remember being super-envious of the cyclists riding across the pass. Another highlight was digging into the shore of lake Paulina and creating thermal pools that were as warm as bath water.

Heck, I'm not a very good collector either! The guys at Cirque probably cringe as they look at my bikes. I take them pretty much as I ride them without any real time spent cleaning them and leaving the SPDs and other modern parts in place. It's not so much about the collecting, it's much more about the riding.

What he said.

NB, your Tour De Volcanos is a truly inspiring thread. Inspired and inspiring.

Dang! Starting some early Cino training! Gorgeous photos.

Amazing! I'm relatively newly relocated to South Sound and have a first small tour planned this summer. This inspires me to think bigger for next year. Thanks for the inspiring post.

You amaze me Northbend. Wonderful tour pics.

WOW! Stunning! What they said above about the pics, the scenery, and the write-up! Perfect! :thumb:

What are you using to take your pics? In one of the shots with the handlebars, the shadow on the ground makes it look as if you are using a smart phone camera, but I'm guessing not.

Wow! I hope when my kids get older my wife will let me go on an adventure like that!

Used to live in Bend, and rode McKenzie at least once every year while the gates were still closed. An amazing ride, regardless of the weather. Makes me "homesick"...

SP
OC, OR

ps - It's Newberry CALDERA, not "cauldron".

D-oh! Fixed it for you. Thanks!




It's a Panasonic LUMIX camera - one of those shockproof, waterproof point n shoot units.
It's a little mystifying controlling what it it produces but to it's credit, I haven't broken it yet. :)

I'd really like a better camera but I'd probably just trash it in a very short order..