Member Contributer BustedKnuckles Posted October 30, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted October 30, 2008 With a late October weather report for sunny skies and highs near 70 there was no excuse not to ride. Since this was probably the last chance this year to cross the Cascades into central and eastern Oregon my friend Scott and I decided to take that camping trip we'd talked about all summer and never managed to do. We rode some of the greatest roads in the state and enjoyed some fantastic scenery as well. It was an amazing 2-day trip. Saturday at dusk we found the campground at Ochoco Pass was closed and gated so we headed-up a nearby Forest Service road. Not much daylight left to set-up camp but we found plenty of fire wood and a soft ground of ponderosa pine needles to sleep on, so far so good. We had picked up some thick steaks in Prineville, (Black Angus ranch country), but the lack of cooking facilities meant we had to cook our steaks over the fire on sharpened sticks. I swear it was the best steak I've ever eaten! The night was cold!!! at almost 5000 ft. the temp dropped into the 20's and in the morning I found my tent, the bikes, and Scott covered in a thick layer of frost. Unfortunately I have no photos from our ride out, campsite, or the early morning as my camera had frozen! Sunday was a chilly start, after the frost had melted from our bikes and the sun was up we headed out to make a nice loop of the painted hills, Mitchell, Fossil, and then back towards Redmond. I hadn't been in this area of the state in almost 20 years so it was a treat to rediscover so many wonderful places. Along the creeks the fall foliage of cottonwoods and Larch were brilliant yellow against the desert. I found my new favorite motorcycle road, hwy 218 from Fossil to Antelope, and back to Hwy 97, almost 50 miles of endless curves, the road dips into canyons and twists up hillsides, great pavement, few cars, no cops (that I saw), and some of the most amazing scenery in the state. Enjoy the pics! I'll try to add some more when Scott sends me his, also a map, I highly recommend this route! -Paul Crossing the Cascades on the Scenic (and icy!) old-McKenzie Hwy. The Painted Hills A shot from Hwy 218, my new favorite road! And some fine refreshment at the end of the trail :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFR4Lee Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 Sweet. :cool: A rare weekend in the Pacific Northwet, huh? :angry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer keithbob Posted November 2, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted November 2, 2008 Great report! I've camped up that road you're talking about on Ochoco Pass, and agree with your assessment of the Antelope road. Beautiful country to ride in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddog Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 Glad you got the trip in before weather turns bad. Great riding in that area. 218 is one fine road, as are some others around there. Good to see another motocamper,as I also enjoy it. Most of my camping is solo, but it's always nice to have some company around the campfire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.