Member Contributer Cogswell Posted July 23, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted July 23, 2021 If you're planning a ride through central Oregon soon, there are a couple of things to be aware of. One is that firefighting services have pre positioned a lot of personnel in the Prineville area - hotel rooms are virtually impossible to come by. Call ahead, even in Bend and Redmond. The other is that US 26 west of Prineville is not in very good condition - it looks like the 20 miles just west are being readied for paving. There is a strip of new (and oily) asphalt down the center. The lanes have been patched numerous times and show their age. Further east of Prineville they've patched sections of the lanes again with the same oily overlay, sometimes in curves. I found the tires hunting for traction on several occasions. If they do the lane paving closer to Prineville, there will likely be long delays. Also, there is a bridge being replaced about 2 miles west of Mitchell, which has alternating one lane traffic. That looks to be there at least through the summer. Not a big deal on a weekday, weekends could be different. An alternate to John Day is to take 380 from Prinveville to 395 then north. Gas up at the Unocal at 380 start in Prineville - except for Paulina, there's no gas until John Day. Gas at Paulina was $5/gal. It is though a good place to stop for ice cream. Thats how I would go to get to Kimberly, Spray, Fossil, etc. US 26 east of John Day is in superb condition and is a good ride. FWIW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted July 23, 2021 Author Member Contributer Share Posted July 23, 2021 2 hours ago, Cogswell said: If you're planning a ride through central Oregon soon, there are a couple of things to be aware of. One is that firefighting services have pre positioned a lot of personnel in the Prineville area - hotel rooms are virtually impossible to come by. Call ahead, even in Bend and Redmond. The other is that US 26 west of Prineville is not in very good condition - it looks like the 20 miles just west are being readied for paving. There is a strip of new (and oily) asphalt down the center. The lanes have been patched numerous times and show their age. Further east of Prineville they've patched sections of the lanes again with the same oily overlay, sometimes in curves. I found the tires hunting for traction on several occasions. If they do the lane paving closer to Prineville, there will likely be long delays. Also, there is a bridge being replaced about 2 miles west of Mitchell, which has alternating one lane traffic. That looks to be there at least through the summer. Not a big deal on a weekday, weekends could be different. An alternate to John Day is to take 380 from Prinveville to 395 then north. Gas up at the Unocal at 380 start in Prineville - except for Paulina, there's no gas until John Day. Gas at Paulina was $5/gal. It is though a good place to stop for ice cream. Thats how I would go to get to Kimberly, Spray, Fossil, etc. US 26 east of John Day is in superb condition and is a good ride. FWIW. Agh . . . I screwed up. I should have said the 20 miles of US 26 east of Prineville . . . not west. Brain fade . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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