ORC Adventure Tour

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Portland, OR, US

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Unpaved

Picking up where the Goonies left off

863 km

11 396 m

ORC (Oregon Cascades) Adventure Tour.

The goal of this route was to make a ~38c smooth tire compatible passage down the Cascades on both the western and eastern sides. While there are some trails, lots of gravel, there's also quite a bit of nice smooth pavement of the single lane variety. That said, there are extremely rough sections and a bit of sand as well. Some sections are difficult -- especially on skinny-ish tires. Despite this, given the overall scope I would do it again on a cross / rando bike or similar setup. A mountain bikepacking setup is a little overkill - but would certainly open up more rough potential on the trails.

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# Introduction

Every summer my wife and I like to do one long bike trip. Last summer was quite busy, so we couldn't get out for very long. This summer we decided to head out for 2 weeks. I was somewhat torn between going North past Mount Rainier or South down to Waldo Lake. The Southern Route won.

This page is somewhere between a recommended route and a ride report. The route that I wanted to do was somewhat compromised by a few things, so we had to cut some corners, hop some logs, hide under cedar trees during storms, and accept a few inevitable bailout options. All in all though, this is an incredible route - even with taking out some of the extended singletrack sections I had originally planned. Anyone who would undertake a ride of this scope would certainly be doing their own research into the route. Think of this route as a blueprint for your own adventures in any of these regions.

We decided that leaving after July 1st in Oregon meant that the weather would be ACE. This time... we were wrong. Actually... very wrong. We endured almost 4 days of solid cold rain. We live in Portland. We don't drive cars. We understand how to ride in the rain. Unfortunately for this trip, starting sunny and hot in Portland, we didn't bring the required winter gear for such conditions.

# @slice[Day 1: Portland to Fish Creek Mountain](d,0,92246.87)

I've ridden to Estacada so many times this year for our various day adventures I can pretty much do it with my eyes closed. I opened my eyes in downtown Estacada and ate a sandwich. Estacada has recently really put some efforts into making the city bike friendly (they need someone to go there and buy stuff afterall). The downtown bike plaza is great and most businesses display the [Travel Oregon](http://traveloregon.com/) sticker of bike friendly approval. This requires a business to provide water, power and wifi complementary. Thanks Travel Oregon! It's a great concept and it's working.

Soon we were puttering out 224 towards Ripplebrook. My plan for the day was to veer off at Indian Henry campground and @photo[recon NF 4620](1817836). I've been fascinated by this road for a while and just haven't found a time to go check it out. The first day of a loaded bike trip isn't exactly the best setup for recon, but was better than nothing. If the road worked it would open up a great bypass connection to get to the other side of the Fish Creek Divide. The only reports were from hikers, and they only wanted to get to the top of the mountain. After getting about halfway up the mountain, we made a peaceful camp by a stream and crawled into our hammocks.

# Day 2: Fish Creek Mountain and ... Day 1 AGAIN

It's always hard for us to leave early from camp, and day 2 was no exception. Finally loading up the bikes, we headed the few more miles up the mountain to the new trailhead for Fish Creek Mountain. The trail was washed out some years ago (1996 - along with a big section of 4620), so volunteers created a reroute on their own which has been adopted by the Forest Service. There were two possible ways to re-connect 4620 to it's intended course. While a washout can often be a deal-breaker, it can also just be a short hike and bike. In this case, the washout was unapproachable. They had decided to completely decommision this section and they did it in the aggressive destruction variety that keeps out ATV's and anyone curious. They churn up the ground so much it's just not worth it to even bother with it. The road was out, so I started up the trail on foot hoping to make a different connection around the backside. I made it up to another decommissioned road via a lovely hiking trail - but there was no way we could haul our gear up this goat path. So - finally, I had to admit defeat and just head back down 4620 to continue on 46.

I finally have learned my lesson to not wear dark glasses on shadowed forest roads. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between a shadow and a gaping hole. Even though I rode by @photo[this hole](1817919) the previous day, I had forgotten it. They have created a death trap by sawing out a rectangular coffin in the center of 4620. Easy enough to avoid if you're being cautious, but I was enjoying the descent and entered into the trap before I could react. One disadvantage of loaded bikes - especially front loaded - is that you can't hop out or over anything. So, I had a split second to realize I was about to bash into a curb at 30 mph. I was riding a Compass Switchback Hill (~2" Tire) on the front of my Salsa Casseroll. This is likely what prevented me from going over the bars. Instead of flipping over, the tire absorbed the impact, rolled up and over the ledge, and tranferred that force back into the fork and frame. With a loud sigh, the fork bent backwards and @photo[the downtube crumpled](1817966). A carbon fork would of snapped, so another reason to ride steel out there. No rake left in the fork, I decided to try to ride home (70 miles on 4th of July) with only a rear brake and extremely twitchy steering on a vertical fork. Just as I was about to set off, a car pulls up and Aaron the hiker offers me a ride back to Portland. I got home and starting setting up my CX bike for a journey that bike was completely unprepared to undertake. A few hours later and I was back on the road, retracing the route from Day 1. @photo[I arrived back at the same camp we made the previous day around 11PM](1818048).

# @slice[Day 3: Hawk Mountain and Rhododendron Ridge](d,95528.02,163574.41)

Back on track and riding again! We didn't have to cancel our trip. @photo[My CX bike loaded up well enough](1817860), and we were rolling the backroads to Hawk Mountain. I was pretty nervous about the back wheel I threw on the bike as it's day was done, and I just prayed it was going to last 2 more weeks of abuse. (Foreshadowing). My bikes get ridden hard.

The route to Hawk Mountain worked great. @photo[Epic sweeping views](1817843) from NF 6355 over the Bull Of The Woods Wilderness. Arriving at the Rhododendron Ridge Trailhead, we were greeting by thousands of @photo[bear grass aliens](1817800), swaying in the wind and staring at us. We tried not to upset them and rode, hiked and crawled our way up to @photo[the Round Meadow Spring](1817936), near to which, we camped for the night. Delicious endless fresh water spewing in an alien landscape. There are lots of pictures of @photo[Hawk Mountain](1818067) and Rhododendron Ridge trail in the photos, so I'll just let you have a look. It's lovely and the old lookout cabin worth a look.

# @slice[Day 4: Tule Lake](d,163985.13,289514.17)

I have had my eye on a number of roads south of Detroit, OR for a while. Double digit NF roads rarely disappoint, and @photo[NF 10](1818073) and @photo[11](1817798) were no exception. 10 was a long climb, but the views and gravel conditions were perfect. Given the elevation on this day we made it to the first of the lakes I had picked out as camping contendors and hung the hammocks from the massive trees next to the silent water.

# @slice[Day 5: McKenzie River](d,290147.39,335449.38)
Arriving at the junction of Quartzville Rd, we were met with @photo[this sign](1818113). Hardly deterred, we scrambled through a creek and were back on pristine car-free National Forest goodness. Our target today was to get to somewhere on the McKenzie and camp on the river. Meandering around Clear Lake was a joy with it's carpet of soft pine needle trail, and finally checking out the MRT has been on my list for a long time. We avoided the lava rocks by entering the trail at the Trailbridge campground and @photo[while tread was a little challenging](1818033) on our skinny tires, it wasn't a deal breaker by any means. I found it fast and flowy. Mira found it slow and not so flowy. Again, lots of McKenzie photos, so have a look.

Finding a lovely spot, we @photo[setup camp and relaxed](1817964). The rain started just before dark.

# @slice[Day 6: Terwilliger Hot Springs](d,289292.68,334556.96)

Forecast was for showers for 1 day. I was fine with that and meandering down the MRT in the dripping rain forest is far from an inconvenience. Despite this, by the time we reached McKenzie Bridge, we were pretty damn wet. Stopping at the General Store we were amazing by the selection of quality food and bike treats. They've got it sorted out! Burritos and fries later, we were ready to head to the Hot Spring. Cougar Hot Springs is just off NF 19 near Cougar Reservoir. It's been renamed to Terwilliger Hot Springs and has a full time employee to monitor it. This is great and helps keep the place from getting trashed by the evil-doers who roam these hills at night. After a long soak, we had to leave to find somewhere to camp. The rain hadn't stopped all day, and while warm from the spring, we rapidly cooled off and setup camp in a dripping forest in the dark. No dinner tonight beyond what the Jet Boil could fire up. (Ramen) @photo[Cozy under our rain tarps](1818053), the pitter pattering rain put us to sleep.

# @slice[Day 7: Oakridge](d,334556.96,420779.22)

This day was meant to be the centerpiece route of the tour. Demoralized by soggy socks, we could hardly fathom riding more single track. I ditched the plan of Grasshopper Mountain and Alpine Trail and we did the cold slog over the Aufderheide scenic byway. While this is a destination road for many road cyclists - for me it's a bit dull. It's just a road! Still, very few cars and the simplicity of pavement got us all the way to Oakridge this day. We arrived in town having no idea what to expect having not been here before. Its mountain biking reputation preceded it though, and I had high expectations. The honest reality of the place is more of a ghost town with an aura of fat tires. We randomly waltzed into the Oakridge Lodge (Fantastic place!) and dried @photo[our clothes and souls](1817923) for the first time in a few days. I was amazed to discover a bike stand, tools, and a 70% bike-guest rate at this lovely spot. Our luck was turning. We had lovely food at the pub and hungout with @photo[Jordan and Nick](1818004), who were doing a route similar to ours but in the reverse direction. Good times!

# @slice[Day 8: Waldo Lake pt. 1](d,420942.17,470635.79)

Oakridge bike shop certainly didn't think it was a good idea for us to head to Waldo. We were there literally days before the trail was slated to be cleared of deadfall and beyond that... the weather was terrible again. Rain dumping down. Alternatives at this point were few. Ride the highway to Waldo (no way!), turn around and go home (no way!), or re-route to Eugene Amtrak (hmm, maybe...). Needless to say, I disregarded their advice and headed up my planned route. On the route is a warm springs we wanted to try out called Wall Creek. A @photo[pristine primeval forested mossy place](1817876), the water just not quite hot enough, but vastly preferable to the cold water falling from the sky. The lukewarm water kept us in there for almost 2 hours waiting out the storm. Digging your hands into the gravel at the bottom of the pool, you could find warmer spots. It ended up being the longest bath I've ever had.

Eventually we gave up worried our whole body would absorb excess lithium and continued the @photo[15 mile gravel climb to Waldo](1817922). NF 2422 under summer conditions must be a lovely road. Heading high into the sky, it's one of the few Cascade Traversal options in this part of Oregon. This day the mist was thick and low with visibility very limited. I definitely would recommend it but for a few disclaimers:

The end of the road deadends at the Waldo Wilderness which is a buffer zone between the forest roads and the lake itself on the more wild western side. There is a short trail (~1 mile) which connects the end of NF2422 to the non-wilderness lake rim trail. I decided that this segment of trail should be bike legal. It's unreasonable to expect bikes to ride highway 58 from Oakridge to get to Waldo Lake. That they left no connections open isn't acceptable to me. In general, I honor all wilderness boundaries, but this one seemed unreasonable. As it turns out, the connection was more or less perfect - despite it being 10PM, black night, and raining. By the time we attempted to setup the hammocks on the lake trail Mira was getting hypothermic and hysterical. More ramen and cut our losses. This wasn't our finest hour. Time to sleep.

# @slice[Day 9: Waldo Lake pt. 2](d,469960.03,474430.25)

The Sun Returns! All our clothes hung on lines and bushes around the camp. Spirits returning, and taking it easy in the sun. War against the mosquitos. A planned short day today given all we had been through, we decided to just head down the lake trail until we found a cozy spot to setup. It took us a long time to get on the trail though, as the sun was warm, and we really wanted to dry out our clothes. As I mentioned before, this side of the trail hadn't yet been cleared, so it was very slow going. Loaded bikes are very hard to get over some of these trees, and we only made it a few miles this day. Luckily, @photo[a rocky beach on the shore](1817950) made a perfect spot to spend an evening. I was confident that since we were now east of the cascades, we'd be dry for the remainder of the trip. This hope held true.

# @slice[Day 10: Devil's Lake](d,477620.62,536478.28)

I wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen on this day. We still had a lot of the rim trail to ride, but soon came to the first blessed chainsaw cut. We were back in civilization! I wasn't pro-chainsaw until dealing with the previous two days. Now, I'm all for them in places where people go. It's environmentally worse to not chainsaw out trees as people bash and cut trails to go around trees, trampling plants and basically wreaking havoc. It's easy to step on a yellow jacket nest (which I did) or twist an ankle (which I didn't). Trail maintenance is very important. If you're trail-maintenance-curious I encourage you to @photo[lend a hand](1818114) next work party you hear of. It's important work for the things we do. Check out [NWTA](http://nw-trail.org/)!

After clearing the lake we started down a rough track that connects to Little Cultus Lake Campground. This 4x4 road was a little rougher than I expected, but still very fast compared to climbing over trees. Plenty of smooth powdery dirt lines to be found. We crossed the PCT, or it crossed us, then we hit Cascade Highway. Towards evening we landed at @photo[Devil's lake](1817749). A lovely spot with free dispersed hike in camping.

# @slice[Day 11: Sisters](d,534822.53,589140.71)

One of the only ways to take the backroads from Bend to Sisters is NF 370. This is an incredible rough journey up to 7000 ft with views of moon rocks, mountains, and wild places. As near to Wilderness as you can get on a bike, it skirts the Three Sisters Wilderness for much of the way. While remote, it's still an important connection as well as a connector for many of the Bend upper mountain bike trails. The descent into 3 creeks lake had some very sandy moments which challenged Mira's bike handling, and by this point walking was somewhat preferred to crashing. While it took some time, we eventually hit pavement again on NF 16. After you struggle in the sand with loaded bikes, @photo[rolling down a descent with the mountains above](1818129) is pure release. Mid way down the 15ish mile drop, I started hearing weird sounds from my rear rim brake. Rather than stop, I only used the front brake then stopped to check the wheel. Sure enough, it had cracked through. While rollable to Sisters - this was a game ender unless a new wheel could be found.

By this point in the trip we decided to splurge on a motel and over priced dinner. We had decided if we could find a way home, we'd pull the plug here and get back via bus. Looking into bus options proved very difficult though, and taking the greyhound looked more annoying than just riding a few more days. My back wheel broken, I did have to figure out a replacement. There are two shops in Sisters, and both were super helpful, but both had very limited stock for rim brake 10 speed compatible wheels. There was only one wheel possible. A low end 20 spoke Shimano one. Nothing I'd ever ride again. They gave me a great deal on a wheel I had no interest in owning, and I put my old hub away in a bag. We could roll.

# @slice[Day 12: Santiam Wagon Road to Big Lake](d,589880.11,626112.1)

It took us till about noon to actually leave Sisters. We did laundry and I had to figure out the wheel situation. I think also we were somewhat reluctant to leave the relative cush lifestyle of grocery stores and Sisters' coffee. Hopes somewhat rekindled - we set out towards @photo[Santiam Wagon Road](1817932).

The Wagon Road is mostly used by motos who are looking for a back country experience. Not many cyclists use it, and now I understand why. The climb up the eastern side of the pass is good. Red pumice baseball diamond road, fairly steep gradients, but spectacular views of the Sisters and Mount Washington. It was a lonely, somewhat wild and creepy road. The wind howled in our faces the whole way, and the howls of the coyote packs off in the trees below mixed in a sense of dread. Water was scarce on this segment and we were both parched by the time we reached a @photo[little mountain lake](1817894) just past the summit. Water had been the main thing on my mind for the last few hours, so finally finding some was joy. Surrounded by dead trees and parched earth, it was easily to feel like the world had ended a while ago, and we were just late to the party. The deep sand started on the downard slope and didn't let up until we hit the McKenzie River.

I actually had no idea that the sand was there. This was a big oversight in my planning, and I just didn't see any notice of it. @photo[The OHV crowd](1818050) loves the sand, so it's certainly nothing they'll complain about. Had we been on fatbikes, it would of been easy. As it was, it tested my handling skills pretty hard and was completely unrideable for Mira. It's a long way to walk pushing a loaded bike. A long way. I will admit I enjoyed riding a lot of it. The only CX race I ever won was in the sand, so I have a superficial sadistic *soft* spot for riding the stuff. Given how much Mira was struggling though it, It wasn't fun for either of us.

We decided to camp at Big Lake Campground - a @photo[hotbed of OHV and right wing recreation](1817933), the campground is on the edge of Big Lake and is frankly epic. @photo[Mt. Washington towers over the lake](1817968), and the warm water reflected the stars at night. Despite @photo[THIS](1818013) - it was actually a good experience there. Night swimming!

# @slice[Day 13: Big Meadows, Breitenbush River](d,626112.1,718000.26)

The next morning. More sand.

By the time we reached the @photo[gated non-motorized section of the Wagon Road](1817730), we were both pretty demoralized again. Thinking that this section was going to be easier, my hopes swelled that we had finally reached salvation. I was wrong. While short, this "trail" was horrible. Deep sand, trees down, and lava rocks everywhere. Yuck. Finally reconnecting with a gravel road near the end, we dropped down to the highway and the McKenzie River Trailhead once again. We had both had enough of this type of adventure.

Completely randomly, my friend John Gill crossed our path just as we were emerging. He was just starting a ride on the McKenzie River. I would imagine we had a pretty wild look in us, Mira had wild strawberries all over her face, and he looked odd to me in that clean lycra. Was nice to see a friendly face and to be back on firm ground! Hi John!

Time to cut some corners and ride some pavement. Mostly. We went up Big Meadows Road and found some wild backroads alongside the Mount Jefferson Wilderness. A theme of this trip which you might of picked up by now if you're still reading this is to see how close to wilderness boundaries I could route a bike tour. Seeing and understanding how the Cascades unfold over time as you skirt them was my primary motivation behind this route. Just after Mira announced she was "***SICK OF GRAVEL!***", we luckily hit one of those NF alpine paved descents with Mt. Jefferson towering above and a smooth sail down to highway 22. Reaching the bottom, we gritted our teeth and busted ass to Detroit on the busy road. Turning up NF 46, we found a little spot on the river.

# @slice[Day 14: Clackamas River to Home!](d,716511.45,862885.99)

Not much to report on this day. We were 91 miles from home. It was summer again. The roads were paved. Happy hour at our Japanese spot ended at 10PM. Those were the constraints to take into consideration.

Finally some real Ramen. So good to be home again in Portland!

Trips like this aren't always easy. Seeing the land unfold its secrets over time is one of the reasons we are willing to keep trying. No phones. No help. Just you and the coyotes. It's not for everyone. It is for me though.

Ryan Francesconi & Mirabai Peart, July 2016

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