The Kramer Blog

Has the whole world gone crazy?

2011-10-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

Guess what this means? That's right, it's the Big Lebowski for 2012. The ride that is totally over the line. If there was a ride to get in shape and prepare for, this is it. It won't matter, this ain't no show ride, this ain't no disco. Hey, junior achievers, get ready to ride...

Finishing the Bikenfest 2011

2011-10-01T23:28:00.000-07:00

It was a cool day with lite westerly winds. Temperatures in Hood River ranged 5 degrees from 60-degrees at the start to 63-degrees by mid afternoon. Temperatures dropped slowly to 58-degrees at 9 pm when the final control closed. Hood River winds were variable from 4 to 9 mph with gusts between 9 and 22 mph. Lost Lake was considerably cooler with temperatures in the upper 40-degree range with wet pavement from recent rain showers between Lolo Pass road and Lost Lake.

Nineteen riders started, 2 riders withdrew after the first 100k, and 17 riders finished the brevet with qualifying times. At ten minutes past 8 pm, with just 50 minutes remaining to qualify, the organizer received a call from several lost riders. After several precious and agonizing minutes of Google searching and discussion, one of the riders found their location using Google Maps on a cell phone. The riders returned to the route at their point of departure with just 30 minutes and 5.5 miles remaining to reach the finish. At exactly 21:00 hours, with no time remaining, the last three lost-and-found riders turned the corner into the parking lot and presented their brevet cards for final validation. It was a heroic finish for an extraordinary brevet.

Bikenfest 2011 results

The Doodle Gang

2011-09-27T22:03:00.000-07:00

Frieda and her pups, Gus, Sophie, Cooper, Ruby, Diego, Barlow with Uncle Pal, Buddy, Luna, Baxter, Gu, Gorgina and Luther.

Puppehs!

2011-09-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

Biscuits for everyone!

Meet Gus

2011-09-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

Meet Puppascruffagus, or Gus for short. From left to right it is Little Dude (Pal), Gus (Puppascruffagus) and Big Red (Buddy). Dogs alway have several names. We had a hard time figuring out what to call him. We tried various names for several weeks without success. But we figured we better settle on something so we could teach him to come. So mostly we call him Gus or Scruffy or Gus Gus or Pup or Sweetie Pie or Trouble Maker or Hey You. Little Dude is Gus's uncle. Little Dude is a F1 Goldendoodle and Gus is a F2 cross. Gus is just over 6 months old now and weights about 60 pounds. The boys are anxious for me to get off the computer and do something productive like throw them the ball or Frisbee or take them for a hike or mountain biking or swimming or something other than stupid human computer stuff. I think we will go looking for fresh peaches and blueberries and maybe a hike at Whatum Lake.

Bikenfest 2011

2011-09-10T20:50:00.000-07:00

Ride: Hood River - DMC: The Dalles and Lost Lake
Organizers: John Kramer
Date: Saturday, Oct 1, 2011
Distance: 200km (124 miles)
Results: Here
Pre-ride Report: n/a
Sunrise: 07:04 Sunset: 18:47
Who's Riding?: Riders
Rider Expectations: Here
Start Time: 07:30 Saturday Oct 1, 2011
Finish Time: 21:00 Saturday Oct 1, 2011
Registration Time: 06:45-07:15
Entry Fee: $10 Checks should be payable to "Oregon Randonneurs." Register Now!

Starting Location: Twin Tunnels State Park just east of Hood River. Parking requires a State Park permit. Annual passes are available from Oregon State Parks. A day use permit costs $5.00 and can be purchased at the park.

Please note that I-84 exit 64 is closed to east bound traffic because of the freeway bridge replacement at exit 64. If you are coming from Portland, you will have to use exit 63. If you miss exit 63, you will have to go to Mosier to turn around and return to Hood River. The red marker is exit 63. If you are west bound coming from the east, exit 64 is open. You can use the starting location map to get directions to the start from your location.

View Bikenfest 2011 Start Location in a larger map

Description: This years route is a beautiful double metric century. The first 100k is a loop to The Dalles by way of Chenowith, Browns Creek and Cherry Heights returning on the Scenic Columbia River highway. The loops connect at the Twin Tunnels State Park so riders can access their vehicles mid way through the ride. The second metric century is a loop through the orchards east of Hood River to Parkdale with an out and back to Lost Lake before returning to Hood River on Dee Highway and Tucker Road.

Services are good along the route with stores in The Dalles, Mosier, Parkdale and Hood River. There are several good fruit stands on the route where you can get cold drinks, ice cream, chocolate, bakery items and fruit. The route goes through the main downtown streets of both The Dalles and Hood River.

Note: This route is tentative because the Dollar Lake Fire has closed the Lost Lake Road. With three weeks until the ride, there is a good chance the road will remain closed. If the road is closed we will use the Bikenfest route from 2010, Bingen-Goldendale-Trout Lake. We will make the decision a week ahead of the ride date to give people adequate notice of the final ride plans.

Update 9/13/2011: The Forest Service has opened the Lost Lake road.

Preride Notes 9/17/2011: The roads were very quiet today. The eight miles of OR 35 had typical highway traffic and Dee highway had some traffic but otherwise the roads had little traffic. The first 60 miles loop took me 4 hours riding my normal speed. When I got back to the park headquarters, a lite rain was falling so I put leg and arm warmers in my pocket and put on a light jacket. The second loop took almost 6 hours with a long stop to warm up at the Lost Lake store where I took my time eating a cliff bar in front of the space heater. The high temp was 60 degrees in Parkdale where I stopped and McIsaacs store to fill my water bottle for the fist time. The low temp was 48 degrees at Lost Lake so I put on my leg and arm warmers for the fast trip back to Dee Highway. I wore them for the rest of the day as temperatures remained in the mid 50-degree range for the rest of the day. Finished the ride in 9H50.

The road surface is good except for portions of OR-35 where poor quality asphalt has eroded leaving a rough high rolling resistance surface. There is a wide shoulder but I rode in the right lane at times where the surface is better. There is a double lane going uphill and most cars yield the lane and move over. There is road construction on the Lost Lake road where they are installing new water pipe. The road construction is marked and easily avoided and you can check it out on your way up the hill to Lost Lake. From Lost Lake it is a fast 26 miles back to the start. There are a few hills on the way, the hill at McGreedy's fruit stand is the most egregious. The ride through downtown Hood River requires caution as the hill can produce more speed than good judgement calls for on the city streets.

My Garmin 800 gave me a raw elevation gain of 10,600 ft which seams reasonable to me. The Garmin corrected elevation gain is 11,900 ft. I am not sure I would be able to tell the difference after 124 miles and 10 hours.

Elevation Corrections cross reference the horizontal position (latitude/longitude) provided by the GPS with elevation data that has been acquired by professional surveys. When corrections to elevation data are made, each trackpoint of your activity now contains the elevation from the web service, not the elevation provided by your GPS device. Garmin Connect selectively applies corrections to depict a more realistic representation of your elevation experience. Activities recorded from devices without a barometric altimeter are enabled with Elevation Corrections by default. Alternatively, activities recorded by devices with a barometric altimeter generally contain accurate elevation data and therefore Elevation Corrections are disabled by default. For those users who are familiar with the MotionBased Gravity service, this is the same service.

Discovered a discrepancy in the queue sheet and map. At mile 66, the junction of Eastside Road and Fir Mountain Road. I habitually ride the route in the GPS tracks following Thomson road past Rassmusen's fruit stand. However, the route sheet has the route continuing on Fir Mountain Road to OR-35. The correct route is on the route sheet following Fir Mountain Road to OR-35. This results in the the route being 124.6 miles rather than the 126.3 miles in the GPS tracks. It is a small difference and I am inclined not to edit the GPS tracks. If a rider follows the GPS track they will go and extra 1.7 miles but they will also be spared another kilometer of the OR-35 traffic and rough asphalt. YMMV

Preride Notes 9/24/2011: Rode the route again to get an accurate gps track and fix the controls. The weather was excellent, temperatures from 51 to 82 degrees. Finished the ride in 9 hours and 1 minute. The route sheet posted on the website is final and the route sheet matches the gps tracks. Total elevation gain from the Garmin 800 was 10,340 feet.
Maps:
Route

Bikenfest 2011 Hood River DMC The Dalles and Lost Lake<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;This site does not support embedded trip maps. View the trip &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href='http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/1334354'&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;here&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; instead.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>Randobiker routes!

GPS exports:

GPS Export (gpx)
Garmin training center (tcx)
Google Earth (kml)

Route Profile: (click to embiggen)

From Blogger Pictures

Route Sheets:
HTML Route Sheet
Excel Spreadsheet

Ride Report--Dessert Ride

2010-10-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

by Thomas Durkin

It was a dessert day. You know the type, like strawberries and cream or chocolate gelato. The kind of ride everyone can enjoy. The dawn was clear, the wind light, and temperatures cool , as I prepared for the ride. Just a short ride, as Ken Carter from SIR joked at the start. This is the 200km for the 2010 Bikenfest promoted by John Kramer of White Salmon Wa. I love John’s rides. He artfully crafts the route for challenge, scenic beauty and quiet roads. Twenty five riders heard the pre-ride announcements, and set off into the sunrise towards Bingen. Many friends were with me. I started with Ian from Olympia. We caught up on our riding since the Oregon Blue Mountains 1000km in June. He finished the Willamette Headwaters 600km despite a heavy, high speed chute on the last day. There were lots of other riders nearby who helped him out. As we were chatting, Ian hit debris in the bike lane and immediately punctured! Too bad, we were having so much fun! Ricky then rode next to me, he recently completed the 1600km Italian Grand Fondo. I told him during the OBM that he must ride in Italy, and so his story filled me with great feelings of the joy of riding those great back roads of Tuscany and Umbria.

However the food was not up to the expected Italian culinary standards. They served the same pasta and red sauce every night. I welcomed David Rowe to the beautiful morning. We finished the Three Capes 300km together two years ago. He has new work this year, and the riding has tapered off a bit. I could not sense any diminution of his fitness as we turned off the main road climbing onto an old highway section that wound up over the Columbia.

The horizontal sunlight was challenging, blinding me as the route wound around and through the basalt rock formations to the first control, XXX winery named after the formation. Then Ken road up to me, “Are you a compulsive or what, are you back for more of this, what have you been doing?” he asked. I last saw him on the Eden’s Gate 400km near Stayton. He is the compulsive one I think, finishing the Crater Lake 1000km just last week. Our group was small, including Michael Johnson and his work mate John Desmarais, Ken, a guy in blue on a Geoff Lay, Del Sharffenburg, David Rowe, Ira Ryan and myself. The old road wound back down to the river, with smooth well banked curves. The engineers had a big budget for this project way back when the Model T roamed Eastern Washington.

The Centerville road climbs steeply out of Lyle. Del chatted as I tried to keep up for a bit. I backed off the pace as my heart rate soared. Michael and John came around and I decided to stay with them as this long climb would define the experience of the brevet. Happily for me, they were riding a talkative tempo which I could maintain. My new 34x28 gearing was just sufficient for this effort as I frequently alternated between seated and standing techniques. First Dave eased his pace to chat. Then we came up to Ira who had stopped for equipment change. The pace picked up then as these guys all started talking up front and I was now suffering to hold on. There are several false summits on this climb, and I forgot most of them thinking that the end was finally in sight. At the real summit, John, Ira and I went to the front and zoomed the straight descent. Up ahead about 800 meters, were Del and Geoff, so first Ira picked up the pace, then David and I as well. I could not keep the effort, my legs were feeling poorly and I backed off to wait for Michael and John. The Centerville road has many turns that follow the section lines of the original surveys. Past town the main road to Goldendale continues this practice. I felt the light west wind on the northward portions. Mt. Adam towered over the harvested fields, with Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens peeking in the distance as well. Into Goldendale and the second control we road, John off the front and Michael off the back taking photos.

Del, Ira and the other two were still at the Subway as were several stacks twelve pack of beer. I asked the well known Portland handmade bike builder Ira Ryan if he would build me a bike to carry several packs, and if it would plane for me as well, we laughed. I decided to get riding right away, and started west towards Glendale ahead of the group. The short hills slowed me down and I rode to keep my legs loose. The group came up soon, and I tucked in behind David. Ira and Del set a smooth tempo for several miles which Ken and David continued when it was their turn. I did not return the favors to the group as my limit was always near during the up and down course. At the turn towards the Klickitat Del asked me about my arm braces, I told him it was tennis elbow from skiing. Ira laughed at the bicycle tennis joke as I thanked the group and dropped off the back.

The road went through some rollers for several miles. At a final crest the view of the Klickitat river canyon stretched out both up and down the river. This is a beautiful spot, the river sparkling in the trees at the bottom of the canyon. The layers of basalt flows are distinct on the west cliff while the east side has smooth eroded curved shapes. The road traversed the east side, cuts back into the rock to cross creeks, then back to a straight traverse, miles of fast riding without using the brakes. My average speed for the brevet is 24 kph as I crosses the Klickitat. Immediately the road pitched up out of the river bed, then leveled off for the long shallow climb. There are hunters in orange entering the woods in several spots carrying their rifles. They say that they are looking for deer sign.

Near the end of this grade, Ken catches me. It is good to have help now as the increasing speed of the west wind has slowed me down for a while. As we enter Glenwood, I give the sheriff a wave. Just then two motor cycles whip past, well over the 25 mph speed limit. On goes the siren and lights as the squad car gives chase. We stop at the restaurant where ten or more motorcycles are lined up, their riders lounging under the shade tree or inside. We buy water and chat with these guys, one whom rides bicycles although not as fast as he would like.

The marshes at Glenwood stretch for miles. The Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge provides habitat for migrating birds and other animals. I saw a black bear during another ride recently. We skirt this flat ground to the climb of the bumpy divide between the Klickitat river and the White Salmon river watersheds. Ken may be tired from his 1000km ride, but he easily climbs faster than I and disappears over one roller and reappears as I descend the next. Always he is in front gradually increasing the gap. As I reach the watershed summit, he is out of sight and I descend fast reaching 55 kph as the road curves with the terrain. On the flats of Trout Lake, there is a shift to tail wind so I enjoy being alone for a while. I see Ken in the distance when the route turns towards town. At the store, Geoff Lowe is outside on the cell phone. I have to continue to the control 2 km west. There Ken is waiting, and straight away we ride back into the wind toward Trout Lake where the others have already left the store. We do not stop. I have plenty of water as I carry a flexible bladder in my front bag which gives me a bit more range than just two bottles. Now the route heads toward BZ Corner. This is a gradual descent with short steeper sections. NOAA forecast for increasing winds was right. We can only reach 49 kph, and I am getting very sore legs. At the White Salmon river crossing, David and Geoff are in sight. I wave Ken past as I know I will struggle even with the short climbs. I trade off the wind shelter of the group for a steady slow grind down the road above the river canyon. The view is so beautiful that I don’t feel the pain in my right leg so much. The wind increases and shifts to the west. Forecast for 30mph gusts after 16:00, and it is almost that time. I enter the town of White Salmon and descend at 65 kph to Bingen, the tail wind pushing me along. The westward 2 km part along the main highway into the wind seemed long, but lasted only a few minutes. I arrived a 16:12 to a happy group of tired randonneurs. John Kramer logged my time and offered snacks, drinks, and shade. We chatted about the ride, rides, cyclocross, balloon tires on bikes, and other biker topics. Geoff has the local fast trackie Dean Tracy for a son in law, interesting as I knew Dean when he was a junior. Well another desert ride was had by all. Where are Michael and John? Did Ian fix his tire and get back on the road? I don’t know. I got into the old Volvo and headed straight back to Portland where Ellen was waiting.

Monster Dog

2010-09-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

This is Little Dude before his hair cut...

...and after.

Big Red is thinking, "The pup has crooked ears. What a goofball!"

Where are they now?

2010-09-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

Memories of Bikenfest from four years ago. Seams like yesterday. By popular request, Bikenfest 2007. Die Bingen Bike Festival ist gut für Sie

Bikenfest 2010 Updated x2

2010-09-11T00:13:00.000-07:00

Ride: White Salmon to Goldendale Observatory
Organizers: John Kramer
Date: Saturday, Oct 2, 2010
Distance: 200km (124 miles)
Results: Here
Pre-ride Report: n/a
Sunrise: 07:11 Sunset: 18:51
Who's Riding?: Riders
Rider Expectations: Here
Start Time: 07:30 Saturday Oct 2, 2010
Finish Time: 21:00 Saturday Oct 2, 2010
Registration Time: 06:45-07:15
Entry Fee: $10 Checks should be payable to "Oregon Randonneurs", also, Oregon Randonneurs membership is required for this event. You can download a membership form and bring it with you. Register Now!

Update 26-Sep-2010: Updated route sheet and elevation profile with preride information. The preride elevation gain was 6,931 feet. Slightly different than the scouting trip but still in the 7,000 foot range. Noted some glass on the shoulders on the major roads. A sun visor was nice to have for the low angle sun in the morning heading east and in the afternoon heading west. Used two water bottles between Goldendale and Glenwood. The store in Glenwood is open until 21:00 hrs. Used 700x23 tires but would have been more comfortable with wider tires because the rough road surface on the Glenwood road. There were quite a few motorcycles between Glenwood and Goldendale. Stopped for breaks at the Subway in Goldendale, the Glenwood Store and at the Trout Lake Store. Took a break at mp 7.2 after crossing the Klickitat river to look at the Klickitat river gorge. Made good time from Trout Lake to the finish. It is mostly downhill with only a few inclines. Finished at 18:10 and the light was starting to fade. Need to deploy reflective gear and lights by 19:00 or shortly after.

Update 23-Sep-2010: Revised the route to skip the Goldendale Observatory. Since riders won't be able to access the Observatory and telescope, the route will go to the Dairy Queen/Subway/Union 76 on Broadway Street. To make up distance, the route leaves Highway 14 five miles east of Bingen and follows Old Hwy 8 past the Kathrine Creek trail to Lyle. More information to follow after the preride this weekend.

Starting Location: Heritage Park and Ride on the Washington side of the Hood River Bridge. The Park and Ride is located on the west side of the bridge.

The historic fifth anniversary of Binkenfest offers a 200k brevet similar to the inaugural route. This years route replaces about 35 miles of SR-14 and US-97 with quiet country roads. The route goes through Bingen, Lyle, Centerville, Goldendale, Glenwood, Trout Lake, BZ Corners and Husum.

The original idea for the Observatory State Park, was to start the ride at 17:00 hours and arrive at the Observatory after dark to do some star gazing using the Observatory's telescopes. Maybe another year. This year the ride will start at 07:30 and the riders will pass the Observatory before it opens for business at 2:00 pm. There will be a staffed control at the observatory turn around with water, snacks and maybe some coffee. Glenwood at mile 80 offers a good opportunity for a lunch stop. There is a store and a cafe.

View Larger Map

Photographs:

GPS exports:
Route in gpx format
Route in tcx format (from pre-ride)
Google Earth kmz

Route Profile elevation gain 6,931 feet

Route Sheets

html
txt
pdf
xls

OBM 1000 Ride Reports

2010-06-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

From OBM 1000 (Barbara Blacker)

Ride Reports

Bill Alsup
Steve Atkins
Tom Durkin
Sophie Matter (english translation)
Vincent Muoneke
John Pearch
Vincent Sikorski
David Strong

Photos

Steve Atkins
Barbara Blacker
Greg Courtney
Paul Johnson
Lesli Larson
Sophie Matter
OBM1000 Album

OBM Ride Report -- David Strong

2010-06-21T18:26:00.001-07:00

The OBM brevet was truly epic. John Kramer must be applauded for his route design, his organization, and his and all the volunteers who made this event possible. I am not going to write a ride report (maybe sometime in the future), but for the moment I wanted to just share some reflections on what was for me the toughest brevet or randonnee I have ever done. I used to think BMB was the hardest, but I think OBM is harder.

I am not saying this because I think harder is better, or because if you complete a harder event it somehow means you are a better randonneur. As some of you know, I am a pretty humble fellow, and simply care about enjoying the journey, and this was an unbelievable journey. Having said that, this route had great pavement, had little to non existent car traffic, had beautiful scenery, and had some lovely towns strung like pearls along the route. I especially liked the cafe in Fossil which had wonderful home made fare. If anyone came across other culinary gems, please write about them, I would enjoy hearing about them.

The terrain was unexpected, not the elevation gain, I knew how much that would be, but the terrain, so varied, from canyons, to alpine ascents, to massive undulating ridges, rivers, lakes, you name it, this route had it. I think the one vision which I will have a hard time forgetting was the view from the ridge along Bakeoven heading into Maupin. At one point we could see 5 massive peaks, I am not sure which they all were, any help would be appreciated, Peter, my riding buddy thought they were St Helens, Rainier, Hood, Baker, and Batchelor?

Wanted to thank Kole and Vincent for all their loving care at Mitchell, they took care of our bikes, provided room service, and double portions of wonderful pasta. I think Oregon and Washington have the best cycling on the West Coast, and I am looking forward to more wonderful events this Summer and Fall.
Cheers,
David
_______________________________________________
ORRando mailing list
ORRando@orrandonneurs.org
http://orrandonneurs.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/orrando

Photos by Sophie Matter and Paul Johnson

- Randobiker

Bill is in!

2010-06-15T10:02:00.001-07:00

Bill is in at 09:47 thanks to 5 hour energy and he has an hour left!

Peg and Leslie are in at 9:23

2010-06-15T09:45:00.001-07:00

Leslie, Dr Codfish and Peg

- Randobiker

Ian and Alan are in at 09:00

2010-06-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

Ian and Alan arrived at 09:00 looking good. With only 50 minutes left we are on pins and needles waiting for Peg, Lesli and Bill. As far as we know, Peg has never failed. Can she finish the cruel OBM1000?

Wild Things

2010-06-15T08:05:00.001-07:00

Dr Codfish reports seeing a bobcat near where this picture was taken. The bobcat crossed the road and turned to look back at the good Doctor driving by.

Photo by Dr Codfish, OBM Day 3, Wild flowers near the top off the Clarno Climb.

Whew!

2010-06-15T07:30:00.001-07:00

Just 5 riders left to check in with 2h35 remaining on the atomic clock. The wind seams to have died down a bit this morning.

Photo by Sophie, from OBM1000 Day 3, Whew!

Sweet Memories

2010-06-15T02:15:00.001-07:00

Happy Days!

Photograph from Sophie's camera. OBM1000 on Day 2, Jan, Robin and Sophie.

Sophie's Group Arrives 11:44

2010-06-15T00:54:00.001-07:00

After checking in everyone goes to Denny's!

Photograph by Sophie, OBM Day 3, Summit Tygh Ridge

Rick Moved!

2010-06-14T23:29:00.000-07:00

Whew, Rick is on the move again. We were worried.

Photo by Barbara, OBM1000 Day 3, Rick Moves!

OBM1000 Blues and Greens

2010-06-14T23:17:00.001-07:00

The greens in the desert were remarkable today. The wet summer weather has left the desert hills with a large variation of color.

Photo by Barbara, OBM1000 Day 3, the climb after Fossil on the way to Antelope.

A Stop Along the Way

2010-06-14T23:16:00.001-07:00

Photo by Barbara, OBM1000 Day 3, Sophie, Jan, Bob, Eric, Steve and Robin.

Philippe and Greg are in

2010-06-14T22:24:00.001-07:00

Philippe is a dedicated OBM rider, he has color coordinated his Eddie Merckx bike with the OBM 1000 route sheet.

- Randobiker

Del is in

2010-06-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

Del finished with a time of 61h28. Del says this will be a classic course for masochists. I wonder what he means by that?

Del holds the new course record for the OBM1000!

Waiting at the Finish

2010-06-14T20:19:00.001-07:00

The finish is open until 10 am tomorrow morning. It is 8 pm now so that will be a 14 hour checkin. Barbara is here and when Del arrives, we will unload the drop bags and settle in and wait for riders to come in. The results page will be updated with the times as riders check in and rerun their brevet cards. The desert colors were awesome today. The air quality was excellent and we had views of the Cascades from Mt. Adams to Three Sisters.

Photo by Randobiker. OBM 1000 Day 3, Descent to John Day River.

A Race to the Finish

2010-06-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

Del has a five minute lead as of Maupin on Peter Burnett and David Strong. Peter and David are moving fast and they look like they mean business too. Can Del claim the fastest time despite the strong headwind blowing out of the northwest?

Photography by Dr. Codfish from OBM1000 day 3. Experience Over Age.

The Leslie

2010-06-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a nice picture of Peg and The Leslinator from day 2 near North Powder. It is a bit difficult to make out the small Randonneurs in the foreground but it would make a nice poster. Photography by Barbara.

Photo by Barbara Blacker.

Del Update

2010-06-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

Del starts the third day 6 minuets behind David Strong and Peter Burnett. This is the last day of Del's 100th consecutive sucessfull brevet. Things are looking good for Del.

North Powder Control Closed

2010-06-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

It wasn't just a control, it was an adventure. Elkhorn mountains Sunday morning.

Nap Time

2010-06-13T03:16:00.000-07:00

It is just after 3:00am and 11 riders are still out. The electricity is still off but the motel has set up a generator for light and we are using it to heat water for cup of soup. Grilled pizza works pretty good but John is only able to make a small amount at one time. The riders are not eating much. Some soup, a small piece of pizza and then bed. So we have about 9 pizza to donate to anyone. Not a clue what to do about breakfast. Oatmeal, raisin bran, toast, coffee, and scrambled eggs on the grill? Hope the propane lasts .

- Randobiker

Power Out in North Powder

2010-06-13T00:28:00.001-07:00

Just when things we looking really good at the control, we head a crash-boom down the street and the lights and power to the city suddenly went out. John was just putting the first pizza in the oven, a second too late. Plan B is to try and use the barbecue grill to warm up water for cup of soups. Oh yes, and the Harley rider in the room next door just demanded that we quiet down. A Harley rider wants quiet. Also.

- Randobiker

Twilight Falls on the OBM1000

2010-06-12T22:36:00.001-07:00

Tonight is a new moon so tonight will be dark and the riders probably won't notice the Elkhorn Mountains west of North Powder. I just about missed them too. Almost caught the sun set. Rider progress has been updated.

- Randobiker

Location:North Powder Oregon

Del makes it to Tamarack Inn

2010-06-12T19:24:00.001-07:00

Del arrived at the control in the first group with David Strong and Peter Burnett. David and Peter have departed the control. Go Del!

Del's 100th Brevet

2010-06-12T18:17:00.001-07:00

Susan was passing through Umatilla and met several of the riders at the control and was reminded that this is Del's 100th brevet without a DNF. With thunderstorms brewing in the west, five mountain passes, the warmest weather of the year and the North Powder overnight control looming ahead, can Del prevail and make the OBM1000 his 100th consecutive successful brevet?

- Randobiker

Location:Umatilla

Umatilla by Golly

2010-06-12T17:57:00.001-07:00

Peg and Leslie arrive at Umatilla at 15:00. Sunny and warm with some puffy white clouds looking a bit like starter thunder boomers. Bill Alsup and Steve Hinkley also at the control. Everyone looks good despite the headwind blowing out of the east.

The Start

2010-06-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

Twenty three riders started this morning at 7:00 am. It looks like a beautiful day, no wind, warm, lots of sun and the forecast is for the warmest day of the year.

From obm1000

Its Windy!

2010-06-11T10:34:00.000-07:00

The wind chimes are noisy today. ZOMG, it's a 5 hour ride to Umatilla day! But what about tomorrow? Will our intrepid OBM1000k riders get the pineapple express or the Columbia doldrums?

OBM1000k Starts in Two Days!

2010-06-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

From obm1000

I haz a sad cuz all this izn't gonna fit in my Corolla!

Greg Solos OBM1000

2010-06-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

Greg Cox rides the OBM solo this weekend. The weather looks pretty good, some rain and thundershowers for Sunday. Temperatures remain cool.Update: Unfortunately an mechanical problem forced Greg to abandon the ride on Sunday at Austin House.

Preride Elevation Gain Estimate

2010-06-03T20:49:00.000-07:00

From obm1000

This is the elevation profile ploted from the Garmin tcx files created during the prereide. All four riders had the Garmin Edge 705 bike gps. The Garmin elevation gain is within 10-percent of the Bikely estimate, the Bikely estimate was 33,600 while the Garmin estimate is 36,446. The route sheet will be updated with the Garmin elevation gain data and will have summit information added where it is missing. You will be able to determine how much farther you have to reach the summit an how many more feet of ~~climbing~~ dancing left to do. Tango anyone?

Preride Report by Vince Sikorski

2010-06-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

I rode the Blue Mountain 1000 with Kole Kantner, John Pearch and the other Vincent over this past Memorial Day weekend. Even though I live in Central Oregon, I am always impressed with the beauty and quality of riding in Central/Eastern Oregon. John Kramer has put together an incredibly splendid route. For the most part the road surfaces are great and vehicle traffic low to non existent. You are probably at greater risk of being hit by an animal than a car on this ride. On a fast descent on Twickenham Rd (after Mitchell), a deer jumped off of a cliff above me. As I was descending about 30 mph, an adult mule deer landed on the road about 10 yards in front of me. All four legs collapsed as it skidded across the wet road on its belly. When it hit the gravel side of the road, it jumped up and kept running. Must have been some predator chasing after it.

There is a section of gravel patched road on a descent between Mitchell and Fossil. I believe most riders, if not all, will ride through that during daylight. There are paved sections that you can wind around and avoid the graveled sections. John did a great job with listing availability of food and water on the route sheet. If the support on the main ride is half as good as the support that John and Eric provided to us this weekend, everyone is going to be pampered. Thanks, John and Eric.

I don't believe any words (or even photos) could adequately describe the beauty of this ride, so I am not even going to try. Needless to say, If you enjoy long fast descents, you will be all smiles. If flat straight roads bore you, you won't be often bored.

I will warn you about the three rabid animals that you are likely to encounter. The first, Wind, will be playful at first. Don't trust him. He will viciously turn on you before the end. Second is Hill. She will nip at your heels for much of the ride. She has a keen sense of fear. Display any fear to her and you will be devoured. Lastly, the most rabid of all is Heat. Fortunately for us, rabid animals are known to avoid water. The rainy weather we encountered kept Heat hidden in his burrow. If the sun comes out, you would be well advised to carry lots of water.

Vince Sikorski
P.S. My Garmin registered 35,833 feet of climbing.

They're In

2010-05-31T22:30:00.001-07:00

Here they are, 63 hour and 7 minutes with 13 hours in overnight controls. Outstanding riders!

- Randobiker

Start Day 3

2010-05-31T19:56:00.001-07:00

It was a cold and rainy morning when the boys left the Oregon Hotel to finish the final day of the Oregon Blue Mountains 1000k. The rain lasted for about three hours and the clouds eventually gave way to growing patches of blue sky and a 15 mph head wind.

Location:Mitchell

200k Day 2

2010-05-30T23:11:00.001-07:00

Logan Creek Valley on the way to Parish Cabin. The riders stoped for lunch at Austin House and found one remaining summit to Prairie City. The crew arrived at Parish Cabin at 16:22 and left at 17:00. Cool temps and some light rain. A fair amount of climbing, 7,500-8,000 ft for the 200k to Parish Cabin.

Waiting in Mitchell

2010-05-30T22:46:00.000-07:00

11:00 and we're expecting the riders any minute. The pasta is boiling, towels and drop bags are set out by the shower.

It looks like the Oregon Hotel will work well for the actual ride.

Weather today was mostly nice with a little rain toward evening.

Starting Day 2

2010-05-30T07:03:00.001-07:00

Everyone got in to North Powder by midnight. Started Sunday morning at 06:10, sunny and frosty cool.

The Larch

2010-05-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

Everyone cleared the Tollgate control at the Tamarack Inn, mile 176, by 7:10 pm. It was wet and cold going over the top. Wool good!

OBM North Powder Plan B #1

2010-05-29T14:18:00.001-07:00

So the shared kitchen dining area might not be available for the pre ride because someone is living there. Another fine surprise. It is good the riders are fast because the cafe closes at 9 pm. If your hungry, ride fast Boys!

OBM Umatilla

2010-05-29T12:12:00.001-07:00

Big sky, big tail wind! Wheeee...

Oregon Travel Guide

2010-05-29T08:19:00.001-07:00

Eric and a great map of Oregon by William L. Sullivan, Oregon Travel Guide.

They're Off

2010-05-29T08:13:00.001-07:00

They're off, the OBM pre riders, John Pearch,Kole Kantner, Vince Sikorski and Vince Muoneke. Nice day for a ride, weather looks good.

Big Horns

2010-05-16T17:37:00.000-07:00

I was in John Day last weekend checking the OBM1000k route and on my way home I spotted these guys in a rancher's field next to the river. There were about 35 sheep in this group. These guys are easy to see in the green grass but they would be hard to spot in the basalt rocks and and desert grass. This is maximum zoom on my colorpix L20 camera.

Oregon Blue Mountains 1000k

2010-01-30T08:58:00.000-08:00

Strawberry Mountain photo by Barbara Blacker

Ride: Oregon Blue Mountains 1000k
Organizers: John Kramer and Dave Read
Date: Saturday, June 12, 2010
Distance: 1000km (621 miles)
Frequently Asked Questions: FAQ
Registered Riders:
Brevet Results: Here
Pre-ride Report: Pre-ride reports by Vince Sikorski, John Pearch and Vincent Muoneke.
Rider Expectations: Here
Start Time: 07:00 Saturday June 12, 2010
Finish Time: 10:00 Tuesday June 15, 2010
Sunrise: 05:15 (twilight 04:37) Pacific Daylight Time
Sunset: 20:54 (twilight 21:52)
Moon Phase: New Moon on 12 June 2010 at 04:14

Registration: Update 5/10/2010 Registration is closed because we have reached the maximum number of riders.

The entry fee is US $225 and the registration deadline is June 5, 2010. The June 12th event is limited to 30 riders. We have room for additional riders for the preride on May 29th. You can register for the event or preride, by completing the Registration Form and Waiver and mailing them along with your entry free to the organizers address on the registration form. Here is a Word version of the Registration Form that you can save, fill out and email.

Oregon Randonneurs membership is required for this event. If you are not currently a member, you can download a membership form and mail it along with your registration.

Paying using PayPal: You can pay the registration fee using the PayPal buttons on the right. Payment confirms your registration.

Update 3/2/2010: Changed total elevation gain from 41,000 feet to 33,600 feet.
Update 6/7/2010: Changed the total elevation gain to 36,440 feet based on Garmin edge 705 data gathered during the preride.

Route Description
This is a very challenging route starting and ending in north central Oregon at The Dalles. The elevation profile shows a total elevation gain of 36,400 feet. Overnight controls split the route into thirds using the elevation gain. Control locations are tentative and there will be adjustments based on the pre-ride and RUSA certification.

Day 1 - 400 kilometers and 13,300 ft elevation gain
The route follows the Columbia River east to Umatilla and continues east to Westin where it enters the Blue Mountains with a long hill climb. There is a staffed control near the summit at the Tamarack Inn. There are 24 hour services at La Grande and the overnight control is at the Powder River Motel in North Powder.

Day 2 - 350 kilometers and 10,900 ft elevation gain
The overnight control is at the Oregon Hotel in Mitchell Oregon with staffed controls before business hours at Austin House and a campground, possibly Parish Cabin on the south side of Strawberry Mountain. Staffed controls may also be located at John Day and Dayville. The route circles south around Strawberry Mountain between Prairie City and John Day before turning east into the Ochoco Mountains.

Day 3 - 250 kilometers and 12,300 ft elevation gain
From Mitchell, the route goes through the Oregon Painted Hills to Fossil, Antelope, Shaniko, Maupin and back to The Dalles. There will be staffed controls, to be determined, possibly at Fossil, Shaniko or Maupin. Between Mitchell and The Dalles, the route crosses the John Day river twice, The Deshcutes river and several smaller but notable climbs like the hill out of Antelope, the hill leaving Fossil and Tygh Ridge Summit.

The Starting Location
Motel 6 The Dalles (www.motel6.com)
2500 W 6th Street
The Dalles, OR 97058
541-296-1191
Parking in old Save-More parking lot next to Motel 6.
Update 7-Jun-2010: Guests of Motel 6 can park in the back lot of Motel 6. Talk to the motel to make sure it is ok.

View The Dalles Motel 6 in a larger map

The OBM1000 Route

2010_OBM1000k

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/2010-OBM1000k

The Route Profile est. elevation gain 36,440 ft.

(Click on Profile for a larger image)

From obm1000

GPS route in

GPX format
Google Earth
Garmin Training Center (tcx) Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

The Final Route Sheet

spreadsheet, html, pdf, csv, rss

Photo Alblum (a work in progress)

OBM1000k FAQ

2010-01-19T11:40:00.000-08:00

Entering the canyon along Girds Creek Road.

Question 1: What happened to the 1000K + 200K option?
After much thought and discussion, it was decided to revise the route into a single 1000K loop with riders starting and finishing in The Dalles. The 1000K route offers equally challenging and scenic opportunities as the original route in a more user friendly format for both rider and support logistics.

Question 2: What is expected of the riders?
Riders should be in good physical condition and ready for a fun, challenging ride. You can read the official Oregon Randonneurs rider expectations at http://www.orrandonneurs.org/brevets/rider_expectations.html

Question 3: Do you have a draft of the cues for this ride?
You can find a preliminary route sheet in a variety for formats on the main ride page at http://randobiker.blogspot.com/2010/01/oregon-blue-mountains-1000k.html

Question 4: What level of support will the ride have?
The route includes many sparsely populated areas best described as rural, wilderness and Old West. You won't find corner convenience stores and you will seldom even find corners. Cell phone service will be sporadic at best.

Because of the scarcity of services, the organizers and volunteers will staff strategically placed controls along the route to resupply riders. There will also be support and course sweep vehicles. Controls will be staffed by experienced randonneurs and offer fluids, fuel, encouragement and perhaps some rocking music to get you going. We will preride the route two weeks before the event date. The preride will determine the critical points along the route for staffed controls.

There will also be two full service overnight stops in North Powder and Mitchell. Both overnights will offer beds and showers.

Note to extremely fast riders. If you are planning to ride the route without stopping for sleep, there is a possibility you may get out ahead of our support services. We will make our best effort to accommodate your needs. Please contact the organizers so we can discuss your plans.

Question 5: What will the event cost?
The cost of registration is $225 per rider. The registration fee covers lodging, food, supplies and support vehicles during the ride.

Question 6: Have you set a start time?
The start time is Saturday June 12th at 7:00 am. You will have until Tuesday, June 15th at 10 am to finish.

Question 7: What kind of weather can I expect?
Expect warm to hot days and cold to very cold nights. Temperatures at elevation are going to be cooler that those near sea level near Portland, Oregon.

Oregon Blue Mountains 10+2 FAQ

2009-12-05T17:23:00.000-08:00

Question 1: Do you have a rough draft of the cues for this ride? (I have TopoUSA and Garmin in case you have draft route files.)

You can find blog posts, segment route descriptions, maps, links and route sheets here. If you scroll down through the blog, you will find maps, route sheets and more detailed descriptions for each segment. You will find links to Bikely maps where you can download gpx and kml files for Garmin and Google Earth. These routes should be considered draft segments for the 1000k + 200k. The 1000k will end 200k from the start. To get from the end of the 1000k back to the start, you have to ride the 200k brevet or have a friend pick you up at the end of the 1000k or hitch hike. There is no bus line, train, airplane or car rental at the end of the 1000k

Question 2: What level of support will the ride have?

Several of the volunteers for last springs Oregon 600 XTR have volunteered to help support this randonnee. The completion rate for the Oregon 600 XTR was incredible. I think the support provided by the volunteers contributed to that success. Mostly, the riders were in excellent physical condition and just plain, hardy and adventurous pioneers. We will preride the route two weeks before the event date. I anticipate the support will be based on the segments between the overnight controls and will consist of three support vehicles. One vehicle sweeping the end, one staffing the segment between start and end points and the third preparing the overnight control. The preride will determine the critical points along the route. This is a sparsely populated area best described as rural, wilderness and Old West. You won't find corner convenience stores and you will seldom even find corners. Your cell phone will be mostly useless and if you run out of energy, it may be a very long walk to anywhere.

Question 3: What will the event cost?

A detailed plan and cost estimate has not been made yet but I hazard the cost may be around $275 per rider. The cost needs to cover lodging, food, miscellaneous supplies and the cost of the support vehicles. The number of riders will probably have to be limited to 10 riders for preride and 15 riders for the event which tends to further increase the cost per rider.

Question 4: Have you set a start time?

A start time has not been determined yet. One idea is to try to time the start so the difference between the end of the 1000k and the start of the 200k allows a generous rest period. The preride will help determine the start time for the event.

Question 5: Where are overnights likely to be, and how will they work?

The overnights are likely to be located at or near Westin, Baker City and Condon. This is about 350k of hard or very hard riding per day. The start and end points have not been finalized. Probable start locations for the 1000k and the end of the 200k are Bingen, Washington or Hood River, Oregon.

Question 6: Will this ride include options for other distances?

Yes, the options are 1000k + 200k, 1000k or 200k. It will be the rider's responsibility to find their way to the start and finish of each route.

Question 7: What kind of weather has this ride (or the ride area) had recently about ride time-of-year? Any wind/heat/rain extremes? Is it high enough to avoid the heat of the Yakima Valley? (I have Cliff Mass' Weather of the Pacific NW, but that only suggests to me that the weather would be very dependent on the route.)

When Rick and I rode this route the second week of June two years ago, the weather was great. The Big Lebowski 600k brushed the western edge of the Blue Mountains in 2006. Early fall temperatures were hot during the day and cold or very cold night at night, especially in the valleys. The weather for the Oregon 600 XTR at the end of May last year was hot with temperatures into the mid 90s. Only fools and newcomers predict the weather around here but mid June offers a good trade off between snow and ice on the passes and hot spring temperatures. Riders need to be prepared for both cold and hot temperatures.

The Cold and Windy Road

2009-10-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

Bikenfest 2009 is history. Fourteen riders started and finished the 200k Bikenfest route. The results are posted here. The weather was cooler than normal with temperatures between 48 and 60 degrees. The winds were generally favorable with NW winds at 14 mph gusting to 22 mph after 3 pm. There was enough rain to make things wet for several hours with a total of 2/100ths inch accumulation mid morning in The Dalles.

The cold NW wind and sprinkles made the finish a welcome experience for everyone. It was cold enough that a warm pizza parlor would have worked better for the finish than the Hops Fest. There were many flat tires apparently due to goats head thorns blowing across the road way. Many thanks to all of the courageous riders who braved the weather forecast, dared a Kramer brevet and tempted the Hood River Hops Fest. A special thanks to Paul Whitney for taking care of the Maryhill control.

Cecils photos are here.

Safety in Numbers

2009-09-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

I wish I would have linked to Matt's first post about safety in numbers but since the topic it came up again, here it is, Safety in Numbers. Obviously one of the great things about Randonneuring is seeing other riders and having a chance to share the rode, even if only for brief minutes. Safety in numbers is another benefit of club brevets and the more people that turn out for them, the better it is for everyone.

Centralia Dart 2009

2009-09-21T23:07:00.000-07:00

From Dart2009

Rode the Centralia Dart with ReadytoRide and Eric last weekend. A dart is a team event where teams of riders converge on a central location from different starting locations in Oregon and Washington. Each team consists of 3 to 5 riders who ride together for 200 kilometers to the destination where they have a banquet and tell stories. There were 3 Oregon teams and 2 Seattle teams. The RUSA rules require the teams to maintain a rate of progress that brings them no closer to the finish than 25 kilometers at the 11.5 hour mark. After 11.5 hours, the teams can ride to the finish. This fall's finish was at McMenamins Olympic Hotel in Centralia, Washington. On Sunday morning after the ride, the five teams met for breakfast and stories in a banquet room in the Olympic Hotel.

Our ride strategy was to hang out at the controls until we were out of time and then ride fast to the next control where we would stop, find a place to eat, lounge, and watch ReadytoRide post the adventure on twitter with his iPhone. Then, when we were out of time, we would saddle up and ride hard for the next control.

We started in Lake Oswego south of Portland with a lite rain but by the time we got to the Banks-Vernonia trail, about 11 o'clock, the weather was clearing and we were starting to dry out. We rode the trail from Banks to Vernonia. Eventually we found ourselves on the Vadar-Winlock road where we found a Road Closed sign. We asked locals for information and they advised us to back track to Vadar and take the long detour to Winlock on Military Road. Our 11.5 hour control was Winlock where we ate again and then finished the ride to Centralia for a total of 13 hours and about 225 kilometers. The Dart was fun and we were warm, dry and well fed by the time we arrived at McMenamins where we indulged in another meal.

The Olympic Hotel was noisy with a large wedding party. Sleep was impossible with young men and women boisterously ~~celebrating~~ flirting in the hallway all ~~night~~ morning. The wedding party managed to block out the noise of the trains and train whistles rumbling past the Hotel. If it wasn't for the wedding party, the noise award would go to the trains. If you go to the Olympic Hotel, bring ear plugs.

Sunday afternoon we boarded the Amtrak train back to Portland. After we arrived at the train station in Old Town, ReadytoRide led us back to where we started the day before using one of his favorite bike-to-work commute routes. We rode 14 miles through trails, quite streets, hill side cemeteries and superbly steep residential streets. Portland might be large enough for a nice 100k populair with many nice hills. The route would probably require a four page control card for the many information controls.

Dart2009

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Pooties

2009-09-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Got this picture attached to a safety reminder at at work. The message urged caution when checking culverts. The road engineers inventory and check culverts every year because a blocked culvert can result in a road washout and expensive repair. I don't know the story behind the picture, but I imagine an engineer in the central Cascades saw the cougar, and thought, "Hey, that will make a great picture. I don't have one of those yet," and snapped a picture before racing back to the truck.

I've seen two cougars, or one cougar twice, on the Twin Tunnels trail near Hood River this year. Once early morning during early spring and another time late afternoon during a really hot mid summer day when everyone with any sense was staying in doors with air conditioning. Both times the cougar nonchalantly left the trail and disappeared into the woods.

That cougar does not look like she is smiling...nice pootie!

The Dalles Waterfront Trail

2009-09-16T19:50:00.001-07:00

Here is a nice trail, great for roller blades, good for an easy ride, loosening up your legs the night before the big one, or recovery before driving home the day after. The Dalles Waterfront Trail project was started five or six years ago. Eventually, the trail will connect the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and The Dalles Damn.

The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center is prominently marked from the east bound lane on I-84, exit 82. From the stop sign on the exit ramp, turn right and follow the signs to the Discovery Center. The trail starts near the entrance to the Discovery Center parking lot. Look for the dogie bags and the small multi-use trail sign.

The trail is 7 miles long starting at The Discovery Center to 4,000 feet east of Riverside Park. The trail is not marked but is easy to follow if you watch for the turns on River Road and W 1st Street. There are no start, end or turn signs. Most of the trail is asphalt multi-use except for 2 miles on quiet city streets.

The trail turns left onto Klindt Drive about 3.5 miles from the Discovery Center.
Klindt Drive ends in 0.1 miles with a T-intersection and the route turns left onto River Road.
The trail jogs left around several industrial sites and the Windseeker restaurant. The jog is easy to miss but it is not a critical turn. Zoom-in and study the map if you want to include the Windseeker jog.
The route turns left onto W 1st Street about 4.4 miles from the start. The UPS freight center is on the left and the Tri-County detention center is on the right.
The trail veers left to follow the waterfront 5.5 miles from the start where the freeway overpass has a "The Dalles" facade. This is the only direct access from the trail to downtown The Dalles.
About 6 miles from the start, the trail crosses the Marina, past the restrooms to Riverside Park where there is a swim beach, picnic area, street hockey, biker napping area and shade. The trail continues for about 4,000 feet past the hockey rink where the asphalt terminates in gravel and quickly turns to sand.

Click on the map below and drag to pan around the map. Use the roller ball on your mouse to zoom in and out. Click on the icons for land marks. Click on the view larger map link to use other Google Maps features like view photos, videos, wikipedia and street view. BTW, you'll be riding past a major Google Data Center which you will not see in the satellite image.

Some land marks are also noted in the slide show and photo album linked below. The photo album also has a map that shows you where the pictures were taken on the trail.

Map

View The Dalles Waterfront Trail in a larger map

Slide Show

Photo Album

Bikenfest Route Changes (Updated 1x)

2009-09-14T01:07:00.000-07:00

Update 21-Sep-2009: The Twin Tunnels trail opened today! Life is good.

Here are two emergency changes to the Bikenfest 2009 route. I've been holding off posting these changes hoping road conditions would return to normal by October 3rd. In case road conditions don't change in time, here are the route accommodations. These changes decrease the total elevation gain by 500 feet. The route is still pretty nice even with the reduced elevation gain. A revised route sheet has been posted.

On August 24th the Mark O. Hatfield State Park was partially burned by the Microwave Fire noted at the time here. The park and trail are officially closed and Oregon State Parks issued a press release today saying the park is still closed until further notice due to hazardous conditions. The recent fire has destabilized several steep cliffs and hill sides along the trail.

The alternative to the trail is to use 5 miles on Interstate 84 between Hood River and Mosier. The freeway is the only realistic route between Hood River and The Dalles. The other alternatives involve long distances, really steep grades and mountain bikes.

In addition to the Mark O. Hatfield State Park closure, there is also a construction project on E 2nd Street in The Dalles. The original route used this part of E 2nd Street departing and returning to The Dalles. The pinch point is on the east bound lane where the road revision has shifted the roadway and consumed the eastbound shoulder. The westbound route is pretty good for bikes since an entire westbound lane is barricaded for exclusive use by construction equipment. There should not be any construction on Saturday leaving the construction lane open to bicycles.

To new route circles through the orchards south of The Dalles crossing US-197 on Columbia View Avenue before rejoining the original route. The route revision avoids the eastbound road construction on E 2nd Street and adds several miles to keep the total route distance at 201 kilometers. The route revision adds a control at Dry Hollow Road. This will be a water stop where you can refill water and fire up. Get ready for the Oregon Trail east of The Dalles.

Bikenfest 2009 - Columbia Gorge SE Alternative Route

View Larger Map

Download Route in gpx format

Open Map in Google Earth

Route Profile (elevation gain 6,450 feet)

Route Sheets

Lost

2009-08-30T17:44:00.000-07:00

Lost Lake Reunion Tour

The 2009 RAO champions Eric and ReadyToRide rode Oregon's most difficult permanent routes, Timberline and Lost Lake, for a total of 300k and 17,300 feet elevation. They shattered Fred Hunley and Randobiker's 2008 record time for the Timberline challenge by 20 minutes!

Historic Gorge Trail Burns (Update x1)

2009-08-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

Microwave fire burns over Twin Tunnel Trail and into Mosier

Things are looking grim for Mosier. High west wind is driving a wildfire fire through the Gorge and into Mosier. Bombers and helicopters have been working all day and fire crews from the region have arrived in Mosier. Very smokey riding weather this weekend on the south side of the Columbia. Send any extra luck you have to Mosier...better hurry too! Link to Incident Information System fire status.

Update at 8 p.m. There are six helicopters working the fire, five with water buckets. Things look better for Mosier, at least there is less smoke. The temperature is going down and the humidity is increasing. Tomorrow will be make or break for Mosier.

Fire surrounds the Twin Tunnels

Friday Night Dog Blogging

2009-08-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

Little Dude gets a hair cut, before and after.

Autumn is in the air. Shadows are getting longer, The people who signed up for Cycle Oregon are on the road getting some miles in. The Osprey's are getting ready for the long flight south, and Little Dude got a hair cut for winter. Saturday looks like a good day to follow the Columbia River to Roosevelt and back. It will be one of the last weekends to watch Ospreys.

Mental Skills

2009-08-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

Oh, this will be a fun series. I think being mental is an adaptation for Randonneuring. It works for me. I just sit on the same two sit bones on my butt for many hours, hunched over, leaning on my arms and shoulders, with my legs going round and round, thinking happy thoughts. Sometimes thinking not so happy thoughts. Sometimes thinking not very clearly thinking thoughts. Sometimes thinking what the hell was I thinking thoughts...and so on.

Pesky Peacocks

2009-08-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

Columbia River from the Scenic Highway East of Mosier

I route checked the Bikenfest on Sunday. It was a gorgeous day. My Garmin Oregon GPS elevation gain was within 150 feet of the Bikely estimated elevation gain of 7,000 feet. Just leaving the GPS on the table all day, it would probably gain 150 feet of elevation. My moving time was 8.5 hours and my Bacchetta speed was as good as my triangle bike even with the frequent and generous hill climbs.

Art Fair at Maryhill Museum

I noticed signs for an art fair on my way up SR-14 following the Columbia River east. I didn't notice if it was Maryhill the winery or the museum. On the way past the Winery, I thought maybe the art show was there because there were so many cars in the parking lot. The parking lots at the museum were filled full so there was a good sized crowd at both locations.

The Vinyards and Orchards at Maryhill

I filled water from a hose behind the restrooms labeled drinking water. You can't be too careful. A little girl came running around the building shrieking in terror followed closely by a puzzled female peacock. The little girl's dad scooped her into his arms and together they faced the giant menacing bird. The little girl continued to shriek while the Dad tried to make it better. I think maybe the little girl's scream sounded like peacock mating calls. A little later I saw the dad photographing the little girl feeding the peacocks.

Mt. Hood from Emerson Loop Road

I discovered my camera had a broken lcd and so I was forced to use my iPhone for pictures. I didn't take very many pictures because it required stopping to get the iPhone out of the Bacchetta bag behind the seat. It is really a handy gadget because the iPhone records the picture location in the picture jpeg. So when you put together a photo album, you also get the map locations where the pictures were taken. You can see where they all fall on a map or the individual locations for each photo. And you can also look at the topo lines on the map with topo relief or send the map to Goggle earth. Seams pretty cool. Maybe even useful.

Was ist der Earschplittenloudenboomer?

2009-08-15T19:24:00.000-07:00

The new iPhone is the greatest gadget ever created. Along with iPhone comes iPod and iTunes. Just awesome, Es ist ein Ohr-Splitter laut boomer! Does anyone else remember cruising around town with a box of eight tracks, one of which was Steppenwolf 7, cranking up the tunes and looking for a kegger? Earschplittenloudenboomer is a track on the Steppenwolf 7 alblum. I just added some Steppenwolf to my iPhone. It will go well with James Gang and Credence Clearwater.

What does Steppenwolf 7 have to do with Bikenfest? I think we'll have to leave that for a future discussion, but you can call me Fat Jack with the Foggy Mental Breakdown.

Alsea

2009-08-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

The Alsea Falls 400k was last weekend. I should know better by now, at least once a year, I get hit with a bonk like a wrecking ball smacking me in right in the face. The 80 to 85 degree temperatures were much cooler than 95-105 degree temperatures that I had been enjoying on normal home town rides. I was only drinking 12 ounces of maltodextrin and water per hour and failed to recognize the long hill climbs caused me to loose so much water weight that my heart rate monitor felt loose on my chest. By the time I got to Alsea, the fix was in, pain in the making.

In Alsea, I sat on the bench at the store with Greg and Del for a while and we left town together. I could tell though, my comeuppance was on the way. On the way out of Alsea, I decided to stop and take a beta blocker to control a rapid atrial fibrillation based on advice of my cardiologist and a slowly growing body of experience with rapid, irregular heart rhythms. The drug didn't seem to have much affect lowering my heart rate on the hill climb, my heart rate remained at 110-percent of max through the 12-mile climb. It wasn't that much of a climb and I should have powered through it with no problems. But I was beginning to suffer more with each mile.

On the descent, the drug took hold and slowed my heart rate to 80-85 bpm where it stayed for the rest of the ride. By the time I got to the little hill leading to the outskirts of Monroe, I was dizzy and felt the lights in my brain getting dim. I stopped and managed to get off my bike, lay it in the ditch and execute a reasonably controlled sit on a turnout with a slight incline. I thought about getting my cell phone from my bike but quickly concluded it was a worthless idea as I was fading so fast I could only put my head down. Luckily I landed face side up with feet uphill and head downhill. After a while, I heard the Timex 15 minute count down timer go off on my bike and realized I was still conscious but feeling very, very ill.

Eventually I thought to sample some body movements and quickly discovered the muscles from my right hip to my knee were vibrating like big bass fiddle strings and seizing in an alarming manner. I relaxed and lay still. When the count down timer went off again, I managed to execute a drunken roll and stagger back to my bike in the ditch. My Bacchetta felt heavy, like a big hog Harley, but I managed to get it back on the pavement where I walked beside it, slowly and painfully climbing the little hill to Monroe. I was amazed to be moving again, heart rate stuck on 80 bmp.

A bonk becomes a calculation. What is the quickest way home? Call AAA, call a taxi, get a motel room, call an ambulance, and the most dreaded alternative...phone home. I felt very ill but I knew if I waited long enough, conserved energy, kept replenishing water and calories, eventually I would have enough power to ride Bacchetta to the finish. I had to stop at the next two little towns and get something to make me burp, my stomach was killing me. I should have tried to find something caffeine free, but I ended up with Classic Coke-a-Cola at the first stop and Diet Coke at the second. I managed just enough burps so my stomach was just badly chronic, not terribly acute.

So the last 150k was an exercise in patience and pondering. With my heart rate metered at 80-85 bpm, I wasn't able to go very fast and I had to be content with a slow rate of progress. I also had to walk a few hills which felt really good for the gluteal muscles that were unhappy with the recumbent posture. The main reason I had to walk the hills is I could not keep straight on the fog line. Once I found myself instantly on the opposite side of the center lane facing the opposite guard rail. The traffic was very light, but I was unpredictably wobbling and veering into the traffic lane.

I was concerned about the trip through Salem and if I was going to be able to ride through town safely. The route through Salem was perfect, almost no traffic, some of it on bike path and a good share of it on the flat with a generous bike lane. I also stumbled on a place to stop with dry green grass to lay down on and a store stocked with just about everything.

Such is the nature of Randonneuring. The adventure of an epic fail. The thrill of unknown hazards, the threat of permanent damage. Pondering if I should be doing this or maybe doing something healthy instead like hang gliding, sea kayaking, wind surfing or para sailing. I can't count the number of times I've asked that question. The answer is always the same.

Reds and Blonds

2009-08-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

This is Freida, Big Red in the middle, and Little Dude (closest) at Julia's Laundermutt in White Salmon. Freida is Little Dude's golden doodle sister. Freida got a red coat and Little Dude got the gulivornya blond.

Bikenfest Route for 2009 (Update x1)

2009-07-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

It is unclear what will happen to Bikenfest this year. Perhaps there isn't enough interest left in randonneuring in Oregon to support another brevet.

Here is a route suggestion that is probably a pretty good route as long as the winds are reasonable. Most of the roads are very quiet. Highway 14 has some truck traffic but it isn't terrible and the road shoulder is pretty good. It has about 1200-feet more climbing than the original route from 2006. With total climbing of almost 7,000 feet, it has less than average climbing for a route in the Columbia Cascades.

This is a scenic route through the Columbia River Gorge from Hood River east to Mary Hill Museum. The proposed route would start from downtown Hood River with parking across from Full Sail Ale Brewery. The proposed date is October 3rd which coincides with the 6th annual Hops Fest in Hood River.

The route follows the Historic Twin Tunnels Trail to Mosier where the route climbs Sevenmile hill to Chenoweth and The Dalles. Sevenmile hill has two steep one mile grades (>6% grade). From the Dalles, the route tours the wheat fields east of town where the Oregon Trail once brought pioneers overland in conestoga wagons to The Dalles. From The Dalles Bridge, the route crosses the Columbia River and follows Washington SR-14 east along the Columbia River to Maryhill Museum where there is shade, green grass, picnic tables, restrooms, hungry peacocks and a great view of the Columbia River. From Maryhill Museum the route returns to The Dalles and follows the Historic Scenic Columbia River Highway over Rowena Creast and back on the Historic Twin Tunnels trail to the Hops Fest in Hood River. Yummm Beeeer!

Update 08/01/2009: Added links to route sheets in various formats
Google Map-Bikenfest 2009?

View Larger Map

Route Profile elevation gain 7,000 feet
Route Sheets

html
txt
pdf
xls
RSS

Scenes from Gorge Ride 2008

PDX Skyline 100k & Picnic (Updated x2)

2009-07-31T16:03:00.001-07:00

The Skyline 100k is this weekend. I have been looking to ride my Bacchetta recumbent in brevets this summer. So far my recumbent has carried me on just two brevets, the famous SIR Baked Salmon 600k Road Runner and an unofficial 200k around my home town in search of the next Bikenfest. I am not a good hill rider even on my best days on a triangle bike and I wobble around the fog line on a recumbent when the road grade reaches over 8 percent. Wobbling around the fog line isn't a good idea in Portland. Portland claims not to kill very many bikers but from my perspective, the urban area is all Portland regardless of geopolitical boundaries. I don't ride Portland but once in a blue moon. A ride into Voodoo Donuts at 2 am was one of those insane Portland rides.

I've ridden the Skyline road once before back when the Portland Wheelmen did Paris-Brest-Paris qualifier brevets. I remember falling over at one of the stop signs going up the hill. Getting stuck in the pedals, how embarrassing!

So I've been checking routes to scope them out. Are they a good choice for me and my Bacchetta or should I take one of my triangle bikes instead? I used street view to check the condition of the road shoulder on various parts of the Skyline Picnic route and it dawned on me that I only mapped half of the route since it is an out and back from Nobel Park in Hillsboro. The elevation gain of 3,652 feet didn't sound so bad until I realized to get the entire route you have to add the ascent and descent. So the total elevation climb for the 100k is 5,966 feet.

ZOMG! I'm gonna die! My wife will kill me for not increasing my life insurance to ride in PDX and for not leaving a last will and testament.

Update 08/01/2009: I survived the ride and it was pretty nice too. My Garmin Oregon only recorded 4,500 feet of elevation gain and the hills were short and not too steep. The skyline road isn't an urban hell hole and there were lots of bicycles on the road. The vehicle drivers were courteous and patient. The miles on Baseline road were a little busy on the return leg and I must have stopped for almost every stop light. The bike lanes were wide and well marked on Baseline Road so Hillsboro was pretty decent for biking.

Update 08/02/2009: Replaced the original Google route with my GPS track so the route should be very accurate. Also replaced the profile showing both out and back.

Google Map PDX Skyline 100k

View West Hills 100k in a larger map

Profile PDX Skyline 100k - 4,306 feet Out and Back

The Grinch is Stealing Bikenfest!

2009-07-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

Haaaalp! Do remember Bikenfest? The Grinch is about to steal the Bikenfest! Do you know what that means? Do you know what the Grinch will steal next after Bikenfestivus? Me neither but I know it is really, really super bad. Maybe the Grinch will take your bike, or your water bottle, or your wool socks, or your fancy brass ringer-dinger. Take action now and send your emails in support of Bikenfest here. We need Bikenfest because after Bikenfest, what else is there? You don't want to be left with just Portland Velo, do you?

Alsea Falls 400k (upcoming)

2009-07-27T22:06:00.000-07:00

Humm, it's either this 400k close to home or the Dan Turner's Mt. Baker climb way up north in Bellingham.

Update: I replaced the Bikely map because it was loading too slow. Here is a google map that loads real fast and has tons more features. Here is a link to the bikely map incase you want a gpx file for your GPS.

Cool Google Map features for randonneurs include Steet view, search for services, easy mouse roller zoom, terrain and satellite views, photos, videos, wikipedia and webcams. And, if you are on the route and you have a question, you can use your iPhone to get the map and zoom in and get your self un-lost. How cool is that?

Alsea Falls Google Map

View Larger Map

Elevation Profile (8,700 feet gain)

Whidbey Report

2009-07-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

From Tour de Whidbey

Ferry ride, lots of little hills, nice quiet roads, busy highways, smooth pavement, lots of bikers, cool ocean breeze, sunny blue sky and another fine SIR adventure. I counted at least 8 people helping with the controls. Thanks Mark and everyone!

Take Me Whidu

2009-07-24T16:21:00.000-07:00

Poor Little Dude knows when the male Frisbee thrower and bizkit provider is going on a long bike ride...he starts to squeak. See you soon Little Dude. It's Hammer Time!

Tour de Whidbey Island upcoming

2009-07-22T20:22:00.001-07:00

Update Aug 20, 2009: This is not the Tour De Whidbey fundraiser for the WGH Foundation, supported by the Auxiliary of Whidbey General Hospital!

This is Saturdays Route (25-JUL-2009):

View Larger Map

This is Saturdays ECG...

I wish I could bring my sea kayak for Sunday but I don't think it will fit in the back seat of my Prius. Damn you Toyota!

Update: Here is the SIR Whidbey web page.

Barlow Trail 300k Postponed

2009-07-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

Barlow Trail postponed due to hazardous weather forcast, Huzzah! Tour de Whidbey here we come!

Mt. Adams SxSW Results

2009-07-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

From MtAdamsSxSW

The riders times are posted. We're in Walking man now eating pizza and drinking beer and soda. Yumm!

Update: Seventeen riders enjoyed the ride today and everyone completed the ride successfully. The weather was perfect. The high temperature in Stevenson was 76 degrees at 5:00 pm, 10 degrees less than forecast. Wind was southwest at 5 mph gusting to 12 mph at 7:00 am. The wind increased to 11 mph gusting to 22 by 2:00 pm but died to 8 mph gusting to 22 mph by 5:00 pm. Michael's pictures from the McClellan secret control are posted here.

Thanks to Michael and Bill for taking care of the secret controls and congratulations to everyone who came and conquered.

Mt. Adams and the Barlow Trail

2009-07-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

The reason to ride a 200k brevet is to get into shape to ride a 300k brevet. You'll need to build your endurance and strength gradually. Increasing your abilities in 100k increments is a challenge.

The Mt. Adams SxSW 200k has 7,800 feet of hill climbing and it's profile looks vaguely similar to the Oregon Barlow Trail 300k on July 25, 2009. The elevation gains for the two rides are roughly proportional. The 200k has 3,900 feet of climbing per 100k distance while the 300k has about 4,300 feet of climbing per 100k distance.

For new riders it might also be useful to know the events are spaced between 2 and 3 weeks apart to give you a chance to recover and rebuild your strength for the next event. If your lucky the next event will be challenging but you will be able to complete the ride because your increased endurance and strength.

Barlow Trail 300k Profile

Barlow Trail First 108 miles

Barlow Trail Last 80 miles

OR300k_2009

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Mt. Adams SxSW Pre Ride Report

2009-06-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

More photos from MtAdamsSxSW

June 28, 2009: Completed the ride in 10.5 hours. The weather was perfect. Temperature range was 50 to 83 recorded Stevenson Washington. Winds were out of the west at 6 mph.

Traffic was generally very lite to lite with increased traffic heading to Trout Lake on SR141 and motorcycle traffic on Curly Creek and Wind River Highway. Traffic on SR14 will pickup significantly mid morning.

Road conditions were generally good. There were two small areas of fresh seal. There are 3 miles on SR141 between MP 17 and 20 and another 4.5 miles on Wind River Highway north of Stabler. The fresh seal was not a problem. The Lewis River road has four short gravel or hard pack areas where the road surface has washed out. There are also some pavement slumps, cracks and pot holes. Watch for road surface conditions carefully on down hill sections. There are a couple of pavement holes on the descent from Old Mans pass.

I stopped at each of the 5 tunnels on SR14 and activated the biker warning strobe lights. Stopped at the Columbia River Bank in Bingen for a receipt from the ATM. The bank is on the left immediately after the turn in Bingen. Stopped at the store in BZ Corners to refill my first water bottle. There is a water faucet at the raft launch site on the right side of the road in BZ Corners. Stopped at the Trout Lake Store in Trout Lake to fill 3 water bottles and get my control card signed.

There are no services in the 60 miles between Trout Lake and Stabler. I drank 100 ounces of water between Trout Lake and Stabler. There is a water pump with fresh cold water in the upper loop of the Lower Lewis River Recreation Area campground at mile 82.2 (on the left). The climb up Curly Creek was sunny, slow and hot. I took a break at McClellan view point to cool down. Stopped at Old Mans Pass for a short break. Stopped in Stabler for a cold drink and to cool down on the bench in the shade. Stopped at the high bridge on the outskirts of Carson to walk over the bridge and enjoy the view of the Wind River gorge.

I was lucky to stop for water at the Lower Falls (mile 82). The cold water tasted really good.

There were lots of insects to splatter into the cycling glasses but no deer or horse flies (yet).

Dear Randobiker...

2009-06-17T15:06:00.000-07:00

I’m thinking about a possible rando ride in the future. I’ve been working on my mileage and feel good. I’m not particularly fast, averaging around 14-15 MPH over varied terrain. How does that translate over 200K, what speed would one need to average to qualify through the controls? I can’t imagine this being a speedy type race, its really about endurance but I would guess that you have the rare view that pound this out 20MPH over 200k.

Sincerely yours,
Eyecant Drive55

Dear Eyecant Drive55,
A 14-15 mph average is pretty good! The brevets are not supposed to be races although many riders have a competitive side either with themselves or with the group. You only need to average a bit over 9 mph but keep in mind that includes all stops, lunches, naps, stumbling around the food mart, story telling and leg or butt rubbing, getting lost and traffic citations. Fast riders are able to complete the brevets in a little over half the allowed time. There are many riders but only a few really fast amazing riders who have the endurance to keep it up for the entire event. The purpose of speed is to allow yourself options. On long rides, speed brings the ability to rest and recover. Without enough speed, your physical suffering will increase, your mental disposition will deteriorate and you'll risk really bad monkey butt. Therefore a fast randonneur is a happy randonneur. Speed also brings you the ability to ride with people and develop comradery. You can always slow down to ride with a friend but you'll ride alone if you can't keep up.

Yours Truly,
Randobiker

Catching XTR Peter

2009-06-08T07:10:00.000-07:00

From Oregon 600k-XTR

Ole, Bob and Peter near Simnasho.

More XTR photos from Greg Courtney and a ride report from Cecil with very nice photos.

XTR Pics by Eric

2009-06-03T19:14:00.000-07:00

From Eric's 600 XTR album

Here are some more nice pictures of the XTR riders....and a ride report by Leaf Slayer.

Dave's XTR Pics

2009-06-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

From Oregon 600k-XTR

Dave Read took some great pictures of the riders on XTR Day 1. Daves pictures start on number 40, Ron Himshoot. This is my favorite, Ron with Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainer and the wind farm in the back ground.

Mt. Adams SXSW 2009

2009-06-01T18:03:00.000-07:00

Ride: Mt. Adams SXSW 2009
Organizers: John Kramer
Date: Saturday, July 11, 2009
Distance: 207km (129 miles)
Results: Here
Pre-ride Report: Discussion, Photos, Bill's Report
Sunrise: 05:29 Sunset: 20:56
Who's Riding?: Here
Start Time: 07:00 Satruday July 11, 2009
Finish Time: 20:30 Sunday July 11, 2009
Registration Time: 06:30-07:00
Entry Fee: $10 Checks should be payable to "Oregon Randonneurs", also, Oregon Randonneurs membership is required for this event. You can download a membership form and bring it with you. Register Now!

Lodging: This is a popular recreation area in the Summer. If you need reservations, book them well in advance. Here is a short list of accomodations in the area. The Wind Mountain Resort appears to be a good place for road bikers.

Start Location: Stevenson Washington: On street parking on 1st Street near the Walking Man Brewery. There are services located at the mini mart (Main Street Convenience) located 1.5 blocks NW on SR14.

View Larger Map

This is a scenic and challenging ride starting in Stevenson Washington. Bikely estimates (usually very reliable) 7,800 feet of elevation gain. The hills provide long ups and downs and Old Mans Pass provides a classic descent. There are great views of the Columbia River, Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mount St. Helens, Lewis River and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The route is available as a permanent #576 RUSA Approved.

Mile 0 to 46
From Stevenson the route follows SR14 and the Columbia River east for 22 miles to Bingen Washington. In Bingen, the route turns north following SR141 climbing the Bingen hill to White Salmon and then 22 miles though Husum and BZ Corners to Trout Lake. The Trout Lake Store and gas station provide the last services for 70 miles until the store in Stabler. The Trout Lake Store does not have a restroom but the gas station has a restroom you can use.

Mile 46 to 98
From Trout Lake, the route continues northeast on the Randle Road to the southwest side of Mt. Adams and the Lewis River Road. The route turns southwest following the Lewis River to Curly Creek. The Curly Creek road provides a 5 mile climb. The first three miles have a steady 5 to 7 percent grade.

Mile 98 to 128
At the top of the Curly Creek Road, the route turns southwest on Forest Road 30, the Meadow Creek Road. Old Man Pass is located two miles past this junction providing a great downhill run. From Old Mans Pass, there are only 20 miles, two turns and a small number of gentle hills remaining to ride.

Route Profile: Elevation gain 7,864 feet

Route Sheet: HTML sheet, Google Spreadsheet, Excel Spreadsheet, PDF format

Google Map:

View Larger Map

Bikenfest 2009

2009-06-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

Update 10-05-2009: Ride summary is here. Fourteen riders started and finished Bikenfest 2009.

Update 9-21-2009: The Twin Tunnels Trail opened today. The Bikenfest route will follow the trail rather than the freeway. No freeway miles for Bikenfest 2009!

Update 9-15-2009: There are several important emergency changes for 2009 including new map, gpx and route sheet.

Ride: Columbia Gorge SE 200k (RUSA Brevet 797)
Organizers: John Kramer
Date: Saturday, Oct 3, 2009
Distance: 200km (124 miles)
Results: Here
Pre-ride Report: Route check
Sunrise: 07:07 Sunset: 18:42
Who's Riding?: Riders
Rider Expectations: Here
Start Time: 07:30 Saturday Oct 3, 2009
Finish Time: 21:00 Saturday Oct 3, 2009
Registration Time: 06:45-07:15
Entry Fee: $10 Checks should be payable to "Oregon Randonneurs", also, Oregon Randonneurs membership is required for this event. You can download a membership form and bring it with you. Register Now!

Starting Location (Hood River Oregon)

View Full Sale Brewery in a larger map

This is a scenic route through the Columbia River Gorge from Hood River east to Mary Hill Museum. The proposed route would start from downtown Hood River with parking across from Full Sail Ale Brewery. The proposed date is October 3rd which coincides with the 6th annual Hops Fest in Hood River.

The route follows the Historic Twin Tunnels Trail to Mosier where the route climbs Sevenmile hill to Chenoweth and The Dalles. Sevenmile hill has two steep one mile grades (>6% grade). From the Dalles, the route tours the wheat fields east of town where the Oregon Trail once brought pioneers overland in conestoga wagons to The Dalles. From The Dalles Bridge, the route crosses the Columbia River and follows Washington SR-14 east along the Columbia River to Maryhill Museum where there is shade, green grass, picnic tables, restrooms, hungry peacocks and a great view of the Columbia River. From Maryhill Museum the route returns to The Dalles and follows the Historic Scenic Columbia River Highway over Rowena Creast and back on the Historic Twin Tunnels trail to the Hops Fest in Hood River. Yummm Beeeer!

Photo Alblum

Columbia Gorge SE

Google Map-Bikenfest 2009

View Larger Map

GPS export:Route in gpx format

Route Profile elevation gain 7,000 feet

Route Sheets

html
txt
pdf
xls
RSS

Scenes from Gorge Ride 2008

XTR 600 volunteer’s ride report

2009-05-25T23:16:00.000-07:00

Preride Photos Oregon Overland Expedition 600k-XTR

The Oregon 600k XTR is definitely a challenging ride. The combination of 20378 feet of climbing (measured by my altimeter), long distances between controls or services, and the large temperature swings and strong winds of the eastern Oregon high country combine to make this ride an epic adventure. Besides the challenges there is also magnificent scenery and the chance to ride some less traveled roads.

David Rowe and I decided to volunteer to thank John Kramer for some of the great rides he’s organized in the past. Along with the volunteer gig went the opportunity to pre-ride the course while John scouted it and met us at the controls.

We were blessed with excellent weather for the pre ride. A tailwind blew us down the Gorge to the Hi-Way Market (opens 6:00 AM) in Rufus. The first significant climb of the day was Scott Canyon Road. On top there are magnificent vistas of the hills and wind turbines, with several of the Oregon and Washington Cascades in view. This section of the ride has a couple of more hills to climb, followed by a great descent to the John Day River and then the sustained climb up to Condon. Condon has a nice market in the center of town with a park next door and public restrooms on the left on the way out of town.

On this ride filling up with water at every single opportunity is imperative. David and I each carried 2 large water bottles plus a large water bottle with four hours of liquid food (another 22 ounces of water). It was barely enough. With the heat and climbing, at our pace, we were completely out of water and fuel when we reached Condon. Slower riders should consider carrying even more water and food that will survive the heat.

From Condon there is a relatively short climb followed by a steep descent into Fossil. We topped up our water bottles for 25 cents each from a water cooler in the Mercantile a couple of blocks off the route on the main street.

Another short climb followed by a steep descent brought us to the John Day River at Service Creek. It was a beautiful uphill river grade, but the tailwind was about equal to our speed, so it felt like we were sitting still in hot air. By the time we reached Spray, the temperature on the road was 104. In fact, we found that temps on the tarmac were averaging between 20>30 above than the 77 degree high forecast for both days. That’s a rule of thumb worth keeping in mind, as the temps are forecasted to be about 10 degrees hotter this coming weekend.

John was at the control with watermelon and cold water, so we were able to avoid the crowd in town for the Horse Show. From Spray we continued along the uphill river grade toward the control at the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center. The Cant Ranch (part of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument) is on your left just short of the control and there is a water spigot on the front lawn, just off the road. The cold fresh water and shady lawn were great. We filled up and rinsed off. It was the best off-bike event of the trip.

The climb on US 26 to Keyes Creek summit was long (23 miles), but steady and gorgeous. Traffic was almost non-existent, despite the holiday weekend. At the top (4369 ft) we were greeted by herd of deer, and then a descent into a wonderful sunset and a view of thundershowers in the distance. The descent to Mitchell was another screamer with some rough patches of road. For the actual ride, David Rowe will man the control in the park in Mitchell.

At Mitchell, we set ourselves up for night riding and the 6-mile climb up Ochoco Highway. There was no moon, so we were treated to a night sky thick with stars. At the summit, it was 49 (a 55 degree decrease from the temperature at Spray five hours earlier and 2950 feet lower). We put on wool and windbreakers the cold descent toward Prineville. Luckily, it was only steep for a little way and we were able to stay warm and awake by pedaling (and downing massive quantities of Hammer Espresso gel) most of the way into the overnight control in Prineville.

We rolled out of Prineville at dawn for the easy flat ride to Madras, followed by a wonderful descent into the Deschutes river canyon at Warm Springs. The day was already warm as we climbed up the exposed canyon sides past Kahneeta and then to Shimnasho. The people we met at the Three Warriors Market at Shimnasho were very friendly, and the store was well stocked. David and I decided to break from a steady diet of Perpetuem there. I enjoyed a bag of pretzels. He loaded up on Fritos and a Diet Coke. We recharged out bottles and enjoyed another 13 miles of high country riding to the edge of the reservation, which featured wetlands, rolling grasslands, high mountain peaks, and herds of wild horses.

Once on the road to Maupin (US 197), we started feel like we’d returned to more familiar territory. The little town of Maupin is small, and laid out on a downhill so you’ll have to check your momentum as you enter the downtown to spot the answer for this information control. There’s a park on the left side of the highway, opposite Graves market, and some public restrooms there, as well.

From Maupin, it’s 50 miles to the finish, with very few services on the way. You’ll follow the river access road on the east side of the Deschutes to the bridge, then a short steep climb out of the canyon. There’s a pleasant interlude in Tygh valley, followed by the not-so-pleasant extended climb up Tygh Ridge. From that point it’s almost all downhill to the finish. The downhill is vey exposed to the wind, and the road and shoulder are rough. Watch your odometer carefully for the Eight Mile Road turn off. If you’re coming in at dark, keep your eyes peeled for a 4-way intersection (yellow-and-black) road sign; the road sign itself is on the opposite side of the highway. The pleasant ride down Eight Mile Road and back into town is idyllic, and we agreed it was the perfect ending to an awesome adventure.

Parting shots:

It can be a very long way (up to 50 miles) between water and food stops. Top-off your bottles every chance you get. Or carry a Camelbak. We like to think we manage our water pretty carefully, but we arrived at two controls bone dry.

Temperatures can swing from more than 100F in the valleys during the day to downright frigid on the mountain tops at night. Make sure you have warm gloves and a shell for these descents, there are a lot of them.

We counted 21 snakes, though only three of them were alive. The majority were bull snakes, a few grass snakes, and one that appeared to be a rattler. They’re only dangerous if you swerve into the traffic lane to avoid running over one. On the other hand, if you need to take a nap along the road at night, find a spot where you can get off the ground (a picnic table), or inside (a post-office is always a good bet; they are open 24/7).

The deer are out in full force, with lots of little ones in tow, so be careful on the fast descents, especially a night.

Did I mention there was some climbing? Aside from the first along the Columbia River, and the stretch into and out of Prineville, there are very few sustained flat sections along this course. It’s probably a good idea to get comfortable with that idea before you begin.

David and I both agreed this was the most beautiful – and most challenging – 600K we’ve ever experienced. You’re going to see the most beautiful terrain the State of Oregon has to offer, but you’re going to have to work for the opportunity.

Randobiker's Note: It has been three years since I've seen bikers with mugs as happy as Eric and David when they finally stopped rolling in front of the hotel on Sunday evening. Not since Ken Bonner's happy and somewhat confused smile at the end of the Big Lebowski in 2006. Condition Check: Oregon Lebowski-XTR.

Dear Randobiker,

2009-05-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

Any pointers in strategy that you may recommend for somebody embarking upon their first 600K? Send ahead clothes or nutrition to a halfway? Just get on the bike and keep it rolling forward? Plan a stop halfway for a good meal and change of clothes or a maybe a few hours downtime? I would be interested in any thoughts you have as I move into uncharted distance territory.

Sincerely yours,
Ready2Roll

Dear Ready2Roll,

Regarding the Oregon 600k XTR, they don't call it XTR for nothing. It's got extra challenge, extra adventure, it is extra hard, extra hilly and extra windy. All the prime ingredients for a true Oregon Extra.

I will check with the support crew; the idea of having a bag or gear drop at Mitchell at the 300k control. This would allow people some strategy as far as nutrition, supplying warm clothing or dropping extra gear. We would transport the drop bags to the overnight control and then back to The Dalles. I think it is a good idea, I just want to make sure the support team agrees with the idea.

Fueling is very important for these long rides. I train with the same fuel that I ride distance with because I want my body to be able to use it and not react badly to it. The Ultra Marathon Cycling Association web site has a section on fueling. You can find some free knowledge at Hammer Nutrition. You might also be able to find others who are interested in sharing an economical purchase of maltodextrin directly from a bulk supplier. You will loose lots of time if you run out of energy and hit the wall. Back when I used to eat solid foods, I found that on long rides I needed to stop and eat and take care of business every 100k. Everyone is different, ask around. Look for a strategy that keeps the calories coming, in the right amounts and times to keep you on the road cranking 200+ watts.

The ride starts at sun up going east. That means you'll be looking into the sun. People who ride with caps that have visors will do alright. Otherwise, it might be a good time to bring a visor. The turn onto US-26 runs west into the setting sun so that is another time for a visor.

It will probably be cold on the down side of the hills on US-26 at night. Something to think about. Maybe keep a set of arm, toe, leg warmers and light gloves. The brochures at the Fossil Beds warn of Black Bear, Cougar, Rattle Snakes and various other critters and insects. Avoid hitting them or perturbing them. Bikers might be pretty tasty especially after they have fermented all day in the sun.

Highway 26 does not have much of a shoulder and east of Prineville and it does not have a heavy loading of traffic. However the traffic picks up between Prineville and Warm Springs. This is a good stretch of road to get out of the way early Sunday morning. Some people recommend learning to ride 600k straight through which means stopping at the overnight, getting fuel, taking care of business, resupply, catching a 90 minute sleep cycle and continuing on. Practically speaking, for slower riders, this is what they are going to do anyway. But a 90 minute sleep cycle should be sleep, not fussing around in the fog and confusion. Take a short cut through the fog, find a bed and get horizontal for 90 minutes.

I very seldom ride straight through and prefer to take a 3 hour break which includes a shower, food, sleep cycle and business. A three hour break is no nonsense and no wasted time. The overnight control will provide a place to sleep, some nutrition and recovery. You can pack a drop bag for the overnight control. Good things to include are a change of bike cloths and space to unload your unwanted gear. You probably also want to include some spare tubes and CO2 cartridges, energy bars, boost, ensure, gels, etc. Your drop bag should be small, about 12x20-inches.

So to beat the traffic on 26, either start early in the morning and get to Warm Springs before the drivers come out, or mosey through the overnight control. I think a lot of it depends on the scheme and expectations that people develop in their minds before or during the ride. It is better to be flexible and roll with the flow than to be fixed and make a bad tactical decision. For example, if you get to the overnight control at 2:00 pm, it will be too early to sleep and a bad time to plan on a nap since your body clock will work against you. Just an example, and not to say anyone is going to get anywhere close to the overnight by 2:00 pm!

The other thing to consider is the wind. Central Oregon has wind, lots of it coming out of the west, northwest or southwest. The wind usually dies down at night so if wind is a factor, riding through the night is often the better choice. If you do plan on riding through the night, try to look for and plan on places where you can roll up in a space blanket or post office or park on a picnic table. The area has critters you don't want in your space blanket.

This country is bone dry and if it is hot, hydration will be difficult. If you are strong enough to carry a camel pack, it might be a real good idea especially if the weather is hot. Otherwise probably 3 water bottles. Keep an eye on the weather at Prineville or Madras and compare to where you live. Look at the humidity, there could be a big desiccation factor in Central Oregon.

It isn't over until it's over. Day 2 might only have 7000 feet elevation gain but it will also have wind, some coarse pavement, 20 miles of frost cracks past Tygh Ridge and several epic hills. They should have called Tygh Ridge, Heart Break Hill. Save some for Tygh Ridge.

Finally, the most dangerous part of these rides is trying to drive home after the ride. Get some rest before you drive. Don't drive when you are tired. Hate nags but falling asleep at the wheel only takes an instant, it isn't a choice and it can kill you or someone else and it could be negligent homicide. Ride then rest. Don't drive tired.

Yours truly,
Randobiker

ZOMG! UMCA RAAM Whazzoo!

2009-05-07T16:54:00.000-07:00

People ask why anyone would want to ride the Last Chance Randonnee, because, as everyone knows, it is flatter than the Willamette Valley. Well, it would not be for the scenery in western Kansas, that is for sure. I took exactly one picture on the entire 1200 kilometer Last Chance route and I ditched my camera when I got to my drop bag. Must have been lucky because most photographs you see of the area are of the awesome thunderstorms storms; thunderstorms that look like they come straight from hell. And I suppose it would not be for the biggest, fattest, meanest rattle snakes west of the Mississippi. You could eat for a week off of one of those big rattlers. The wind on the Front Range is an in-your-face experience but you would have to be crazy to pay the airline fare to Denver just to ride for days into head wind. There is a nice section of about 225 miles of rollers out and back from Atwood. Probably the hilliest flat land no one ever didn't ride. Another reason to avoid using for riding the Last Chance, is the 100k worse than gravel, used-to-be-pavement at the end of the ride. Just what your human-saddle interface needs after 1,100 kilometers on the saddle. I rode the Last Chance because it was just to damned far to drive and all I got to show for it is this stupid plaque which I will probably cherish forever.

NW Crank 2009 - Desert Camp North

2009-04-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

From NW Crank 2009

NorthWest Crank is a five day cycling camp sponsored by the Seattle International Randonneurs and held in Wenatchee Washington every year in April. Five days of great cycling, big honkin hills and good people to cycle with. What a great vacation!

Day 1 - Palisades

Update Day 3: The plan for today is Badger Mountain. Whew, I was afraid it was all up hill. Short day today, it's the Apple Blossom Festival in Wenatchee.

Desert Camp-Mountain Week

2009-04-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

Riding in the Arizona desert this week. Here are some photos, no rain just lots of sun and wind and PacTour Desert Camp - Mountain Week miles. We were in Douglas on the Mexican border two days ago and Lordsburg New Mexico yesterday. Back in Arizona today and tomorrow we get to climb another mountain called Mt. Graham.

Update Day 6: We survived day 6, photos updated. Red flag warnings today. We are heading straight into the wind on our way to historic Tombstone.

Postscript 5-APR-2009: The tour concluded on Sunday with last two days mostly straight into the wind. The National Weather Service posted red flag warnings both days but the last day only produced 21 mph winds with gusts to 39 mph. Everyone was happy to be done. It was a challenging ride. The proprietors and crew were very professional. The tour and the supporting facilities were ultimately organized. More photos from the staff here.

The Oregon 600-XTR

2009-03-02T21:40:00.000-08:00

Here it is, the Oregon 600 XTR. Take a look and comment. This information is subject to change, there is a lot of work left to do. This is a very challenging route so ...

Update 25-MAR-2009: Rooms have been reserved for the overnight control, Saturday night May 30 at the Executive Inn in ~~Madras~~Prineville. The 600k brevets have a time limit of 40 hours. The last control in The Dalles closes at 8:30 pm Sunday May 31.

Update 27-MAY-2009: There will be an overnight bag drop at the Overnight control. Drop bags should be no larger than 20x10-inches in size. Bring your drop bags to the registration in the Comfort Inn hotel parking lot in the morning.

Ride: The Oregon 600 XTR
Organizers: John Kramer
Date: Saturday, May 30-31, 2009
Results: Here
Pre-Ride Report: Here
Sunrise: 04:21 Sunset: 19:45
Moon Phase: half moon Moonrise: 11:28 Moonset: 00:15
Who's Riding?: Registered Riders
Start Time: 4:30 AM Satruday May 30, 2009
Overnight Control: Executive Inn, ~~Madras~~Prineville Oregon
Finish Time: 08:30 PM Sunday May 31, 2009
Registration Time: 4:00-5:30AM
Entry Fee: $80 Checks should be payable to "Oregon Randonneurs", also, Oregon Randonneurs membership is required for this event. You can download a membership form and bring it with you. Register Now!
Start Location: Comfort Inn
Address: 351 Lone Pine Drive, The Dalles OR
Hotel Phone: (541) 298-2800‎
Starting Location Map:

View Larger Map

Photo Album
Thomas Condon Paleontology Slide Show

Route Profiles
The Oregon 600k-XTR (elevation gain 21,269 ft)

This is a spectacular and hilly route. There are few services outside of the control locations listed on the XTR profile and the route sheet. This is hill country shared by the Race Across Oregon and somewhat occasionally by Cycle Oregon.

Stage One The Dalles-Spray (elevation gain 8,725 ft)
RUSA Permanent Description The Dalles-Spray
The first 200k stage begins in the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area and goes east along the Columbia River to Rufus Oregon where the route turns south to Wasco passing through the wind ranches and wheat fields of Central Oregon. The route crosses the John Day River and climbs to Condon. The route climbs again to Fossil and then climbs again before a long downhill run to Service Creek where the route joins the John Day River and passes through the small city of Spray.

Stage Two Spray-Madras (elevation gain 6,317 ft)
RUSA Permanent DescriptionMadras Spray
The second stage leaves Spray and continues South along the John Day River through the John Day Fossil Beds, past the Cant Ranch, Cathedral Rock, the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center and Picture Gorge. The route turns west and follows US26, the Ochoco Highway past Mitchel, over Ochoco pass, through Prineville and ends with an overnight stop in Madras.

Stage Three Madras-The Dalles (elevation gain 6,227 ft)
RUSA Permanent DescriptionThe Dalles-Madras
The final stage leaves Madras and continues on US26 crossing the Deschutes River to just east of the small city of Warm Springs where the route turns north on the agency hot springs road. The route climbs through the Warm Springs Reservation through Shimnasho and Wapanita and the turns east on OR-216 to Maupin and the Deschutes River National Recreation Area. From Maupin the route follows the Deschutes River north to Sherars Bridge. At Sherars Bridge the route turns west and climbs out of the Deschutes River to Tygh Valley where US-197 provides most of the roadway back to The Dalles. Tygh Ridge is a challenging climb but after the summit, most of the route trends downhill to The Dalles. The route leaves US-197 eight miles south of The Dalles and follows eight-mile road along a quiet creek and wheat farms to the starting location at the Dalles Bridge.

Links to route sheets

Spreadsheet
Html pages
PDF pages

Maps
Route at BikeRouteToaster

OR600k_2009

OR600k_2009@Bikely.com

Where's the OR600k at?

2009-02-28T20:07:00.000-08:00

Ray Ogilvie writes to ask if I have any information on the Oregon 600k brevet scheduled for May 30 and 31, 2009. I'm working on it, at least enough for a blog post and weekend scouting trip. A 600k is too far to drive in a day and do any serious scouting. I guess it will make for an interesting long weekend though. I'll take my bike along and ride some hills along the way. There are plenty to choose from.

ReadytoRide and Eric have volunteered to preride the course and help out during the event. They are also Racing Across Oregon this year which shares some of the same roads as the Oregon 600k-XTR_V1. This will be my seventh season of randonneuring, provided I can get my body primed for another season. In a way, every year starts out the same. Beginning with physical condition at zero, selecting some challenging goals for the year, redeveloping the endurance, strength and speed and riding many hills hoping for the best.

But just let me say this about the Oregon 600k-XTR_V1...it is a worthy training goal. This is not the kind of ride you show up to without seriously working hard on the physical conditioning and preparation. Challenge, adventure and self reliance are all important aspects of randonneuring, things that both Oregon and the Oregon 600k-XTR have in serious abundance. Dude!

I woke up this morning with a bad back that rapidly deteriorated into a giant back ache with accompanying head ache. So I spent the day flat on my back on the living room floor with my legs up on the haysack and ice packs and heating pads under my lumbar. The dogs thought it was pretty good. They got to hang out next to the master all day looking down at him with their drippy wet noses and chewie drool, snorting glaze on my eye glasses so they matched the haze in my head. After 2400 mg of ibuprofin and 3 oxycodone I can manage to sit in front of my computer screen and watch as it waves back at me.

Since the Oregon 600k-XTR blog post it isn't ready yet, here is a video I made for Christmas last year instead. Kind of the golden retriever's 2008 year in review. We said goodby to Rusty last year and we still really miss him. The video looks good on the TV but the art of the YouTube video still escapes me. You can enjoy more of Bon Iver on All Songs Considered at NPR here.

Little Dude - Before and After

2009-02-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

Little Dude got a new doo and even though he doesn't look too happy, he is glad to be home. He is a different dog when he can see out of his mop top. The groomers said he was a good dog, very patient and easy to work with. At least he smells good now. So when he sticks his snoot in my face in the morning, it won't be such an olfactory emergency.

The SIR Little Muddy 200k

2009-02-08T13:10:00.000-08:00

A dozen blue shirts and few other colors showed up for the Lacey-Raymond-Lacey 200k permanent on Saturday. It was a little muddy with 14 miles of washouts, mud and coarse crushed gravel. Fun for everyone! Click on the picture for the Picassa photo album.

The Great Northern Oregon Epic

2009-01-04T19:59:00.001-08:00

This is part of my training plan for the 2009 Shenandoah 1200. The timing is 4 weeks prior to the Shenandoah and the goal is to build multi-day long distance endurance. The route from Heppner to Baker City over Anthony Lakes might be a problem that early in the season. The backup plan to skip Anthony Lakes is to ride from Heppner to John Day and then John Day to Ontario. All of the routes have been submitted to RUSA for approval as permanents.

The first two days going through the Oregon Blue Mountains are really hard. After departing the Blue Mountains, the route challenges the Oregon high desert. It is pretty flat from Ontario to Bend but the route is heading west into the prevailing winds. The traffic in and around Bend and on US-26 between Madras and Warm Springs is likely to have urban traffic volume. The last day is only 100k on quiet roads, but there are hills. The Bikely elevation estimate for the map below is not accurate because Bikely does do well with long routes.

Anyone interested in a nice long ride though North Eastern Oregon?

The North Oregon Epic 2009
Date 2009	Route	Distance (km)	Elevation Gain (ft)
May 15	Hood River-Heppner	222	9,300
May 16	Heppner-Baker City	220	10,282
May 17	Baker City-Ontario	209	4,021
May 18	Ontario-Burns	207	4,872
May 19	Burns-Bend	210	2,058
May 20	Bend-Maupin	207	4,534
May 21	Maupin-Hood River	103	5,003
7 days		1,378	40,070

Hotels along the route
Date (2009)	Hotel	Phone	City
May 15	Northwestern Motel & RV Park‎	509-427-5470	Heppner
May 16	Western Motel‎‎	541-523-3700	Baker City
May 17	Ontario Inn‎‎‎	541-823-2556‎	Ontario
May 18	Silver Spur Motel‎‎‎	800-400-2077‎‎	Burns
May 19	Dunes Motel‎‎‎	541-382-6811	Bend
May 20	Deschutes Motel‎‎‎	541-395-2626	Maupin

Oregon DOT Trip Check

Route Profile (total elevation gain 40,070 feet)

Composite Route Map

Great Northern Oregon Epic

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Bend-Burns Permanent

2009-01-04T11:42:00.000-08:00

The route begins or ends in Bend Oregon and route sheets are provided for either direction of travel. The route follows the Central Oregon Highway, US/OR-20, the entire way. There is a rest area between Burns and Bend, Brothers Oasis, 41 miles east of Bend (milepost 42.8). There are restrooms, picnic tables, drinking water, horse area, and accessible facilities.

RUSA Permanent Number: Pending

Ride History:

Starting Location:
Dunes Motel (Bend)
1515 NE 3rd St
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 382-6811

View Larger Map

Elevation Profiles
Bend-Burns elevation gain 2,727 feet

Burns-Bend elevation gain 2,058 feet

Route Sheets: There are spread sheets or html sheets or print ready PDF sheets for each direction. Use the spreadsheet tabs to select the desired route.

Bikely Maps:
Bend-Burns
Burns-Bend

Route Map

View Larger Map

Hood River-Maupin Permanent

2009-01-03T09:50:00.002-08:00

The route begins or ends in Hood River Oregon and route sheets are provided for either direction of travel. The route follows the Historic Scenic Columbia River Highway (US-30) from Hood River to The Dalles. From the Dalles the Route follows US-197 to Maupin. There are lots of hills on this 100k. The Columbia River Highway is somewhat sheltered from the wind.

RUSA Permanent Number: Pending

Ride History:

Starting Location:
Hood River Inn
1108 East Marina Way
Hood River, OR 97031
(509) 427-5470

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Elevation Profiles
Hood River-Maupin elevation gain 5,700 feet

Hood River-Maupin elevation gain 5,000 feet

Route Sheets: There are spread sheets or html sheets or print ready PDF sheets for each direction. Use the spreadsheet tabs to select the desired route.

Bikely Maps:
Hood River-Maupin
Maupin-Hood River

Route Map

View Larger Map

Bend-Maupin Permanent

2009-01-03T09:50:00.001-08:00

The route begins or ends in Bend Oregon and goes to Prineville, Madras, Warm Springs and finally Maupin. Services are limited within the Warm Springs Reservation, between Warm Springs and Maupin, but there is a small store and gas station at Wapanita, the junction of OR-216 and the reservation road.

RUSA Permanent Number: Pending

Ride History:

Starting Location:
Dunes Motel (Bend)
1515 NE 3rd St
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 382-6811
View Larger Map

Elevation Profiles
Bend to Maupin elevation gain 4,534 feet

Maupin to Bend elevation gain 6,515 feet

Route Sheets: There are spread sheets or html sheets or print ready PDF sheets for each direction. Use the spreadsheet tabs to select the desired route.

Bikely Maps:
Bend to Maupin
Maupin to Bend

Route Map

View Larger Map

John Day-Ontario Permanent

2009-01-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

The route begins or ends in John Day Oregon and route sheets are provided for either direction of travel. This is a very easy route to follow. From John Day, go east on US-26 until you get to the outskirts of Ontario. There are very few services on this route. There is a small country store in Unity, 50 miles from John Day and 80 miles from Ontario. There is also a small store at Austin Junction 28 miles from John Day or 101 miles from Ontario.

RUSA Permanent Number: 598

Ride History:

Starting Location:
Lone Pine Inn (John Day)
250 E Main St
John Day, OR 97845
(541) 575-2100

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Elevation Profiles
John Day-Ontario elevation gain 4,886 feet

Ontario-John Day elevation gain 5,832 feet

Route Sheets: There are spread sheets or html sheets or print ready PDF sheets for each direction. Use the spreadsheet tabs to select the desired route.

Bikely Maps:
John Day-Ontario
Ontario-John Day

Route Map

View Larger Map

The Kramer Blog

Has the whole world gone crazy?

Finishing the Bikenfest 2011

The Doodle Gang

Puppehs!

Meet Gus

Bikenfest 2011

Ride Report--Dessert Ride

Monster Dog

Where are they now?

Bikenfest 2010 Updated x2

OBM 1000 Ride Reports

OBM Ride Report -- David Strong

Bill is in!

Peg and Leslie are in at 9:23

Ian and Alan are in at 09:00

Wild Things

Whew!

Sweet Memories

Sophie's Group Arrives 11:44

Rick Moved!

OBM1000 Blues and Greens

A Stop Along the Way

Philippe and Greg are in

Del is in

Waiting at the Finish

A Race to the Finish

The Leslie

Del Update

North Powder Control Closed

Nap Time

Power Out in North Powder

Twilight Falls on the OBM1000

Del makes it to Tamarack Inn

Del's 100th Brevet

Umatilla by Golly

The Start

Its Windy!

OBM1000k Starts in Two Days!

Greg Solos OBM1000

Preride Elevation Gain Estimate

Preride Report by Vince Sikorski

They're In

Start Day 3

200k Day 2

Waiting in Mitchell

Starting Day 2

The Larch

OBM North Powder Plan B #1

OBM Umatilla

Oregon Travel Guide

They're Off

Big Horns

Oregon Blue Mountains 1000k

OBM1000k FAQ

Oregon Blue Mountains 10+2 FAQ

The Cold and Windy Road

Safety in Numbers

Centralia Dart 2009

Pooties

The Dalles Waterfront Trail

Bikenfest Route Changes (Updated 1x)

Lost

Historic Gorge Trail Burns (Update x1)

Friday Night Dog Blogging

Mental Skills

Pesky Peacocks

Was ist der Earschplittenloudenboomer?

Alsea

Reds and Blonds

Bikenfest Route for 2009 (Update x1)

Fight the Grinch!

PDX Skyline 100k & Picnic (Updated x2)

The Grinch is Stealing Bikenfest!

Help Save Bikenfestivus for the Rest of Us!

Alsea Falls 400k (upcoming)

Whidbey Report

Take Me Whidu

Tour de Whidbey Island upcoming

Barlow Trail 300k Postponed