Old West Scenic Bikeway - Back to the Blue Mountains

While mountain biking in the Blues last August, Doug mentioned he'd be interested in a short tour this fall, and with my retirement scheduled for 30 Sep, we quickly worked out a plan to return to the Blues on road bikes- we ended up on RideOregonRide Old West Scenic route beginning and ending in John Day. A cold dry front arrived the day before departure bringing cold and steady Western winds that weakened a bit each day.

John Day Oregon to Bates State Park 33.7 miles 3:00 hours riding time
We met in John Day where we had lunch and headed up the John Day River passing through Prairie City (all services) before beginning the steep climb to about 5250 feet elevation, and dropping back down slightly to Austin Junction. Camping and showers were available, but we decided to ride on down to the new Bates State Park only 1.5 miles away.


Setting up camp at Bates  

We rode back to the Austin House for dinner- salmon for me and some fish medley for Doug. We rode back to camp at dusk. Temperatures were falling rapidly, so we both crawled into out tents preparing for a cold night.

Day 2 Austin Junction to Long Creek, Oregon 52.8 miles 4:30 riding time
It got colder than we expected falling into the mid teens. I stayed warm curled up in my sleeping bag, but the cold kept me there for nearly 12 hours- nights are long this time of year. Doug suffered a bit in the cold. We both got up shortly after dawn and walked back to Austin House which doesn't open until 0800 hours PDT. The temperature was 18 as we were finishing breakfast. It was still below freezing when we stuffed the sleeping bags and loaded up the bikes. We stayed bundled up and took off with a steady but mild head wind.

Bundled Steve departing Bates

Fall Colors had begun with arrival of the cold front that characterized our ride


Bates is near the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the John Day, and the route followed its winding path down into the steady head wind. When the river met highway 395, we turned south to follow the state highway with minimal traffic but with another steep climb. We crossed some high desert arriving in Long Creek in late afternoon. Although camping was available, we headed to the Long Creek Lodge to avoid another night like the last one. I had no desire to lie in a warm sleeping bag for 12 hours to stay warm, and Doug had no desire to chill for 12 hours in his. The town of Long Creek doesn't offer much, a motel and a convenience store where they'll fry hamburgers- but be warned it closes at 1800 hours PDT- pretty early for cyclists. The motel worker warned us the store didn't open until 1000 hours, so we bought breakfast foods to add to the instant oatmeal Doug was carrying. The convenience store clerk said they usually opened by 0900, but that too sounded too late.

Day 3: Long Creek, Oregon to Dayville, Oregon 61.2 miles  5:02 riding time
The temperature was again below freezing with ice on the side of the road as we left town, but it was much warmer than the night before, and unlike our tents, the motel had heat.  The motel clerk warned us the route would be busy and the road winding.  The latter was true, but we saw only a couple cars between Long Creek and Monument.  Most of the ride down was windy and steep, but that makes it fun.  Oddly the temperatures were colder at the bottom, and I added a sweatshirt to what I was wearing as we left Monument's grocery store.


Steve departs Long Creek     Doug enjoys the descent to Monument   Steve beginning the climb up the South Fork of the John Day
The huge well maintained Kimberly Orchard added to the interest of the ride about noon.  At mile 42 we arrived in Kimberly, but were disappointed to find both the store and restaurant were closed- with the appearance the closure was permanent. We stopped by the Fossil Bed National Park and the Cant Ranch Museum which are only about 100 feet apart and enjoyed the break, the sights, and then riding through the Painted Canyon.  When we arrived in Dayville, we had the choice of an RV Park, or the Presbyterian Church which has allowed bicyclists to stay for free since touring took off in 1976.  I'd never stayed in Dayville despite riding through the Oregon section of the Trans Am several times, and reading some recent blogs made we want to check out the church.  It turns out they were having a "harvest auction" that evening to raise money for the assistance they give the poor of Dayville.  The harvest auction includes fruits, vegetables, and baked goods; stuff a cyclist would really like- except where will it fit in the panniers?  They assured us we wouldn't be in the way, and invited us to their pre-auction chilli feed and auction.  Small town activities always entertain me well on tour, so this just added to the adventure for me. I think Doug enjoyed it too; it beat watching PBS and old sitcoms the night before or the first night's huddling in the tent to stay warm!


Goods to be auctioned at the Harvest Auction- fuzzy photo by Steve  

Our Bikes where they spent the night in Church    

A stained glass gift to the Church from a previous bicycle guest

Day 4 Dayville, Oregon to John Day, Oregon 31.5 miles 2:46 riding time
Despite the cold which still hadn't left the area, we left early- not wanting to stay for church or be underfoot when the first members arrived.  Finally, we had a slight tail wind  pushing us up the valley to John Day.

It was a great October trip that would have been better without that cold front, but still definitely worth doing. Here's a hotlink to Doug's photos.

Happy Cycling for fun, fitness, and transportation!

Steve