Crater Lake Bike Tour

Westfir to McKenzie Bridge — Sunday September 1, 2002 | Next

Bruce and I tried not to be the last ones to leave each morning, but rarely succeeded. On the first full day of riding, we cycled the Aufderheide Scenic Byway, Forest Road 19. The temperature seemed warm while we were standing around the Inn in the morning sun, but once we started riding down by the river in the shade we got chilly. We doubled back to pick up our jackets. During the first half of the route, we rode along the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette River. The forest was green and dense. Traffic was very light.

Just before lunch we had to tackle a steep climb up Box Canyon. We had been riding with Mark part of the time but he left us behind on the tough part of the climb. Sweat poured down our faces. I ditched the water in my extra bottle. We reached the high point of the scenic byway, which was about 3600 feet. We were in spotted owl territory, but we didn't "spot" any. Just after the climb, the van met us near a horse camp and spread out a great meal of bean salad.

After climbing for over 30 miles to that point, we were rewarded with 20 miles downhill on the other side of the divide. Now we followed the South Fork of the McKenzie River. Of course I had to check out the USGS gaging station. Some of the riders decided to investigate the "clothing optional" Hot Springs near Cougar Reservoir. They later reported that they had sighted numerous body piercings and nude men trying to pick up other men. The riders kept their clothes on, since they would have to spend the rest of the trip with each other. Bruce and I passed on the Hot Springs and met up with Mark again. The three of us rode on along the empty reservoir and then down into McKenzie Bridge.

We stayed at the Holiday Farm Resort in a cute cabin on the banks of the McKenzie River in McKenzie Bridge. Our room shared a common area with Lynn and Dan's room. We stood on the deck and watched several river rafting parties float by. Bruce stuck his feet in the river, thinking he would go for a dip, but the water was so cold that his feet hurt. For dinner, we walked over to the adjacent restaurant and ate outside. Afterwards we sat on our deck looking for satellites. After spotting about 8-10 of them, sometimes two at once, we got bored and went to bed.