DAY 4 ONTARIO ID TO ALBANY OREGON
WE HEAD NW INTO OREGON ON HIWAY 26, THE JOHN DAY HIGHWAY....AT 7:00AM AND ITS A GREAT DAY! COOL AND CLEAR...GOT A GOOD WAKE UP AS I COME OVER A HILL AND BAMBI AND HIS BUDS DECIDE TO CROSS THE ROAD. I HAVE TIME TO EASILY SLOW DOWN, BUT I HEAR A TIRE HOWLING BEHIND ME AND QUICKLY SLIP TO THE LEFT AS I AM USED TO THAT "IM GONNA GET RUN OVER FEELING" FROM SLEDDING WITHMY BUDDIES! SURE ENOUGH, CALE SKIDS TO A STOP BESIDE ME!! SLEEPY HE WAS..NO MORE THO!!
ANYWAY..THIS STARTS OUT PRETTY FLAT, AND WE
EXPECT IT TO BE DULL TILL WE GET TO THE CASCADES....
HEY..ITS STILL PRETTY FLAT, BUT WE ARE GETTING SOME GOOD STRETCHS OF CURVES.
OK....NOW WE GET SOME ELEVATION AND TREES ...UNITY STATE FOREST....
AND A GREAT BREAKFAST!
NOW WE ARE HEADING WEST ON 26, BACK DOWN IN THE VALLEY AND SHES HOT! WE WILL FOLLOW THE JOHN DAY RIVER, AND WE GET INTO THE FOSSIL BED AREA AND THE ROAD GETS GOOD!
THAT CRACK IN THE ROCK AHEAD IS THE START OF A NICE TWISTY CANYON RUN!! AREA OF THE JOHN DAY FOSSIL BEDS.
MORE.......
AND MORE..GREAT STRETCH OF ROAD ALL THE WAY TO PRINEVILLE!
GETTING CLOSE TO PRINEVILLE AND WE FIND A PAIR TREE !!LOOK CLOSE!! FOR REAL.
.CALE SPOTTED IT AND STOPPED ME...I LIKE IT!!
HAVNT GOT A SET TO ADD, SO AWAY WE GO!
TIME FOR A DRINK BREAK AS WE GO OVER ANOTHER
PASS ON 26 JUST SHORT OF PRINEVILLE OR. ON THE OCHOCO HIGHWAY.
HMMMMM? THINKS HE ON THE HAWG!
BACK ONTO THE PLAINS, BUT WE CAN SEE OUR DESTINATION IN THE DISTANCE!
THATS MOUNT HOOD UP THERE! WE WILL GET TO IT TOMMOROW OR THE NEXT
DAY AS WE ARE HEADING TO THE COAST TOMMOROW.
WE ARE HEADING UP INTO THOSE MOUNTAINS AHEAD ON THE LEFT, CALLED
THE THREE SISTERS, AND WE WILL GO OVER THE MACKENZIE PASS..HOPEFULLY ITS
A GOOD ONE!
AT PITSTOP JUST AT THE START OF THE MACKENZIE PASS..#242...THE ROAD IS NARROW AND THE FOREST IS VERY DENSE....THIS MIGHT BE OK!!!
GETTING BETTER!! LOTSA LAVA ALL AROUND...WOULDNT WANT TO SMUCK INTO
THIS STUFF!
NARROW ROAD, LOTSA CURVES.FINALLY WE ARE RIDING IN THE GOOD STUFF!! YAHOOOO!!!
WE FIDDLE AROUND A BIT AT THE TOP..QUITE A
SIGHT! MILES OF LAVA AS FAR AS YOU CAN SEE..
.
THERE IS THE HIGHWAY!!! THIS HAS BEEN
A GOOD TWISTY ONE SO FAR!!
NOW WE DECIDE TO HEAD DOWN, BUT WE LET THE
GUYS ON THE SPORTBIKES GO FIRST AS WE DONT WANT TO HOLD THEM UP...THIS
IS A GREAT FUN RIDE...ABOUT A HOUR OF GREAT PAVEMENT,CONSTANT SWITCHBACKS
EVERY FEW HUNDRED FEET AND VERY NARROW ROAD.THIS IS QUITE A CHANGE
FROM UP TOP AS ITS LIKE RIDING IN A TUNNEL AS WE ARE ALMOST ENCLOSED
IN THE TREES! I DIDNT TAKE MANY PICS OF THIS SECTION AS WAS TOO BUSY HAVING
FUN!!!
AND GO FIGURE..WE GET STUCK BEHIND THE GANG
WE LET GO..WAS HOPING AFTER A FEW MILES THEY MIGHT NOTICE US BEHIND
THEM AND LET US BY..BUT WE WAIT FOR A FEW MORE MILES AND FIND A SHORT STRAIGHTAWAY
AND PUNCH IT AND PASS..NOW ITS FUN!! WE CAN GO GO GO......BOY WOULD
I BE IN TROUBLE RIDING THEIR BIKES..HMMMMM! OURS ARE OLD BUT THEY WILL
STILL HIT 106 MPH IN A QUARTER MILE, SO PASSING IS NOT A PROBLEM..JUST
GOTTA TWIST IT A BIT!
CALE SAYS LETS GO THAT WAY BACK THERE...OK!!!
WE CROSS THE PASS AND HEAD NORTH ON 126 AND FIND A NICE WATERFALL FOR A PITSTOP.
NICE PLACE TO STOP AT...SAHALIE FALLS!!! OF COURSE I GOTTA GO EXPLORE!!
ITS HOT AND I FIX THAT...I GET SOAKED!!! FEELS GREAT!!!
CALE IS UP THERE TO THE RIGHT OVERLOOKING THE FALLS BEHIND THE FENCE....
OK..WE FIGURE ITS GETTING LATE AND THERES NOWHERE UP HERE TO STAY
SO WE HEAD WEST TOWARDS THE INTERSTATE I-5 AND WE TURN LEFT ON #20,
THE SANTIAM HIWAY AND HEAD TO ALBANY OREGON. #20 IS ALSO A GREAT
RIDE! ENDLESS TURNS AS WE FOLLOW THE RIVER OUT OF THE MOUNTAINS...
END OF THE DAY AT THE DAYS INN..AND INTO THE POOL FAST AS CAN AS
ITS #$& HOT DOWN HERE! I TELL CALE ITS HIS TURN TO DECIDE WHERE TO
EAT..TYPICAL!! WE END UP WITH A BOX OF BUFFALO WINGS AND A LARGE PIZZA!!
BACK TO THE POOL FOR DINNER!
THIS HAS BEEN THE BEST RIDING SO FAR, MACKENZIE
PASS IS A BALL!!
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PAGE...MOUNTAINS HERE WE COME!