September 29
46mi/74km
4400ft/1350m elevation gain
There was some serious climbing today, the likes of which we haven’t done for some time. We’ve been spoiled with flat paved roads, but we left that behind today.
Fortunately, we ate a hearty breakfast at the hotel restaurant before leaving town, which powered us 20mi/32km to the Deschutes River Recreation Site. We stopped for a lunch break, although we weren’t very hungry so we just ate an apple and considered if we should just camp there, it was nice. We decided against it, though in hindsight maybe that would have worked out better. While we were there we saw a Great Egret. We’ve seen tons of herons but this was the first egret.
Leaving the campground was the official beginning of the Oregon Outback Route, and this is when the climbing really began. Eventually the pavement turned to gravel as we rode across a landscape entirely devoid of trees, except the few planted around homes, which were few and far between. It was windy, but fortunately the wind was mostly at our backs, something that almost never happens.
We eventually climbed high enough for views of Mount Hood, but we still seemed to be riding entirely along private property, and started to worry a bit about where we would camp.
As the sun got low in the sky, we found a pullout with some gravel piles and a small grass hill, and decided to set up here, where we are mostly out of sight. Not a single car has passed, but we’d prefer not to be seen in case we’re accidentally trespassing.
Paul said he wasn’t feeling up to eating dinner, but I suggested we at least have some hot chocolate. Once the water was going, we decided to eat a dehydrated meal we’ve been holding onto. They only require water and there is no cleanup involved, perfect for a tired night like tonight.
Looking outside feels like I’m seeing the night sky for the first time. For a long time it just wasn’t dark enough, then we were in cloudy weather, and then we were in the trees or sleeping indoors. Now we are camped under an open sky, it feels nice.
