September 30
45mi/72km
3,000ft/915m elevation gain
One unfortunate side effect of sleeping under an open sky is condensation in the tent, something we haven’t had to bother with for awhile. We wanted to get up and on the road, so we didn’t bother trying to wait for the sun to dry anything, and just packed it up wet.
The riding in the morning was great. We saw almost no vehicles. Paul commented how he hadn’t realized how much mental energy it takes to ride in traffic. And it’s nice to take the whole road and ride side by side, rather than single file on a shoulder.
The views were expansive. Yesterday, as Mount Hood came in and out of view, I was confused at one point as it seemed to get smaller. Was I imagining that? Today, as we came to the top of a rise with a clear view of two volcanoes, we realized that the smaller one was Mount Jefferson. We saw a ton of meadowlarks, quail, and even Ring-necked Pheasants and a covey of Chukar!
After 20mi/32km of treeless riding, we came upon a juniper tree, so we stopped in the shade for a break before we joined Highway 97. It wasn’t as busy as the highways we’ve been on, but traffic is still traffic. We rode quickly to the ghost town of Shaniko, where we enjoyed the picnic tables and historic buildings.
After yesterday’s camping, or lack therefore, we realized that this route runs through more private property than we anticipated, and we’d need to have a plan from day to day regarding camping. We were only 8mi/13km from the town of Antelope, which has a cute little basecamp with cabin rentals, so we made a reservation and set out.
We were still on pavement but off the busy highway, so we saw no more cars for the rest of the ride. As we moved south the Three Sisters and Mount Washington came into view, and we saw more juniper and pine trees. The land smells of sage. We arrived at Antelope by 3pm, so we had plenty of time to shower, dry out the tent, and relax.
We’re staying at a cool little camp of A-frames called Antelope Basecamp. Our next door neighbor told us about how in the 1980s this town was taken over by the Rajneesh cult. They took over the government, renamed the town, and committed the US’s first bioterror attack causing a salmonella outbreak in The Dalles. These days, the cult is gone, and it’s a dark-sky area. Our basecamp has loaner telescopes, and all the outdoor lights are red to protect the night sky.
The owners of the basecamp also run a little market/restaurant, so we had some salad and flatbread pizza for dinner. And we’ll have breakfast before leaving in the morning.
