October 5
64mi/103km
1800ft/550m elevation gain
It was a cool morning again, but a little warmer than yesterday fortunately. The air was hazy and smoky, which must be the remnants of recent wildfires that are not fully done burning yet. Eventually we rode away from the smoke and the air cleared up, but we still rode through areas that burned in prior years. There’s been a lot of fire around here
The morning riding was easy and pleasant, on a mixture of gravel and pavement. The drivers out here in rural Oregon are a lot more courteous than the drivers were in Washington. They slow down, move over, and usually wave. It’s nice to see.
After lunch we were supposed to join a trail called the OC&E Woods State Trail, a non-motorized trail following an old rail bed. Unfortunately, it went through a recent wildfire area and was closed, so we re-routed on the roads. Traffic was light so the riding was nice.
Eventually we joined a different branch of the same trail, knowing we would meet back up with the original route in a few miles. At first, it was bumpy and gravelly, but smooth going. Conditions deteriorated. Ranchers seem to have tried to block access in some points. Others were so overgrown we couldn’t ride. There were cows on the trail. It was so bumpy. It was not enjoyable.
In the afternoon we reached the road heading for the town of Beatty, about a mile south. We rode down to the convenience store and grabbed some sodas. We should have stayed on the road, but foolishly we went back to the trail, figuring conditions should improve as we get closer to Klamath Falls. They didn’t. But tomorrow they should! Hopefully I’m not being naive.
Over the past few days we’ve ridden by many old, deteriorating wooden barns and houses. It makes me wonder what the area looked like in the homesteader days. Paul saw a bobcat today, but I missed it. We saw some deer, and a Northern Harrier. Lots of ducks, sparrows, and other songbirds, but I was mostly too focused on the riding to bother trying to identify anything that wasn’t already obvious.
