Touring the Oregon Outback 

I like biking too , here in my country there is so many beautiful gorgeous places to go too

because, cyclists by default are non-threatening....

Having good company with you on cycling adventures makes all the difference.

It's better to take your time and enjoy being out there. Sometimes I feel like we pushed it for no reason, just to prove something I guess. We could have stayed close to a hot spring and had a nice relaxing break. Next time...

Thank you, Dan!

We followed a few tire tracks throughout the entire route. It looked like it must have been much wetter and softer when this person rode it. We could see where they lost traction, slid, and had to put a foot down. We were grateful we weren't bogged down like that. The conditions were mostly good for us. The gravel roads were fairly loose and rough, but mostly dry. A good portion of our energy was spent scanning the road back and forth looking for the smoothest track. What did you think of the last section of rolling farm roads? Mentally, that was the hardest section, physically it was hard too, but mostly it was the endless rollers. The Ochoco mountains and everything leading up to the iconic switch back climb was incredible. We hit Highway 97 at a busy hour, and even with a generous shoulder to ride, left me wondering if there was a way to route around it. At night it's probably not as busy? All in all, The Oregon Outback is a great route, one of the better routes I've ridden overall. I like the Oregon backcountry and Eastern Oregon has an interesting mix of landscapes. In the future I would bring a sleeping bag and bivvy so I wouldn't have to rely on finding a room for the night. We want to explore more of Washington State too, there's a route from Olympic Peninsula to Spokane on dirt roads we've being looking at. Hopefully, we pick the right time of year and get a tailwind the whole way!

@@Henrywildeberry the last day was definitely the most brutal. If the Ochocos, river crossings, and the climbs out of Ashwood and Antelope weren’t enough, the last 50 miles of rollers were endless…not to mention that last pitchy climb! I can relate with Ms Cool’s statements about riding behind others, just hoping the surface would be a bit more packed down than the rest of the trail. The face she made in Shaniko also said it all…65 more miles?! We had brought our camping gear, but after some nasty headwinds on day 2 we were lucky and found a spot at the Econolodge. We had originally wanted to make it to the Ochocos on the second day, but thought it better to rest and refuel in Prineville. There’s a new option in the cross Washington route planning, the state just completed renovations on the “Beverly bridge” that crosses the Columbia and connects the western and eastern portions of the “Palouse to Cascades trail”. Check it out if you haven’t already. Me and some friends have plans to ride the route from Richland to Sequim in mid July. If you need some routes or ideas, let me know! (I’m sure you got it covered).

@@spudaei I would have enjoyed camping out in the Ochoco Mountains and waking up to a fresh cup of Joe. That area is just incredible.

I'm doing this ride first week of Sept. Wondering where the detour is so I can plan for it! Appreciate any info you can pass on

Thank you, Colin! We plan to ride through Scotland one of these days.

The downside of finding a comfortable place to stay is having to get up early and start riding again the next day. We could have spent the whole day lounging around in the hotel with the fruit roll ups.

Definitely true! The moment she said it I knew we were doomed!

if you do it early in the year the goatheads aren't a problem. Later, you better have goo in your tires.

Tire liners? Schwalbe Marathon-Plus tires? (These are reputed to be almost invulnerable to flats…)

Hi, not sure a email I received was from you....

Thanks Ken. We Never found out why.

+1 for the re-usable cups suggestion