Sisters, OR

09/10/12
Good day to all,
I have not been able to post since Hood River, OR., about 6 days ago.
I spent a few hours in Hood River and enjoyed the small town. I went to Mother's
Groceries (a natural food store) and said "hi" to Mother (Margaret). I got a good
grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, which I needed to climb out of town. Everything
in Hood River is either up a steep hill or down the other side!
As I started out of Hood River, on Hwy 35, I was going pretty slowly because of the
climb. I happened to look down on the shoulder at just the right time to find another
cycling buddy! I found Penny Penguin. (Dave named her). She was an abandoned penguin orphan, so I
picked her up, strapped her into place and we were on our way.
Adventure Cycling chose a very steep and scenic route off Hwy 35 just outside of Hood
River. I road past pear orchids and had a marvelous view of Mt. Hood to the south and
Mt. Adams to the north. I did not stick to the route that the cycling map suggested when
I recrossed Hwy 35. An addendum to the map said that the 35 was a viable alternative to
the 213 (?) which the cycling map suggested. Also, as I looked across the road to the suggested
route, all I saw was another steep climb.
When I got on the 35, a sign said 9 miles to Parkdale. When I got to a turn-off for Odell,a few miles up the road, another sign said 12 miles to Parkdale!! Someone had a wicked
sense of humor.
More uphill on a hot day. Fortunately, a large fruit stand was near the top of  the climb.
I stopped and got two cold bottles of water. I drank one right away. I also poured cold
water on my bandanna and tied that around my neck.
The downhill brought me close to Parkdale. The sign at the turn-off said 2 miles to Parkdale.
Once on the road to town the next sign said 3 miles to Parkdale. Does anyone know where
Parkdale is?
Parkdale now has a large grocery store so I stocked up for breakfast and the next day which
offered only limited services. I also stopped at the local ice cream parlor and got an ENORMOUS
cup of ice cream!
The county campground was fantastic! Hot showers, flush toilets and the Hood River!

09/05
Another climb around the east side of Mt. Hood. The climb was not too bad as I started early.
The day became quite hot as I neared the top. Lots of road work on both sides of the mountain.
The downhill was interrupted by a "follow me" pilot truck that kept everyone to a slow 10-15 mph.
Oh well, at least I was not pedaling!
Just after the turn-off for Hwy 26, I found the limited services stop. It was a gas station with a small
grocery store. Again, I stocked up on what I would need for dinner and b'fast the next morning.
On the climb after the store, a cyclist passed me. Not very friendly, but he did ask where I was headed.
I told him "Timothy Lake;" he muttered something as he cycled by, but I could not understand him.
I came to FR42 which was the turn-off for the lake and the road became quiet and peaceful.
I found the campground and had a nice spot near the lake.
No showers at this NFS (now taken over by PGE) campground. I figured I could at least try to get
into the cold water of the lake, for a sponge-bath. Surprisingly, I was able to actually go for a swim in the
lake. The water near the shallows was not bad and I enjoyed the chill of the water as the day was another
hot one! I was able to rinse off the sweat and sunscreen, at least.

09/06/12
The night was a cold one and my air mattress decided to partially deflate during the night. I was up early and on the road about 0715. Back on FR42 with the expectation of turning onto FR46 in 10-12 miles. I found FR46, but the Ad. Cycling directions were confusing. The FR46 became a steep and long downhill very quickly. All the way down, I was hoping I made the correct turn, because there was no way I was heading
back up that hill. Whatever road I found at the bottom of the hill; I was going to take it (right or wrong).
Fortunately, I did take the right route and the sign at the bottom of the hill directed me to Detroit.
I got to Detroit around noon and asked about staying in a motel that night. The two motels in Detroit were
completely booked due to the road construction crews that were working on Hwy 22.
No worries, I phoned the RV park in Idanha to ask if they allowed tent camping and he said "yes." I stayed in Detroit long enough to replenish supplies and have a Hagen Daas ice cream bar. I met two cyclists who had stayed at Breitenbush Hotsprings the night before. They were just starting their day. They spent the morning scarfing up the chow at the breakfast buffet and then soaking in the hotsprings. They were headed for Crater Lake and then home again (Spokane). The gal had a Surley Long Haul and the guy had a Soma cycle. It was a hot day to be heading for Santiam Pass, but they knew what they had ahead of them.
I left for Idanha, which was another 5 miles up the road. I was in the shade for most of the ride and it was relatively flat. I made it to the RV park around 1400 hrs. I asked to stay 2 nights as my legs needed a rest. The manager (Basil) said I could stay a month, if I wanted. Too cold in a month's time, I said.
It was a very nice park. No one else tent camping but me. I had a freshly cleaned port-a-potty nearby, drinking water, hot showers and a laundry room! Who could ask for anything more? I was in a nice spot next to the North Santiam River. I used the river as my refrigerator. Nothing like pulling a cold Corona out of the river!!

09/07/12
Next morning, I slept-in. I headed for one of three buildings in the tiny town. There was a Cafe/Grill which was open for b'fast and lunch, a small grocery store and the post office. I got to the cafe before they opened so I penned 5 postcards and mailed them. The cafe opened around 0930. I had a great b'fast (3 egg omelet, potatoes and a bisquit)! I said I would return for lunch before they closed at 1500 hrs.
Went back to the campground and worked on a few projects. Headed back to the cafe around 1415 hours to order a take-out sandwich. When I arrived, the waitress was sitting outside. The cafe was closed as the cook had to go into town. Oh well. The grocery-store lady said she had one hot dog left. I took the lonely dog out of the rotisserie and added some sour kraut and mustard.

09/08/12
I was up extra early the next morning as I had the Santiam Pass to get over (4800'+). I was on the road as soon as it was light enough to ride (0615). I made it to the turn-off for Hwy 126 and Sisters around 1100 hrs.
I still had the pass ahead of me (6 miles?). The road was not steep, but very busy with RVs, semis and everything in between. I had one scary moment.
I wanted to take a break and I saw a very wide pull-out. As I headed for the dirt/cinder surface of the pull-out, my front tire hit a very soft spot on the dirt. It jerked my front wheel to the right, so my body was
tilting to the left and onto the shoulder of the roadway. Of course, a pick-up truck was coming behind me as this happened. I was able to upright myself and not fall, but it was scary seeing that truck coming while
I was leaning/falling in its direction. My guardian angel was watching out for me on that one.Thanks, Mom!
Got to Suttle Lake around noonish. I found a nice campsite and settled in for the day. There is a resort on the east side of the lake, so I cycled over there around 1500 for a late lunch. Caesar salad with salmon! Yummy!
The moon is in its last quarter, so not much light at night. I got up to take a 'pee' around midnight. I unzipped the fly and started over to the women's tree. As I was walking there, I heard the hoof beat of a large animal.
I must have scared a deer, I could not see it, only heard it as it scampered away. Scared me a bit.

09/09/12
I was able to sleep-in as I was only going about 12 miles to Sisters. I waited for the sun to warm things up and then started breaking camp. It was actually quite warm by the time I headed out (0900).
I had a tailwind into Sisters, so arrived around 10-1030. I cycled past the motel I had reservations for and headed to the east side of town. As usual, Sisters was bustling with the activity of the quilt show and folk music festival. I found a cycle shop, parked Sisyphos and decided to take a look around. The cycle shop had a half-price sale on some clothing, so I took a look. I found a jersey with McKenzie Pass and the elevation on it. Since that is the route I intend to take, I thought that would be a good jersey to have.
I bought it and asked the clerk about the ride to McKenzie Pass. He said it is better from the Sisters' side than the McKenzie River side. The river side has lots of switchbacks and is quite steep. When I asked him about the wind, he said: "Yes. One area of the road is called Windy Ridge." Of course!
I checked out the folk music festival across the street. It was good music with lots of people enjoying the tunes. While in the tent, I heard a siren, but did not think anything of it. When I came out of the tent several minutes later, I saw reason for the siren. There was a big 'header' of smoke just southwest of town! A forest fire had started about 1045.
I became worried about being evacuated and could not enjoy myself, as I had hoped. I had a couple of pieces of vegetarian pizza for lunch and watched the sky get darker with the smoke. I checked-in at the motel about 1300 hrs (early). My room was available which was nice.
The manager of the motel (Mary), said they had no resources to work the fire. The air tankers had been diverted to another fire. The only resources were search and rescue crews looking for hikers who may need helped getting out of the area. Incidentally, the fire started near a trailhead/parking lot. Several cars went up in smoke, so that helped the fire gain some intensity!
I gave Sisyphos a cleaning and remained concerned about my stay in Sisters as the day wore-on. When I headed to the natural foods store for some supplies, around 1600 hrs, I saw some white smoke mixed with the black/grey of the earlier header. I also saw an air tanker pulling away from the smoke. It looked like they did have resources working on the fire and they were making progress. That was a relief!

09/10/12
This morning, the smoke was blowing southeast. The wind seemed to be coming from the north-northeast when I left the motel this morning.
When I looked at a website about the fire, which was dated yesterday 09/09, it indicated they had closed Hwy 242 at two places. That is the route I want to take to the McKenzie! I am hoping that the road will be open by Wed AM when I will be heading out. I have a phone number to call, so I can check on it. It would be a shame to have the McKenzie Pass jersey and not be able to climb the pass!
I do not want to cycle on Hwy 126 again. It would mean climbing the Santiam Pass again, which is not a problem, but not the way I wanted to go. Does two times over the Santiam Pass, count as one time over the McKenzie Pass?
Firefighters rule! Keep working it!
Aloha for now! Peg

09/11/12
Never forget the 343 firefighters who lost their lives at the twin towers!! Please remember the 2,000 civilian victims who also lost their lives!
Smoke was down on the ground this morning. The wind has died down and the smoke is just laying low.
They reopened Hwy 242 yesterday morning and I will call to make sure it will be open tomorrow morning.
The fire has turned southwest and is moving into a wilderness area.
There is a tremendous fire burning on Mt. Adams in WA. This is also burning in a wilderness area, so no home are threatened.
It was below freezing this morning!! Frost on the hoods of cars parked on the street. I may stop by the bike shop and get a lightweight hood to wear under my helmet for tomorrow morning's ride. BRRR. It will be the coldest morning of my trip. At least I will be climbing so I should warm-up quickly. The temp. should get into the 70's in Sisters and hotter than that in Eugene.
I asked about a laundromat when I was in the Ace Hardware store. The lady told me where it is located. I was surprised as I came through here 5-6 years ago looking for a laundromat and they did not have one. Dave and I were attending his class reunion at Belknap Springs and I needed to do laundry. I figured Sisters would have a laundromat, but at that time I was told that the septic systems could not handle a laundromat.
Hurray, someone has a septic tank large enough to handle the loads (so to speak). So I did my laundry this morning as I am wrapping-up my visit to Sisters.
A visit to Leavitt's Western Shop to look for a belt for Dave. He has lost weight and is seems that none of his belts fit him anymore. Leavitts should have a good selection. I think I can wedge a belt somewhere in my panniers. Dave said I could  always wrap it around myself as I am cycling!
I called Eileen (Dave's classmate) who lives in Junction City (just north of Eugene). I asked if I could store Sisyphos at her house until Dave and I have to leave for Portland. She said, "Sure!" So Dave will meet me at Eileen's on 9/17!
I also made reservations at a hostel in Eugene. It is the Eugene Whiteaker International Hostels. It is not affiliated with Hosteling International. I will be in a 2 bed dorm for $27.28/night. My first night should be 09/14 and I will leave on the 17th.
Getting close to a finish, but I still have to get over the Cascades at McKenzie Pass. Tomorrow morning will get me back on the road and heading to Eugene.
Aloha for now!