Into Alford Lake/Fields, Oregon
193 miles

gas in cedarville, ca still open
Alford Lake also has hot springs 5 miles north of town



Oregon is a bit like a bad penny. We left Oregon this morning, cut through California, over to Nevada, and yet we are back in Oregon again. No

I think tomorrow should be the last 30miles, and it will finally seem like we are heading east. One big advantage we have found about tiding east, is that the sun is at our backs for the heat of the day. California was a newly paved road, and nicely patrolled to boot. I guess someone needs to pay fines to support the effort. However, the mighty WR kept us nicely out of the popo's way.





Nevada had been a mix of high speed gravel and some two track.




Some beautiful buttes




But Nevada does have a nasty side. Booking down the last dirt road before Fields, the road surface changes to a bright white. this is approx. 15 and 17 miles in.

Me: bike bucking like a bronco as we screech as the front end augurs in
Blaster: why are you standing there
Me: the bike is stuck
Blaster: it ain't that stuck, get on and ride that thing
Me: umm
Blaster at the same spot: hey, that moon dust over my 21"front wheel

The trough continued for 100yards. I was never so happy to be done with it. Then not 2 miles down the road, another patch but about 400 yards.

All is well that ends well. The milk shake at the Alford inn was to die for. Accommodations are clean and quaint.

Into Lakeview

Mileage 187 for the day.

Gas in Silver Lake and Lakeview. Lakeview is 120mile jump!



I deeply respect the Equestrian Olympic rider Jimmy Wolford. Raised in the era where only commissioned officers were allowed to compete in the Olympics. Since horses haven't changed in the last 500years, the way we ride them shouldn't either. There are two mottos every rider should know:

When putting in traction studs in the horse shoes, there was never a time I wished for less.

In order to master the winners podium, you must first stay on the horse.

Yesterday, both of these phrases would sculpt yesterdays ride. As soon as the tire leaves the tarmac in Crescent, Or we will ride moondust dirt and sand for the next 67miles. Having never ridden more than a short sand pit or two, you have to imagine the next 67 miles will take slightly longer than an hour.

However, the Scotts steering stabilizer was worth it's weight in gold today. A good dozen clicks on the knob, and the sand becomes easier to cope with. I figure it saved my bacon countless times, and I didn't have to pick the bike up. while I suppose purist might argue it's a devils contraption, I simply font see the need to waste extra energy. And to think of Mr Wofford, can't win without staying on.







With the sun at high noon, we've made our gas stop in Silver Lake. I dont believe that Silver Lake ill in any accolades for hospitality. despite the gas attendant standing 5ft from us, he makes no attempt to approach us. Oregon, like New Jersey, requires them to pump your vehicle. However, most attendants wont do bikes. as Blaster and I ready to ump, Mr. smiley Fad Attendant now berates us on Oregon gas pumping laws. w thank him for his advice and cry on. no good to be ha really, other than a hot dog at the liquor store.

Leaving Silver Lake in our rear view mirror, we have omen fabulous high speed gravel ahead of us.





Not sure how this happens, but we find far more of these cattle guards, then actual cows. Do ride them cautiously, sometimes times they are missing rails.


Are you my herd?

Into Crescent

Days stats:
Canyonville, or to Cresent, or via crater lake
223 miles
Moving avg speed 32mph
Tarmac about 15%

Gas updates
No gas or food in Tiller
No gas, food and one lodge in Union Creek
Gas found in south entrance to Crater Lake off Rt62 and Diamond Lake, Or

We left the gambling lights of Canyonville with the same flurry of activity as it appears to have had the entire time.



Soon enough we find this track which reminds of our trip to Esker, Canada. The trail behind to narrow, then our panniers begin to prune the bushes.

It seems Green Mountain has rolled our her red carpet of steepness and canteloped sized loose rocks.


The little Wr gearing really shined. Just put it in 1st gear and let the engine brake downhill, only occasionally tapping the font brake. The taller blaster11 went for the paddy one foot on the high side. soon enough both techniques got us down the Green Mountain summit.



Umpqa forest shared her spoils with us. Land of trees


And BIG ones too.




And natural vistas


Just follow the directions you find.


Crater lake




Rock climbing is dangerous..




The lodge in Crescent is cute as a button


More good directions..


Need a quarter?


And dinner next door. How else would you chose chow other than your bottle collection?




Coat rack

Into Canyonville

They say there are 2 kinds of airline luggage--carry on and lost. Our first flight out of National airport all but sets us up for that. Since I didn't know when I bought the airline tickets if we would need to check out side wolfmans luggage, southwest made a lot of sense. Luckily, they could ship at our risk with the bikes.

Nonetheless, despite being empty in the airport, Southwest thinks I want to become a luggage tagging expert. So, the pleasure of printing the tag is all ours. Except there are a few buckets with bright tags. One said "late arrival". Ok not us. Another said "transfer". My assumption is that this is a change to a different airline carrier mid route, otherwise, since southwest is non stop to nowhere, wouldn't every bag have one?

Nope, the directionless kisosk and the unlabeled bucket of tags I should know as we go to deposit the bags. Really, I get that this might be an easy task that you don't want to pay people that great DC min wage of $15 per hour, but the odds that I get this correct are dwindling before my eyes.

Blaster all but deals the date when the he gives up his bag, and the guy asks Portland, Maine and in his sleep induced stopper agreed with the man for a fraction of a second.

Imagine my surprise when after a lovely flight with our own row for the first leg, and exit row on the second leg, the bags greet us in Portland. The gods must be smiling on me, as these self picked seats are the best assignments I have had on a aircraft in years!

Today is probably the most expensive day of the trip.First, we realized the shipping costs, the plane tickets and now for the trifecta, a $3.99 per mile taxi...for 30 miles. But we arrive with nary a glitch, even with my self-proclaimed proficiency in baggage tagging. I wonder if I can get a boy scout badge for that?

We arrive in Tualatin to a gigantic warehouse.



Apparently, they have 300,000 sq feet of space for household goods and another ungodly amount on racked space.

Does this rack make my panniers look small?

A few signatures later, and we pack out. We pass the 45th parrellel sign. Yes, the point that is halfway between the north pole (hi Santa!) and the Equator. Or so I think the sign read as I ride by at speed.

I changed the sprockets on the mighty WR, to give it a bit more low end grunt, as well as, prevent the drive sprocket from grinding the chain into the swingarm. Overall, I added +7 teeth from stock on the rear, up one tooth on the front. Unfortunatly, that means that Blaster's attempt to rocketship to the hotel on normal GSA time was twarted. 65mph for a 250cc is admirable.

So we end the day in Canyonville, or sandwiches between a casino and the casino rv park. However, this means the seafood buffet line is out the door. But at least the casino has a shuttle to take you anywhere you want to go. Remember, casinos aren't built on winners.

One of the greatest benefits to multi-week trips over thousands of miles is the ability to release your creative mind. Life is the Nation's capital is far too frantic to find any sort of rhythm or peace. The mental white space usually doesn't get a fair shake during daily drudgery, as the brain is too bogged down with menial tasks. I much imagine white space akin to this poor donkey suspended by those menial tasks.



However, somewhere between the wind at your back and the sun over the horizon, white space lives. And somewhere immersed in the current adventures is white space. And it's here that Blaster and I have start our tradition. No matter if it's day 1 or week 4, the current adventure doesn't close out until the vision for the next adventure is set. Sometimes it's a map we find enroute, sometimes it's blog post, maybe a ride report of a fellow rider or maybe just something we want to connect with.

So, how should we get out of this little conundrum? Well, did you know that the National Park Service is celebrating it's centennial . So, let's find our parks. The new travel plan. If they post a travel pic on Bing, I am so going there! Of course Crater Lake is in Oregon, so that means we'll need to re-rudder to Oregon.