We all agreed we'd detach. Jev and Grant climbed faster than me, and to be
honest, I preferred the solitude. It was one of the reasons I planned this
trip.
at the top of NF-770
Looking north on NF-2154
A beautiful view off NF-2153
blooming rhododendrons
You see blooming rhododendrons all over the SF Bay Area. They're pretty,
but you don't think much about them. But in Oregon, at certain high points you
see them in the wild, and they're stunning.
a pretty waterfall
paved, one-lane NF-2153, heading toward Oakridge
the Middle Fork of the Willamette River
NF-2153 becomes a two-lane, asphalt road
US Forest Service Road 21 is AKA Rigdon Road, here. I'm on my way to
Oakridge.
FR21, AKA Rigdon Road
Forest Service Road 21 is also AKA Diamond Drive
A little after noon, I pulled into one of the many campgrounds on
Diamond Drive,
Sand Prairie Campground. It was a dry campground, no water, but one of the sites had two sets of
hand-picked flowers in a bottle and a cup, still in water, drying as if
they'd been there for a hot day. There was also a water color painting. That
did it, that was the sign that that picnic bench was my stopping place for
lunch.
Someone had left flowers in water and a watercolor painting at this
campsite
Choosing the flowers and painting as a sign, I made a brief lunch
My bike, and a giant pile of stacked logs
the Middle Fork of the Willamette
The route got a little tricky, before Oakridge. You could tell care
had been taken to put the rider first on a dirt road, then on a gentle,
shaded singletrack, before dropping the rider off in a little, shaded park
in Oakridge. That's nice, because otherwise you are dumped out on the
busiest, loudest highway full of fast trucks and cars. I emerged from the
park into this cacophony, under a blazing sun. There was no cell service,
and no shoulder.
I'd been to Oakridge before, and knew about the Willamette Mountain Mercantile - Oakridge Bike Shop. I planned to stop there and pick up a few things. And my friend Adam had
told me that I had to go to
Dink's, and get some
Indian food. He said it was off my route, but worth it.
beginning the Greenwaters Trail into Oakridge
Willamette Mountain Mercantile - Oakridge Bike Shop
A John Deere bike at the Willamette Mountain Mercantile-Oakridge
Bike Shop
I stopped first at the bike shop. I was tired and out of it. It took me a
minute to form thoughts. I got another dehydrated dinner, some more
isobutane, some master links for my Shimano drivetrain, and meant to get
something else, but forgot what it was. Apparently I dropped my extra pair
of wool boxers - clean - on the shop floor, and didn't realize it, and
left them there. After that I was down to just the pair I was riding in.
Good thing I brought a spare pair of bib shorts. I mentioned I was looking
for Dink's, and they assured me it was worth the visit, just up the road,
up the hill, on the left. They told me I should get the ice cream.
I asked the older guy behind the counter if he had any recommendations or
thoughts about the
Kiahanie Campground, on the Aufderheide road. (OWF-der-HIGH-duh) He said, "You, you mean the
eff-der-HID-DEE?" I said that I guess I did. He didn't know the
campground. He asked a customer if she knew it, and she didn't know it. We
walked over to a big map and found Kiahanie. He said it's a climb, and
should have water.
I rode up the hill, but saw no Dink's. The hill is not small, or
easy, and trucks and cars were just whipping by. With no cell service,
the map app on my phone couldn't help me. There was this
Skoolie Bus Festival happening,
tho, kookie school bus conversions all gathered in one spot in something
like a fairground near town, and I noticed that they had open wifi. I
got on it, found Dink's on my map app and charted a route that avoided
the busy highway, climbing up to the east to find the little, red,
road-side store, Dink's Market.
an old Alaska Rail Road caboose
Dink's Market
I really didn't know what to expect. Dink's is a tiny little place,
with some benches outside. Inside it had weed paraphernalia, junk food,
cooler cases full of drinks, and clientele coming and going, all with a wave
and a smile. Behind the counter was a friendly young south Asian guy in a
turban, I guess Sikh. I wasn't sure what I wanted, but if a friend said I
had to get Indian food at Dink's, I figured I'd try. The friendly guy told
me he had two dishes, and I chose butter chicken. It was about 2:30 PM.
I went outside, saw an outlet and plugged in my charger, cable and power
bank. As I stood up, a stern-looking, older Sikh man was suddenly right
there. "Do not worry. You are very welcome here." I started to say something
enthusiastic like, "A friend told me I have to..." (visit this place called
Dink's in Oakridge) He gently grasped my hand, looking into my eyes, "You
are very welcome here." I wonder if he thought I was some sort of wandering,
homeless guy. He repeated it. "You are very welcome here."
There were a bunch of these older guys in turbans, and some fancy cars out
front. I chose to think of them as the money uncles, maybe underwriting the
guy behind the counter. They kept walking around, and I felt like they were
keeping an eye on me. I saw them looking at the power bank. "Is it OK that
I'm charging my battery?" I asked. They said yes.
The food came. It was way more than I could eat. When I'm bikepacking, doing
big days, I don't have a big appetite. And it was hot out, and the food was
hot. It was very good, but I could only eat half, and I didn't want to be
digesting spicy Indian food while I climbed a big, hot, hill. (I didn't know
what was next, just that it was up.) A family on vacation was at another
table, and the father was very interested in what I was doing. You're pretty
much the subject of conversation when you're bike touring, so I answered his
questions while I ate. People think bike touring, or bikepacking is so
curious, and difficult, and that it sounds unbelievably difficult. I mean,
if I can do it, anyone can do it.
Article from Oct 8, 1901 Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California)
I went back in, hoping to get something to put the leftovers in. I bought
some resealable bags. One of the uncles was very concerned that I have no
air in the bag with the food, and that I eat it as soon as possible, or I
might get sick. I packaged the rice and butter chicken separately, squeezed
out the extra air, double-bagged the butter chicken and squirreled it away
in a pack. I also bought two Modelo tallboys, one for me and one for Adam,
and wrapped them in my
Alpha Direct hoodie
in my front pack, hoping they might keep cool.
I checked my route under the blazing sun, topped up my water at the soda
fountain, and got moving, not especially sure about what was next.
Butter Chicken at Dink's Market
The route brought me across town, past the Brewers Union Local
180. It was so hot. Then it sent me up a very steep hill, with no shoulder,
busy with pickup trucks. I recognized it. Maybe 20% grade. As I'm grinding
up it, an older man was walking around his pickup. He said to me, "Do you
feel safe, on a bicycle?" It was a curious question. I have been alive for
almost six decades, and I have ridden a bicycle for most of that time. I
replied, in between pickups, "I'm still alive." "Fair enough." He then said
something else, but it was drowned out by the sound of a sequence of pickup
trucks. At the top of that hill, I then entered some just beautiful country.
My stress level dropped way down. I passed through the quaint town of
Westfir, and then began riding the Aufderheide Scenic Byway. Wow, so
beautiful. It's like a garden road. The Forest Service's description:
Aufderheide Scenic Byway (Forest Service Road 19) is part of the 220 mile
West Cascades Scenic Byway, which runs north to south, skirting the
northern half of Oregon's Cascade Mountain Range.
Aufderheide Drive (Forest Service Road 19) connects Highways 126 (McKenzie
River) and 58 (Oakridge), winding through the lush undergrowth of the
majestic Willamette National Forest and meandering along the cold, clear
waters of the McKenzie and Willamette Rivers. Popular with cyclists and
hikers, the road connects Oakridge / Westfir with the McKenzie River
communities. Many popular recreation sites are located along the route,
including Cougar Reservoir and Terwilliger (Cougar) Hot Springs. This
route is not maintained during the winter, generally from November until
April.
Adam arrives at Kiahanie Campground, after riding 94 miles from his
Kooks campout the night before!
Kiahanie was the dicest campground! I chose #12, which had a big water
pump, and it was right on the river. I put the beers in river, reheated
and ate second half of butter chicken, got ready for bed and then Adam
showed up. I'd ridden 82 miles, he'd ridden 94, both on mountain bikes.
Beers, conversation, bed.
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