Riding the Oregon Outback Solo - Full Adventure.

Day 1

Today kicks off a solo adventure across Oregon on the “Oregon Outback” bike packing route. I am starting in Klamath Falls and arriving at the Columbia River Gorge.

I am riding from my hotel in Klamath falls to a wild camping spot on 5 mile creek. There were smoke warnings due to fires in Northern California. I go up half of the OC&E rail trail and through miles of ranch land. I got lost in a section that didn’t make a difference and I spent quality time with cows… who are my favorite people. I actually edited out my conversations and kept some video. We covered some heavy topics.

Day 2

Today I realized a bolt holding my rack broke and fixed it with a bungee cord. The last half of the OC&E was through a burn. We play with some more cows, finally hit some smoother roads, talk to some forest service people watching for lightning strikes and ride into Silver Lake for the night.

Day 3

More hazardous smoke warnings to kick off the day I hit a few small towns, see Fort Rock and visit the little pioneer town there. I take a break and smell some Ponderosa Pines… then get caught in a deluge of a thunderstorm. Set up camp in the rain and sleep in the storm.

Day 4

I start the day in a drizzle wearing wet clothes. Eventually the drizzle stops and I dry off. I hit a water drop I stashed a few weeks before in the “Dry Zone” and coast through 10 miles of dirt road down hill. I stop at Prineville Dam and take some pics of lava formations on my way in to town.

Day 5

This is the first day I did not have a smoke warning but there was still smoke in the air. I stayed at a hotel to get my stuff dry and got breakfast at Dad’s diner. I did 20 miles of climbing into the Ochoco Mountains and then 20 miles of descending back down. The creek crossings normally on this route were dry as a bone except for 1 that was just a big puddle. I did another epic dirt road coast and ended at the bikers oasis in Ashwood. The porch fridge with water and drinks saved me because the river that goes through town was dry as a bone.

Day 6

We start the morning talking to deer and go straight into a climb without warming up. We hit a few small towns, get lunch in Shaniko (I pronounce it wrong I am sure) and then veer off the bikepacking approved route into Maupin. The ultra smooth car free descent into Maupin is EPIC!

Day 7

I am starting in Maupin and riding all the way up the Deschutes river. The bottom is BLM land the top is State park land and the middle is no-man's-land (Deschutes River Trail). This route was a full day of non stop epic views from beginning to end but the Hike a bike deschutes river trail was brutal with an 80 pound bike. I had to climb up and down 5 100 ft trestle footings in just a few miles. In between there were boulders. And I did it all in 109 degree direct sun. I ran out of water and had beginning stages of heat exhaustion by the end. There is a reason this is not part of the sanction trail. If you do what I did, don't take it lightly. My video doesn’t represent the toll it took out of me.

But…. coasting into the Deschutes River Recreation Area was a once in a lifetime experience.

Do I recommend doing the last leg this way? No. Would I do it again….. Hmmmm jury is out.

Would I do the trip in general again? YES!

Gear:
Bike - Kona Rove DL
Tires -Teravail Rutland (Front and back)
Camera - GoPro Hero 10
Everything else - Random stuff I could find as cheap as possible :)

Sanctioned full route:
https://bikepacking.com/routes/oregon...

My full route with the alternate ending:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43975691
*WARNING* this has a few miles of VERY hard hike a bike at the end! (Watch on day 7)