D8 Condon to Priest Hole

Mileage: 53

Video https://www.relive.cc/view/vRO7gPkm1yO

Map https://ridewithgps.com/trips/91076004?privacy_code=gcv2qPYuFdxRMEol

Down in Priest Hole. Was a difference a day makes. Yesterday, I was kinda pooped. I was more than happy to keep to myself and not introduce myself to the drunk 20 somethings in the Buckhorn Saloon or the women playing cribbage at the next table. I was sore worried about the next day.

Side note on Condon. It's still an ag town, so I wonder where the hotel fits in.There's an offshootf Powell's! I hope it thrives.

(Main Street)

(The Condon Hotel)

(Powell's Condon Branch)

One theme of this trip is not to get to attached to plans. I was going to ride to Mitchell today and spend tomorrow visiting the John Day National Monument on a rest day,  but I realized I could camp along the way at Priest Hole, visit the Monument along the way for not technically a rest day, but a slow day. I only have to bike 18 miles tomorrow!

(Fossil Mercantile where I sat on bench and evesdropped on ranchers talking shop)

What a great choice! The road to Priest Hole is full of wonders. I look lots of pictures, but they can’t really do it justice. Instead of trying to describe the scenery, I’ll fill in little moments:

(Rowe Creek Road)

  • Talking with Jane about her family’s purchase of the Condon Hotel in 2018 right in time for COVID

  • Ranchers talking shop on a bench outside of the Fossil Mercantle. (Good grass and fat calves)

  • Seeing fellow cyclists on the gravel road to Priest Hole. 

  • Being invited over for a glass of wine by my camping neighbor, Ted

  • A friendly wave the second time I saw a beat up pickup the I thought for sure was driven by a bike-hating redneck

I can’t post this tonight because there’s no cell service here. It’s fun to write though.

(Ted doesn't do selfies. I respect that. This is Ted's wine)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Consolation Tour - Seattle to Yakima and back - D1 Home to Carter Creek

Image
I am not sure who'll actually read this, but writing this is helping me get through my recent cancer diagnosis. I couldn't do the continuation of my planned cross USA trip so I did a five day trip from home to Yakima via the Cascades to Palouse Trail and back via Naches Pass. To paraphrase my brother, spinning my pedals was better than spinning my mind. Overview static map: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48494574 Day 1 Map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/220754440 Animated Map: https://www.relive.cc/view/vwq1gzDDdLO (This was the only entry written the day of the ride. It was written in the dark at Carter Creek ). Today's ride begins with me nervously pondering which way to ride my big loop. Go counterclockwise to Greenwater or clockwise to Snoqualmie Pass. I flip flopped all the way up to my departure. I decided to ride my commute route into work to see folks in the office. Work is a comfort in these times. I was worried about the rain situa...
Read more

Consolation Tour D3 Yakima Canyon to Little Naches River

Image
Static Map:  https://ridewithgps.com/trips/221899884?privacy_code=Hrw5hypqs7SqCpXgaV4qYVyJRR6aVWVB Animated Map:  https://www.relive.cc/view/v1vjY87M8Jq I woke up a little after six. The sky was blue but the sun hadn't reached the canyon floor. I listened to the morning birds while I contemplated the day ahead. The Waffle Caffe in Yakima two hours away, beckoned. With just a mini breakfast of bars and dried fruit, I set off down the road. Beaufiful views abounded. I found myself stopping to snap pictures almost every mile. Traffic was light. Most of the time I had the road to myself. Despite the number of times I have driven the canyon, the experience was new. I thought about my mom who drove the canyon almost daily to attend classes at CWU to finish her BA while being a new mom and managing a marriage that was heading toward the rocks. The canyon walls seem to enclose us on our own personal journeys. The canyon is more developed than I remembered or ma...
Read more

Consolation Tour D2 Carter Creek to Yakima Canyon

Image
Static map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/221188106?privacy_code=aq0uBAb1YD3hG0VxuuIfF4J5F4JOE5iy Animated map:  https://www.relive.cc/view/vXOnkz8kn56 The day began gray at Carter Creek. I slept well despite a visit by a small critter outside my tent. In the morning I found a stroupwaffel in my handlebar bag. It all made sense. The morning prep was easy paced and steady. I was on the trail by 8:17 on the nose. The sound of the creek pervaded the camp but as soon as you reached the trail you could hear I-90. It was a strange feeling being so physically cut off with the sounds of the modern world still present.  The trail continued up past the Lake Annette trail where I spent time with college friends, Kisho as a baby, and Jesse's family at various times. This was a different perspective having taken so long to reach it. I'd find that a lot of this trip. New perspective on familiar places.  I passed the snow shed where I'd been on my fir...
Read more