OSBT Day 19-A Different Way Than Before

I said my goodbyes to Steve last night. He thanked me for teaching him so much. I think he feels pretty confident continuing on his own. 

I was packed up in 50 minutes this morning (from the time I woke up to when I was rolling out). I don’t think I’m fast, I’m just efficient. 

I stopped at the Union Creek Resort to get some liquid refreshment for later in the day. I knew I would not have any opportunity until Chemult which was 55 miles away. 

I stopped to have a look at the Rogue Gorge. Here’s some photos. 

Pretty impressive. 

Last time I came this way, I went to Crater Lake. This time I decided to go around. While it’s true, the elevation was lower, there was still quite a bit of climbing. 

It wasn’t really steep climbing, just long. 

The descent brought me down to the turn to Diamond Lake. Since we had gone all the way to Natural Bridge, it was too early/short for Diamond Lake. I made the turn toward Bend, and started climbing again. Last time, I thought this climb was easy. I had even come from Diamond Lake which was another 2 miles. It probably had something to do with not having already ridden 25 miles last time...fresh legs and all. Today, I was thrilled to finally reach the top. 

From there is was about a 10 mile descent on a perfectly straight road. Some dark clouds were hanging around, and after a bit, I felt a few raindrops. Then I came to a part where it must have just rained, because the road was all wet. There were still some drops coming down, but upon closer inspection, it was hail. But, just a little. I never got wet (well, a little from the spray as the big trucks went by). 

I came to Hwy 97 with 10 miles to go to Chemult. I was pretty hungry as I hadn’t eaten anything since just before the first summit. I saw a billboard for Subway at the Pilot Truckstop, but couldn’t hold out when I came to a Rest Area. I stopped and drank the bottle of Gatorade I’d been carrying all day and had some coconut date rolls. 

Not too much further, I came into Chemult. I needed a few groceries so I stopped at the only market that has much of a selection. There I also asked about the camping just north of town that is on my map. The gal told me what the name was...Walt Haring Sno-Park (and Campground). What she neglected to tell me was that there is no water. She mentioned Miller Lake, so when I got to the campground, I asked some people how far the lake was. Apparently, it’s quite far. They suggested going back to the Ranger Station and getting water. It was only about 1/4 mile back. Not wanting to climb back up the hill to the campground with all my stuff, I set up my tent, threw everything in it, and took my water bladders back to the Ranger Station where the lady was kind enough to let me fill everything up in the kitchen. 

The campground only has a couple of people (besides me). I miss Steve. It’s going to be a boring night. There is this nice log building. A person could have set up a tent inside...just saying...

Oh, I met a couple from Bend when I was eating my lunch. They gave me a great idea of how to get into Bend without spending so much time on Hwy 97. It’s not the Cascade Lakes Hwy. I did that last time, and this time I want to check out the Lava Cave between La Pine and Bend. I’ll check the map when I’m in La Pine tomorrow.