Why are you naked with a quarter in your hand?

Packed up this morning, deja vu, at home in Bend.  Secure with warmth-saving mummy bag, and discarding my perforated gear for a camp-side Carhartt jacket I set-off again.  Meeting Jeff in Sprague, WA for a start off of our Selkirk Loop adventure.  Somewhere north of Pronghorn gold resort I ran into fresh chip seal (that inexpensive rock and oil alternative to asphalt).  Apparently, it was chip seal week because 26 out of Prineville also had fresh chip seal, and then again outside Hardman, OR.  In total I estimate about 35-40 miles worth of the stuff, thank goodness for Trafalgar and her new adventure tires.  She handled very well.

Another observation of note, after years of faith-based use of deer whistles, I believe I witness affirmation.  A 60’s era E-type Jaguar was about a mile ahead me leaving Prineville, when I can around a blind bend, I saw the Jag stopped and two deer casually crossing a few feet in front of the green sports car.  Still about 3/4 mile away the deer both jerk alert in my direction and then bolted into the forest.  I say the $6.00 investment worth every penny.

Near Mitchell I turned north into the Umatilla mountains, and was blessed with beautiful, twisty road through the national forest.  I was in nirvana!  I saw not a single vehicle to share the road, until of course I stopped to relieve myself.  At all times to do so, a pickup approached, mid-stream, and asked if I ran out of gas.  I was emptying my liquid, but Trafalgar still had her fuel.  I waited for them to leave in agony, and finally could let the river flow again.

The chip seal prevented me carving up the twisty, open road from Hardman into Hermiston, but I enjoyed the open wheat fields and odd and ancient machinery left in fields to rot as a tombstone to old agricultural technology.  I blasted up a few miles of interstate—thoroughly unenjoyable—to Sprague Lake.  The back way in presented little rock formations that appeared to be manmade castles, but the 20-30 foot high structures were nature’s handy work.  I was the only camper in the lake-side grass field (resort) rented a tent site for $36.  Jeff showed up and got an additional tent price of $28, and then a father and son arrived on day 21 of a Southwest/California/Oregon tour.  They joined at the fire-side.  The son was fresh from his Navy enlistment and the father recently retired.  They were heading back to Chicago.

The morning I shared a shower with a swarm of mosquito, they even complained about the conditions, but me and the flying insects suffered through one of the most disgusting bathrooms.  The shower vending machine was located next to the sink in the other room, and after a quarter to figure out how to turn the water on, another quarter to bring up the hot water piped in from some location in North Carolina, and finally the degrading quarter mid-shower, parading naked to the 1950 circa dispenser, I finished and vowed never to return.

Metaline Bound

What a relief to be off the interstate and on the more relaxed, casual cadence of the country roads.  We headed up through the rolling wheat fields, a true testament for the wheat basket of the United States (producing close to 80% of the wheat grown in this country).  No blind curves here, but a pleasure.  When we crossed Route 2, en route Springdale, the wheat was replaced by ponderosa and lodgepole and junk vehicles and farm equipment haphazardly scattered about.  Almost every dwelling displayed, with no rhythm or reason, a collection rusting, decaying manmade garbage.  This was an example of the other pole, the other end of the spectrum where fascist HOA’s reside.

The Flowery Trail road over the mountains were spectacular, passing by an impressive ski resort 49 North.  We then proceeded on the Selkirk Loop

There is a god….Mt Linton RV park offered a plush, private acre of grass to pitch our tent, free firewood, free showers (the Waldorf Astoria in comparison) and free company around the campfire.  Hell, Bruce even threw a few meteor shower.  All for $10.93/night!