The Roads Less Taken: TENMA Return

The Route

I congratulated myself repeatedly while riding from Hoquiam to Astoria this morning for not having attempted it last evening. Even riding it under the tree-top fog in 50F temps had to be way better than hitting it tired in the early evening. The road was pretty sweet, but the woods were close on the shoulders so deer would have showed up with little warning. This was better saved for a morning ride.

The ride from Astoria to Tillamook was a gem. Truth be told, if I had it to do over, I would make a quick ride from Seattle to Astoria and start south from there. Oh well…next time. By the time I was on that leg the sun was bright, temps were into the 60’s and the Pacific, as the pictures show, was beautiful.

Speaking of Tillamook, that was where I took my first earnest eastward turn for home, having turned south yesterday. I asked a local for a lunch recommendation and made my way to Alice’s Restaurant (Alice’s Country Cooking) where I had the world’s greatest BLT…but didn’t run into Alice.

I pressed on east over the hill and dale, round many a swoopy curve, through a tunnel and popped into Portland, one of my childhood homes. I gave a fleeting thought to going by my old Elementary school, but I didn't think I could afford the schedule hit, so on to the Mt. Hood Scenic Byway, Route 26. What a very pretty ride. Pine trees are the bomb.

All too soon, I was down the backside and headed for central Oregon…which looked for all the world like the road to El Paso. You know, I was actually completely happy to be back in the desert. I think I really do have Texas in my blood.

Before long, to my utter surprise, I was dropping into a very substantial canyon in Warm Springs. Oregon. The canyon was carved by the Deschutes river. I was within 30 miles of my nominal destination, Prineville, but I knew there were several potential campgrounds nearby. Temps were in the 80’s, the sky was perfectly blue and I had enough daylight to explore a little…so I headed to The Cove Palisades State Park and Lake Billy Chinook.

Wow! What a cool place. And all the facilities are AAA+++. This has got to be the nicest state park campground I have ever seen. I paid my $26, found some soft grass, made some rice, beans and dried beef...and I am set for the night.

PS – And the STARS!