Drive to La Grande

I was fully packed on the evening of September 4. I laid out all the gear in the back yard to take a photo.

Everything neatly packed for a 13 day bike tour.

Then I loaded my car to speed the morning departure. The bike easily fits in my Prius without removing a wheel but I can't carry a passenger.

On September 5 I drove my Prius 430 miles from my house in southwest Oregon to La Grande in northeast Oregon. It's a fast drive because the entire route is on I-5 and I-84 expressways.

I stopped for lunch in The Dalles which is about the halfway point of the drive. My favorite Mexican food truck had moved a couple blocks to a newly built food truck court.

My final stop was at Pendleton Woolen Mills in Pendleton. The store was much better stocked than during my previous visit in May. Thousands of deep-pockets rodeo fans will arrive next week. The rodeo admission price is $285 for each of 9 events. Visitors able and willing to buy rodeo tickets are also likely to buy $139 Pendleton shirts.

Historic Pendleton Woolen Mills in Pendleton, Oregon.

Graffiti on the Cycle Oregon bike rack modifies the Round-Up's "Let 'Er Buck" slogan.

I bought a Canyon western shirt from the clearance rack to add to my huge Pendleton collection of 8 wool shirts, 5 cotton shirts, 4 vintage wool jackets, and a wool Chief Joseph blanket.

The sheep are raised in northeast Oregon. The wool thread and fabric are made at the 1909 woolen mills in Pendleton. But the garments are no longer made in USA. Now most of the shirts are cut and sewn in Mexico.

I bought a wool Canyon western shirt from the clearance rack for a mere $92.

After the stop in Pendleton I continued driving the last hour to La Grande with a huge climb over the Blue mountains. Pine trees were a welcome sight after driving 200 miles through low desert.

I arrived in La Grande at 5:15 PM and got my reserved room for 2 nights at The Landing, a boutique hotel built in 1900. Dinner at the nearby Cock and Bull restaurant.

The 430 mile drive went really well. No traffic backups getting through Portland. No crash or construction backups. My Prius got only 47.5 miles per gallon because the Columbia river gorge didn't have the usual roaring tailwind.

Temperature was a bit cooler than normal. High of 77F in the low desert near Pendleton but cooler in the high desert at La Grande. The first two days of the tour are predicted to have cooler than normal temperatures.

I walked around downtown La Grande, mindful that I will see the town several times during this tour. I will spend a total of 4 nights in La Grande. It's the hub of my multi-loop Northeast Oregon bike tour.

I noticed that the city of La Grande also promotes itself as the hub of northeast Oregon.

This old theatre is in early stages of restoration.

Home for the next two nights is The Landing, a boutique hotel on the south edge of downtown La Grande. It has 5 rooms, all with private baths. My room is upstairs facing the rear, with a busy railroad track 1 block away. The trains don't blow horns but the engine noise and squealing metal is still very loud.

Home for the next 2 nights, built in 1900.

The owners of The Landing also own a coffee shop across the street in a recently renovated historic Texaco gas station.

The Local is a coffee, bakery, and ice cream shop in a former Texaco station.

In the evening I sat on the front balcony and watched the street below while contemplating the upcoming bike tour. The pedaling begins tomorrow morning.

Twilight on the balcony overlooking the main street.

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Mike AylingHow do you carry your bike on/in your Prius?
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1 year ago

Wayne EstesThe bike fits inside the Prius with both wheel attached. But there is no room for a passenger. The previous journal shows a picture of my bike inside the Prius. My recumbent bike is longer than upright bikes.
https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/highdesertrivers/drive-home-b20/
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1 year ago