Day 5: To Sisters

August 5, 2013

Today promises to be one of the highlights of the tour. But I'm exhausted. I slept until 8:30 and got on the road at 10:30. The day starts with a mostly forested 1900 foot climb to McKenzie pass. It was nice to do the slow strenuous climb while the temperature was cool.

3 miles before the summit the forest abruptly gives way to lava fields. Suddenly the temperature is warmer and I finally have unobstructed views of the surrounding volcanoes.

Suddenly the forest ends and I have an open view across a lava field towards Belknap Crater.

The road goes for at least 5 miles through lava fields. I could see lava flows from several directions. The flows seem to collide at the Dee Wright observatory which is just an organized pile of lava. I arrived at 1 PM.

To the south is North Sister and Middle sister. Huge and close, but the sun angle was awful.

Looking southeast into the sun at North Sister (10,085 feet) and Middle Sister (10,047 feet).

I was passed by a couple of bicycle tour support vans. Also by dozens of cyclists. The largest group was a bike club from Portland, all with matching jerseys. Some of the commercial tour cyclists passed me, but others climbed at my slow pace. I didn't see any loaded cyclists on the way up, but at the summit I saw 7 westbound loaded cyclists. The McKenzie highway is one of Oregon's most popular cycling destinations.

Many cyclists passed me while climbing to McKenzie Pass.

I stopped for a while at the observatory, but I was annoyed with how crowded it was. I've been here twice before and both times it was nearly deserted. Once in late September, and once in May on a bike when the road was closed to cars. The car-free time is definitely the best time to pedal McKenzie pass. Much more snow then, too.

Dee Wright Observatory at McKenzie Pass, where lava flows collide from multiple directions.

One group of cyclists had a posh experience.

Looking north at nearby Mt. Washington (7794 feet, left) and faraway Mt. Jefferson (10,497 feet, right).

A sea of lava. View looking west towards Belknap Crater.

Marker on the roof of the observatory, pointing out various peaks.

The first wagon road through McKenzie pass was completed in 1862. It was improved by the State Highway Commission in 1917. Recreation facilities were added in the 1920's and 1930's. In 1962 the McKenzie highway was bypassed by the existing OR 126 highway. So this has been a scenic byway for more than 50 years now.

Crest of the Cascade Range. 1614 meters elevation. The tour's highest point in Oregon.

The summit is very near the observatory. I'm descending to the high desert, so my descent is much smaller than my climb from near sea level. The first few miles of the descent is on the edge of the forest with the lava flow on my left, the forest on my right, and an impatient car or two behind me. The east side of McKenzie pass has more traffic.

View of Mt. Jefferson during the descent to Sisters.

Eventually the exposed lava ends and the road continues straight, gently downhill, through a forest of Lodgepole Pine. Welcome to Central Oregon. The pines won't last long. Sisters is 3100 feet elevation. Below 3000 feet the Pines fade rapidly to Junipers.

Suddenly the lava ends and pine forest begins.

I arrived in Sisters at 2:30 and went to the city campground on the east edge of town and got a $5 cyclist site. With shower. The temperature was 90F in the afternoon.

Downtown Sisters is a popular tourist attraction, but spoiled by heavy traffic.Congestion is so bad that the city provides orange flags for pedestrians to wave while crossing the road.

I spent the remainder of the afternoon just resting in the shade. I had an early dinner at the Three Rivers Brewing Company nearby, then went across town (1.5 miles) to get groceries at the supermarket.

Sisters was much smaller and sleepier when I first saw it during a bike tour in 1999. Development was severely constrained because every business had its own well and septic system. Shortly afterwards a municipal water system was completed and the town multiplied in size in just a few years. Now it hardly resembles how it looked in 1999.

Traffic wasn't a problem today except in the town of Sisters. The crowd was annoying at the observatory which is small and doesn't accommodate large crowds well.

Traffic noise is obnoxious at the campground due to trucks accelerating and braking at the nearby Y intersection of OR 126 and US 20.

The campground has another problem that is common at commercial campgrounds and non-existent at forest campgrounds. There was no place to put my tent that wasn't under the bright glare of a street light.

Today I started late and finished early. But I need the rest. The next 3 days will be long and hilly, with no good options to shorten the days.

Once again the weather was perfect. About 80F at 1 PM at McKenzie pass. 90F in the afternoon in Sisters. Sunny and dry. Mild wind in the cool morning, breezy in the hot afternoon.

Distance: 34.3 miles (55 km)
Climbing: 1975 feet (598 m)
Average Speed: 9.6 mph (15.4 km/h)

Today's ride: 34 miles (55 km)
Total: 227 miles (365 km)

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