July 11, 2006
Day 22: To Anthony Lake
The sun started shining on my tent at 6:10 AM. I got up at 6:30 and was on the road at 7:50. My earliest departure in a LONG time. The terrain is flat to the town of Union.
Just past the town I started a 700 foot climb through sagebrush covered hills with a lot of exposed reddish rock. Then a long gradual descent to the town of North Powder (3256 feet elevation).
I ate a huge breakfast at the truck stop there. It had the largest portions I've ever seen. Good for a touring cyclist but not good for most other folks. I departed North Powder at 11:50 AM, crossed I-84 and began the 4000 foot climb to Anthony Lake. The climb is gentle at first.
The grade is steeper by the time I get up to the forested zone. Of course the panoramic valley views disappeared after I was in the forest. I was surprised to see that the forest has a variety of trees. Not just pines.
Only a couple of spots had breaks in the trees to allow a view of the valley below. But those few views were truly spectacular.
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The road is paved but the quality of the pavement is very poor. That's typical of many National Forest roads. Forest Road maintenance is far below the standard of state highways and county roads. The grade was extremely steep for 2 miles. Much steeper than any state highway. I'm glad to have a 20-tooth chainring to winch myself up steep grades.
I arrived at the Anthony Lake campground (7100 feet elevation) at 5:30 PM. I got a walk-in campsite that is out of sight from the road. My campsite didn't have much of a view because of surrounding trees. But the lake shore has spectacular views of the alpine lake and a snow-covered mountain to the south. I hiked the 1 mile trail around the lake. I made a shower but had to shower in a pit toilet building to avoid being swarmed by mosquitoes. Despite the mosquitoes, I enjoyed the cooler temperatures and lush foliage. The lake water was surprisingly warm considering the high elevation. It's very shallow.
Today had a high temperature of 85F. Very pleasant. It became cloudy late in the afternoon as I climbed into the alpine zone. Good weather for a big climb. Today's ride was very tiring but also satisfying after the previous three easy days.
Distance: 44.5 mi. (71.2 km)
Climbing: 4850 ft. (1470 m)
Average Speed: 6.0 mph (9.6 km/h)
Maximum Speed: 35.8 mph (57.3 km)
Hiking: 1.5 miles (2.4 km)
Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 931 miles (1,498 km)
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