Day 24: To Ritter Hot Springs

July 13, 2006

46F at 6:30 in the morning. Not much warmer than Anthony Lakes yesterday morning. This deep sheltered canyon is surprisingly cool considering its elevation. I got on the road at 7:30 AM. I wore my rain jacket because it was 50F and shady. I had several miles of beautiful gentle downhill following Camus Creek down to the North fork of the John Day river.

Chilly morning ride through the Ukiah-Dale scenic corridor.

I crossed the north fork of the John Day river and began a 1300 foot climb. Near the bottom of the climb I stopped for more groceries at the Dale general store.

Post office inside the Dale general store. I imagine the box numbers are so large because several small post offices share the same ZIP code.

Near the summit I stopped for an early lunch at the Meadowbrook Cafe. I was the only customer. Good service and good conversation with the lady who runs the place. Then I had a nice downhill ride to the middle fork of the John Day river. It was sunny and warm now.

At the middle fork I turned west onto a dead-end county road to go 10 miles to Ritter Hot Spring. The road stays very close to the river with great views of the river and the rocky hills.

I arrived at Ritter Hot Springs at 1 PM (2700 feet elevation). The place is an old stagecoach stop. I paid $10 to camp and soak. Their swimming pool is nice but all the buildings are very dilapidated. They look like they could fall down any day now. Ritter Hot Springs is owned by a devout Seventh Day Adventist so it's closed on Saturdays. They are only open from June thru August, Sunday thru Thursday. No wonder they don't have money to refurbish the buildings! The main attraction is the hot spring fed swimming pool which was 98F when I was there. They drain the pool every Thursday evening and it takes until Saturday evening for the pool to refill. A little used bathhouse is across the river. The tubs there are too hot on a warm summer day. They have showers but all the plumbing uses the stinky hot spring water. There is no easy way to remove the sulfur smell after swimming.

The dilapidated office at Ritter Hot Springs.

Swimming pool at Ritter hot springs. The pool temperature was 98F.

It cost $10 to camp and swim at Ritter hot springs. Unfortunately the showers use the stinky hot spring water.

Despite all its funky attributes, I really enjoyed my stay at Ritter hot springs. I had a great afternoon soaking in the swimming pool and napping in the shade. The high temperature was 85F and I didn't see a single cloud all day.

Distance: 38.4 mi. (61.4 km)

Climbing: 1590 ft. (482 m)

Average Speed: 9.9 mph (15.8 km/h)

Maximum Speed: 42.0 mph (67.2 km/h)

Today's ride: 38 miles (61 km)
Total: 1,032 miles (1,661 km)

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