A New Theme

Over the years I have done many theme bicycle tours. Previous themes include hot springs, waterfalls, National Parks, Indian reservations, silver and gold mining, de-populated emptiness, LDS temples, and covered bridges. Also the typical geographic bicycle touring themes such as islands, rivers, coastlines, mountains, deserts, and coast-to-coast. I'm always searching for new theme ideas.

This is my first theme tour focused on the aftermath of disasters, but previous tours had vivid encounters with disaster zones. The most spectacular example was my day trip through the Mount St. Helens devastation zone.

The theme of this tour was inspired by an article in the March/April 2023 issue of Adventure Cyclist magazine about a pair of cyclists who pedaled through the northernmost Sierra Nevada mountains weeks before the Dixie fire burned a million acres in 2021, then repeated the route a year later to see how it changed.

The Adventure Cycling article cover photo shows the town of Greenville before and after the Dixie fire.

The article includes a map showing the extent of the Dixie fire burns. The fire started in the southwest corner in a low canyon on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Over a period of days the fire spread east across the mountain crest and north into the Cascade range. It was the first wildfire in recorded history to cross the crest of the Sierra Nevada range. Until then, fire managers presumed it was impossible for a wildfire to cross the cold damp crest of the Sierra Nevada range. Now we know what can happen when the hottest summer in recorded history is combined with the worst drought in 1200 years.

Dixie fire burn area and the magazine author's route after the fire.

I pedaled California highway 89 through the northernmost Sierra Nevada in 1995 and 2009. I don't remember seeing big burns in 1995, but in 2009 I pedaled 10 miles through the smouldering black aftermath of the 11,269 acre Hat Creek fire north of Mt. Lassen. Started by lightning. Firefighters were still searching for hot spots.

Smouldering aftermath of the Hat Creek fire. August 14, 2009. Lassen volcano in the distance on the right.

My first experience pedaling through the smouldering aftermath of a giant wildfire was a year earlier, 2008, after the 20,000 acre Rattle fire which was started by lightning in Umpqua National Forest, Oregon. Highway 138 had just reopened after removing landslides and giant fallen burned trees. Big wildfires seemed to be a rare novelty then.

Fallen burned trees had to be removed to reopen OR 138 after the Rattle fire. Sept. 30, 2008.

In 2015 I pedaled past the smouldering aftermath of the Willow fire in Alaska. Started by a reckless homeowner, it burned 55 houses and 7200 acres of forest. The firefighting effort cost $8 million.

I've also had close, smoky encounters with wildfires at home. Oregon had 9 giant wildfires in 2020. In my county the Archie Creek fire incinerated 60,000 acres of forest in the first 5 hours, producing smoke so dense that it turned day into night. It gave me 9 days of Hazardous smoke and a day of "beyond AQI" smoke. It started when high winds blew multiple trees onto PacifiCorp power lines.

Archie Creek fire in the early hours before smoke scattered to ground level. September 8, 2020.

In 2023 the lightning-caused Tyee Ridge Complex of fires burned 8000 acres in the Coast Range 15 miles west of my house. I live downwind and got a week of dense smoke. When the wind finally shifted I could see orange glows and columns of smoke rising to the west. I escaped the final days of smoke by driving to La Grande, Oregon for my Exploring Northeast Oregon bike tour.

Tyee Ridge Complex of fires when the smoke finally blew a different direction. August 29, 2023.

Cycling was impossible during the periods of extreme smoke. Cyclists definitely shouldn't tour near wildfires while they are still out of control. It's just too smoky and unpredictable. The smoke is unhealthy and views are obscured. Roads and services are often closed or evacuated without notice. Immediately after the fire is an interesting time to see the result, but has the risk of smoke and blowing ash.

This tour traveled through giant wildfire burns 3 to 6 years after the flames were extinguished. Hazardous smoke and ash were long gone. Most burned areas had new understory growth. Thanks to two wet winters the Sierra Nevada is no longer in a 1200 year drought.

I could see similar scenes in Oregon, but I drove to northern California to see the aftermath of two exceptional wildfires.

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