Oregon Fires

[PortlandZinMan]

Just needed to vent a bit…

My wife took a weekend from our home in Portland, OR to Detroit Lake (a few hours away) and were met with heavy smoke from a few on the many fires in our state. This was a real downer for me as my solo "Oregon Tour" ride approaches starting on Sunday. I have been planning this for months.

Looks like a may have to cancel and eat some non-refundable B&B reservations along the 5 day, 4 night route. I have always had to plan for possible rain and have all the gear for that, but you can’t gear up for smoke. Also, my favorite activity when I do my solo rides is to hit every viewpoint along the route for a photo or two, which is why I kept the total miles so low… Smoke kills that funage as well.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed, but I don’t have much hope that this is going to happen… My proposed route, if anyone is interested is below.

Worst case is I’ll take a couple of overnighters to the coast (been there, done that so I can double-up the miles).

Sun, Sept 3 - Outbound Day 1 (172 miles)
• Milwaukie to Detroit Lake via the Clackamas Hwy 224
• Detroit Lake to Bend, via Sisters, via N Santiam Hwy 22

Mon, Sept 4 - Outbound Day 2 (126 miles)
• Bend to Crater Lake via Cascade Lakes National Scenic Byway to Willamette Hwy 58 to Hwy 97 to Hwy 138 to Diamond Lake.

Tues, Sept 5 - Outbound Day 3 (Who knows!!)
• To Crater Lake via Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway to Crater Lake Rim Drive. Ride the Crater Lake Rim Road with LOTS of stops – Taking it easy and slow.
• Check out the smoke! Webcams - Crater Lake National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Wed, Sept 6 - Inbound Day 4 (172 miles)
• Diamond Lake to via Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway to Willamette Hwy 58 (Springfield via Hwy 222) to McKenzie Hwy 126 to McKenzie Bridge, OR.

Thurs, Sept 7 - Inbound Day 5 (149 miles)
• Continue McKenzie Hwy 126 to Detroit Lake. Detroit Lake to Milwaukie via Clackamas Hwy 224
• Home!

 

[Deleted member 5383]

Practically every year in recent history here in Montana has smoke starting usually in July some time, and we seem to collect it from BC and Alberta, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon as well as having our own. It's hard to want to be outdoors sometimes and definitely puts a damper on a joy in snapping piccies. But that's the way it is -- at least we aren't losing out homes or our lives... Unless forest management and fire policies change and some balance is found with litigation-happy eco groups and government budgets I suspect it will continue to be this way in states that have a lot of so-called public land...

We were on coastal Washington and Oregon at the start of the month specifically to get away from smoke and the the stuffy heat that often accompanies it, and it was the first time I've ever seen it smoky there on the beaches! Even the coastal winds and condensation/humidity patterns could not keep the coastline un-smudged! Toward the end of our stay toward the south coast it was better, but still hard to imagine how many fires in BC had been able to produce that effect.

 

[Hank]

Oregon fires around the volcano took a lot of the fun out of our trip out there a few years ago.
I have to be careful about smoke due to lung problems.

 

[Deleted member 5383]

When I was riding up in Glacier NP two days back I met a touring rider from the SF California area who had just come up from Crater Lake. He said the smoke was so thick and pervading that the surface of Crater Lake was not even visible. He was pretty disappointed, but at least Glacier was pretty clear that day.

Past two times I was at Crater Lake there were local wildfires, but at least I managed to get some images of the lake and surrounding environs that were not too shabby and we did have a great time hiking and peoplizing ; }

 

[PortlandZinMan]

My prospective route - Smoke in red....

 

[Grey1one]

We were up there Sun - Thurs, partly for the eclipse. First night in Klamath Falls, then 97 to 197 to The Dalles ( all d@mned day because Madres was a glacier paced parking lot ), next day was 84/30/101 to Garbaldi. Then 101/22/18/22 into Corvallis then I-5 to Medford, that was the smokiest portion of the ride ... until we hit I-5 south back to Calif Thurs morning, was smokey almost to Redding. It really didn't affect our ride much though.

 

[PortlandZinMan]

Well, after spending several hours on the internet last night, it is apparent that conditions are not going to improve next week, so I made the decision to cancel this trip. Bummer. So... next week will be a few day trips to the coast and a LOT of golf!

 

[davidc83]

Mother Nature is hating us humans. Massive forest fires out west, hurricanes and worst flooding in the history in Houston and southeast Texas. Haven't seen OCR post anything lately and hope he is ok.

 

[Hank]

Somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 people died in the Galveston hurricane of 1900, so I think there is some present day bias in "worst flooding ever."

 

[Nofear2trek]

Well, after spending several hours on the internet last night, it is apparent that conditions are not going to improve next week, so I made the decision to cancel this trip. Bummer. So... next week will be a few day trips to the coast and a LOT of golf!

Probably the best decision. I just rode from Boise to Eugene. 30 miles east of Bend the smoke started, in Bend it was choking thick and eyes watering. ODOT closed 20 about 10 miles west of Sisters and I had to double back to Bend and down 97 to get over the mountains on 58. Smoke was everywhere with thick haze. Calling it a nite in the rest stop north of Cottage Grove, stinking of smoke and soot everywhere. A message board on the side of the road cautioned the 138 was also shut down over the mountains. Just a mess out there.

Ray

 

[PortlandZinMan]

Vacation Plan B - going to be hotter then heck here in Portland OR next week and with my Crater Lake adventure canceled due to heat/smoke, I am heading to the coast for 3 days - will spend 2 nights in Astoria, riding in the mornings and exploring the city in the afternoon and evenings. If anyone is in the area Sept 5-7, hit me up... Photos and film coming soon.

 

[Deleted member 5383]

Hope smoke isn't on the coast like it was when I was there about 4 weeks back. First time I've ever seen it anything like that, and it's often our getaway from all the smoke inland.