September 17, 2016
After having successfully ridden our bikes to Victoria, BC last month we were eager to get out for another weekend trip before the weather turns cold and rainy in the Pacific North West. We chose a 3 day trip to the Eastern Oregon desert to visit Crystal Crane Hot-springs – a 330 mile, 6 hour ride from Hillsboro.
The ride includes a 20+ mile section of gravel that proved quite challenging with fully loaded bikes.
The following day we ride all over the desert exploring gravel roads, taking in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, getting windblown on Frenchglen Highway, stopping for cowboys to drive a herd of cattle though a giant dust cloud 100 feet in front of us and racing at 125 mph down long desert straightaways. It was followed by a solid burger and fries at the Crane Store and Cafe and a long soak in the hot springs.
The southwestern Oregon desert is a magical place that we definitely plan to spend more time exploring.