Decided to take advantage of the continuing good weather Monday 9/28/15 to launch out on a road trip to do McKenzie Pass (OR 242) in the mid Cascades.
OR 126 up the valley
Not many pictures. Too vanilla down I5 to Eugene then west on OR 126 to Belknap Springs where 242 starts. Then too busy. The smell of the pine and cypress going up the valley was intoxicating.
Roads - OR 242, 126, 20
The road is narrow, but paved well though there are many 4 to 6 inch drops off the edge. Pay attention. Deer, elk and bicyclists may be frequently encountered. I lucked out and only had one motor home that let me by, then it was clear all the way to the top at the observatory.
I took it slowly and concentrated on precision rather than speed. It's heavily forested and most of the tightly linked corners are blind. Never can tell what's just the other side of that bank. Very much worth the trip down from Seattle. Would recommend it thoroughly.
The lava fields are still impressive as ever and the observatory is worth a stop to stretch and have a look around. A number of bicycle groups and singles stopped there as well. Most of them seemed to be riding out from Sisters and back as the road east of the pass is not as steep as the west side and is wider with better shoulders and longer sight lines. From there I continued east to stop overnight in Sisters.
Observatory stop
The Sisters
The Lava Beds
Tuesday, I headed back west on OR 126. Long straight stretches through Lodgepole Pine forests that have had under story fires through them within the last few years. Nearing Santiam Pass the view became more open due to fires that had crowned through and killed many of the still tall trees. Lots of huge peaks and geological wonders including the Hoodoo Ski Area.
Down the west side of the pass I turned off on OR 20 (Santiam Highway). There was a sign warning of 11 miles of 6% grade. They mean it. The roadbed is a little wider than McKenzie, but equally curvaceous. More linked turns through old growth timber nearly all the way down to Sweet Home. My ears were popping all the way. It goes down a lot. Some roadbed sloughing and patches near the bottom with fresh lumpy asphalt. Another one I'd come back to do again. No corner parkers all the way today too.
Once I got down to Lebanon I came back down the valley through Scio, Stayton and Silverton where I picked up OR 213 through more farmland to Oregon City where I hit 205 back over the bridge to I5 and back home.
Great weather, roads and scenery. I've still got Detroit, Aufderheide, Ripplebrook and several others in the area to try out the 86 on. Get some of this.