Redmond, OR – 575 km

Today’s ride started on the coast of California at 10C and ended up in the arid ponderosa pine forest of Oregon at 29C. The initial ride was on the Redwood Highway 199 from Crescent City and true to its name it wound through the majestic redwood forests. About the only down side was the sun was in our eyes most of the way and the contrast between the forest darkness and the bright sun was disconcerting.

We then caught Interstate 5 in Oregon from Grant’s Pass to Eugene, then eastward on 126 to Redmond where we are for the night. Highway 126 is a very nice ride along the McKenzie River and over Hoodoo pass through a massive 2003 burned area. This area of Oregon is volcanic in nature so the mountains are the typical volcano shape. We stopped by the Sahalia waterfall to take a break in the afternoon.

Volcanic mountain

Sahalia Falls

It is interesting the people that come up to talk to you while on tour. Today we had a panhandler at an I5 rest stop who was fascinated with Raindancer’s reverse gear. Then there was the lady from Portland who liked the Olympic license plate. And the fellow who wanted to know how we kept cool while riding. I guess we must be viewed as approachable bikers.

They have something very interesting in Oregon (the state with the best recycle program) – recycle machines. Just feed your bottles and cans into the slot – the machine reads them, takes them in and either shatters them or crushes them. It then issues a ticket for you to cash in for your refund!

Bottle Recycling Machine