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Weekend trip report - East of the Cascades
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thatbaldwinlife
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PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2019 7:42 am    Post subject: Weekend trip report - East of the Cascades Reply with quote

We have a big trip to Canada coming up this July and we wanted to get some miles on the German Transaxle rebuild before we left so my wife and I decided to get away this weekend and do a quick overnighter and head east. I have done a lot of exploring on my KTM in the area of Shaniko/Fossil/Condon areas but my wife has not so we headed that direction. The forecast called for a nice Saturday but maybe a bit windy and rainy Sunday. Sounds great!
We left the chaotic Portland traffic Saturday around 10:00am and headed east on I84 to make some miles. A quick stop in Hood River for a few last minute supplies and then to Mosier to take the back way into The Dalles on the old highway.
Those around the Portland area who have not taken the old highway 30 to Rowena are missing out. Great road with amazing views. The overlook was very busy today but the traffic on the road was minimal.
From the viewpoint

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From there we wandered into The Dalles and gassed up and headed south on 197 to Dufur where we stopped for a bit at the saved buildings and equipment from long ago.
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Next stop was White River Falls State Park off of the amazing Hwy 216. These falls seem to come out of nowhere as you are in the high desert with what looks like no river around you then BAM, this.


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You can walk down a bit to see the old power generation plant which amazingly they let you (kinda) explore.


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We walked a bit further down the trail to another falls

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We headed east from there on 216 which turns into a twisty, climbing road up to the high desert. My wife gets anxiety on roads with a severe drop on her side which is exactly what this road was. It was a 2nd gear climb for a while up to the top. Sorry no pix as she was preoccupied with trying to breath Smile

We then headed to Shaniko which also has some old ghost town like buildings. At this point it started to rain pretty good so we didn't spend a long time looking around. Talked to a local who does a lot of the work on the buildings and he was full of local info. Nice to talk with him for a bit.

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This guy was handsy with my wife

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We then headed to Antelope former home of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his crazy followers. No sign anymore, just back to the small town feel. You do see a few signs that say "No photos please" on a few houses.

At this point it was getting a bit late so we started looking for a campsite. We saw a potential area on iOverlander and headed to where the John Day River crosses Hwy 218. Down a rough gravel road which turned to dirt, we followed the river until we found a decent are to pull over. Popped the top and camp was done!

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A little rain and wind that night but overall a nice evening in the westy. Packed up a bit earlier than we thought we would and headed out to explore a bit more. Just down the road was a John Day Fossil Bed wayside.

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We hike around a bit but it stared raining pretty good so we headed off.
A few views along the way


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From there we kinda wandered north towards I84 and eventually home. We made one more stop in The Dalles for lunch then had to slog home with traffic.
Another great trip and the rebuilt tranny is great. Still seem to have that noise in neutral but I am confident it is not the tranny.
Thanks for reading!
nate
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PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2019 7:54 am    Post subject: Re: Weekend trip report - East of the Cascades Reply with quote

Nice! I’m looking forward to exploring it after I relocate to the area.
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PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2019 8:05 am    Post subject: Re: Weekend trip report - East of the Cascades Reply with quote

Thanks for taking us along. Very Happy
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PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2019 8:52 am    Post subject: Re: Weekend trip report - East of the Cascades Reply with quote

Spectacular! It's great to get out in the PNW before the wildfire smoke rolls in.

Thanks for sharing.
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PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2019 9:58 am    Post subject: Re: Weekend trip report - East of the Cascades Reply with quote

What a great adventure, thanks for sharing.
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PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2019 10:51 am    Post subject: Re: Weekend trip report - East of the Cascades Reply with quote

Thanks - I'll be in that area the week after Labor Day and this gives me some stops (and twisty roads) to work in.
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thatbaldwinlife
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PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2019 1:48 pm    Post subject: Re: Weekend trip report - East of the Cascades Reply with quote

Ahwahnee wrote:
Thanks - I'll be in that area the week after Labor Day and this gives me some stops (and twisty roads) to work in.


Lot's to see out there!
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PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2019 3:49 pm    Post subject: Re: Weekend trip report - East of the Cascades Reply with quote

goldtooth wrote:


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My girlfriend and I overnighted just upstream from here about 2 weeks ago! We were on the same side, but just across from that first utility pole you can see on the left. The birds, frogs, and crickets were wonderful!

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We were on a mission to see the Rajneeshpuram turned YoungLife camp after watching the documentary this winter. I think they get a lot of that as we were stopped, Gestapo-style as we were on the road to the youth camp (which was closed at the time). Beautiful country and sooo worth the trip.

Edit: Also added a rotopax to the ladder after wishing we had just a bit more range on that trip Smile
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PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2019 8:22 pm    Post subject: Re: Weekend trip report - East of the Cascades Reply with quote

Rajneeshpuram movie was incredible. Amazing story. I remember the news coverage when that was happening. It seemed crazy then, but now seems so innocent, nothing compared to what’s going on now. Rajneeshpuram got kinda hairy in the end too.

Thanks for the trip report & pics. I like bumming around eastern Oregon and will do it more when the last kid’s outta the house.
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PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2019 8:59 pm    Post subject: Re: Weekend trip report - East of the Cascades Reply with quote

Love it - thanks for posting!

Cool

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PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2019 9:06 pm    Post subject: Re: Weekend trip report - East of the Cascades Reply with quote

was the camp site on BLM land?
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PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2019 10:00 pm    Post subject: Re: Weekend trip report - East of the Cascades Reply with quote

Yes Smile It's a mix out there, but there are several great spots by Clarno that are BLM.
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PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2019 11:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Weekend trip report - East of the Cascades Reply with quote

Thanks - I'll check it out; BLM lands are often "checkerboarded" with private; IIRC, it's from the railroad grants of every other section in the 1800s

Ironically, I'm headed to Mitchell on Tues.
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thatbaldwinlife
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PostPosted: Tue May 21, 2019 6:38 am    Post subject: Re: Weekend trip report - East of the Cascades Reply with quote

hansh wrote:
goldtooth wrote:


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My girlfriend and I overnighted just upstream from here about 2 weeks ago! We were on the same side, but just across from that first utility pole you can see on the left. The birds, frogs, and crickets were wonderful!

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


We were on a mission to see the Rajneeshpuram turned YoungLife camp after watching the documentary this winter. I think they get a lot of that as we were stopped, Gestapo-style as we were on the road to the youth camp (which was closed at the time). Beautiful country and sooo worth the trip.

Edit: Also added a rotopax to the ladder after wishing we had just a bit more range on that trip Smile


Yes it was very peaceful out there. Lots of crickets! We watched a mother goose and her young frolic around in the river the next morning.
Yes lot's of private ranch land out there and sometimes it is hard to distinguish. I just look for No Trespassing signs and obey them.
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