Hells Canyon Weekender
 

The plan was simple: zip over the mountains and through farmland to the lower right corner fo the state, drop down to Hells Canyon, exit out to Baker City, then roam back via the Umatilla National Forest up to the Columbia River, up to Yakmia, and back to the comfort of our driveways. Full route details are here via Bing (<a href="http://binged.it/N6PAWO">http://binged.it/N6PAWO</a>), and an embedded view via Spotwalla:

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Green dots are the signal all is well, yellow dots means you can get an outstanding photo.</em>


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On the road in central Washington


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I hate riding in the heat. If I do anymore of this I should get an evaporation vest. Daytime highs were in the upper 90s, night time in the 50s.


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Night 1 spent at Field Springs State Park, a nice little gem of a campground in the lower right hand corner of the state that few people go to. It's known for x-country skiing in the winter.


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Scenic view in Field Springs State Park


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Another scenic from Field Springs...I think this is a view of two states (WA up front, ID in the background)


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Southbound on Route 129...WA in the foreground, OR in the background...wish I say this was a top 10 candidate for motorcycle roads, but the WA side was covered in fresh chip seal, gravel everywhere. We crawled through the turns.

Day 2
 

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We rolled into Joseph and immediately met the Sheriff. She invited us to put our bikes on the side to let the town parade go by.


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View from Hells Canyon Lookout. I had originally planned the out-and-back to Hat Point, we were getting tight on time, and the heat was a bit oppressive. Next time.


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The approach to Hells Canyon Lookout


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Heading into Baker City


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Almost done for the day


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Lights out at Union Creek Campground.

:lurk Looks good so far! Looking forward to the rest.

We made a big loop through Northeastern Oregon over Memorial Day and really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing your ride. :beer

over the hills and through the woods
 

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Self portrait of the intrepid explorers, using the old-GoPro-over-the-shoulder shooting technique


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NF-52


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Open range


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Watch out for wildlife...slowed a crawl here...made sure this cow didn't bolt in front of us as we passed.


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Umatilla National Forest, looking west. Taken at the yellow dot.


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The unofficial 'we were here' shot.


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Inspiration for a new restaurant name...the Butterfly Grill

And that's it for this trip...until next time...

love the riding out there! dont tell anyone else!

We had a blast: great roads, remote, could easily spend a week or more exploring.

And the great thing is that it's just a day's ride from Seattle or Portland. Almost every native I spoke to in Seattle had never been to south east corner of WA or Hells Canyon, too bad.

One piece of advice tho - hit it during the shoulder seasons, although HC doesn't really become accessible till after the snows melt. It was a wee bit warm for us.

:nod

And the great thing is that it's just a day's ride from Seattle or Portland.

Almost every native I spoke to in Seattle had never been to south east corner of WA or Hells Canyon




Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!