Prairie Summit Road: the next eight miles

April 7, 2020

If you’re like me, you must have been sorely disappointed to have the ride stop so soon. What about those other miles still ahead? Why did Rocky get to see them, but not ourselves?

Well, we came back resolved to repeat this ride someday, and continue on further. My short-term memory isn’t what it used to be though, so let’s do it now before I forget. OK? We’re doing an exact repeat of yesterday: drive to Prairie City, bike out Prairie Summit Road a way, return to the car; after which Rachael will bike another 13 miles back home while I drive back. The same, except I plan on biking further today. I’ll zip through the miles you’ve haven’t seen yet, and then slow down for a look at the next eight miles.

Actually, that’s all a lie. Our real plan for today was to start biking from home, heading west to Mount Vernon and then north on Highway 395 along Beech Creek. We were all set to go - my bike unloaded from the car, gear assembled, ready to roll - when we realized I’m missing a bike glove. After hunting everywhere we could think of, we concluded that it must have been left behind in Prairie City when I loaded Rodrigues back in the car at the end of my short ride.

Gloves are important, and Prairie City is close enough that it’s worth driving back for it; and we may as well go today to improve the odds of it still being where I presumably dropped it. So, load everything back into the car and drive back to Prairie City, hoping for the best. We’re in luck:

As expected, and as Rachael reported yesterday, Prairie Summit Road continues to be a beautiful ride far beyond where I stopped yesterday. Today I make fairly fast work of the miles I rode yesterday, stopping only a couple of times. Five miles from the car Rachael is still in sight but then finally disappears around a bend in the road as the valley starts to narrow.

Another view of the Strawberry Range, under a bluer sky. It will be interesting to see how fast the snow recedes - we have nothing but sun in the forecast for the next ten days.

I’m not sure of this one, especially because it’s such a poor shot. A Grasshopper Sparrow?

One last look at the range, from the same spot I stopped yesterday.

We’re about seven miles into the ride now, and just past where I turned back yesterday. The valley is narrowing and Rachael is no longer in view.

Some old out buildings, along the upper John Day.

About ten miles south of Prairie City the valley narrows still further. In a few miles we’ll leave the pasture lands and enter Malheur National Forest. Also, we’ve lost our blue sky as we approach the mountains.

First snake of the year! Surprising, this high up - we’re above 4,000’ and there’s snow on the ground just a few hundred feet higher. We’d better rescue it from the road.

At first I thought he might be dead, he was so inert. He came to life though when I picked him up by the tail and set him down on the gravel shoulder. Maybe he was just in a cold-induced torpor. Tour stats so far: live snakes, 1; dead snakes, 0.

We’re in Malheur National Forest now. I stopped to look at the John Day, now no larger than a modest mountain stream, when this Belding’s Ground Squirrel stirred just below me. This is turning into a pretty decent day for wildlife. Three vertebrate subphyla: birds, reptiles, and now mammals!

Interesting cliffs across the river. We’re up at about 4,300’ now and starting to see patches of snow beside the road.

Fourteen miles into the ride, and I’ve started watching for Rachael around every bend in the road. I knew she would go on further than this, but I always breathe a bit easier when I see her up ahead. Biking through a mixed conifer forest the last few miles, I’ve started wondering if cougars are ever a problem out here.

She looks fine though and will be doing really great once we find a spot to pull off the road and commune with the trees for a minute. That done, we head back for Prairie City. It’s a fast ride, gently downhill the whole way and a bit chilly until we lose elevation, get out of the woods and back under the sun again. It’s remarkably quiet - I don’t think a single car passes me for at least the next ten miles. Annoyingly, one passes right as I’m trying to take a photo of a shrike and it scares the bird off before I’m quite done with it.

Rachael stays in sight for quite a ways, but of course eventually disappears when I stop with the camera. I won’t see her again until I’m halfway back to John Day in the car, when I pass her and pull off ahead on the shoulder to wait to confirm she’s OK. She is, and almost doesn’t recognize me or the Jetta. It’s Rodriguez that first gets her attention, and then me shouting out the window.

Such a beautiful road, and worth a yet another pass. There’s still another eight miles of pavement to explore before it dead ends in the mountains. And, I still want to come back when the bank swallows have returned from the south. Always something to look forward to.

So, pretty good! 28 miles, twice what I rode yesterday, and starting to edge into a real ride. I’m in for removal of my stitches tomorrow and an assessment of my condition. Hopefully I’ll get a green light to continue on as I’m doing.

The day’s one disappointment comes at the end. My growler from 1188 Brewing Company is empty so I’m forced back to the commercial fare available here until the brewery reopens for a few hours of growler sales Thursday afternoon.

About fourteen miles into the ride, Rachael returns. She went another two miles beyond me and turned back at elevation 5,000’. Nice to know that the road is clear this high up.

Dropping out of Malheur National Forest, we have a nice look at Dixie Butte in the Blue Mountains up ahead.

A different take on the same buildings we looked over on the way up.

A California Quail! This is turning into a really special day.

And a shrike! A Loggerhead, I think. We’re too far south for it to be a Northern Shrike in this season.

Driving back to John Day, I can’t resist pulling over for a last look at the Strawberry Range from a different angle.

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