merziac

Anybody coming or going this Saturday or next?

debade

I have a friend coming down from a little north of Vancouver, WA.

diphthong

gawd i wish.

indyfabz

I’ve ridden around it twice as part of Cycle Oregon. The first we rode the 12 mile up from Diamond Lake, went around then rode back down to camp. When I finished the circumnavigation I was so tired I didn’t even want to descend for 12 miles. I remember grabbing a left over baked potato wrapped in foil from what had been the lunch stop earlier that day. Peeled back some of the foil, stuck the potato in a jersey pocket and took periodic bites on the way down.

The second time we started from Ft. Klamath, climbed to the rim, went around and then descended all the way to Prospect.

Both rides aged me.

mtnbud

That's a heck of a day! My buddy and I started at the visitors center and did the loop and that was about perfect. It's certainly a gorgeous ride.

I can't imagine starting in Fort Klamath, climbing to the rim, riding the loop, and then finishing in Prospect...

indyfabz

It was literally freezing when we woke up. Ice on the tent fly and poles freezing. It was still very cold when we started riding. My eyeballs hurt. The sun finally rose above the hills. A couple of people stopped, removed their gloves and held up their hands in the direction of the sun.

Here is the profile for the first time, when CO started the day from Diamond Lake and returned there. The ride organizers screwed up and didn't get snacks and stuff to the end of the Cloud Cap Overlook spur early. When the van finally showed up with stuff, people swarmed it like locusts. I remember grabbing a pack of knock-off Strawberry Newtons. It was completely sealed, but when I removed the top cover one the two rows of cookies was empty. Probably a factory reject that got donated to the event.

downtube42

I'd love to see it without all the smoke of my last visit; I couldn't see the lake, and just an outline of wizard island. That whole area was empty, quiet, and eerie.

Day 3 of Craters 1200 - 180 miles from Roseburg up to the rim then down to Klamath Falls. Man that was a hard day on the bike. The really annoying bit about that day was, we climbed about 7k feet but only got to descent 4k. The extra descending was via Amtrak; I still feel the world owes me 3k feet of descending.

indyfabz

When we eventually rode into Klamath Falls I said to my GF “I never thought I would ride into a town that makes Butte, MT, look nice.” Five people had there bikes stolen while they were at the evening festivities across the road from the camping area.

P.S. I actually like Butte. I’ve stayed there three times during selt contained tours, but always indoors.

Polaris OBark

Go in June or early July.

Polaris OBark

The ideal time to do this ride is when they have cleared the east road of snow but haven't yet opened it to car traffic. We got there the day after it opened, so it was kind of heavy, but the weather was perfect, the visibility was excellent, and that white stuff around the rim is snow.

Polaris OBark

We went for a hike in Klamath Falls (with the bikes locked in a hotel room). I kept looking over my shoulder because I thought we were going to get mugged.

79pmooney

That was my second Cycle Oregon. Rode it on my avatar photo fix gear, 42-23 low. Took a wrong turn at the fork, rode down to nearly the north gate and back up, then around. Didn't appreciate the rim views. It was just "get me to lunch"! Once eaten, the long downhill to Prospect was fun. Basically, a 10,000' century.

By contrast, doing it 7 years later and older on the same bike, now with a 24 tooth sprocket from Diamond Lake and the north entrance was not a big deal. Now, that north entrance descent was a blast both times! (42-12)

MrGastrognome

Time for a '23 bump. I'm headed up for the 9th. Conditions are looking ideal on Mt Mazama this year [fingers crossed].

CliffordK

I did it a few years ago. Perhaps time to try to get back there, but I've been riding less lately, so a bit out of shape.

I started east of Springfield, rode south to Cottage Grove, East to Culp Creek, Over the Mountain to Steamboat, then up the Umpqua to Diamond lake and Crater Lake. Followed by the whole ride in reverse. All paved. The hop between Culp Creek and Steamboat was paved, and low traffic, but perhaps the most intense part of the whole climb. Up to Crater Lake it was less steep, but unrelenting. The rolling hills around Crater Lake were a bit anticlimactic.

The biggest problem was they weren't well organized for self supporting cycle tourists. They refused to authorize dispersed camping for a cyclist (even if one carried one's bike, it was considered to be a machine). And the one good campground was closed for staff only (although it opened the evening after the ride, so it was OK).

The old Colnago... well, I realized it was a bit too flexy for heavy touring use. So the plan was to build a stronger light touring bike, but like many things, that got sent to the back burner.

There is a bear barrel on the rack under the sleeping pad. It was nice to keep the food organized, but I never actually needed it.


Pumice Desert

Polaris OBark

I've been doing it once a year for awhile now, but I haven't ever managed to do it on a "ride the rim" day. As long as it isn't smokey, it is a great ride. Altitude plus smoke = suffering.

MrGastrognome

Weather couldn't have been better. Perfectly clear, mid 40s when I started at 8am and mid 60's when I finished around 11:30. No smoke. Last time I was up there during a fire and needed palate cleanser. I was watching the air quality all week with fingers crossed.

Shifty

That night in K Falls was totally bizarre, the stolen bikes was a real black mark on the town, but the millions of flying insects was NUTS! So many bugs that it was hard to see the stage. I was on both of the Crater Lake Cycle Oregon rides you mention, I'm sorry that we didn't meet! I guess we won't have another chance since this is the last CO.

indyfabz

Say what now?

trailangel

Haven't riden.. but drove that road down from Crater Lake through Propect.... Beautiful! and hardly anybody on the road.

indyfabz

I don't remember seeing one car heading down to Prospect until we hit the junction with OR 230, but that was is early September, so les tourism at that time. What I do remember seeing is my then-GF leave me in the dust. She is a fearless descender. I am not.

79pmooney

Yup. The Cycle Oregon I just finished Saturday was the last of the Week rides. Sad. But understandable. Between the crap shoot with fires and smoke, the huge losses of volunteers and vendors and changes in people's priorities, the week long ride can no longer operate as the wonderful money gathering machine for the funding of the trust CO has set up to help rural communities deal with loss of logging and other resources; the reason for CO's existence. With 2000 riders each coughing up ~$1000, CO was able to do a lot. 1000 riders, even at ~$1400 each, after the inflation of the last few years and with many of CO's costs barely less with half the riders, it just doesn't work.

I've been riding CO since 2010. 2010-2014 were the years that were money making magic for CO. Rides sold out in less than an hour. CO made something like $700,000 that went to Oregon communities. Then 2017 was canceled because of smoke. 2018 had to be re-routed. 2 years of COVID. Ride went on last year but there was smoke. 33 years is a good run.

Cycle Oregon isn't going away. But there will be big format changes. Perhaps 5 day events with a central camp and day rides as loops. This may also allow CO to visit towns that are not feasible to visit on the classic week ride. (Only loops that can handle 1-2000 riders and a host of semi-trailers camping every 70 miles or so need apply. That leaves a lot of places out.)

indyfabz

Thanks for the explanation. I was thinking it might be one or more of those factors, but never thought about the fire variable. That alone could probably result in some unrecoverable costs.

I remember waking up a little before midnight (east coast time) in 2012 after watching the kickoff show earlier that evening. Girlfriend and I were on separate computers. We both got in. There were different claims as to how fast it sold out that year., but it was definitely in an hour or less. Compare that to 2002, when I did my first. I think I registered in July, if not August, after a friend told me about it. I believe it finally sold out, but not until late. That was the death march across the state year. Nyssa on the Snake River border with ID to Florence on the coast. I did the 117 mile option one day. The next day, everyone had to do a century to Sisters for the rest day. I averaged something like 90+ mile/day for the 6 days of riding. Someone died during the long slog up to Mitchell, where we camped on our second cattle ranch in three days. It was brutal week, but so much fun.

Good to know they will still be doing something. I always admired the cause. I noted in another thread that events have been moving towards more "hub and spoke" arrangements. The Bon Ton in the Finger Lakes area of NY is one of them. When I did it in 2006, you moved every day except for the rest day. When I did it again in 2014, there were two places where you stayed two nights and did loop rides from camp. The format change was due to rider feedback. As far as I know, it has remained that way. Also, the non-move days are usually in university towns offering dorm accommodations. Again, that was adopted in response to rider feedback.

2005 we went from Boardman to Astoria, with several days spent in the gorge. That ride didn't come close to selling out. Maybe 1,300 people or so. Oregonians were worried about horrible headwinds in the gorge and rain. Not much of that came true, but it was also very familiar riding territory for many locals, so there was a lack of interest.

One thing I remember fondly was all the nice people I met along the way. Both the people working for the ride and local who turned out to offer hospitality. In 2005, a guy volunteering at camp drove me to a bar in town in The Dalles so I could see my team play on Monday Night Football. 2012 was super odd in that respect. During the two days in Ashland, I met a woman I had gone to junior high with and another I had gone to law school with. Both were volunteering with the ride. Not long after I got home, I got an email from a woman who had been on my 1999 cross country tour. I had not heard from her in over 10 years. She told me she was living in Ashland.

eightzero

If you haven't done the CL Rim Ride, do it. It is a classic. Beware the altitude (~8k ASL) bring sunscreen. It is not a long ride, but it rolls. The Lodge there has good food.

indyfabz

Here is the profile for the ride of from Diamon Lake, around the rim and back down to Diamond Lake, including the out and back to Cloud Cap Overlook, which, IMO, is a must-do.

eightzero

Concur. Also...be prepared to take your time. Not because of the difficulty (it is not a long ride) but because there is a new view of the lake seemingly every 100 yards. Stop. Take Pic. Clip in. Ride 100 yards. Repeat.