Bike ride to Mckenzie Pass

Hike or bike—that was our choice today, and we decided to bike, starting from Sisters. Fortified with coffee from the Sisters Coffee Company, we headed west on Highway 247 (the old Mckenzie Highway). The road is still closed to vehicle traffic—the gate is closed 9 miles from town. That’s right about where the climb becomes steeper. From Sisters, we rode to Dee Wright Observatory at Mckenzie Pass (at least I did, Karen skipped the last couple of miles). My total mileage was 30 miles. The last few miles still had debris (wood and cinders) on the road, and there was snow; some road-side drifts were over my head. It was windy in places, and cool. I’ve enjoyed this ride every time I’ve done it—not too steep and very scenic.

Back in Sisters we enjoyed another coffee at Sisters Coffee Company. I hung around there and read while Karen shopped. She loves the antique stores, and ended up buying a child’s folding chair with much character.

We drove back to our motel in Redmond for a shower and a change of clothes, then went to Bend and Baldy’s for good barbecue. We had interesting conversation at dinner with a retired Southern California car dealership owner; obviously well to do, but very friendly. He recommended french toast breakfast at the Pilot Butte Drive In, so of course, Karen wants to go.

After dinner we stopped by REI in the Old Mill District (I suspect one of the most distinctive REI stores around). We walked across the Deschutes River to look at hot air balloons (they were supposed to fly in the morning, but high winds grounded them) before getting too cold. The natives managed fine in shorts and short sleeves, but we were shivering. We finally got back to the motel at 9:30 pm.