Total Miles: 380
Difficulty: Moderate

Ladies and Gents,
I took my Fatboy with a T-Bag on the sissy bar on a beautiful ride the past two days. I left Salem, OR and headed toward Portland on I-5, taking the I-205 up toward the Portland Int'l Airport (PDX). Once there, I took I-84 along the Columbia Gorge, passing Multnomah Falls and Hood River along the way.

Heading south on HY 197 on the east side of Mt. Hood brought an inspiring silouette of the Mt. Hood at sun down. 197 is high desert and I was able to navigate well with the benefit of a full moon, with plenty of light on an otherwise pitch black night.

I pulled off along the way to Maupin to see a high school football team practice for their first game. While there, one of the coaches wandered over during a lull in practice and said "Nice bike!" (Vivid Black FLSTF).
He then added "...and it sounds REALLY good!" I thanked him and moved on down the road.

I didn't want to miss any more of the beauty of the geography so I decided to lodge at the next town...Maupin, OR. If you are not familiar, this town is right on the Deschutes River, a world-class fly fishing river. I stayed at the Imperial River Co. lodge and was treated very well.

When I awoke this morning, I was greeted with a beautiful Deschutes River, with trout jumping at the morning hatch. After some hot coffee and sharing some conversation with a gentleman staying at the lodge, I headed out at 8am at sunrise over the high desert mountains into the chill of the morning. Is was glorious as I heard that 96" engine roar. I looked to my right and saw a most inspiring sight: The grandeur of the Cascade range in plain view in the distance. Mt Hood, Mt. Jefferson, Three Finger Jack, Black Butte, Mt. Washington, the Three Sisters and Mt. Bachelor. Friends, I have only once seen a more soul stirring sight...Jackson Hole, WY.

As I let the engine wind up on a long stretch, I was treated to 7 Mule Deer feeding off to the right of me. I stopped and enjoyed God's beautiful creatures until they spooked and I let them play in their wonderland that is the Pacific Northwest prairie.

After a wonderful breakfast in Madras, OR, and talking with some fellow bikers, I headed toward Sisters. There I was treated to a full-on close up view of the Oregon Cascades and it almost took my breath away.

The ride through the 126/22 highways was spectacular as I was suprised here and there with views of the several of the previously mentioned mountains very close!

I made one final obligatory stop at the Swiss Village, a burger joint that serves awesome mushroom burgers and shakes. I saved those for another day and settled on a hot cup of coffee, trying to take in the beauty I had just experienced the past two days.

I arrived home a new man, rejuvinated and ready to tackle the honey do list.

In my home, I have a twist on the well-known Harley motto. For me, I have learned that I am at my best, most able to love my wife well after a good, long ride. After all, she is the one who had no hesitation when I said I thought getting back into riding would be good for me and help me decompress from work stress. So now, for me at least, it's:

"Love to ride, Ride to Love!"

And sorry, no pics. You'll have to discover it yourself!

 

Maupin, that looks like a nice place. Yet another on my list of Oregon roadtrips to come.
thanks for the post.
j

 

hey, i didn't make this whole loop on the bike. but i did get out to imperial river co. and did some rafting and all in all had a great weekend with the O L
thanks for mentioning
great place and the rafting was awesome.