C0-La Grande/Tollgate/Pd/Anthony Loop

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Mountain Works Bicycles LLC

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Make a Difference.

471 km

5.459 m

Seven-day camping and road cycling adventure begins and ends in La Grande, Oregon. Each day covers between 16 and 58 miles for a grand total of 292 miles of splendid locomotion. The segments conclude at seasonal campgrounds suitable for tent camping and cover a wide range of isolated pavement. You will forge through differing forest and grassland ecosystems filled with interesting history.

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Seven Day Epic Bicycle Camping Loop

This seven-day camping and road cycling adventure begins and ends at The Mountain Works Bicycles in La Grande, Oregon.  Each day covers between 16 and 58 miles for a grand total of 292 miles of splendid locomotion.  The segments conclude at seasonal campgrounds suitable for tent camping and cover a wide range of isolated pavement.  You will forge through differing forest and grassland ecosystems filled with interesting history.

There are a number of streams and water sources along the way but to truly travel in comfort, I strongly encourage carrying a water filter.  There are four main summits spaced out over the adventure starting with the @point[Blue Mountains](d,57657.59), followed by @point[Battle Mountain](d,222687.39), @point[Pearson’s Ridge](d,298101.6) and culminating with the @point[Elkhorn Mountains ](d,332870.49)at the Anthony Lakes Basin for an incredible consumption of 17,900 feet of elevation.  In general, cyclist that feel some of the mileages are short should combine days to their hearts content.  However, keep an eye on elevation gain and remember that this is a self-contained trip, necessitating pulling a trailer or hefting panniers.

@slice[Day 1 - La Grande to Langdon Lake](d,0,64011.52)

Day one begins in La Grande, Oregon at @photo[The Mountain Works Bicycles](6674809), tackles the Blue Mountain Summit and terminates at the Woodward Campground on Langdon Lake 41 miles away.  First, roll away from the bike shop traveling west briefly before turning north onto Fir Street.  Fir Street travels from south to north La Grande without stop signs until Y Avenue.  Turn west on Y Avenue then north on North Spruce Street.  North Spruce Street borders the beautiful Riverside Park and becomes Mount Glenn Road.  Once on Mount Glenn Road, the journey of the day truly begins.

Enjoy miles of mini farms, ranches and orchards on the flank of @photo[Mount Emily](6674732).  Just short of mile four, there is a dirt lane that turns off for Pioneer Monument Park, or Ackles Cemetery.  This old cemetery has beautiful headstones that hearken back to 1879.  It holds a large number of children and infants, some of which passed away short days after their birth.  The love and loss can still be felt in the beautiful words and marble carvings left to lookout over the breathtaking valley and rising foothills.  Continue on your way and nod to the old school building at Waite Creek before Mount Glenn Road peaks at 2,911 feet and dead ends into Stanley Lane.  Swoop down Stanley Lane to Hunter Road in a glorious loss of elevation.  Continue north on @photo[Hunter Road](6674796).

Both Mount Glenn and Hunter Roads have experienced increased traffic in the recent years.  When scheduling a time to begin your adventure, remember these roads service bedroom communities that travel daily to work in La Grande.  Savor the rural slowdown the farther from La Grande you get and the cows and horses that greatly outnumber the cars.  Just short of mile thirteen is the cute, well kept, @photo[Pleasant Grove Grange Number 475.](6674816)

Granges were originally part of a nationwide movement, led by a farmer and activist from Minnesota, to bring communities together as well as economic stability to farmers.  At the time, 1867, unions were making great gains in wage and working conditions for factory workers but the isolated farmer was at the mercy of the local merchant.  Some systems and shifts that they have helped advocate in the past are; mail-order catalogs, the Extension Service, farm credits, rural education and utilities, volunteer fire departments and the women’s vote.  Now the Pleasant Grove Grange is a sweet little building that houses events like the Annual Cider-fest, funerals and weddings.  It also, for the wandering cyclist, has a functional water spigot on the exterior of the building.

Follow Hunter Road until Dry Creek Road plummets east.  Relish the incredible view of the @photo[Grande Ronde Valley](6674747) before entering Summerville Road and traveling north.  Enjoy the fragrant and beautiful Ponderosa Pines and the last moderately undulating section of the day before meeting the Weston-Elgin Highway 204.  This road, originally used in 1873 to haul wagons through on the Oregon Trail to Walla Walla, Washington, follows Little Philips Creek up and around the appropriately named Huckleberry Mountain.  The climb continues for 10.41 miles of 4% grade and gains 2,101 feet of elevation.  The road gets a fair amount of holiday traffic so it is best to avoid this stretch on any holiday weekend.  This slow grind allows for much self-contemplation, wildlife watching, including bears, and the occasional rest at the numerous graveled pullouts.

The original wagon trail was improved by the Summerville Walla Walla Road Company to haul freight and travelers between the Walla Walla and Grande Ronde Valleys in 1875.  The road was then handed over to Dave Woodward to be maintained and tolled by the Woodward Road Company.  Woodward and his wife set-up a prosperous summer community and toll gate just past the 5,158-foot summit at the headwaters of Looking Glass Creek.  Dave Woodward disappeared the winter of 1896.  Though his body was never found, his snowshoes were located in the vicinity of the current Andies Prairie.  @poi[Andies Prairie](15586719) is a winter snow park with a couple of vault toilets but no water.

Mrs. Woodward continued maintaining the trail and hosting travelers in her beautiful meadow until 1918 when the Blue Mountain Highway Association built a better road that skirted around the Woodward property and abolished the toll.  Mrs. Woodward then sold her homestead to a successful Walla Walla business man, John W. Langdon.  Langdon, a proponent of the Walla Walla city parks, worked toward developing the area into a recreation playground for those on the west side of the mountain.  He and his investors dammed up Looking Glass Creek to create a shallow lake in the meadow and commenced selling off individual plots of land around the private lake in 1922.  Much later, 1937, the final improved road reached Elgin.

Once the ten-mile climb has been conquered, enjoy four miles of rippling fun and vistas.   At one view point, the majesty of the North Fork Umatilla River winks approximately 2,000 feet below the Umatilla Rim and reinforces the pride of accomplished elevation gain.  Note the glittering @photo[Langdon Lake](5197892) as you wheel past it to@poi[ Woodward Campground](13811632).  The campground is owned by the United States Forest Service and currently costs $12 a night to stay.  The amenities are potable water, vault toilets, picnic tables and fire rings.  Langdon Lake itself is off limits due to the privatization of the lake but it is still beautiful to look at and can be seen from a number of the camping sites.  Once there, sit back, relax, congratulate yourself on surviving the first of four climbs and enjoy the moisture loving plants and hopefully a few huckleberries.  Should there be a need for more, the community of Tollgate is less than a mile away to the west and has a general store and restaurant to sooth any caloric deficit that may have been created.](d,0,64483.25)

@slice[Day 2 - Langdon Lake to Mission](d,65111.87,148738.66)

Day two starts in the heart of the Blue Mountains at @photo[Langdon Lake](5197892) and plunges to the@photo[ Columbia Plateau](6674847) to finish at the @poi[Wildhorse RV Park in Mission](13811633), just outside of Pendleton, Oregon.  Begin this 53-mile journey in the forested glen of Woodward Campground abutting Langdon Lake.  Exit the United Forest Service park turning west toward Weston on the Elgin/Weston Highway 204.  Rouse your legs as the highway undulates across the top of the Blue Mountains taking in the amazing vistas of the Columbia Plateau, Umatilla National Forest, Coyote Ridge and Grouse Mountain before gliding almost 19 miles to Weston.  While losing an exhilarating average of 3.3% elevation, @photo[ponder the old grain and pea fields, now planted in native grasses interspersed with coniferous pines](6674849).  Many of the fields surrounding Highway 204 and 11 are part of the Conservation Reserve Program.  This federal program has influenced a wide range of variables on private land including the price of various crops, dust and erosion abatement, wetland retention and wildlife corridors.  Historically, farmers elected to have less productive acreages placed into CRP allowing them to focus their efforts on more productive fields.  Recently, many of the original CRP fields, designated around 1985, have been reaching the terminus of their 10- to 30-year contracts forcing many to reevaluate their land use strategies.

Just prior to mile 17 veer west onto @point[Kirk Road](d,91863.86), also labeled Country Road 648.  Kirk road sneaks into the pioneer town of @poi[Weston](15586720) and onto East Main Street in winding panoramic style.  Weston, the second oldest European settlement in Umatilla County, has a rich history of immigrants, migrants, industry, fire and robberies.  Some of the more residual legacies revolve around peas and bricks in the iconic brick and mortar buildings and an old cannery.  Turn south onto South Water Street at the @photo[classic fountain](6674841) of a boy wrestling a fish constructed in 1902.  @photo[Elliot Memorial Park](6674823), on the east side of S. Water Street, is a wonderful place to take a break with potable water, restrooms, dense grass and a little bit of shade.  If you are looking for a snack, I suggest poking around the old town and reveling in their relaxed style.  Leave town staying south on Country Road 675, McLean Road, as it treks to the @photo[first roller of the day](6674851).

Though this leg of the Epic Camping Loop does not contain a notable summit, the numerous rolling hills of the southern tip of the Palouse Prairie will make a cyclist work for their mileage and equate a total of 2,130 feet of elevation gain for the day.  Climb out of town and past numerous picturesque barns before swooping down to Wildhorse Creek and Wildhorse Road on the boarder of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.  The Umatilla Reservation houses the Cayuse, Walla Walla and Umatilla People.  They were historically reliant on trade and migration for survival.  The main first foods they procured included; salmon, elk, huckleberries and biscuitroot.  Their hunting and gathering lifestyle took on an added level of sophistication with the introduction of the horse.   They still demonstrate their prowess yearly at the Happy Canyon, Indian Pageant and Wild West Show and the @poi[Pendleton Round-up](15586722).  Continue on Wildhorse Road until it intersects Highway 11.

At the busy Highway 11, those wishing for a little pick me up and another beautiful park, visit @poi[Athena](15586721), home of the Caledonia Games.  Cyclist longing for more rolling Palouse and to continue on the route, turn west onto the highway trundling less than a mile before merging south onto Pambrun Road.  @photo[Pambrun Road](6674828) weaves through endless fields, past huge hay stacks and returns to the Umatilla Indian Reservation.  Around mile 33 turn southeast onto Spring Hollow Road.  Spring Hollow Road seems to never end as the farms get less frequent before the road plunges, skimming down the @photo[Thorn Hollow drainage](6674833) in a classically smooth descent that passes Hollow Creek and crosses the Umatilla river.  In a short span of distance, Spring Hollow Road becomes Thorn Hollow then Cayuse Road.  Stay on the pavement and enjoy the moisture and coolness wafting off of the Umatilla River as the road travels next to the sparkling water towards Pendleton.

As Cayuse Road, also marked the 900 Road, departs from the Umatilla River the rolling hills of wheat, legumes and bunch grasses are beautiful and endless.  Cyclists should practice soft pedaling down each undulation and bench-marking how far up the next rise they can get before reaching their lowest gear.  The stark beauty of this area is best enjoyed anytime of the year except mid to late August.  When timing this trip, remember that the Pendleton area can reach temperatures above 100 degrees and offers very little in the way of shade and water.

Eventually slide victoriously onto Emigrant Road and into Mission.  Just past the Wetland Community Park, around mile 50, turn south onto Confederate Way next to the Nixyaawii School.  Take the bicycle and pedestrian path that leaves Confederate Way and weaves past the golfing green and to the casino complex for the last incline of the day.  You will know you are on the right path by a @photo[sign warning](6674850) the hapless walker what to do if faced with a cougar. Top out and enjoy the view into Pendleton, Mission, the Blue Mountains and the loess prairie.  Cycle Past the Tamstslikt Cultural Institute and into the Wildhorse RV Park. Settle into @photo[the RV Park](6674846), recover from day two and enjoy a number of amenities that include a swimming pool, showers, laundry, tepees for rent and a shuttle to the casino.

@slice[Day 3 – Mission to Camas Creek](d,150169.13,240455.52)

This third section, containing 57 miles of handsome splendor and 3,866 feet of elevation gain, is one of the most physically challenging days of the loop.   Exit the Wildhorse Resort complex turning south on Highway 331, South Market Road.  Continue over the freeway and back into rolling grass and wheat farms.  Gaze to the east and imagine the Oregon Trail wagons rolling straight down the foothills of the Blue Mountains cutting ruts deep enough to weather over a hundred years of erosion and grazing.  Look southwest towards Pilot Rock in search of the basalt cliff memorialized by the pioneers as a way finding point.  Approximately 4 miles in to the ride, spin west onto County Road 950, Best Road.

Glide along Best Road until it tees into Tutuilla Road.  Counterintuitively, rotate north spooling along until County Road 1086, West Mckay Drive, cuts west.  Follow West McKay Drive until reaching the small community of Green Meadow on the north side of the McKay Reservoir.  McKay Reservoir is part of the 1,837-acre @poi[McKay Creek Nature Wildlife Refuge](15586709) designated by President Calvin Coolidge in 1927.  There are picnic areas on the refuge but no camp areas.  Visiting times and locations vary depending on the fowl inhabitants and other wildlife.  Turn south toward Pilot Rock on Highway 395, the Pendleton-John Day Highway and begin the long, gradual, 34-mile climb to the top of Battle Mountain.

This section on the Pendleton-John Day Highway is the most heavily trafficked road of the day and flow is based on travelers going to and from work in the Pendleton area.  If as a cyclist you like smooth well-maintained roads regardless of the traffic, stay on the Pendleton-John Day Highway.  Those that prefer to battle the potholes over vehicles, look east as Green Meadows becomes an even smaller number of houses at the top of the hill around mile 13.3.  There, between the new highway and some small residential developments, is Frontage Road.  To access the road, take one of the driveway like connectors towards a number of roads that harken to the Oregon Trail with names like Conestoga Drive.

Frontage Road morphs into Schoolhouse Road.  Watch for the cut off that crosses the main highway around mile 17 onto White Eagle Road.  The cut off is recognizable by the iconic White Eagle Grange on the west side of the main road.  Veer south onto Old Highway 395 just prior to the grange and persist along the old highway using the basalt Pilot Rock as a destination beacon until reaching the mining and timber town of Pilot Rock.

Pilot Rock is a delightful small town with a number of conveniences, and one of the last places to make any purchases for the next few days.  Rise out of town on the same Highway 395 traveling towards John Day and away from mainstream society.  Enjoy @photo[Jack Canyon](6674787) with its birds of prey and intriguingly weathered buildings of the past as you leave the Palouse and crawl your way back to the Blue Mountains.  At the old town of Nye, now a gravel barn, veer south toward Ukiah.  Spool up past Stewart Springs, topping out at 3.9% of incline, to the incredible vistas of Whittaker Flats.  Enjoy the far-off mountain ranges and a brief reprieve from climbing with a less than 2% grade a crossed the flats.  After the flats, endure more climbing to toil past Webb Slough and then gape at the view at Cape Horn.  Pause just prior to the 4,277-foot summit at Battle Mountain State Park.

Battle Mountain State Park, 398.47 acres of forested grandeur, was purchased in 1930 from a sheep and land company to preserve the impressive forest of Ponderosa Pine, Larch, Douglas Fir and Spruce.  The park was then named for the last major indigenous uprising, the Bannock War of 1878 and the battle that was fought in the vicinity of the park.  The main impetus for the Bannock War was a little plant with a blue flower that loves marshy meadows, Camas.

Camassia quamash, a member of the asparagus family, was a major food item for the indigenous population.  The plants would be dug and the root prepared in a variety of manners that allowed it to be consumed year-round.  Tribes would habitually visit the same camas beds for harvesting.  Family groups would groom, plant and weed plots to produce the abundance they needed to survive.  These plots were passed down from generation to generation to assure future survival.

When the Bannock Indians originally made a treaty with the United States of America, they attempted to reserve the right to return to Camas Prairie yearly to secure food for their members.  Upon signing the treaty, they were then shipped off to the Fort Hall Reservation.  In a saga of misinterpretation, western expansion and lack of supplies they returned to Camas Prairie multiple times to harvest the root.  Yearly the chief would formally express his displeasure of finding more and more white settlers near, in and around the camas prairie.  The tribe’s final arrival at the prairie, just after the Nez Pierce War, showcased livestock, particularly pigs, dining on the coveted bulbs.

The resulting bloodshed was perpetuated by a select group of the Bannock, and Paiute Tribes.  Suffering from loss of warriors, the band led by Chief Buffalo Horn until his death, then a Paiute Chief Egan, headed toward the Umatilla Reservation envisioning a replenishing of forces.  Instead, on July 8, 1878 the band engaged with General Oliver O. Howard’s troops in a day long battle losing more warriors while a small band from the Umatilla Reservation looked on.  Members of the Umatilla Tribe later entered the camp, captured and then killed Chief Egan.  Following the death of Egan the warring group disbanded and tried to melt back into the landscape.

Enjoy the superb park and the chimney built and used by the Civilian Conservation Corps.  Return to the road to rocket up one more mile to the summit of Battle Mountain.  Revel in the eight mile, 976-feet of elevation loss, glide down to Snipe Creek and the Ukiah-Dale Forest State Scenic Corridor Park, just past the junction to the town of Ukiah.  The grassy meadows around Snipe Creek seasonally host camas beds and if you are lucky, large herds of elk.  The Campground at the Ukiah-Dale Forest State Scenic Corridor Park is picturesque and features the lovely, pristine, bubbling waters of the aptly named, @photo[Camas Creek](5197840).  Celebrate the completion of day three of the seven by soaking your feet in the chilly waters.

@slice[Day 4 – Camas Creek to North Fork of the John Day](d,241955.14,308723.98)

Day four encompasses traveling 43 miles through some of the most isolated and picturesque sections of the circlet starting at the @slice[Camas Creek Campground](d,241665.21,309852.67) on the Ukiah-Dale Forest State Scenic Corridor and terminating at North Fork John Day River Campground.  Exit the delightful Camas Creek Campground and roll north on Highway 395.  Enjoy the rough grass and wildlife of Camas Prairie and @photo[Camas Creek](6674728) as you turn to travel east on Highway 244 to Ukiah.  Ukiah has been the host of hunting and gathering populations since before and after European immigrants began settling the area in the late 1860’s.  Popular harvests over time have been, camas root, huckleberries, mushrooms, chokecherries, fish, elk and deer.  Currently the harvesting of wild animals is one of the main economic drivers of the region.  This results in highways that are very infrequently traveled, except during the fall when elk, deer and bear hunters visit in droves.

Upon entering Ukiah make a quick stop at the Forest Service compound to pick up the Ukiah to Granite Geology Field Trip Guide.  The guide, compiled for motorists, outlines the different rocks and local geological wonders found along this section of the ride.  Appreciate the small town of Ukiah with its history of settler’s woes, ranching and rodeos, realizing that it is the last place to purchase anything for the next couple of days.  Follow the signs south toward Granite on Camas Street.

Camas Street pulls away from the marshy valley and becomes Soap Hill Road with a grade reaching 8% as it winds through majestic pine stands, then opens up on top of the world with basalt flats and range land.  Soap Hill Road turns into National Forest Service Road 052 and is embraced by the Umatilla National Forest and is the only paved path for miles. The road levels off just after mile 15 at 5,530 feet of elevation with an amazing view into the Bridge Creek Wildlife Area.

Bridge Creek Wildlife Area originated in 1961 and currently contains approximately 15,206 acres dedicated to reestablishing and supporting a variety of flora and fauna.  Recent history reflects large herds of sheep and cattle grazing as well as timber sales, farming and wildfires.  The current management plan calls for a wide range of owners, BLM, ODOT, NFS and private, to focus on wildlife management, most specifically that of the Rocky Mountain elk and mule deer in the winter.  Despite the focus group, the largest recorded faction of inhabitants are the birds with 115 different documented species.

The majority of the climbing for the day, 3,241 feet of elevation, was accomplished in the first 15 miles and the following 28 miles only gain 134 feet.  Nevertheless, the undulating miles pass without ever reaching a point that can be described as flat.  Grassy meadows and stunning vistas greet the cyclist at every turn.  The majestic landscape has been shaped mostly through fire.

On a huge timeline scale, the presence of igneous rocks such as basalt, tuff and obsidian capture the imagination.   Around mile 19 you can look north and see the remnants of the Tower Mountain Caldera, the center circular formation or neck from a burned-out volcano.  This landmark was formed prior to and filled in a little by the great Colombia River Basalt group lava floods.  The bright white @photo[cut banks](6674726) around mile 22 are white ash flow tuff residual from huge eruptions of the like that created Crater Lake.  Large deposits of minerals left from volcanic activity, water and time often create precious metals.  The closer the journey gets to Granite the more mining activity is in evidence.  Opal, quartz and gold have all been sought and extracted from the vicinity.

The more recent, “shaped by fire,” aspect of this ride is the forest.  With an average rain fall of less than 20 inches annually and summer lightning storms, this forest is made to burn.  The trees and bushes have evolved to have environmental triggers and defenses that allow them to press their advantage over other plants fighting for the same water, sun and nutrients.  Some examples are the western larch and ponderosa pine trees with their thick layered jigsaw bark.  This bark is perfect for protecting the soft life blood of the tree in times of short extreme heat and fire.  These trees shed their lower limbs and thrive in open dry expanses where the fire can travel through quickly, taking out the tree’s competition without damaging it.

Another technique for living in a fire regime zone is producing a serotinous seed.  Plants that deploy this manner of opposition wait for an environmental trigger, like fire, to germinate.  Pinus contorta, lodge pole pine and ceanothus, buck brush, are probably the most prolific to employ this manner of survival.  In 1996 the Tower Fire was a conglomerate of three fires that merged to cover 4,800 acres of land, most which can be seen in the next two days of riding.  The result is the @photo[interesting layer of green lodge pole pine](6674777), all about the same age and height, punctuated by the occasional towering ponderosa pine, western larch or Douglas fir and numerous spires of trees that have been dead and preserved by fire for at least 23 years.

This ride passes remarkably fast, due to the endless beauty to stare at and the upfront elevation gain.  There are the occasional cabin and marshy meadows perfect for day dreaming and distant peaks for relief.  The last two miles swoop down at a nice grade to the Wild and Scenic @photo[North Fork John Day River](6674784) and the@poi[ North Fork John Day River Campground](15586716).  Revel in the cold bubbling creek that holds baby steelhead, salmon, trout and the end of day four of a marvelous adventure.

@slice[Day 5 – North Fork of the John Day to Anthony Lakes](d,306434.35,337790.34)

This is the shortest and last significant climbing day of the trip with just a little over 16 miles of fun.  Start the day at 5,219 feet of elevation at the North Fork John Day River Campground.  Cross yesterday’s path, NF 52, to National Forest Development Road 53 towards Anthony Lakes.  Begin the days 2,466 feet of elevation gain gradually, enjoying the bubble of the North Fork John Day River to the south of the seasonally maintained NFD 73. The road cuts through the center of a large section of the Umatilla and Wallowa Whitman National Forest and skirts the north end of a portion of the North Fork John Day Wilderness.  This wilderness is unique in its small size, evidence of past usage and abundance of access.

Part of the Wilderness Act of 1964 was to preserve vast tracts of land without roads crossing them and another was to allow the various acts of nature to maintain the land unfettered by human influence.  North Fork John Day Wilderness, 121,352 acres in total, is split into four units by paved roads and at one point was heavily mined.  The remnants of ditches dug by the Chinese, tailings, roads and mining claims are in great evidence.  The area is also very arid, prone to lighting strike fires and slow to recover from any overuse.  One might question if this heavily mined, small and frequently scorched area of the state is worthy of the Wilderness title.

Arguments in favor of the restrictions point out a number of factors beginning with the unique and majestic landscape.  The undammed rivers are also key as they support the anadromous fish population and the Rocky Mountain elk and mule deer herds are also a noted bonus.  Hunters have harvested elk from this area that top the scales at 800lbs with racks that span 5 feet.  Scientist eager to study fire, animals and high elevation also lend their support.  Altogether, a number of varied groups have overtime come to support the 1984 congressional decision.

As the road gets progressively steeper and the volcanic origins of the region more in evidence by the large granite boulders, the views become ever more breathtaking.  Relish the vistas over the Baldy Creek Unit of the wilderness to the south that house the headwaters of the wild and scenic North Fork John Day River.  Mile 11 hosts the steepest segment of the day with a 9.4% grade and an impressive panorama to the north.  If you are lucky, you should be able to spy a portion of the Blue Mountains skirted the first day of the trip prior to climbing to Langdon Lake and the Tollgate area as well as Mount Adams.

Top out of the climb around mile fifteen and the highest elevation of the day at 7,396 feet.  Nestled north, on a little bench, is the first, and frequently less full, camping option at the head of the Grande Ronde River in the cute Grande Ronde Lake Campground.  Swoop down the last mile into the Anthony Lakes Basin and the Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort, a ski hill turned year-round adventure mecca.

The beauty of the @photo[Anthony Lakes Basin](11788189) has called to lovers of nature and outdoor activities for a very long time.  In the 1930’s, to combat an unemployment rate of 25%, President Franklin D. Roosevelt put the Civilian Conservation Corps into play with The New Deal.  The charge of the CCC was to take the unemployed, undernourished and under skilled of the United States and build them up both physically and mentally while protecting and improving the state and national lands.  Over a span of nine years three million young men joined the organization and built numerous dams, lodges, trails, campgrounds and eventually bases for the World War II effort.

Fitting the description of rural, beautiful, public land and a location that could be developed for recreation, the CCC came to the Union and Baker Counties.  Among many other projects, they developed the NF 73 road to Anthony as well as building Tumble Off Meadow’s Lodge, various cabins, chimneys, trails and structures around the Anthony Lakes Basin.  There were plans to make a lodge, similar to that constructed on Mt. Hood at Timberline, but by the time the plans were ready to be executed WWII had begun and the CCC was dispersed, many of the laborers absorb into the military.  The Tumble Off Meadow’s Lodge collapsed in 1950 and by 1957 most of the other remaining buildings were removed.  Currently the enduring CCC edifices are the@photo[ guardhouse at Anthony Lake](11788196) and a handful of chimneys.

Enjoy the resort but plan ahead.  Reservations for camping can be made at www.recreation.gov for Anthony Lake, Mud Lake or Grande Ronde Lake.  Weekends are busy and the options for fun high.  Various weekends find the chairlift running and mountain bike enthusiast enjoying the nearby trails and possibly some live music.  Summer at the Starbottle, Fridays through Sundays during July, August and September, provides scrumptious food in the form of delicious local hamburgers and wood oven baked pizza all topped off with a refreshing beverage.  From the resort and Anthony Lake, multiple white granite peaks fill the horizon with stark beauty.  Enjoy the short day of cycling and go for a stroll around this gem of an area.

@slice[Day 6 – Anthony Lakes to Catherine Creek State Park](d,336322.01,407434.52)

Begin the day in the high elevation white granite and white bark pine of the Anthony Lakes Basin ready for a 45-mile phenomenal day of 5,075 feet of elevation loss ending at the beautiful Catherine Creek State Park outside of Union, Oregon.  Leave the campground wearing plenty of clothing in anticipation of the next 20 miles of descent.  Head east on National Forest Development road 78, the Anthony Lakes Highway, toward Baker Valley and North Powder.  The first two miles contain the steepest slope of the day reaching a 11.5 percent grade.  Revel in the beautiful Van Patten Ridge to the south as it catches the sunlight and the large, slow cooled, igneous crystals of quartz and feldspar bounce the light off the white rock to make the peaks seem to glow against the sky.

Mile six has a nice little overlook to view into the Baker and Powder Valleys, and to warm up your hands if needed.  The kiosks give a little insight to the area talking about a progression of Oregon Trail pioneers, miners, loggers and then cattlemen that have impacted the area.  Appreciate the contouring highway as it flows around and through pockets of pines, Douglas fir and larch trees with the shadows giving extra interest to the road as it greets the various Antone Creeks and loses 3,447 feet of elevation before entering the North Powder Valley.

The northwest side of the valley leaves behind the granite, timber and gold for Hutchinson Slough and the North Powder River.  @photo[The Powder River](6674754), a tributary of the Snake, winds through two reservoirs before being deemed “wild and scenic” by the Bureau of Land Management between Thief Valley Reservoir and the Brownlee Reservoir.  It is mentioned by both Lewis and Clark and later expeditions with the name reflecting the powdery, sandy soil on the banks created by the nearby granite peaks and ancient volcanic activity dissolving to create colluvium soil.  Turn north onto Ellis Road around mile 15.5 and cross the north branch of the Powder River.  Continue following the pavement east onto River Lane, enjoying the Wallowa Mountains and the Eagle Cap Wilderness rising out of the eastside of the valley, and eventually, the town of North Powder.

Sail through North Powder, home of the Badgers, on the La Grande Baker Highway 237.  As you exit note the old stone grave markers, many locally quarried, to the north of the highway at the town cemetery founded in 1890.  Circle around Riverdale Hill to the north crossing both Wolf and Jimmy Creek before starting the first real climb of the day out of the North Powder Valley at mile 24.

As you puff your way toward Union, pause to look back over the valley and say goodbye to the Elkhorn Mountain Range at the historical monument for Madam Marie Dorian.  Madam Dorian, a contemporary of Sacajawea, was of Iowa and French-Canadian lineage and spent her life around the fur trade.  She was the only female member of an overland exploration by the Pacific Fur Company from Missouri to Astoria.  Her unbelievable life included making the overland trip with two toddlers, while pregnant and outliving multiple husbands.  The memorial marks the approximate location where she gave birth to her third child.  Unfortunately, the baby passed away a few days later in the Grande Ronde Valley.  Writers have been fascinated with her for years.  The most current literary works are written by the award-winning, Oregon author, Jane Kirkpatrick.  Madam Dorian is one of 158 names listed in the Oregon State Capital for being highly influential to the history of Oregon and a depiction of her is on the Astoria Column.

Marvel in the wind towers of the @photo[Elkhorn Valley Wind Farm](6674791), rising out of the rolling sagebrush hills around Telocaset.  If you are lucky you might spot some antelope, hawks or ground squirrels.  Telocaset use to be a stage, and later a rail stop to facilitate the logging and ice trade.  Never an official town, Telocaset still had a history of amenities and wild women.  With any luck, the wild wind that visits this stark beauty is in your favor and the final plunge down Pyles Canyon flies by in a blur of splendor.  As you exit the canyon, the Grande Ronde Valley opens up to welcome the weary traveler back with its circular sentries and slough filled floor.

Union, Oregon is a wonderful place to rest, delight in a beautiful park, get lunch at one of the establishments and appreciate some unique houses.  Union is a blunt example of the impact industry and transportation can have on a town.  Briefly the county seat, Union is filled with exquisite Victorian homes and a Carnegie library.  Union and La Grande both vied for the railroad to come through their town.  La Grande won and has been the larger town and county seat ever since.  The Union County Museum on main street is captivating and well worth a visit.  Volunteers run the Museum, so hours of visitation fluctuate and a phone call may be needed to assure entrance.

Leave Union on the @photo[Medical Springs Highway 203](6674763).  Spool out of the Grande Ronde Valley next to Catherine Creek and back up into the trees at @photo[Catherine Creek State Park](6674734).  Take pleasure in the bucolic serenity of horses, cattle and turkeys along the way.  Keep in mind that this road has a low traffic volume except when local residence are traveling to and from work in La Grande and Union.  Celebrate the last evening camping out on this seven-day adventure among the large ponderosa pines and the burbling of the creek as it shelters baby salmon and travels to the ocean.

@slice[Day 7 – Catherine Creek to La Grande](d,407940.98,470892.19)

This is the seventh and closing day of this Epic Camping Loop ending in La Grande, Oregon.  The final push consists of almost 40 miles of rolling pastoral pleasure that loses more elevation than is gained.  Commence at the attractively timbered Catherine Creek State Park on the Medical Springs Highway 203.  Swing to the west, enjoying the elevation gained the prior day as the route retraces toward Union.  The basalt cliffs, horses, cows and turkeys are picturesque but keep an eye out for@photo[ Kofford Road](6674735).  Turn north on Kofford Road leaving Catherine Creek to follow Little Catherine Creek northwest on High Valley Road, a brief quarter of a mile from the Highway 203 junction.  Upon nearing the north side of Union, rotate further north on the @photo[Union/Cove Highway 237](6674740) toward Cove.

While spinning toward Cove, enjoy the stark dry ridge to the east and the miles of slough across the Grande Ronde Valley where fowl, fox, coyotes, deer, antelope and elk roam and pester the farmers intent on fields of grass seed, hay, mint, hemp, garbanzo beans and more.  In the vicinity of mile 14, round Phys Point.  @photo[Phys Point](6674743) is named after one of the first European settlers of the area, and marks the start of the only significant climb of the day.  The next two miles are filled with a gradual 200 feet of elevation gain and a delightful view of Mt. Fanny.  Enter the small town of Cove and curve through continuing on Highway 237.  This picturesque pocket from the wind has a long history of commerce, state representatives, warm water and fire.  Most of the historic town burned to the ground in its heyday but the gothic style church at the Ascension School is always charming, the Cove Tavern is known for its prime rib and the Cove Drive-In has wonderful soft serve ice cream.

Exit Cove and Highway 237 to persist north onto Lower Cove Road.  Enjoy the gradual rollers along the edge of the Grande Ronde Valley and the exquisite vistas of the foothills of the Wallowa Mountains on one side and the valley and the Blue Mountains rising up on the other.  Throughout this ride, pockets of teasel can be found in areas of poor drainage where the soil has been disturbed, such as in old corrals and barnyards.

Teasel, an invasive member of the honeysuckle family, is a statuesque plant that can grow to be nine feet tall with woody, spiny stalks and a unique seed head and history.  In the middle ages teasel was discovered to be the perfect tool to make a woven cloth of wool softer, warmer and more beautiful.  The biannual seed heads would be harvested, dried and then inserted into a wooden Teasel Cross using their own stiff stalks to hold them in place.  The cross would then be run over the cloth to create a felted texture like that found on cashmere and also the top of billiard tables.

With the industrial revolution came the Teasel Raising Gig, which would hold around 3,000 seed heads and eliminated much of the time needed to produce the desired cloth.  Skilled teasel setters would travel to install and rotate the precious seed heads to produce an evenly teaseled result.  The teasel plant was introduced to the United States in the 1800’s and predominantly produced as a cash crop in New York and Oregon.  Teasel heads are still used in some boutique mills but the use of the fruiting bodies mostly ended around 1956 when a steel card was introduced and refined enough to replace them.  It is still argued in some forums that the steel cards produce an inferior product.  Now instead of being seen as a thing of value, teasel has naturalized and is viewed as a weed that grows in a mat smothering out desired plants.  Birds still dine on the seeds; bugs still die in the deep wells produced between the stem and the leaves and a rare individual may use it in a health remedy but, it is not valued and eradication by biological controls have been researched.

Linger on Lower Cove Road as it morphs into Market Lane, just prior to crossing the Grande Ronde River and heading out of the shelter of the foothills.  Just past the river is a little pocket park where the @photo[Lower Cove Schoolhouse](6674748) historically sat.  Currently there is a picnic table, tree and a water pump.  The pump works but the water has a mineral laden flavor best savored after a few hours of airing.

Turn south when Market Lane intersects the Wallowa Lake Highway 82 traveling towards La Grande.  This is the busiest section of road for the day and very much a main artery for workers traveling to and from work.  Roll along for about two miles then spool onto the paved Booth Lane around mile 33.  Booth Lane butts into Mount Glen Road and rolls back into La Grande, the origin of this spectacular 292-mile bicycle camping loop.

C0-La Grande/Tollgate/Pd/Anthony Loop

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