Day 5: Mt. Vernon to Crystal Crane Hot Springs

Today's Mileage: 105 miles
Total Mileage for the trip: 369 miles

First off, today was totally amazing!

I began the day by getting up and getting on the road by 6 am, feeling like a million bucks. Gone was the sluggish and tired apathy of yesterday, now all I wanted to do was push some miles. I had decided that today I would aim for Crystal Crane Hot Springs. This was gonna be some work at about 105 miles, but it did two things for me- make up for my slack day yesterday and get me to an actual hot spring with camping by nightfall.

First I needed some fuel for the road, so I stopped off at the only thing open at that time in the morning- a McDonald's- for two egg and cheese biscuits. I made the mistake of talking to an elderly man who asked me if I was travelling alone, and then proceeding to tell me of all these horrible things he had seen in his time, cyclists in accidents, etc. I bit my tongue and moved on.

I passed through Canyon City, a tiny little town with a population of about 100 or so, with a city park, and a bike lane running right through town. I couldn't believe it. I grew up in a town of thousands and never saw a bike lane until I was old enough to leave it.

The section of Hwy. 395 that I was riding since I left the TransAmerica trail at John Day took me through an awesome canyon with plenty of twists and turns but still a fairly easy ride. I saw actual miners panning for gold on the roadside. The weather was so nice, I was wearing my merino sweater and it was just perfect.

Soon enough I started climbing. I noted the squiggly line on the map but didn't worry about it too much, however, after about 30 minutes to an hour I was still going up. The views were awesome though, so I stopped every once in a while to take photos. Finally after some time I came to the summit -at aver 5,000 feet. I was a little confused that I didn't see this climb on the map, but hey, it was right on the foot of the Strawberry Range, so I guess I should have expected as much.

The descent down was great, nice and long with a slight incline for maximum miles. I pushed my biggest gear for mile after mile, making very good time to Seneca, where I stopped and grabbed a snack. Seneca is a very small town with the distinction of having recorded the lowest temperature in Oregon history (-54 degrees, February 1933).

After leaving Seneca I headed for Malheur National Forest, where I started to climb again. I tried not to be irritated when I topped the summit again at about 5,000 feet, mainly because the weather was till amazingly cool and I knew for a fact there couldn't be any more mountains after that last one.

I had the amazing experience of riding through literally millions of these little white butterflies while in the forest. It must have been mating/spawning/whatever season up there because they were EVERYWHERE. I came down into Devine Canyon and took a bunch more photos, setting a pretty leisurely pace for a ride that was supposed to a century (a 100 mile bike ride) for the day.

Soon I was in sight of Burns, and the first thing I did was head to the DQ and got a milkshake. An older couple chatted with me after spotting my bike and said they have done a bit of touring themselves. I chatted with them for some time, then realized I had about 25 more miles to the hot spring waiting for me.

I headed out yet again, this time for the Steens Highway. I had a magnificent tailwind, allowing me to push my biggest gear for mile after again, and the weather was still in the 70's even in the open desert. I had a smile on my face for a good hour or more as I crossed some seriously remote desert spaces, where looking in either direction only outlines of mountain ranges and more space could be seen.

After some serious hauling, I spied the sign for Crystal Crane Hot Springs and pulled off the pavement. I was so happy to have made such great time, but I was even more happy to see how impressive the springs were. Thee was a commons area for visitors (whether in a cabin, tent, tipi or RV), WiFi, hot coffee brewed for guests, a very nice natural pool that the springs flowed into, bathrooms and showers, it was basically an inexpensive resort. I just couldn't stop grinning. I called Ev on the phone while lounging on the couch and watching a show about hydrothermal vent communities on the Science Channel.... now that's roughing it.

One cool aspect of the place is that it's a sort of jumping off point for the Steens area, so there are people staying here who were camping on Steens Mountain last night and could give some pointers about the whole area. Some of the travelers were nice enough to force some of their dinner on me (after they found out I had ridden a bike all the way out here), and I was happy to oblige. I chatted with them for some time afterwards, and then everyone went to their tents or cabins.

So, here I am typing away in my tent with a mug of hot chocolate, looking at the stars in an absolutely perfectly clear desert sky, and in the total silence I can hear- in the distance- howling...