[sit properly]

Hi folks!

I'm in the midst of planning a 9,000ish mile trek from Seattle to Miami and back on my Vespa GTS250. It's the same scooter that I did 10,000ish miles on in 2008 twice across the country on "Scoot 66."

Since this is the Trip Planning board, I thought I'd show you how my trip planning was going. Time is sort of an issue, so I have to keep the pace up. I figure 11 days there, 10 days back.

Here's a basic overview of the trip to Miami...



Here's a day by day break down (with links to GoogleMaps)
Day One - Seattle to Crooked River, OR
Day Two - Crooked River, OR to near Reno, NV
Day Three - Reno, NV to Ely, NV
Day Four - Ely, NV to Moab, UT
Day Five - Moab, UT to Taos, NM
Day Six - Taos, NM to Amarillo, TX
Day Seven - Amarillo, TX to Ardmore, OK
Day Eight - Ardmore, OK to Anacoco, LA
Day Nine - Anacoco, LA to Mobile, AL
Day Ten - Mobile, AL to Gainsville, FL
Day Eleven - Gainsville, FL to Miami, FL

And here's the overview of the trip back to Seattle...



Day One - Miami, FL to Callahan, FL
Day Two - Callahan, FL to Murphy, NC
Day Three - Murphy, NC to Paducah, KY
Day Four - Paducah, KY to Springfield, MO
Day Five - Springfield, MO to Dodge City, KS
Day Six - Dodge City to Sidney, NE
Day Seven - Sidney, NE to Riverton, WY
Day Eight - Riverton, WY to White Sulphur Springs, MT
Day Nine - White Sulphur Springs, MT to Clarkston, WA
Day Ten - Clarkston, WA to Seattle!

That's the route. More to come on the planning, etc.

-Eric!

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

I recognize your time for side trips is limited, so I will toss out a few thoughts and you can ignore them all, or select those that might fit. I will also avoid the obvious, and better known points of interest, as you will easily find these in your research.

Starting south of Bend:

Between La Pine and Ft Rock, is Hole in the Ground, an ancient volcanic crater often mistaken for a meteor hit. It is about a mile and a half off the road, but you will have to watch carefully for the turn off. It is definitely a unique site, little known, and worth a photo.

Fort Rock is the core of an old volcano, and is certainly photographic and worth a visit. There is an old grave yard as you approach it. I have a few photos taken in the 60's there. In the intervening years the blowing sands have obliterated the names on the wooden tombstones that were still visible in the 60's.

The old road (dirt) goes south from Ft Rock to Silver Lake.

Silver Lake has a cafe, and a memorial tombstone to a score or more people killed in a fire while at a dance.

Summer Lake has a nice little roadside pull-off, and a general store, plus a roadside marker that notes how Fremont named the lake. Somewhere along here is an old schoolhouse on the right.

Paisley has an old general store, and is the biggest town between La Pine and Lakeview.

Much of this whole route is rim rock country, volcanic and picturesque. Past Paisley you will be approaching the Warner Rim, with Lake Albert at its base.

Just north of Lakeview is (or used to be) a geyser on the right. Lakeview is a pretty town and the metropolis of south eastern Oregon.

South of Lakeview you enter well watered rangeland beside Goose Lake. The little. almost abandoned, village of New Pine Creek sits on the border. It has a happier past, and a nice campground to the west.

At about 5.5 miles south of New Pine Creek, CR 9 turns off and you have a decision point (in my opinion). You can continue south on 395. It is a nice drive but not exceptional. There is a cute general store at Doyle, but my memory doesn't bring back a lot of significant sights. On the other hand, you might consider a little adventure that would take you along a section of the Oregon Trail, through a charming village, and along a paved but little used road past Pyramid Lake.

I am almost always in favor of the road less traveled, so I would go over Fandango Pass on the Applegate or Southern route of the Oregon Trail. You can stop and see where the pioneers virtual lifted their wagons over the pass, and reflect on the fate of the young woman who shot by an arrow, fell into the campfire and bore the scars the rest of her life.

If all you wanted to do was claim the Fandango, you could go through Cedarville, a lovely real western town where you are as likely to meet a cowboy as anyone, and back to 395 at Alturas. Or if you wanted to own the full monte, you could take the paved road through Gerlach. This is wide open desert, and you will see little traffic.

Eagleville is a rare and real western village, Gerlach (gasoline) is a hodgepodge, and maybe too "real." I have an affection for the desert, which you may not, and this is desert...but it could be lovely in May.

A side advantage of that route, is that you could skirt Reno with its congestion. You might visit the amazing adobes and Pony Express station at Ft Churchill, or pick up the Lincoln immediately.

The Pony Express, the overland stage, and the Lincoln Highway are your companions between here and Ely, so more on those later.

Dave

Keep the Show on the Road!

[sit properly]

Time is limited, but I hope to see a bunch of fun.

I'll be taking Route 31 from La Pine to Fort Rock. Is it fairly well marked (at least one sign)? I'd love to see it. Silver Lake's memorial sounds interesting - I'll check it out.

To be clear, I *love* the desert. I nearly moved to Albuquerque. So any ride through the desert is a great idea.

I'll be heading through Paisley, etc - And then definitely taking Fandango Pass vis Co Route 9. Thanks! Sadly, GoogleMaps won't let me route over that road. Weird, huh? Anyway, I'll take Surprise Valley Road through Eagleville, etc. Route 447 (NV) will take me to Gerlach, but I'm camping just west of Reno at Cold Springs.

I don't think I'll see Fort Churchill this time around. I saw it in 2008 (via the AMAZING Fort Churchill Road). It was great, but I'll probably have to pick up the pace.

Again, I want to plug Nevada Route 722 - one of the most beautiful roads that I've ever been on.


That covers the first three days (mostly) - how about the rest of them?

Thanks a bunch, Dave!

-Eric!

[Alex Burr - hester_nec]

I was looking at the route on your way back to the west. On Day 3 your plan is from Murphy, NC to Paducah, KY. Being a little familiar with the area I'm wonder why the dip south from Russsellville to I-24, then back up picking up U S 68 west off I-24, west of Hopkinsville. Why not just take 68 west out of Russellville thru Henderson?? Unless you want to say you went thru TN.

Sounds like a great trip - be looking fwd to trip reports. Safe journey

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

[sit properly]

Alex Burr - hester_nec, on 14 March 2010 - 06:30 AM, said:

I was looking at the route on your way back to the west. On Day 3 your plan is from Murphy, NC to Paducah, KY. Being a little familiar with the area I'm wonder why the dip south from Russsellville to I-24, then back up picking up U S 68 west off I-24, west of Hopkinsville. Why not just take 68 west out of Russellville thru Henderson?? Unless you want to say you went thru TN.

Sounds like a great trip - be looking fwd to trip reports. Safe journey

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

I was just looking at that today. I think GoogleMaps routed me that way. I tried to change it, but it wouldn't let me. I'd be sticking with US 68, avoiding the super slab. GoogleMaps is great, but it does have some limitations.

This is the updated one. I had to "bypass" an old segment to make the overall route more true to what I want. Of course, I'll still be hitting the old alignment.

-Eric

[Alex Burr - hester_nec]

sit properly, on 14 March 2010 - 11:55 PM, said:

I was just looking at that today. I think GoogleMaps routed me that way. I tried to change it, but it wouldn't let me. I'd be sticking with US 68, avoiding the super slab. GoogleMaps is great, but it does have some limitations.

This is the updated one. I had to "bypass" an old segment to make the overall route more true to what I want. Of course, I'll still be hitting the old alignment.

-Eric

I've found streets and trips works quite well. And Mapquest, among others, will give you great satellite shots.

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

[DennyG]

I am fascinated with this trip and was about to post some sort of rah rah when a legitimate opening appeared. The US-68 segment discussed by Alex & Eric goes right by one of the five tallest monuments in the United States: the 351 foot Jefferson Davis Monument. The Zero Mile Marker for the Fairview-Biloxi branch of the Jefferson Davis Highway is also there.

Eric, mentioning the JD Monument (which you can hardly miss from 68) is really just an excuse to jump in and say "I love this trip". It calls to mind KtSotR's Hypotenuse Trail adventure but really cranks it up by going twice the distance on half the wheels. It's quite ambitious, not only in its total but in its daily goals, and I'd be thinking it somewhat preposterous if you hadn't already proven you can handle trips of this sort. I'll be watching and cheering all the way and helping when/if I can.

I'm guessing that sites like the JD Monument, where you can just pull over, walk around a few minutes without the need to sit properly (or any other way), then be on your way, will be appreciated. There is another of this sort just a bit west of the monument in Hopkinsville. It's about a mile north of US-68 and barely ten miles from the big monument but if you want another break that soon, there is a "literary park" that is kind of fun.

I haven't studied all the detail in all the maps but did see that you're planning on going through Branford, FL. That was fresh in my mind because of a thread preceding KtSotR's recent Florida trip. You may want to look through that thread if you haven't already. There is a nice riverside park & spring in Branford and Ichetucknee Springs is less than ten mile to the east. These are both places where my g-g-parents camped in 1920 (They celebrated Thanksgiving by the Ichetucknee.) and it looks like at least one campground currently operates in the area.

[sit properly]

Denny,

It even strikes me as a bit odd that I'm considering this a shorter trip. My only wish is that I had more time. Though, as things are starting to look at work, if I do this trip, I may have a whole lot of extra free time (work isn't super thrilled about me leaving over Memorial Day - I've not found out what the repercussions will be).

Anyway, The Hypotenuse Trail definitely played a part in this. I originally wanted to raise it to what I was calling The Bowtie Trail (very loosely defined here). But time is an issue and so I'll save that for later.

US 68 is definitely on the trip, GoogleMaps has its limitations, but being a Linux user, there's not much of an option for trip software (I'm old school anyway, so I'd probably not use it).

I'll check out the Jeff Davis Memorial. I've actually not even thought about the Civil War sites that I'd perhaps see along the trip. Wilson's Creek, of course, but aside from that, it didn't come into planning (though I'm more for a Northern Virginia fan).

Also, the literary park is now on my list of things to see. I love this kind of stuff. In 2008, when moving out to Seattle, we planned the entire trip from PA to WA based completely around weird things to see along the way.

It's dawning on me that even though I'm 34 (and look quite a bit younger) I actually have "old man" hobbies. Trains, highways, Civil War. Even Sarah (girlfriend) pokes fun at me for that. Oh well, can't help liking what you like. I *do* have a healthy dose of punk rock and Star Wars to keep me young.

I'm ridiculously excited about this trip. I just hope that it doesn't cost me my job (or that I'll be able to get another one when I return - either way).

-eric

[sit properly]

There's been a few updates to the trip planning...

Some mountain passes on my first day will probably still be closed come May 28. I was planning on slipping between Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens, but two of the roads are closed. One due to snow, the other due to a landslide. It's a shame because I really wanted to take Forest Road 28.

My new plan for the first day sort of bores me.

You can see it here.

We took the I-5 corridor on the way to Portland the last time we went and wow was it boring. Sorry to you Route 99/Pacific Highway fans out there, but it was a snoozer.

However, maybe I missed something!

What is there to see on the way from Seattle to Portland? Time really is a factor since I'll have to make it past Bend, Oregon.

Hints: I like old, old alignments and trains.

Any help would be great!

-Eric

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

Eric,

A few possibilities....

I would stop at Joes in Bucoda. It dates back to the late 1800's and the burgers are good.

I would follow south on old 99 from Centralia to beyond Toledo, rather than go via Napavine. This would take you past the Jackson Courthouse, the old growth forest at Lewis and Clark State Park, the site of the Hudson Bay Company Cowlitz Farms, the Cowlitz Prairie Mission, and near Cowlitz Landing.

Along the north side of the Columbia you will be following the Evergreen Highway, a named auto trail, past several small towns. I think American Road is doing a piece on the road soon. Rail traffic is heavy along this route so you should have lots of train sightings. Beacon Rock plays in the story of the Lewis and Clark route.

You could follow some genuine old alignments south of The Dalles. There is one great bridge just south of Boyd next to an old mill. You might stop at the cafe in Tygh Valley for a nice burger, if they are open at the time of day you pass through.

I think I have mentioned the great alignment coming down Cow Canyon where the old stage road and the old highway are at hand. The stage stop was on the right where the poplars are.

There are some old alignment that can easily be followed north of Madras and Redmond. Highway 97 was known in the good old days as the California - Banff Beeline and by the less "romantic" The Dalles -California Highway. You can spot one old alignment on Google Earth starting at 44.780266, -120.965627. And out of Madras the old alignment went via Metolius and Culver before crossing the Crooked River near the water....quite unlike the high bridges of today.

That is a very quick summary of a few highlights, but I can expand on any item of interest.

Dave

Keep the Show on the Road!

[sit properly]

Thanks!

I'm hitting as many old alignments as I can find. Googlemaps limits you to the number of route changes, so on the map, I've missed a few. I'm definitely doing the ones you mentioned.


Oregon looks like it'll be a bunch of fun.

Washington, however...
We took the Jackson Highway last time we went through there. I was avoiding it this time in hopes that the road on the other side of the Interstate might be more interesting (603 through Vader, etc).

Could you explain more about where Boyd is and also Cow Canyon. There's a good chance I've already planned on hitting it, but I'd rather err on the side of caution here.

-Eric

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

To answer your question directly, Boyd is about four miles north of Dufur, off the modern road about a mile east.

Since you express an interest in that area, it is an excuse for me to describe its attractions more fully. Like eastern Washington, Central and eastern Oregon are relatively unpopulated, more open (less vegetation), and until Bend became what it is today, relatively unknown and untraveled. It made for a festival of old roads that harken back smoothly to the stage coach days. And because the railroad didn't reach into Central Oregon until late, the roads were well established, primarily as freight routes.

The principal town in Central Oregon was Prineville, and The Dalles was the most important city west of the Rockies because it was the end of the trail part of the Oregon Trail and the beginning of the water route further west. Before you leave The Dalles stop at the The Dalles Iron Works. This was a garage and Iron works in the teens and the interior and exterior have changed little. The proprietor today is a giant of a man, and will remind you of the blacksmith of old.

As you will expect, the roads south from The Dallas have changed over time. The earlier one goes south to the west of the modern road, and a later version goes east of the modern route. Rather than attempt to describe those roads in detail here, let me first provide an overview.

The Deschutes River canyon is a massive cut that must be entered, the river crossed, and then exited. The oldest crossing was at Sharar's Bridge, and there was a later crossing at Maupin. Both crossings led up and out of the canyon going toward Barkoven and Shaniko. The Dalles, Sharar's Bridge, Bakeoven, Shaniko route was the primary one, but how you got to Sharar's Bridge offend some choice.

Going south from The Dalles you could go via Boyd or via Dufur. If you went via Boyd (and I recommend at least a detour along this road) you dropped into the Deschutes River canyon down a very steep face several hundred feet, a road that can only be walked today. The grade is so steep it was common for passengers to walk behind the car. The Boyd Loop will take you past an old mill, a wonderful bridge, and past a couple of buildings noted in the ABB's of the time, then return you to the main road. But you will miss Dufur.

The other choice was to go via Dufur, Kingsley, and down the long but not so steep grade into Tygh Valley (good hamburgers at the cafe). From Tygh Valley you could go east to Sharar's Bridge, or south to Maupin to cross the river. Incidentally, Tygh Valley is on the old Barlow Trail branch of the Oregon Trail.

If you cross at Sharar's Bridge today, you may see Native American fishermen on platforms fishing over the falls, spectacular sight. The modern road to Bakeoven follows along the river near water level, then turns east up a grade near Maupin. At the top of the grade you will spot an electric transmission station. The old stage road and early auto road climbed out of the canyon starting at Sharar's Bridge and reached the summit near the transfer station.

Bakeoven is just a farm today, but Shaniko is a real old town that was once the rail head. Thus the old warehouses. It is a chapter unto itself.

The old Hotel is amazing, but the town has been restored a bit more than when I knew it nearly 50 years ago. In those days old retired sheepherders still lived in the hotel and meals were served to residents and guests alike from common serving plates at a big community table downstairs. (Ah, the Good ole days!).

The route between Tygh Valley and Maupin was 19 mileslong in 1915, and 10 miles long by 1921, so it obviously changed. The 1921 route was probably close to the modern road, but I need to research the older route. In any event, you will have to go through Tygh Valley. If you go via Sharar's Bridge you might visit the old power plant and waterfalls at White River Falls State Park. If you go via Maupin, take the old road out of Tygh Valley due south. It meets the modern road just a few miles down the road.

Whether you cross the river at Sharar's Bridge or Maupin, the drive to Shaniko is well worth the extra time. It is a story in and of itself. South from Shaniko the old road went to Antelope (a great little village) and then west to Willowdale, missing Cow Canyon. You could go directly from Shaniko via Cow canyon, and miss Antelope, but I wouldn't. I would just backtrack from Willowdale back up the Cow Canyon. It is only a 5 minute detour.
At the runaway truck safety ramp, pick up the old alignment and follow it as far as you like. It passes an old stage stop at the poplar grove, which was also a place to get water for your radiator in the auto days. the old alignment comes out at the head of Cow Canyon near the rest stop, and you can then zip back down the modern road and be on your way south.

I have already mentioned the old alignment starting just south of Willowdale. If you like, you can follow it back across the modern highway to Gate and then into Madras. The main attraction at Gate is an old train Station, so if your interest in trains extends to stations, it is a good stop. How the road got to Gate is a little mystery to me. It is always mentioned on ABB's but it seems "off the road" to me. Another piece of research waiting to be done.

Incidentally, I think the old stage route into Prineville also followed the old alignment south of Willowdale but went south where the old alignment turns northwest to reintersect the modern highway.

South of Madras the old route went through Metolius and Culver, and it can be driven all the way to the high bridges across the Crooked River. In the old days the river was crossed on a bridge at water level, not hundreds of feet above as it is today.

South of the Crooked River bridges you get into more developed country where the old alignments are changed a lot.

I'll try to do a map guide for all of this, but I think it is more or less "self evident" from the text, with a few exceptions. If I wait to do a map, you might not see this before you leave!!

PS Did you get my question about the Spencer story?

Dave

keep the Show on the Road!

[sit properly]

Wow. Thanks! That's quite a bit of info.

Let me try to map this.

I'll be leaving The Dalles on Old Dufur Road. It seems to jump back on 197 and then off again - though it *could* continue as Co. Hwy 100, reconnecting with 197 farther south.

Also, I'm not sure why I couldn't do both Boyd and Dufur. Boyd Loop Road goes to Boyd Market Road, which winds up in Dufur.

South of Dufur is Dufur Gap Road. That reconnects with 197 after about 8 miles.

Right before Tygh, Shearers Bridge Road goes east to the bridge, but doesn't seem to reconnect with 197. Or would I just connect to 97 at this point and continue though to Shaniko?

I'm pretty confused at this point. I'm only using Googlemaps (for simplicity).

Cow Canyon is unmarked, but I believe it's between the junction of 197/97 and the junction of 293 and 97.

Willowdale is also unmarked, but I think it's where 293 and 97 meet - possibly a bit south of that. I'm planning on hitting the old alignments into Madras.


From there, there are obvious old alignments into Bend.




So basically - it looks like I have two main options - Shaniko to 97 or Maupin to 97. That's a tough one - the bridge at Maupin looks like it might be pretty amazing. This is a really tough choice. I'm not sure which would be more fun.

One question about the Shaniko to 97 route. Route 216 will take me east and north to Grass Valley. Did the old road really do that? Or did it take Ball Lane to Finnegan Road to Kent?

Also, did Decker Road, south of Kent, play into this? Looks like an old alignment.


Here is my map of the Shaniko to 97 route.

And here's my map of the Maupin Route.

The Shinako route looks REALLY fun - but it's twice as long.

However, after reading it a bit more closely, perhaps this is what you were talking about. (I have a feeling this was the correct routing - and probably the one I'll choose.)



Thanks -
Eric


Nope, didn't get any Spencer questions. What do you mean?

This post has been edited by sit properly: 08 May 2010 - 11:39 PM

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

Eric,

I think I can suggest the optimum route now. The route immediately south of The Dalles on the Old Dufur Road is partly gravel...just so you know. I don't recall any roadside artifacts or bridges, but it is a pretty drive.

Turn east to Boyd and stop at the old mill and bridge (same site). The choice then is to go into Dufur or follow the old alignment south. Either is interesting. The old hotel at Dufur is worth a stop. On the other hand, there are a couple of old ABB landmarks (community center, abandoned farm house) from the teens along the old alignment. I guess the Dufur route (Boyd Loop) is faster and will also avoid some gravel on the old alignment.

Either way you are going to head next to Tygh Valley. Stop at the General Store or Cafe.

You can catch the bridge across the Deschutes at Maupin whether you go across Sherar's Bridge or directly southeast to Maupin. As far as old road alignments, it is no contest. The road from Tygh Valley to Sherar's Bridge (Oregon 216) is the winner. It is (1) the historic route, takes you past a (2) lovely water fall, under a (3) pioneer railroad trestle as you approach the river, lets you enjoy seeing (4) Native American fishermen fishing as their ancestors did, follows along the river (5) allowing you to watch the rafters, and when you get to Maupin, you can (6) detour 2 minutes to the bridge ( was Hunt's Ferry in the old days) before you head toward Bakeoven and Shaniko.

From Shaniko go south to Antelope, then west back to US97. Antelope became Rajneeshpuram when Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his followers "took over" the town in the 1980's. That is another story!

When you intersect 97 (Willowdale is across the road on the west side of US97) go about a mile north to the mouth of Cow Canyon and turn left (west) at the truck safety ramp. That puts you on the old Cow Canyon alignment. Travel up the canyon as far as you like. It is only about 3 miles to the top.

Come back down (south) on the modern highway, past Willowdale (just a farm complex today, but a major stage stop in the old days), and take the old alignment I identified earlier, perhaps all the way to Gates with its old train station (unrestored).

There is an abandoned house or two between Gates and Madras, but I don't recall anything spectacular. From Madras you can take the old alignment via Metolius and Culver. After you gaze into the Crooked River gorge and view the high bridges, you will note Smith Rocks off to the east, and soon enter Terrabonne

The old alignments south of Redmond can be interesting, but they are no longer pristine, so I won't detail them here.

I have included a 1915 map out of my collection HERE. It is on a pretty large scale, but will clearly show the old roads when you look carefully.

I'll take a look at your other questions ASAP

Dave

Keep the Show on the Road!

PS


"One question about the Shaniko to 97 route. Route 216 will take me east and north to Grass Valley. Did the old road really do that? Or did it take Ball Lane to Finnegan Road to Kent?"

You don't want to go via Grass Valley. Turn south along the east side of the Deschutes River at Sherar's Bridge and go almost to Maupin. If you want to see the bridge at Maupin, detour the half mile or so to get there. In any event, take Bakoven Road from Maupin to Shaniko.

The only reason to take the much longer Oregon 216 to Grass Valley would be to see Kent. There is a great old abandoned service station there that still had the gas pumps a couple of years ago. But it is a long detour compared to taking Bakeoven Road.

If you wonder how folks got from Sherar's Bridge to Bakoven, they went up a long grade that is above you when you are driving south on the Deschutes River road. This old road comes out at the electric substation on the Bakeoven Road.

[sit properly]

Amazing! With the exception of the back-tracking, that's the route I chose. The train station at Gates is a definite must-see, but I'm not seeing where Gates is.


The only Gates in Oregon that I can find is up in the mountains, 50 miles west of Madras. Even the 1915 map shows no Gates.

I can get from Antelope to 97, then travel the old alignment a mile north of that junction (at Willowdale) to the old Cow Canyon alignment (next to the modern one). Looks great!

South of Willowdale presents a problem (maybe). Googlemaps shows that there are two segments of old alignment. The first, on the left, loops around and back to the modern road. This is just south of Pony Butte Road. The second, on the right, is just a continuation of the first, as it crosses 97. It's a long stretch of road that eventually heads back towards the modern road.

Here's a map.

I don't see anywhere on there that would make sense for a train station. However, there's a tiny, unmarked village near the tracks, just off of Coleman Road. Here's a map of that.

Now, the questions are easy. 1) Is my routing to Gates actually the routing to Gates? and 2) If so, am I missing anything by not hitting the "Old 97" alignments on either side of the modern road?

I almost have this all figured out. Due to that landslide and road closure in Washington, I'm going to have to leave a day early (or suffer through a 500+ mile first day ride - something I do NOT want). I'll probably stay around Castle Rock. Finding a campground that allows tents *and* has wifi is nearly impossible.

I've done it across the country, but there's a growing trend to ban tents from RV parks (which is just dumb). There's also a growing trend of WiFi in state parks. It's a very, very slow trend and will certainly be out-paced by the tent ban.

Thanks again!

-Eric

ps - what were the questions about Spensor?

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

Eric,

My error....it is Gateway, not Gates. Gateway will show up on Google Maps or Earth.

Your map looks good.

Here is a shot of the station at Gateway a couple of years ago.

You may be able to solve how the old road went through Gateway. It is on old maps, but it isn't on "Old 97" today.

Have fun!

(I'll send an e-mail regarding Spencer.)

Dave

Keep the Show on the Road!

[sit properly]

Thanks! And thanks so much for the photo. I basically *have* to go there now.

Do you have any descriptions from the ABB?

Also, have you noticed that historical mapworks is now charging to view their maps? This makes things a bit more difficult. So I registered (and go 45 free map views) and have found nothing prior to 1941 for Jefferson County. Lovely. The California-Dalles Highway had already been moved to (close to) the modern location - actually where "Old US 97" is today.

Just a quick search for Gateway brought this. More here.

More than likely, the road went to and from Gateway as I put it on Googlemaps. Would be nice to be sure though.

-Eric

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

Eric

The following is the 1915-16 version of the road from The Dalles to Shaniko. Kirk's garage and The Dalles Iron Works shared facilities and the building and the Iron Works are still in business in the same building. The overhead belt motors and shafts are still there!!! The flour mill is still there as well.

Five Mile Creek and Eight Mile Creek south of The Dalles on the old road have bridges. I vaguely recall one has iron pipe railings, which I ignored at the time, but I have since seen similar ones in photos taken in the teens. If either bridge has such railings, catch a photo if you can.

This route described in this edition of the ABB is the one via Boyd and down the steep face of Tygh Ridge into the Deschutes River Canyon. The trestle is still there but I have not checked its age.

Diving the modern road (216) east past Tygh Valley, watch to your left for the old road coming down the grade about 4.75 miles east of the intersection of 97 and 216 at Tygh Valley. I suppose Conroy Road is a good candidate for the alignment down the face of Tygh Ridge.

After crossing Sherar's Bridge headed south, the old road will rise gradually above you (on the east side) as it climbs out of the canyon and eventually intersects the modern Bakeoven Road at the power transfer station. You may be able to spot it from Sherar's Bridge.

Watch for trains in the canyon. This is part of the historic Hill / Harriman battle route into Central Oregon, where savage fighting between rival railroads took place around 1910.

I'll try to copy and describe more tomorrow.






Here is a grab shot from the car (going north) between Maupin and Sherar's bridge for your train interest.






Dave

Keep the Show on the Road!

[sit properly]

Thanks again, Dave. I know a little bit about the Hill/Harriman fight. It's sad and barely human. Still, fun to read about.

I'll take a ton of photos, that's for sure. I sometimes miss bridges, but am usually on the lookout for them on old alignments.

It's also quite a treat seeing old alignments that aren't drivable any more. When Sarah and I are driving along, we'll be having a conversation about something or other and I'll cut in "old alignment" and point to the left or right. She looks, nods and we go back to talking about whatever. A minute or two later, I'll cut in again "and this is where it reattaches to the main road." She nods again and again we go back to talking like normal human beings.

Such is life with me.

-Eric

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

Eric,

Here is the 1915-16 Shaniko to Madras route from the ABB. Most of it is straight forward.

I haven't confirmed the mileages in each case, but the Schultzes owned property on both sides of where modern US97 crosses the Wasco - Jefferson County line which puts them, and probably Bolder's, in the area of the Willowdale community. Willowdale is the settlement at the base of Cow Canyon, and I think you can drive some of the old alignment through it (on the west side of the highway). It will connect with the old alignment that goes around the base of the grade on the modern highway..

Dave

Keep the Show on the Road!