Sunriver to Crescent Lake

Riding in hot weather is no fun. Here on the east side of the Cascades, the August weather is unambiguously sunny. The morning air is cool, but by 11 AM it is warm and by 2 PM it is hot. The riding is relatively pleasant until 11 AM and then progressively becomes more and more challenging as the miles and heat increase.

We cycled today from a pretty resort town, Sunriver, to the tiny town of Crescent Lake. The distance: 53 miles. The terrain was mildly undulating so we climbed about 1500 feet along the way with a net increase perhaps a third of that. Traffic was light until the last few miles (along Hwy 58). For much of the way, there was an excellent road surface and a great shoulder, although both of those features weren't consistently present. The scenery was unremarkable: pine forest, an occasional lake in the distance, a ridge of lava, and a few glimpses of the mountains. There were almost no services over the whole ride (hence, seeing a sign for a market was special enough to photograph!). This is the state of central, rural Oregon, I suppose.

The motel where we stayed was on the main highway: a very nice room in the middle of nowhere! We drove 3 miles to the lake and enjoyed a pleasant dinner on the waterfront.