Day 7

Day 7 started out with breakfast at a local restaurant in John Day. While eating breakfast I was joined by BMWST member Doc47 who had a fascinating story to tell. He is a family physician in Montana who is writing a book about his time in Gambia, West Africa. While there he was put in charge of the ER which is quit a change for a family physician. After breakfast I hooked up with members Bruce H from Oregon and StevenM from Longview, Washington. They were camping next to me at the fairgrounds and I weasled my way in when they were planning there trip for the day. They were headed east to something called Hells Canyon and that sounded pretty interesting.

StevenM


Bruce H


We took 26 out of John Day to 7 to Baker City. Out of Baker City we headed east on 86 and ended up in town of Oxbow on the Snake River. As the name suggests its damn hot in Hells Canyon with temps pushing 100 degrees. We took a nice refreshing dip in the snake river. I wear lighweight microfiber longjohns and t-shirts for a base layer under my riding gear. Getting these wet and then riding sure made the trip back more comfortable.

Here we are on the way to the Snake and Hells Canyon



After our little dip into the snake we headed back. We detoured a bit on the way back and headed up to a scenic overlook in the Hells Canyon National Rec Area. at the top of the overlook we saw some very nice looking scenery......





These two ladies were from Canada and on a 2 week trip through Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. One was on a Honda ST1300 and the other on a sport bike...don't remember what it was but the rear tire did not have any chicken strips. I am sure these gals could ride circles around the three of us. Here are the views from the overlook.




We headed back west to John Day butthe sun and glare were brutal. I don't have prescription sunglasses nor a smoked visor on my helmet so I rode for many miles blocking the sun with my hand. The best advice I have ever heard is "Never live West of where you work". Here are some shots from the bike but aren't very clear.





When we got back we had a nice dinner at a local restaurant and indulged in a beer or two. I was tired and went to bed when I got back to the campsite. Thanks Bruce for being our personal tourguide. I am forever jealous of the diversity of your cruising grounds.