Oregon: Ochoco Challenge 2013, June 20-23

[Bill Beers]

Day 1, June 20, 2013.

Tualatin to Clear Lake. Route.

A year ago, fresh from a camping adventure in the Ochoco NF with my friends, (last year's report here,) I started plotting out a new route for 2013.

Driving all the way from PDX to Prineville after work on a Thursday night was just a little too much last year. We got in very late last year, so my goal this year was to get to our overnight halt with an hour or so of daylight left. Plus, I figured that going on the solstice weekend, (and a supermoon to boot!,) would make this pretty easy. I picked a spot on the north side of Clear Lake, (due south of Mt. Hood, on Hwy 26,) that I'd stayed at before, some years ago. Staying on the lake would cut ~80 miles off our Thursday driving bill, (though we'd have to pay it eventually!)

In the course of planning this camp-out with my friends over the last year, it gradually morphed from a car-camping trip in to a Top Gear-esque, challenged based off tarmac adventure. With that in mind, (and because I'd been wanting both a manual and a beater for some time,) I picked up an '83 Tercel w/344K on the clock for $300 last Christmas.



This was Eric's, (left,) first trip with us. Rod, (picking up Pat's stuff,) was a veteran from last year.



Dave, (in orange on top of the Cruiser,) and I load up the water, fuel and food. Next year, those coolers are going somewhere else. COG, exposure to sun, PITA to get to are all reasons I shouldn't have put them there.





We waited for Pat to arrive. He was under the assumption that we were leaving at 7 on the dot. A miscommunication that I'll take some blame for, (after re-reading the Facebook event page I made.) Eventually he arrived, and we were ready to roll out: Pat and I in the Tercel, Dave and Rod in Dave's ~'91 Explorer, and Eric in the Landcruiser, (we thought having a "support" rig would be prudent!)



I hand Rod the first challenge envelope and he reads it to us: "Congratulations on your choice to take the 2013 Ochoco Challenge! Over the course of the next few days, you'll be treated to breathtaking views, exciting roads, great food, and a series of challenges! Time to load up, your first challenge is 18 miles away!"



We all piled into our cars, and the troupe followed me out through Damascus to the Sandy Fred Meyer, where we all topped off with fuel. As we traveled east, the sky got darker, and we hit spots of rain and mist. This weighed on my mind, for I'd made the decision to go sans tent this year, opting for just a cot and my sleeping bag/shell. As we pulled into the very wet parking lot of Freddy's, Gob Bluth was in my mind: "I've made a huge mistake."

After fueling up, Dave read the next envelope:

"Greetings hardy wheel-men! For this challenge you must be efficient! Namely, you must burn as little fuel as possible to reach the overnight camping spot at Clear Lake, and on to Maupin the following morning, a total distance of 88.3 miles. You will refill at the lone gas station in Maupin and see how you stack up against the competition."

We left Sandy and the Explorer lead us just east of town to Calamity Jane's for dinner. Their website needs some work, but the burgers were good.

As we started to climb up 26, we pulled off at a weigh station for another challenge:

"Hello intrepid adventurers. Fortune favors the prepared. The team with the heaviest vehicle clearly has the most stuff, and as such, must be the most prepared. Weigh your vehicle, with team. Highest weight wins this challenge."

It was raining pretty hard at this point, so no one got out to take any pictures, but the tally was, in first place weighing in at 6200 lbs was the Landcruiser, 2nd, at 5100, the Explorer, and in third place, my packed to the gills, but still svelte, the superleggera-Tercel weighed in at 3200. I may have lost this challenge, but there was no way I'd lose the mileage challenge!

The rain slacked a bit after the Hwy 35 cutoff, and by the time we'd driven down to the shore of Clear Lake, (very popular that weekend!,) it was dark and wet. While the other guys set up the pair of tents, I found a big fir to set my cot up under. We sat by the fire for an hour or so, but eventually, the steady drizzle chased us to our beds.

Next: On to Maupin!

 

[Bill Beers]

Oregon: Ochoco Challenge 2013, June 21

Day 2, June 21, 2013.

Clear Lake to Maupin. Route.

It was still drizzling when I got out of my sleeping bag the next morning, and cold. Perfect weather for ducks, and not too bad for the rest of us.



My spot under the trees, (look to the left in the picture below,) kept me dry all night. I was up first, and got some photos of the camp.







My super wife helped me do all the food prep for this adventure, including biscuits and gravy. After boiling the first pot of water for coffee, (thank you Dave for bringing the French press!,) I kept the water on a low boil, placed a colander on top, put the biscuits in it, covered by a towel, and started heating the gravy on the other burner. In just about 10 minutes we had hot B & G with coffee, salt, pepper and Cholula to season it.







Readers with a discerning eye may notice what appears to be tempura paint all over the Tercel. It is indeed tempura paint. I let my daughters paint the car on Father's day, (they did everything the but the lightning bolt on the hood!) The girls had a lot of fun, and dared me to drive it to work, which I did, twice! One thing I didn't know about was how tempura paint gets sticky/tacky in the morning dew, or in our case, the steady drizzle on Mt. Hood. It made me wish I said "no" when they asked if they could paint the door handles.

We packed up and headed SE on Hwy 26, headed north on NF-43, and finally east on NF 48 to take us to the eastern edge of the Mt. Hood NF. We continued east through Wamic, (pop. 85,) and into Tygh Valley, where we turned north to take Shearar's Bridge Hwy, (216,) to the Deschutes River. After crossing to the east side of the Deschutes, we followed the BLM road, (paved, one-ish lane, 35 mph,) south to Maupin. Not a ton of rafters out this morning, but a few.



We crossed the Deschutes again in Maupin, and headed up the hill to fill up, and see who won the mileage challenge! Pat and I filled up first, taking ~4.5 gallons, putting us in first. In hindsight, I think I didn't get a total fill in Sandy the night before. Dave and Rod came in second with ~5.1 gallons burned. Eric in the big Toyota took slightly over 6 gallons.

While we were waiting for the other to fill up, (only one pump, w/two nozzles,) I spotted this modified VW bug for sale.





It's probably still for sale if there are any VW bug-pickup lovers out there.

Next: TSD challege!

 

[Bill Beers]

Oregon: Ochoco Challenge 2013, June 21, Maupin to Antelope TSD

Day 2, June 21, 2013.

Maupin to Antelope via Bakeoven Road. Route.

Dave, getting ready to read the next challenge.



"Hail and well met fellows! I trust you enjoyed your trip along the Deschutes! For you next challenge, you will become rally drivers! You will drive in a TSD, (time, speed, distance,) rally stage from your present location to Antelope, Oregon. Start your stopwatch when you pull onto the road, and stop it when you cross North Street in Antelope, (just past the old schoolhouse.) Second car goes 5 minutes after the
first, third car 5 minutes after the second. Attempt to average 50mph over the course. Don't roll it on the switchbacks heading down the hill into Antelope!!!!

Teams are penalized one point for every second they are early, or late. Team with the lowest score wins."

Eric, being no stranger to rally, and since he just lost the mileage challenge, agreed to go first. Pat and I were still playing around with the newest member of his family, a rescue dog named Commander Adama, when Dave and Rod informed us the five minute mark was rapidly approaching.





Pat and I got back in the car, fired it up, hit the start button on my cell's stopwatch, and started our TSD stage.



The climb out of Maupin was agonizingly slow in the Tercel. Back in '83, when it originally rolled off the assembly line, it was packing an "impressive" 62 horsepower. 30 years and 345K miles(!) later, I can only guess what it had. Clearly less! Many switchbacks leading up from the Deschutes kept our speed way off the 50 mph we were supposed to be averaging.



Once we were up on top, we were able to speed up, and make up some of the time we lost on the hill. We cruised steadily to to the intersection of Bakeoven Road and Hwy 97, where I stalled the Tercel out, and had to restart. It was at this point I noticed that something was up, in a bad way, with the Tercel's carburetor. It had always had a bit of a flat spot in the middle, but now that spot seemed much larger. The car would idle well, but would only get gas when I pushed the pedal down to at least 90%. This was awkward, and I was glad it only had <62 HP under the hood.

We drove through Shaniko, and soon found ourselves behind a tour bus. Luckily, this was central Oregon, no one was oncoming, and we could see for miles.



Soon we were at the switchbacks leading into Antelope/



As we rolled into Antelope, we saw Eric stopped on the side of the road ahead of us. We pulled in behind him, and very shortly after, Dave and Rod pulled in behind us. Eric's skills won him the day, Pat and I came in second, and Dave and Rod, in true Top Gear Clarkson fashion, completed the course as quickly as possible, netting them third!

Next: Trout Creek Road to Whistler CG!

 

[Bill Beers]

Oregon: Ochoco Challenge 2013, June 21, Antelope to Whistler CG

Day 2, June 21, 2013.

Antelope to Whistler CG via Trout Creek Road. Route.

We left Antelope heading SW on 293. About a mile outside of town we turned south on Tub Springs road, heading for Ashwood.



Things were going along swimmingly until we came to sudden halt. Both my Benchmark Oregon Atlas, (great atlas!,) and the Google Maps itinerary, that I'd loaded into the TomTom said the road continued south, when it did not in the real world!



We tried staring at the map, but that didn't work, so we headed back north to rejoin 293, and take that south to NE Pony Butte Road.



Paved, with lots of twists and turns, Pony Butte would be a lot of fun on two wheels.



Turning south at Ashwood put on on Trout Creek Road, which would bring us into the Ochoco NF. Trout Creek Road is dirt, with many signs stating local traffic only during heavy rain, and further south on the road, there is one that states it is flat out impassible in heavy rain. Luckily for us, even though it was overcast, the road was dry. And luckily for the two vehicles behind me, it had rained recently enough that the dust wasn't too bad.

The first water crossing was pretty short, and not too deep, (~6"-9",) but the second, (44.596727,-120.662811,) was much longer, (though not too much deeper,) and we stopped to let Pat walk ahead and take some pictures of us coming across.













I think I've put all the pictures I can in this post! I'll continue this in the next one.

 

[Bill Beers]

Oregon: Ochoco Challenge 2013, June 21, Antelope to Whistler CG

Continued.

Day 2, June 21, 2013.

Antelope to Whistler CG via Trout Creek Road. Route.

It was a lot of fun, and the Tercel did a great job. It has a granny low that be used when the 4WD is engaged. It was nice to be able to go through the creek slowly rather than blast through it. There are three more crossings on Trout Creek before it turns into NF-2725. Shortly after entering the NF, the road became a little slick, lots of wet dirt, and not too much gravel. The ruts became deep enough that it started giving the skid plate I'd fitted a workout.



The Tercel looks way small parked in between the other two.





I put my cot under a tree again to the right of the tent. Apparently they got pretty wet the previous night, and being without the fly, improvised!



These guys look up to no good!



I made spaghetti w/meat sauce, (and by that I mean I boiled noodles and reheated the sauce my wife made,) for dinner, and we killed it, no leftovers. Throughout the course of the afternoon, evening, three different pickups came down to see if our camp was occupied, (I'm assuming,) and headed back up the hill on seeing it was. A couple of the guys walked back down though. They were rock-hounds, searching for thundereggs. They showed us a big one they found when they stopped by on their way back up.

Next: Flat tires, lava fields, the tallest lookout in Oregon, cows!

 

[Bill Beers]

Oregon: Ochoco Challenge 2013, June 22, Whistler CG to Summit Road

Day 3, June 22, 2013.

Whistler CG to Summit Road. Route.

We rose later than expected, and by the time we'd eaten, packed up, and refueled, it was close to ten o'clock. Yours truly forgot to bring his funnel, so we had to pour off the jerry cans into a plastic can with the appropriately sized nozzle.







Here I am heading back to grab another 5-gallon jug to finish dousing the fire.



As we were bouncing along NF-27, heading for Hwy 26, I was telling Pat how fun it would be to try this trip in a Camaro. This was approximately 5 seconds before we bottomed out on a rock hard enough to bend my skid plate a little.

The bottoming out was followed shortly by a grande mud puddle!



We hit the pavement and headed just a little north to the Ochoco Divide campground to top off our water supply, but there is no water, potable or otherwise there. I knew there was water at Walton Lake, so we turned around and took 26 toward Prineville, turning east on FS-2630. Walton Lake was very poplular, lots of campers, kids riding their bikes, boats in the lake. The camp host pointed us to the water station, and was kind enough not to charge us the day use fee, ($5,) to fill up, even when we offered.

Back on the road, we headed south on FS-4210, skirting the west end of Big Summit Prairie. Turning east on FS-42 put us back on pavement, and wound us along the south edge of the Prairie, which is open range.



Not long after leaving the Big Summit Prairie, our route branched off to the north of FS-42, bringing us back into the forest part of the NF. Driving north on FS-350, we saw a heard of pronghorn, at least a dozen strong. I've never seen so many in one place! On seeing us, they didn't stick around long enough for me to get my Nikon out!

Eventually, our road lead to a three way fork: gravel to each side, and dirt straight ahead. We drove straight through on to FS-550. The rains earlier in the week had left many puddles on this road, and done nothing to soften it. The road started to get steep, as it lead up to the south end of the Broadway Lava fields.





Continued in next post.

 

[Bill Beers]

Oregon: Ochoco Challenge 2013, June 22, Whistler CG to Summit Road

Day 3, June 22, 2013.

Whistler CG to Summit Road. Route.

Continued.

Next up was a really hairy section. To this point, I'd been leading our merry crew on this adventure, but wanted to have someone in front to pull the Tercel up the next session if it couldn't do it under its own steam. Dave and Rob went first, and after a couple attempts, made it through the ruts and ledges out to the flat of the lava fields. Eric was next, making it look easy in the big Toyota.





Pat and I were next in the little Toyota. Remember that carb problem I'd mentioned? It hadn't gotten any better, so even in granny low, the ascent was a little quicker than I would have wished.













I hit a rock, hard, with the RF tire, bending the rim, and flatting the tire almost instantly. Significantly slowed, hitting the same rock with the RR tire managed to pinch-flat it, which made a funny noise going by for the guys watching.

Rod brought his video camera, and captured the moment:



Thanks to the beauty of editing, it appears as though I smashed the exhaust in the same encounter, but let me assure you, that was a couple miles later!

Rod also brought his floor jack, (shades of last year!,) so we made short work of swapping out the two tires on the roof for the two flat ones.

We traveled on through the lava fields, joining back up with FS-2630, which is pretty rough for a Tercel, as I found out almost immediately. The front end of the Tercel dropped out from under us and slammed down on the skid plate, (man I'm glad I did that!) The rear followed almost immediately, smashing the tailpipe between the tow hook and the rock I'd just driven over. I drove it a mile or so like that until we go to a wide place to break out the tools and pound it back open again.





Next: On to Wolf Mountain and Frazier CG.

 

[Bill Beers]

Oregon: Ochoco Challenge 2013, June 22, Summit Road to Frazier Campground

Day 3, June 22, 2013.

Summit Road to Frazier CG. Route.

With the Tercel slightly worse for the wear, we pressed on east, stopping at a quarry to do a little plinking and have lunch.

Many or the roads we traveled were freshly graded, and very smooth. NF-38 in particular was like a highway: I've seen more than one minivan on it!

NF-5840 took us up to the summit of Wolf Mountain, (~6500'.) The tower was not occupied for fire season yet, but we could still climb up to the landing just below the top.















We continued along FS-5840 descending along the southern edge of the Black Canyon Wilderness area, headed for our overnight camp site.

Dinner was baked potato, flank steak, beer and green beans. Delicious!

I did try my hand at pounding out the dented rim, but the ball peen wasn't cutting it. I still had one spare to go, so I gave up for the night.



Next: The long road home.

 

[Bill Beers]

Oregon: Ochoco Challenge 2013, June 23, Frazier Campground to Tualatin

Day 4, June 23, 2013.

Frazier CG to Tualatin. Route.

Our longest day ahead of us, we made coffee and ate leftover B & G, then set about packing. As we were finishing up, the skies opened up briefly and sprinkled on us. Soon we were on the road again, headed to the very eastern border of the Ochoco NF. We turned north and followed the South Fork of the John Day River North to Dayville, where I put more gas into the Tercel than I though it would hold, 10.5 gallons! The big Toyota would be good for the additional 114 miles to Madras.

Entering the S. Fork of the John Day canyon from FS-58.



We had a great time, some true challenges, and a hell of a lot of fun. I'm already planning next year's route in my head!

 

[mkitchen]

A great tour

Looks like all of you had a spirited adventure. You picked a nice forest to travel and it looks like you had perfect weather. It makes me miss my earlier years travelling in the Malheur.
Mikey

 

[LR Max]

This is awesome. Good job ya'll!

 

[Tamper84]

Very awesome!!! I'm going to have to move out west!!!

 

[G0to60]

Awesome trip! I've been trying to find a fire look out to see but all the ones I looked up were torn down or burned down. I'll have to check out that one sometime.

 

[steve c]

Great story! Thanks for taking the time to put it into words and pics for our enjoyment.

 

[Eniam17]

Great pictures and writeup. I love seeing that Tercel tackle the trails, not bad for $300 bucks!