Prineville definitely still had the smell of smoke this morning when I rode out of town. The plan was to make my way to the northeast through the Ochoco National Forest. About four miles into my climb out of town, a road closed sign appeared with a message saying local traffic only. I have seen these smaller signs in the past for road construction.

I continued on and soon I did indeed see a construction zone and assumed all was good, it is the weekend. However, the smoke continued to build and become thicker. Is that red on the horizon the sun coming up or a fire? About four miles after the sign, there sets a security truck completely blocking my lane.

The driver of the security truck looked asleep, but the passenger jumped out to talk to this bike rider thinking he is going somewhere. We compared maps and there was no doubt about it, I was turning around for sure.

Seems the fire was close by and in the forest I was heading. Back down to the intersection where I saw the sign and time to cut over to HWY 26 to head to Madras and then on HWY 97 towards Antelope. Two major highways in this part of Oregon.

I was lucky on HWY 26 as it was early and not much traffic. After a quick stop for something to eat in Madras, it was time to tackle the dreaded HWY 97. To my surprise and delight, the shoulder on HWY 97 was very large.

I made good time and soon was turning on a small road towards Antelope to join the route. The scenery on HWY 97 was amazing. I could see Three Sisters, Mount Jefferson and a little of Mount Hood behind a layer of smoke in the distance. These views made the detour feel just right and the road towards Antelope really put the icing on the cake.

Antelope is a Dark Sky community and the Antelope Basecamp in the center of town has numerous A frame cabins and places for RVs. Seems they have many programs they run during meteor showers that would definitely be worth coming back for with the family.

I soon arrived to Shaniko after climbing what has become my favorite climb of the entire trip out of Antelope. The hairpin turns during the climb were simply epic. Shaniko was soon on the horizon and a beacon in the distance.

Shaniko was in full economic force at the turn of the 20th Century when they were the largest inland port for the wool industry in the world. The Columbia Southern Railway had their southern terminus here when the industry was booming and William Moody had his warehouse ready to bring the stored wool from all over Central Oregon back to the Columbia River for further distribution.

The Shaniko Hotel I am staying at was finished being built by the Columbia Southern Railway by 1902. It has recently reopened after a twenty year hiatus. I am in room 15 of the 18 available and let me tell you, it is the highlight of this trip to be able to stay in such a place with so much rich history.

Just so happens, today is part of the Shaniko Days. There has been several events taking place ranging from mechanical bull riding, live music and for me, people watching. Priceless.

I moseyed on down the boardwalk to the cafe to have myself an elk burger with fries and a marionberry milkshake. As I waited for the food to be prepared, I talked with Doug. Doug was an elder barely able to walk with his walking stick, but when he started telling me about his time hiking in Glacier Park and the Grand Canyon, he was walking on water. He told me some stories of his month long expeditions when he was in his twenties.

He eventually said he should go find his wife, who had left the cafe a while back. I could tell it made his day to remember some of the best days of his life. Life is short, if you have the physical ability now to take on an adventure, do it without delay. Time slips by on you if you wait too long. Let’s go!