Biking Oregon's OC&E Woods Line State Trail

At 105 miles, the OC&E Woods Line State Trail is Oregon’s longest trail.  It follows the right-of-way of the Oregon, California, and Eastern Railway. Construction began in 1917 and by 1923 the line ran from Klamath Falls to the Sprague River, and six years later reached Bly. Logging camps and spur railroads followed and the trains often carried a million board feet of pine logs to the four mills each day!

Two railroads, the Southern Pacific and Great Northern/Burlington Northern jointly operated the line from 1925 to 1974 when Weyerhauser took over operations until the late ‘80s.  In 1992, Oregon Parks and Recreation took over.

Starting at Washburn Way in Klamath Falls, the trail is now paved to Olene about mile post 8.5. 

I parked at the Highway 39 parking lot and biked to mile 14, passing through agricultural land and seeing cattle and other livestock, sagebrush, and juniper, returned, and then biked through the residential area to the start of the trail (seen below.)  I did 28 miles (14 out and back) but there are about 90 miles miles I didn’t cover!

These cute rest benches dot the trail...

After crossing Highway 39, you leave the city section and hit rural, agricultural land with vistas of mountains in the distance...

At Olene, the trail becomes dirt/gravel combination suitable for mountain and hybrid bikes, walkers and runners, equestrians, and cross country skiers. At Olene, the trail is really rough for a few hundred feet, but persevere because it gets a bit better. Though seemingly rough, out of the 140+ trails I’ve biked over the years, I’ve been on many trails in far worse shape, usually trails that get high snowmobile use in the winter, which isn’t allowed here. You’ll pass through cattle gates with signs that direct you to close them behind you. 


Olene also offers a small store if you are in need of refreshment.


Just past Olene you’ll see this unusual sight -- the canal and flume of the Klamath Reclamation Project crosses over the Lost River on a bridge!  I’ve only seen that twice,  both in Illinois, where a river crosses the Illinois & Michigan Canal Trail, and again where the Hennepin Canal crosses a river.

Parking is available at the start, south of 6th/Hwy 39, along Crosby between Washburn Way and Altamont, and also along Wiard Park between Kane and Wiard.  Another lot is located where the trail crosses Hwy 39 on the east end of town. Click to enlarge map...

Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake was created by the eruptions of Mount Mazama 7700 years ago, eruptions that were 42 times more devastating than the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980. Mt. Mazama's eruption blanketed 5000 square miles over what is now eight states and three Canadian provinces with six inches of ash.  In the park’s Pumice Desert, ash is over 50 feet deep and the eruption produced over 150 times as much ash as Mt. St. Helen.

Crater Lake National Park became a national park in 1902. At 1943 feet deep, it is the deepest lake in the USA and one of the deepest in the world. It is also one of the cleanest and most pristine in the world because it has been filled by only rain and snowmelt. Snow now blankets the landscape for eight or nine months of the year making for a short growing season. The elevation of the lake is 6173 feet.

Everyone is awed by the intense blue of the water.  Since all water is from rain and snow, the lake is pristine.  Light gets absorbed color by color as it passes through the clear water. First the reds go, then orange, yellow, green, and lastly the blue.  Only the deepest blues get scattered back to the surface which is why the lake is a vibrant blue, but of course never more blue that the sky.

No streams run into or out of Crater Lake making it a closed ecological system. The lake level is only reduced by evaporation and a little leakage. Two species of fish populate the lake, rainbow trout and kokanee salmon, and both are remainders from the six species introduced here way back in history.  I drove the entire loop road and here are some additional photos from different perspectives...

Wizard Island is a 316 acre volcanic cinder cone which forms this island at the west end of the lake. It reaches 755 feet above the average water surface and is 6933 feet above sea level.

Streams do run down drainages on the outside slopes of the mountains, as seen in this photo below from a lovely hike I took along Annie's Creek Canyon Trail,which provides the drinking water for the park. In 1931, one of the world's largest western white pine trees was found in this canyon, measuring 31 feet in circumference and estimated to be 1000 years old. The creek is named in honor of the first woman to descend to Crater Lake.

This waterfall is seen along the road descending the south side of the mountain.

Biking Oregon's Row River Trail

The paved Row (as in cow) River Trail runs for 16 miles.  It follows the right-of-way of the Oregon, Pacific, and Eastern Railway which started in 1902 and carried ore and logs and later passengers, and was acquired by the Bureau of Land Management in 1994 and developed into recreational use.

It runs along and gives outstanding views of the scenic shoreline of Dorena Reservoir and dam as well as the Row River.  Legend has it that two ranchers fought (had a "row") over grazing rights back in the 1850s, giving the river its name.

The paved trail in good condition. You can start in the town of Cottage Grove, but the trail basically follows Mosby Creek Road, so starting at the Mosby Creek Road lot gets you right into the good scenery. (Click to enlarge map.)

The trail runs gradually uphill from each end, with the highest point being just higher than the Dorena Dam.  When you reach the dam, look for a gravel path that heads uphill a bit more to get you over a rise, and then takes you to an overlook above the dam and lake, providing this view...

The section along Lake Dorena and leading to it is glorious, putting this trail in my top 10 for scenic beauty of the 140+ trails I’ve biked across the country.

Two lovely covered bridges add to your enjoyment, one spanning Crosby Creek and other the Row River (built in 1920 and 1925.) Both are near the trail and easily accessible.  

Access:

From I-5 in Cottage Grove take Exit 174 toward Dorena Lake. At the end of the offramp, turn east on Row River Road. Drive one mile east on Row River Road and then turn right on Currin Conn Road. Immediately after this turn take a quick left on Mosby Creek Road. Go two miles southeast on Mosby Creek Road and then turn left on Layng Road. Just after this turn take a quick left into the Mosby Creek Trailhead parking lot.

Parking is also provided at several lots along the lake, accessed via Row River Road.

Kayaking the Lower Columbia River: A Road Scholar Program

This program was held in Skamokawa, Washington (pronounced ska-mock-away) which lies 34 miles up-river from the Pacific Ocean. The water here is under tidal influence but is not brackish. Our guides from Columbia River Kayaking, Andrew Emlem, Mark Whitaker, and visiting guide Santiago, were highly skilled and exceptionally professional, informative, and helpful. Here we cross the main channel of the river, and the magnificence of the surrounding hills is clearly evident. Each morning had low-lying fog and a bit of a chill, but the sun soon burned it off and warmed us. The water temperature was 70 degrees.

Several of our routes took us on backwaters or sloughs, where river traffic was minimal and wildlife was more evident. National wildlife refuges abound here, protecting the habitat for hundreds of species of fauna and flora.

On our paddle around Welch Island and up Red Slough, we stopped for a hike at the Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge, set aside to protect the endangered Columbian White Tailed deer.

On our non-kayaking day, we drove to the Pacific Ocean at Cape Disappointment and toured the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center which is perched atop a 200 foot high cliff with marvelous views of the mouth of the Columbia. The Center relates the story of the Corps of Discovery's journey using interactive displays, artwork, and replicas.

Here we are hiking the nearby two-mile Coastal Forest Loop Trail to another glorious Pacific overlook.

Below are guides Mark and Santiago standing and balancing -- each with one foot on each kayak. Santiago also stood in his boat, balancing a paddle on his head, while he juggled three balls.  Mark is an expert at rolling his kayak, which he demonstrated for us numerous times (because that's how he cools himself on warm days!)  There are over 40 official "competition" rolls and he performed a number of them for us during the "Kayak rolls and rescues" session (which will be available on YouTube soon with a link here.)

Music was a large component of this program. Our guide, Andrew, is a classical cellist and also plays guitar, banjo, violin, and jews harp, all of which he played for us. His group, Willapa Hills,  performed folk songs of the Columbia-Pacific Region for us, many written by members of the group.  Below are (l to r) Kerrie McNally, Jennifer Hanigan, Andrew Emlen, Fern Fey, Jessica Fletcher, and Sunrise Fletcher.

Andrew returned to entertain and inform us again with his friend, professional violinist/fiddler Jeffrey Reynolds, in a program entitled "Corelli to Cruzatte: Music of the Lewis and Clark Era." The first half (complete with formal attire of the era) featured the classical numbers Thomas Jefferson admired, with selections by Corelli, Bach, and Haydn...

...and after a break to change clothes, they returned portraying Pierre Cruzatte and George Gibson, two members of the Lewis and Clark expedition who were fiddlers ...

Excerpts from these performances are shown on the video.

Here's the entire group of intrepid paddlers, taken at Dismal Nitch where Lewis and Clark had to wait out strong seas near the Pacific...

(L to r) front row: Mary, Mary Ellen, Rosie, Nancy, Anne, Andrew (guide)

            2nd row kneeling: Marsha, Harriet, Gay, Roger, Jeff

            Back row standing: Naomi, Judy, Gary, Chuck, Jan, Don  

Accomodations for this program were at two exceptional local Bed and Breakfast establishments:

The Inn at Lucky Mud, run by Sunrise and Jessica Fletcher who are pictured above in the band photo, and here is their inn...

The Inn at Crippen Creek Farm, run by Don and Kitty Speranza, is pictured here...

Here's a video of our week's activities, including the kayaking, hiking, musical performances, and more...




Mark and Andrew demonstrated a number of kayak rolls. kayak rescues, and kayak self-rescues...





Columbia River Kayaking

Additional photos can be found here

Chuck's other Road Scholar/Elderhostel active, outdoor programs are available here.


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Biking Eugene, Oregon's Riverbank Path

Eugene, Oregon's Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path System consists of four connecting trails: North Bank 4.6 miles, South Bank 2.6 miles, East Bank 2.8 miles, and West Bank 2.1 miles. The four trails and five bike/pedestrian bridges offer a scenic 12 mile loop ride up one side of the Willamette River and down the other through various parks and points of interest or any combination you want to try. Those bridges give you a lot of options. 

Here are the mileages and the sites you can reach on each trail segment:

The trail also gives you access to the University of Oregon on the South Bank portion and the football stadium on the North Bank portion.

The beautiful river is seen in many places along the trail. The South Bank trail has several brief segments through residential areas, and in 2011, construction had a section closed. Another closure affects the trail under I-5.

Several scenic wooded areas are also on the route and make you forget you are in an urban area...

...and another segment parallels "Pre's Trail" named for the legendary local hero, Steve Prefontaine, who devised this four mile chip trail through Alton Baker Park.

West Bank Path starts at the Greenway Ped/Bike Bridge in Maurie Jacobs Park (Polk St. Park on Google Maps) and runs north along the western bank of the Willamette River to the Owosso Ped/Bike Bridge. 

Jacobs Park has a small parking lot at the end of Fir Lane. From the intersection of the NW Expressway and River Rd., take River Rd. north 0.12 miles (2nd right) to Fir Lane. Turn right/east onto Fir Lane and go to the end. Take the path out to the river and find the dual colored mile marker. All the trails are color coded and here the West Bank and South Bank trails meet, so the marker shows both colors. 


I biked a block from my motel on Broadway to Hilyard and crossed the railroad tracks on the access path.