The Oregon Cascades 100 was my excuse for a trip to the PNW… but a visit to Oregon doesn’t really require an excuse. It was my first time to the state, and I am now a firm believer that it is seriously underrated. Being the middle child between California and Washington isn’t easy, but IMHO Oregon has it all. Coastline! Rainforest! Desert! Carbs! Basically everything one needs.

My noble steed for the week, and mobile base camp for the race, was a van rented from Road Trip Oregon. After starting the trip with some yum coffee at Water Avenue Coffee and sandwiches at Lardo with industry pals, I headed east along the Columbia River Scenic Byway to Hood River. I stopped to stretch my legs at some waterfalls, and wandered down towards the water to watch kitesurfers and eat tacos. I tested the van’s transmission on the drive up to Rowena Crest. I settled into camp underneath some huge Douglas Firs thoroughly contented with the adventure… and it was only a few hours in!

The next morning I headed south to Mount Hood with a stop for more baked goods and coffee. My goal was to hike the Ramona Falls Trail, and while there was a semidirect driving route, what fun would that be?? I stopped at Hood River Lavender Farm along the way (smelled real nice) then banged a right onto a forest road for an alternate route that looked totally fine in Google Maps. Well, totally not fine… was basically driving on sketchy dirt roads for 2 hours with 0 service in a surprise rainstorm. I became 100% sure I was going to lose an axel on a pothole and become Bigfoot’s breakfast. Somehow, I made it through to tell the tale and can solidly place that experience in the “well, that was a dumb idea that could have been bad!” file.

The past year or so, I have been using an app called AllTrails for hiking. A feature I like is that users will post their recordings; I will look at a bunch and gauge average hike times. Folks can also leave reviews, which is useful to understand recent trail construction, unpassable tree blowdowns, etc.

I was checking out Ramona Falls on AllTrails a few days before my hike, and I found this review. I’m going to copy and paste it along with some nice photos of the hike… you can decide for yourself what to think.

“On Sunday, August 15, my girlfriend and I decided to hike this trail close to sunset. We have been here a couple of times before and it was great, however, I struggle to explain the circumstances we found ourselves in as the sun came down. We made it to the river crossing before realizing it was getting dark, and so we sat and enjoyed the sounds and sights for a bit before heading back. I’m not a superstitious person, but as the sun was coming down on our walk through the forest, we took notice of a bird acting quite unusual, clearly displaying signs of great distress.”

“We stopped to try to figure out what was happening. As the bird flew away erratically chirping, we took no more than 3 steps before hearing and feeling what can only be described as paranormal activity inches behind our heads. My instinct was to wield my hydroflask for protection, but as we turned around in bewilderment, there was nothing there. My girlfriend was terrified. We began to book it, when the sound rang out directly behind us again. It sounded like a UFO, honestly.”

“We whipped around and there was absolutely NOTHING behind us, no animal, no person. We heard the sound a total of 4 times on our terrified hike out. Another hiker who left after us got so scared, they fired a gun in the general direction of the sound. We both knew the sound was otherworldly, like a propulsion device, but no noise during ascent or descent, simply an out-of-this-world sound. This happened 4 times, we were NOT being pranked, but I cannot begin to rationalize this situation. Please avoid during dusk/night fall, as whatever it was, we did not get good vibes at all.”

So. WTF??? Was it an alien? Was this AllTrails user on shrooms? Would YOU fire a gun in the general direction of a sound? I hiked this trail about a week after the alleged extraterrestrial event, and have nothing to report. To keep with the spooky vibes, though, I did visit the Timberline Lodge, where they filmed the exterior shots for The Shining.

I had the roadside ramen I never knew I needed for dinner, then camped again in the National Forest. The next morning I drove through Warm Springs Reservation, which was a complete switch to the high desert. I had a nice pit stop at Painted Pony Expresso en route to the big destination: Bend! Race weekend is covered here, but I do have to shout out to Crux Fermentation Project, Sisters Coffee, and Boone Dog Pizza, which were all great places to spend a few lovely hours catching up with good people. Sisters, OR is a special spot, and I was grateful to tag along on Spogs’ ultramarathon adventure there.

The race queen!

After sleeping like the actual dead on Sunday night, I packed up and headed west. I stopped in Eugene for lunch with some bike-world all stars and had the best latte of the trip at Vero Espresso House. I was lagging a bit after a fun-filled couplea days, and one Vero latte and two ibuprofen not only cured me but TURBOCHARGED me, which was great because I was about to hit the best driving of the week.

Route 126 West was a dream that got better and better as I made my way to Cape Perpetua. I stopped at the Sea Lion Caves which were sea-lion-less but still a fun stop with a cliffside elevator. I can’t really tell you where else I stopped because I just followed my little roadtripping heart and pulled over wherever there was a nice-lookin cove or a sign for something like Thor’s Well.

I had a tasty little seafood fry at Luna Sea Fish House in Yachats (heh), and caught the tail end of the day over the Pacific Ocean.

The next morning, my weather luck ran out as I rolled north to catch my red-eye. I stopped at the rainy Tillamook Creamery (Ben and Jerry’s is better, let’s fight about it), then transitioned to a Goonies tour through Ecola State Park and Astoria.

I scarfed down a tasty Korean BBQ sando at Sasquatch Sandwich Shop, then barreled on back to Portland to turn in my van and meet up for some farewell beers. I avoid redeyes wherever humanly possible because I am a princess, but this one was well worth it.

This trip filled me right up with appreciation for time outside, tasty food, and good conversation. Oregon, you have my heart!!!

oregon road trip (featuring aliens?)

summer send off

the oregon cascades 100 mile race