Part 3 –  Can Confirm, No Kangaroos on The Oregon Outback

Day: 6 – We’ll Cross That Bridge When We Come To It
Thursday, May 28, 2026

Distance: 45.9  miles (340.2 mi  total)
Skookum Rock Camp to Antelope (Link to Route)

We had 5 water crossings this morning. And because that wasn’t good enough for me I actually had 9. About 2 miles out of camp (on a sweet albeit shallow downhill mind you) I realized my mesh radio was missing.

• The mesh radio is a credit card sized device that we were experimenting with. It allows us to message without service albeit the range seems to be only around 1/4 mile out here with the low power antennas and without any other mesh radios nearby. It does have a map feature and we had it set up to send it’s location every 15 min (if it’s on at least) which is maybe useful to the tourers only but again, the range isn’t enough to share locations with loved ones. It was an experiment to try them this trip and our conclusion is that it probably isn’t worth getting for bike touring if you can’t think of another use for them, although they work better near cities where more people have their own.

I had remembered having my mesh radio at camp and was wondering if I had somehow left it on the table. Austin was able to confirm with the map feature that mine was not lost in a random bag on my bike somewhere but somewhere back the way we had come. So I dropped my paniers yet again and returned from whence I had just come to hopefully retrieve the radio while Austin stayed put. The hunt involved going back over 2 of the aforementioned water crossings.

Fortunately I didn’t have to go all the way back to camp, just most of the way. About 1.5 miles back I saw the device sitting in the mud in a spot that I had remembered sort of slipping at. I tucked the radio into a zipper pocket this time and returned down the hill and over those 2 water crossings to regroup with Austin.

After that mishap, the morning continued with a lovely downhill. We went through another cow pasture with more cows hanging out on the trail. They ran with us for a comical amount of time. “I’m a cowboy. On this steel horse I ride” came into our minds more than once. It was hilarious and a little terrifying when as we were riding chasing several cows, one of them got so excited it mounted another right in front of us! We had to ride past them and still the others continued running along the trail. The worst offenders were the ones who decided to shit while running directly in front of us though.

After some more riding we came up to some cool farm/construction machinery and paused for a second breakfast.  A little while later we found out the machinery belonged to some workers laying out fiber line for the people who lived out here. The work looked long, hard, and dirty, but I guess they had two years to do it. I told them they should have a big party for the day when everyone gets faster internet, I know I’d celebrate if it were me. They at least seemed like they didn’t hate their work. They even let Austin get in one of the machines.

We continued along and came to Ashwood, mostly known among cyclists for Frankie’s pit stop. There’s an honor fridge set up with soda, water, Gatorade, and the coveted ice cream. While stopped, the very light sprinkling we had just started to experience turned to a heavier rain so we decided we may as well have lunch there. While stopped, Frank the owner of the fridge came out. He was a very nice guy, apparently he has had the fridge for 6 years now and plans to keep it up as long as he’s there for any other crazy cyclists like ourselves. People like Frank are truly a blessing on some of these more remote trips!

The rain didn’t last too long, so after lunch we started our big climb for the day. It went from pleasant temperatures to hot real fast. I don’t know how accurate it is but my Garmin kept going between 86 and 96, and that 96 is definitely too hot for me. I was kind of regretting not riding in the rain.

About a mile from the top of the hill I decided I needed a longer rest so I whipped out my seat pad and sat under some shade to cool off. Upon looking backwards I realized Mt Jefferson had peaked out in the distance! Growing up in Oklahoma where it’s just the flat horizon in every direction I take a lot of joy in seeing and recognizing the larger snow covered peaks.

After what felt like ages I finally caught up to Austin at the “top” of the hill. After a long shade rest there we carried on with a long flat, some short downhills and rollers and a couple more uphills long enough for me to complain about.

Because of the temperature, that was the worst climb so far, but I’ll probably say that about every hill. I – like Andrew – don’t handle the heat too well which made this climb particularly difficult. Other folks however claimed that the riding today was their favorite. Crazy hill lovers.

The downhill into Antelope was amazing! At least I’ll give them that. It from the ridge was phenomenal. There were some cars along the highway but not too many even as we neared town.

In Antelope we’re staying at the new basecamp. They have A frame cabins and tent space. As well as all the amenities we could want. The cabins are even apparently repurposed from the Rajneeshpuram commune! (Look it up if you’re unfamiliar with this, it’s quite the story: conflicts between the group and locals led to the largest bioterrorism attack in the United States!)

At the Basecamp we ran into Robyn again who had gotten ahead of us when we took the detour to do Stein’s pillar. The other two folks she had been on and off riding with called it the night before so she had decided to take a rest day at the swanky basecamp before leaving Antelope.

Austin and I snagged the last cabin because price wise it made sense and Robyn mentioned a bad storm coming in. Then we were able to take showers, what a luxury, before making dinner in the outdoor shared space.

While eating two more tourers rolled up. They had reserved cabins and had a support friend joining them out here as well. Then four more tourers. Party tonight! We were offered beers and chatted for a bit until the weather took a sudden turn on us. Wind, lightning, and heavy rain all came down in every direction causing those of us with cabins to retreat to their safety. The last 4 tourers who had intended to camp gathered under one of the awnings in hopes of staying dry and out of the wind. I do not envy them but they seem to be making the best of their situation.

As the weather ebbed and flowed folks would sneak out of their cabins to chat but I eventually decided I was done with that dance and retreated to bed. Everyone marveled at the intensity of the storm, some describing it as “biblical”. Considering we don’t usually get any lightning in Oregon it was certainly an extreme event and I was very thankful it came this night and not any of the previous nights we had been out with just our tents.

With our arrival in Antelope, I can now say that technically I have ridden the entire Oregon Outback. And, if all goes to plan tomorrow I’ll be able to say I’ve done it in one shot.

By the Numbers:

Ice Creams Consumed: 1 – Ashwood honor fridge to the rescue!  (4 total)
Reptiles spotted: 1- dead snake. Although Austin and I were in disagreement if the 2 we saw in the road the other day were dead or alive (30 total)
Discarded Beer Cans: 21 – but honestly I’ve struggled to keep track at this point (88 total)
Other Bike Tourers: 6 (13 total)
Bike Mechanical: 2 – Another chain drop for Austin and one of his water bottle lids broke, and on a ride like this I’m counting that as a mechanical (10 total)

Day: 7 – Can We Skip to the Good Part?
Friday, May 29, 2026

Distance: 68.7 miles (408.9mi total)
Antelope to the Columbia River Gorge (Link to Route)

Antelope Basecamp has a nice shared space with free tea and coffee which also meant I could use their kettle instead of my stove to make my oatmeal. Apparently it’s a dark sky approved facility, so had it not been crazy lightning storming last night it’d be a great spot for star gazing! The 4 tourers that were camping had ended up sleeping in that shared space instead of being washed away in their tents. They got an early start on us and headed out, but we chatted with some of the others in the morning.

Our ride started off with a big climb out of Antelope. It was a 70 mile day, but once we got past that first hill it should be easy and mostly downhill. What a nice way to finish a hard ride. *Ironic foreshadowing*.

As I was trudging along up the hill I saw Austin on the switch backs in the distance going what seems way too fast. It didn’t take long for me to realize he was going down, not up. Did he forget something? Is he crazy?! Zoom. He was past me.

Then he passed me back on the uphill and I shout “are you just doing this for fun?!” His response: “paved downhill switchback with a bank, you don’t get that very often!” And he made a chef’s kiss. He did the switchback part of the hill one more time while I rested at the top. Fully loaded every time mind you. He really is crazy. Granted I suppose some of my readers think that about me doing this trip so I guess we’re all a little bit crazy.

Once we finally made it to the top of the hill, I was happy to see both Mt Hood and Mt Adams were visible. The morning light left a cool glow on them with the overcast skies.

Once we made it to Shaniko, Robyn, having left a little after us, caught up to us. Nothing in town was open that early in the day so we just took a few photos, used the bathroom and topped off water before carrying on.

From Shaniko to Kent our downloaded route let us down again. It had some mysterious road that supposedly paralleled the highway. But in attempting to find it the road clearly did not exist. Highway shoulder it is. We took the highway north to the town of Kent (the town that had saved A&I with water on our ride 3 years prior). The normal Outback route does take the highway shoulder for a bit as well, so we basically just go back on the route.

At first the highway riding was really nice, we were speeding along with a slight downhill. Austin was having fun pumping his arm to get the semis to honk for him. But the novelty grew old on me and I was ready to not be stuck in the shoulder. The wind was starting to pick up as well and I was craving silence instead of the hum of traffic. You know the relief you get when you’ve been sitting by a loud AC that turns off? That’s the feeling I wanted. 

The miles trudged on and I was getting grumpier and grumpier. (This is also where I saw started to see a ton of discarded beer cans not helping my mood). I probably wasn’t eating enough, but there was nowhere pleasant to stop. To top it off I’m sure I flashed some drivers going to the bathroom in a ditch near the one tree I could find. It was vast it was windy and I was ready to be off the horrid highway. New least favorite part of the ride unlocked.

We paused in the town of Kent, which isn’t really a town so much as a street with some houses a post office and a church down the way. But it gave us a place to disconnect from the highway for a bit and to eat some food. Robyn caught up to us again and joined us for the break.

Finally we’d be off the highway and I’d be back to enjoying myself again. I kept convincing myself it would get better in just a little bit right after this. After we got off the highway. After eating. After we got on the gravel. After that turn out of the headwind. After. After. It never got better.

I was pissed and angry and hating life. I just wanted to be done with the ride (but I still wanted to FINISH the ride- I’m stubborn like that apparently). My legs were strong. But my mind was not.

I remember when Andrew and I had done this part of the ride in 2023 and it was hot, but the mountains had been out and it had been so beautiful.  Now, Mt Hood was hiding his face behind the clouds. He would poke out a bit for a moment in what I personified as him just checking to make sure I was still suffering. I felt betrayed.

Mt Adams on the other hand was my north star. He still had clouds behind him so he didn’t stand out like 3 years ago. But he was definitely always out for me. We would crest a hill and I would see him and get a wave of determination to keep going. He helped me carry on.

At some point the road curved to the east. The only redeeming part of the day was that 1 mile of tailwind we got. Oh how different the day could have been. Alas the road turned north again and like a switch had been flicked I was instantly miserable again.

I looked up the weather at one point on my phone just to see how bad things were. We were under a wind advisory with up to 30mph east blowing winds. That made me feel a little better, justifying my misery.

I shed a lot of tears this day and cursed at the wind, and Mt Hood for hiding. At one point the wind veered me off track and I came to a stop and just hunched over my handlebars in complete desperation. Why did the universe hate me so?! I eventually gathered the composure to catch Austin at the top of a nearby hill and with 20 miles to go I shouted as I passed “I’m not stopping unless the wind makes me stop”.

Well I suppose a hill could make me stop too. We had one last steep climb to finish the route. I walked. The hill turned to the west. Maybe the hill would at least block the headwind? Nope. So I continued walking up the hill.

At 15 miles to go a pickup truck passed offering me a ride. I resisted. I was going to make it to the Columbia River. By this point Andrew had offered to pick me up at the highway intersection so I wouldn’t have to ride directly into the headwind to the Deschutes River County Park (the official end). The river was a good enough ending for me. I’ve ridden that highway into a headwind before. It sucks!

All along this route we had been talking about the downhill of the last day and how rewarding and glorious it would be. Where was my sweet downhill? The wind ruined that too. Either the cross wind would be so scary you’d slide across the gravel and worry it would take you off the road, or it’d turn into a headwind stealing any speed and making it seem like you weren’t actually going downhill at all.

The last bit of riding was through a canyon that should have been a beautiful descent, and it was beautiful at least, but the eastward wind was funneled into a stronger headwind straight up the canyon. Austin, who had a much better last day mentally, later remarked he was going downhill on the paved road pedaling with all his might and still was only going 10mph.

I was happy to see Andrew at my arbitrary finish line, but mostly I felt numb upon completion. I’m glad I completed the route, or at least I think I am. But the satisfaction did not override the frustration I was feeling. The goal of these trips is to have fun, not necessarily to finish, and in that regard I felt defeated. Maybe once I’m more removed from the experience the second order fun will take over, but damn! What a terrible way to end a ride!

By the Numbers:

Ice Creams consumed: 0 (4 total)
Reptiles spotted: 5 –  1 dead frog (not actually a reptile), 2 dead snakes. (Austin even took a rattle souvenir), 1 definitely alive snake, and 1 undetermined condition snake (35 total)
Discarded Beer Cans: 132 – I had to force myself to stop looking down because it was so depressing. I should have only counted keystones as was suggested but the trip started off with so few beer cans, how was I to know!? There were probably 10-15 Keystones total. Coors light seemed to be the worst offenders. Austin picked up several cans to throw away, he wishes he had kept track but it was probably also around 15 usually he’d only carry 2-3 at a time until he could find a trash can but by the end of today he had 6 or 7! (220 total)
Other Bike Tourers: 4 – I feel like we saw them pretty late in the day heading south, I hope they got where they were going!  (17 total)
Bike Mechanical: 0 – none that I’m aware of! But Austin was ahead of me most of the day so maybe he had another chain drop or two. (10 total)
Flats: 0! – I can count those now that we’re safely home.

Final Thoughts

The Outback route was beautiful, but it was hard. I’ve met several folks who have done the route multiple times but I don’t really see myself doing it again. Maybe if Andrew wants another go at it and if enough time had passed I would, but for now I’m thinking our next bike trip will be something easy with lots of sleeping and water options. And hopefully, a lot more protected from the wind. I’ll definitely choose somewhere with a lot more opportunities for ice cream!

Had the route ended in Antelope I would probably be gushing about how amazing the whole trip was, so don’t let my last day’s misery deter you from trying. I do think everyone should get a chance to experience Eastern/Central Oregon by bike. There’s something about experiencing the vastness from a bicycle that you just don’t get from a car or even hiking. But, for me I think it’s a one and done kind of beauty, at least for the hard parts.

Summary:

Favorite Part of the Trip: Hiking to Steins Pillar

Favorite Part of Bikepacking.com’s Route: cresting the hill and seeing Fort Rock in distance. With the Crooked River Canyon just south of Prineville at a close second

Least Favorite Part: The Last day. Basically from Shaniko onward, that suffering was not necessary. (If I were to be talked into doing the route again I would advocate for cutting through Maupin and taking the Barlow Road back to town unless we’re really lucky with the weather). That last day can be beautiful I know it, but in my opinion the wind is not worth it.

Hardest Terrain for Me: Red Sauce section north of Fort Rock (but at least there you could see the adversary!)

Water: In terms of water capacity, I ended up carrying around 4L of water (with the ability to carry up to 6 on that longer stretch). I never got low on water but I also am not upset with having carried extra. I think I tend to drink more water than other cyclists, and it was overall cooler than expected. Water was the thing Andrew and I had been most concerned about so I wanted to share where I had landed!

Riding Stats: 408.9 mile total with 58 mi/day average. 18,484ft of climbing – so a 2640ft daily average.