RED SAUCE Not all gravel roads are created equal, and those along the Oregon Outback run the whole gamut. Riding off road takes us beyond the beaten path and away from traffic. The added tire resistance is generally accompanied by an increase in solitude and improved scenery, but it was difficult to appreciate any of that while riding through the Deschutes National Forest. The roads throughout the forest are composed of a thick, red layer of fine volcanic rock, and riding on them felt like pedaling in sand. I reluctantly took a friend’s advice and switched out my front tire to the widest I could fit just two days before the event. I had no regrets the moment my tire hit the Deschutes National Forest, and I did what I could to pedal along in a low gear through the fine gravel sludge. To complicate matters, the surface wasn’t a uniform thickness, which left me playing the “gravel is more packed on the other side of the road” game. The search for a harder surface can be fruitless as you venture for an easier path, but never find one. I could see that I wasn’t alone in this pursuit; the fine pumice had preserved the tire tracks of riders before me, swerving across the road in search of a better line. Sometimes those tire tracks were followed by footprints, evidence that someone had been deceived and defeated. All this was made more challenging by the extra water weight we carried through the 70-mile dry stretch from Fort Rock to the Crooked River. Earlier in the day, our group was feeling great and had entertained the idea of maximizing the late Pacific Northwest light. We aimed to ride far into the warm evening to get closer to the next water source, but by the time we got to the campground at Sand Spring the sun was setting, our legs and morale were exhausted, and we decided to call it a day, set up camp, and unwind by the fire.
Bunyan Velo 139