Story & photos by Wendy Newton
Coastal prairies, mountain forests, high deserts: Oregon has it all, the perfect venue for a three-day, border-to-border road trip. My ride, a 2017 Indian Springfield I named “Big Red,” tips the scales at 862 lb with a full tank and outweighs me 7-to-1, so it had my attention and respect. I filled the hard bags and strapped a gear bag over the passenger seat.
Nervous and excited, I rode from Vancouver, Washington, south down Interstate 5 to Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Exit 278 dropped me onto a 10-mile wooded winding country road, a welcome relief. It leads to Oregon’s earliest settled area, the French Prairie, established in the early 1800s by French fur trappers. Its forests, fields, and wetlands are still pristine, peaceful, and protected with the help of several state parks. Champoeg State Heritage Area is a popular place to camp and butts up to the Willamette River. A short, 6-mile ride past colossal cottonwoods and dense Douglas firs down State Route 219 and over the Willamette took me to St. Paul. This is a small cowboy town that gets really big around the Fourth of July, when it hosts one of the largest annual pro rodeos in the country.
Leaving St. Paul, I headed south on River Road, a rambling, scenic country byway along the Willamette River leading to Keizer, and then another short blast south on I-5 to Albany. I started a clockwise coastal loop before heading east up into the Cascade Range. Albany and the small towns along the loop are filled with historic districts, buildings, monuments, and many covered bridges. Albany is the largest city on the route and has 700 historic brick buildings. Leaving Albany, I took U.S. Route 20 west across the Willamette over the steel-truss Lyon Street Bridge. Corvallis was the next town, and a cruise through its downtown is a step back in time, with elaborate murals, a retro-styled Greyhound bus station, and the towering Italianate-styled Benton County Courthouse.
U.S. 20 narrows and meanders westward through groves of Oregon white oak and old-growth big leaf maples flanked by wildflowers and blueberry meadows. There were few stoplights along the way as I serenaded the Springfield along, shifting easily between 3rd and 4th gears. At the highway’s end, the crisp, cool ocean air slapped me awake. Arriving at Newport, this historic Victorian fishing village is a buzzing cultural hub with its aquarium, whale watching, and large coastal parks. Bayfront meals with views of Yaquina Bay Bridge, seals sunning, and fishing boats can be found here. The seafood, saltwater taffy, and beer-filled truffles are wonderful.
Northbound Pacific Coast Highway (U.S. Route 101) was packed with weekend tourist traffic. The salty ocean mist felt invigorating, as did the slightly cold head wind that kept me alert. I stopped along the coast and caught silvery glimpses of whales breaching at two of the many scenic turnouts, Devil’s Punchbowl and Rocky Creek, before heading east and inland on State Route 18 to McMinnville. Valleys west of the Cascades in Oregon are cooled by the ocean air and are ideal for wine grapes, especially pinot noir. The vast vineyards and rolling hills make Yamhill County, 76 miles from Newport, a popular ride. I tailed a pack of Harleys riding at a quick clip as I neared Amity, finding the 5th of the Springfield’s six gears for the first time. Amity is a few miles south of the fork of State Routes 18 and 99W, where the Coelho Winery offers tours of its vineyard.
Completing the coastal loop, I continued south on State Route 99W to State Route 22 eastbound, zigzagging south from Stayton to Lebanon, taking small roads canopied by tall trees, passing turn-of-the-century country homes and covered bridges. I caught U.S. 20 eastbound and quickly climbed more than 4,000 feet up the Tombstone and Santiam passes. The ride up the mountain became a race against the quickly setting summer sun, and I was impressed with Big Red’s nimbleness as I rode it harder into the corners and forgot I was on a big bike. After 118 miles through the Menagerie Wilderness and cresting the summit of the Cascade Range, I arrived at the small ski town of Sisters. Giggling in my helmet, I had beaten the sunset and settled down at the Sisters Bunkhouse for the night.
Fresh the next day and still thinking about that splendid ride up U.S. 20, with its perfectly pitched curves and stunning vistas at every turn, I went in search of more fun. Armed with my map and highlighters, I found the Sisters Coffee Company. Fueled by a double macchiato, I worked up the courage to interrupt a round table of retired cowboys, riders, authors, gearheads, and tinkerers during their morning chinwag for advice about the best route to the Oregon-Idaho border. They kindly obliged with a scenic route off the beaten path. I was also directed to the Gallery Restaurant and Bar for breakfast, where I met a local KTM adventure rider who added a few more points of interest, stressing a stop at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.
Five miles east of Sisters on State Route 126, the terrain and temperature quickly warmed as the elevation dropped. As instructed, I took a left at Holmes Road onto a rough crowned asphalt road paralleling groomed green pastures and alpaca farms. Then right onto Lower Bridge Road, which climbs over the Deschutes River, undulating in elevation and curving around like a slow roller coaster offering views of Mount Jefferson and the Mutton and Ochoco ranges. Soon I arrived at U.S. Route 97 in Terrebonne and headed north, passing the town of Madras to stay right onto State Route 293 past Antelope and onto State Route 218 to Clarno. The climate was warm and dry, 90 degrees, pleasant during summer with grasses, cacti, and willow trees.
Crossing the Clarno Bridge took me over the inviting dark blue John Day River. This area has deep canyons, old-growth ponderosa pines, and Native American pictographs. The area is arid and desert-like, with sagebrush, juniper, and tall, sweeping red rock canyons. This is especially so near the town of Fossil, named after the numerous fossil beds in this volcanic ash area. I stopped at one, the Clarno Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, for a walk in what was a tropical rainforest 40-50 million years ago. Afterwards, I mounted up and pressed on through the curvy, calescent rock canyons on State Route 19, meeting up again with the John Day River, which demanded a swim. The Service Creek Stage Stop offers raft rentals, cold drinks, a tasty lunch, and a view of the river.
Weaving along the rolling road flanked by the John Day River, I crested reddish brown, tree-dotted canyons east to State Route 402, passing two small towns, Spray and Kimberly. After reaching Long Creek, I headed south on U.S. Route 395, climbing into Malheur National Forest, with the elevation rising to 5,000 feet and flowing, ebbing curves through pungent forests of juniper, pine, and fir along the way. Mount Vernon, where U.S. 395 meets U.S. Route 26, offers stores, gas, a laundromat, and post office. Nine miles east on U.S. 26 is the town of John Day, home to Oregon’s much-loved Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site. A historic Chinese dry goods store and apothecary offer a glimpse into the past glory of this former gold mining town.
John Day sits at 3,000 feet and is cool with sweeping views of the Strawberry Range. A few miles east, my nostrils filled with earthy scents of freshly cultivated fertile green farmland. The road flattens and widens, sprinkled with an occasional dilapidated dusty gray barn on the high grass prairieland as you approach Prairie City. A sweeping S-turn surprised me, as did the giant roadside Conestoga covered wagon. There is no other city on U.S. 26 all the way to the Oregon border with this much character and color. And the Historic Hotel Prairie on Main Street is popular and rider-friendly, with a restaurant and bar.
East of Prairie City, U.S. 26 passes through the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest on the last stretch to Oregon’s eastern border. I passed spectacular scenic buttes, passes, and summits as I rose in elevation through more juniper trees to Unity Lake, created by damming the Burnt River. This reservoir and surrounding 40-acre park offer boating, fishing, and camping. A few miles later I reached 4,623-foot Eldorado Pass.
Continuing south and gradually stepping down through rolling hills covered in brush, sage, and cheatgrass along U.S. 26, I reached Brogan Hill Summit. I stopped to mournfully glance back in the rearview mirror as the sun set for a last look at the 360-degree canyon country views. My three-day ride was coming to an end. Finally finding 6th gear, I soon arrived in the town of Vale. At Nyssa, the “Gateway to the Oregon Trail,” I stopped to soak my feet in the Snake River, replaying the 750-mile journey. Thankful for the great weather, ever-changing roads, spectacular scenery, friendly people, and Big Red, I had enjoyed an epic ride across Oregon.
Wendy Newton loves exploring motorsports worlds through building, racing, and touring via vintage and modern motorcycles and cars. Follow her on Instagram @helmetsnheels.
RESOURCES:
• Oregon Tourism: TravelOregon.com
• Champoeg State Heritage Area: StateParks.Oregon.gov
• Albany: AlbanyVisitors.com
• Newport: DiscoverNewport.com
• Devils Punchbowl State Natural Area: StateParks.Oregon.gov
• Menagerie Wilderness: FS.USDA.gov
• Sisters: ExploreSisters.com
• John Day Fossil Beds National Monument: NPS.gov/joda
• Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site: StateParks.Oregon.gov
• Prairie City/Grant County: GCOregonLive.com