Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Day 15 - Sherwood campground to Summit Lake campground

39 miles, 3826 up

From somewhere off the beaten track to somewhere else even more off the beaten track... we camped last night in a small Forest Service campground just off of the highway near the Hood River. The river was very silty, so we couldn't filter the water or bath in it. So, we had to use the water we were carrying for a sponge bath and cooking. Also, we had to wear the same riding clothes.

Replenishing our water supply became a priority for today. If we find a clear enough stream, we can filter water.
The morning was very smokey, but we don't know where it's coming from - there are several fires, so the wind may bring smoke from several places.


We're riding pretty slowly, partly because of the smoke, but mostly because it's up hill.

We passed Green Apple creek - definitely not a water source.

As we approached the Gunsight Butte summit, there were signs for Mt. Hood Meadows ski resort. We figured that even though the resort was closed, there might be outdoor hose bibs where we could fill our water bottles. Bingo! Not only did we get fresh water, we did it at the top of the hill, not the bottom.

As we rolled downhill, we spotted two new stuffed teddy bears on the road. Of course we had to rescue them! We'll be grandparents soon. Trudy's has a home on her trunk bag and mine has a home on my handlebar bag.

We stopped at a park information area and a family stopped to chat. Their daughter, Violet, named the bears. Mine is Charley and Trudy's is Rose.

We've ridden only 33 miles or so, but our 2nd option for camping is another 35 miles away and it was 1 p.m., so we decided to stop at a closer campground for the night. It's 1 1/2 miles down a gravel road near a pretty lake. Another "water free" stop, so... 

Good thing we love each other!

Here's where we are...


Tomorrow we will start the day by pushing our bikes up part of the gravel road.



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