This is the third loaded bike tour that Geno (Masuda), Dick (Fraschetti), and I have done together, better known to some Sacramento Wheelmen club members as the three stooges. With some minor deviations, our route was based on the 1999 Cycle Oregon Tour. From the city of La Grande, we rode a counter-clockwise loop of 440 miles over 9 days, staying overnight in Ukiah, Granite, Baker City, Halfway, Olokot State Park, Wallowa State Park (2 days), and Minam State Park.

During the ride, we decided to deviate from the Cycle Oregon route by going to Granite, bypassing Lake Anthony. This shortened our second day by 30 miles and eliminated 2500 feet of climbing. Staying on their route meant we had an 80-mile day without stores or restaurants, 60 miles of which was without a water stop. That was harder than we wanted to push ourselves. It proved to be the right choice for it was still a long day of climbing with only a store bought sandwich for lunch.

There were also several other long days on the Cycle Oregon route, which we made into two-day rides. Between Halfway and the Wallowa State Park, we added a night at the Olokot State Park. On the final day's ride back to La Grande, we took an extra day, camping at the Minam State Park.

Contrary to popular beliefs, northeast Oregon is not an arid region of endless dry grasses stretching out to the horizon. During the week and days before our trip, I had become a bit concerned about our destination after countless comments on it being a dry desert-like region. So, to set the record straight, this is a region of forests, mountains and valleys occupied by towns, farms and ranches.

La Grande and Baker City are the largest towns with a population of more than 10,000, while the other towns visited probably had less than 100 permanent residents. In this region, the Wallowa State Park, off the beautiful Lake Wallowa, and the neighboring town of Joseph attract the majority of vacationers and tourists.

The state parks where we camped offered both beauty and solitude. Olokot State Park is set along the Imnaha River within the timeless tranquility of the forest, a welcome change from the towns and cities along our route. Minam State Park is nestled in a quiet secluded canyon two miles off the main highway on a gravel road. There the slow running river gently flows along steep canyon walls as cries of a raptor can be heard echoing down from the heights above. The lower valleys along our route can be hot, but we were fortunate to encounter milder weather. The longer daylight, at that latitude, allowed us to begin each day early and finish around noon, giving us plenty of time to rest, see the sights, and meet the people.