Thursday, July 26, 2012 - Lakeview to Pendleton, Oregon

I updated the first day with a Group photo that was taken on Monday, July 23, before we departed the AV.

Click on Photos to Enlarge Them.

Today was essentially a travel day.  We needed to cover close to 350 miles and we wanted to do it as quickly as possibly as it has continued to be rather warm. 

We departed Lakeview Oregon at 7 a.m. and headed north on Highway 395.  We made our first stop an hour later to work out the kinks and take a layer of clothing off, as the weather was warming quickly after an early morning chill.

Taking a Break

During the past three days, our pack has been led by John and Barbara as we traveled.  Leaving the rest area, Fred took the lead, because as the saying goes, "Unless you are the lead dog, the view never changes."  Given the chance, Fred set a good pace and we really chewed up some mileage as we headed towards Burns, Oregon. 

Fred leading the way

Carolyn and Mike

George

Terry

Sharon and Steve

 

Fred and Susan

Barbara and John

After a gas stop, we continued on with Terry leading the way.  Linda and I made our way up and down through the group to capture some photos.  Speaking about the photos, I give a lot of credit to the women for the pictures they are taking.  It is a lot easier to drive a motorcycle at 70 miles per hour than be the passenger taking photos at the same speed, while moving and twisting in your seat to get the shot. Thank you ladies. 

We arrived in John Day Oregon around noon, just in time for lunch.  The Outpost Pizza, Pub and Grill was the spot, as the name implied that it had everything we might be looking to grab for lunch.  By the way, if you are ever in John Day, stop by the Outpost.  Good food and good service.  ( A non-compensated endorsement)

Once back on the highway, we continued our push on towards Pendleton with Terry leading the way. 

The terrain we traveled through included desert, sand dunes, mountain passes and wide valleys.  The scenery was constantly changing, yet was consistently beautiful. 

Sand Dunes on the left.....

Mountains and Pastures on the right.

Lake Abert.  Three Years ago, this lake was nothing more than a dry lake bed.

Susan and Fred, Carolyn and Mike, with Terry leading the way. 

L-R- Terry, Mike and Carolyn, Susan and Fred, George.

John insisting that his Garmin, aka "Jill" was not lying after telling him there was a Shell Gas Station in the middle of the campground we had stopped to rest at, even though the closest gas station was in fact several miles away. 

Linda and I stopped at an overlook to wait for the group to take some pictures.  While we were looking down at the town of Long Creek, we turned around and discovered a cow looking down on us, while we were looking down on Long Creek. 

Looking down at Long Creek, Oregon

Cow looking down at Linda and I

Speaking of the animal kingdom.  Whenever you travel on a motorcycle, one of the many adversaries you encounter is the wildlife that decides to cross the road, just as you are coming upon them.  We are not talking about the chicken either.   We encountered four different deer today crossing the road in front of us as we approached.  Things do cause a pucker factor. 

These two deer were found having lunch in a field beside a barn, just on the outskirts of Long Creek. 

 We arrived in Pendleton at 4 p.m.  It was another beautiful day on the road with great people as traveling companions.  Tomorrow we will be headed to Post Falls Idaho where we will stop for two days.