Following breakfast in our suite the next morning, we loaded up the bikes and headed out. Before turning east on Highway 26, however, we ascended the steep road that leads from downtown Mitchell to the residential part of town above. You can see portions of that area in this photo, from the Skyhook's parking lot.
The morning was predominately cloudy but dry - perfect for riding, in my book!
On our first day, we'd explored the northwest corner of the Ochoco National Forest. On Day 2, the plan was to skirt the northern edge on the highway, start in about 2/3 of the way across, then work our way back to the southwest.
We entered via paved Forest Road 12, where I gave Dan the chance to try out the Ural. He rather quickly got the hang of it, and enjoyed muscling it around the tight ascending corners. It was my first time on his bike, and I immediately noticed how powerful and smooth its engine is! While the Triumph looks satisfyingly retro on the outside, its power plant has undergone nearly seven decades of refinement, while the Ural's stood basically still!
Wonder if I could squeeze a Triumph engine into the Ural's frame. Maybe next year.
As you can see, this part of the Ochocos is vastly different from the area we were in the day before. The topography is much more gentle, and the trees are often broken up by large grassy meadows.
We'd switched bikes again when the road became gravel, and after about 15 miles, came to this junction, which presented another option for returning to Mitchell. Having our sights set on some old mines farther west, however, we left Forest Road 3010 and County Road 8 for another day, and followed the sign for Prineville - 47 miles distant.
You may have noticed that by this time I'd given up trying to secure that little green pack onto the back of my seat, and stashed it instead under the cover in the sidecar. That certainly turned out to be the best plan, as the road was about to get so plagued with washboards that I could barely hold onto the handlebars. Mental note, between stiff suspension and a third wheel that does not line up with either of the other two - Ural does NOT like washboards!
Now this is the kind of road the Ural likes best - fairly smooth, with just enough loose gravel on top so you can slide a bit around the corners! Ear-to-ear grins and an occasional chuckle are the inevitable result.
A few more miles of that and we were back on pavement - Forest Road 42 this time. A quick walk-around revealed that nothing had shaken loose on the washboards. The stock shovel, visible on the right rear of the sidecar, was still firmly attached to its rubber mounts. I suppose there wasn't much chance we'd need a shovel on this trip - but you never know. There could have been a snow drift up there on one of the passes. Besides, it looks so cool that I couldn't leave it at home. It's a key part of the whole Ural aesthetic package.
Honestly, I was looking forward to some nice, smooth pavement for a while - but this was NOT it. About every two bike lengths, there was a crack in the asphalt that varied from an inch to about six! This went on for miles. I don't think I'd ever seen anything quite like it before. It didn't seem to slow Dan down much, but the Ural's extra firm suspension kept me throttled down to about the same speed I'd been going on the gravel.
After about a dozen miles of that, we arrived at the junction for a side road that I wanted to check out. Obviously, this was going to be a rougher road than any we'd attempted yet. It would be a good test of the Ural's climbing ability, and I wasn't sure if Dan would want to try it on his street bike or not. On the plus side, it was only supposed to be about a mile long, and lead to some impressive abandoned mines.
I got to a flattish spot and turned to see if Dan had followed. I shouldn't have ever doubted. Dan and I suffer from the same malady - a nearly irresistible compulsion to see what's around the next corner.
There's no known cure, but it can (and should) be managed. If you're not careful, it can get you into trouble.
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