I started off on Hwy 22 heading east to Detroit, Oregon where I turned north on Hwy 46 towards Timothy Lake and connected with Hwy 26 south of Mt. Hood. I then turned east on Hwy 216 until I reached Maupin, Oregon where I added some non-ethanol premium fuel into the ST’s tank. I saw many rafts floating down the Deschutes River on this Monday morning. I crossed over the river and got on Bakeoven Road on my way to Shaniko, Oregon where I then rode Hwy 218 to Fossil, Oregon. I’ve ridden many back roads and Hwy 218 between Shaniko and Fossil is one of my favorites of all time. It is smooth, beautiful scenery and has lots of fun curves (twisties).
I planned to grab a bite to eat at Service Creek but the restaurant was closed. :-( After Hwy 218 I got on Hwy 19 which took me by Spray, Oregon and then to the first Post Office on this trip in Kimberly, Oregon. The only thing in Kimberly is the Post Office as the store is closed. Here I met Sue (Office-in-Charge) and Sherry who is the part time route driver in the area. We talked about Post Offices in general, had some laughs and then I took photos before heading on my way.
Leaving Kimberly I rode north on Hwy 402 towards Monument and Long Creek, Oregon. Much to my dissatisfaction, I’d come across road construction and would need to ride on loose gravel. I was riding a Sport Touring motorcycle which doesn’t like gravel roads. I rode very slowly for the next 10 miles on really loose gravel then had another 15 miles with loose gravel in the center lane and on the edges of the roadway so I still had to be careful around every corner. I was glad when I reached Long Creek without any issues and got on Hwy 395 where I headed north to Ukiah, Oregon and my camping spot for the night.
I arrived in Ukiah at 4:15pm and just missed the Ukiah Postmaster but did get to visit with the relief person. I forgot to get his name but since he reminds me of a friend (the white facial hair) I’m going to call him “Bob”. Bob worked at the Portland Post Office before retiring and moving onto the family ranch outside Ukiah. Bob was originally from Helix, Oregon and had a sister who taught at the same high school in Salem (Sprague) that my daughters attended.
At the Post Office I met Postmaster Lena and Sue, who was taking over at the Post Office for Lena. The hours of the Helix Post Office are being cut to 4 hours per day and Lena can’t afford to only work part time. This is a similar story that I’ve heard at other Post Offices.
After visiting with Lena and Sue it was time to find breakfast. The only food service in Helix opened at noon but Lena said I could find food in Athena, Oregon which is about 7 miles down the road. I found The Doubletree Restaurant on Main Street to be the perfect place for breakfast. Here I met Debbie and had the BEST biscuits and gravy on my entire trip. Next time I’m in Eastern Oregon I’ll be stopping at The Doubletree for more – Yummy!
The next morning I had camp broken down early (6am Pacific Time Zone) but since Oxbow is in the Mountain Time Zone it wasn’t that early. I’d be riding west to Baker City, which was in the Pacific Time Zone, so I’d get my hour back. Hwy 86 was having chip seal work done to the road surface but this work crew had done a much better job keeping the loose gravel to a minimum. As a crested one hill I found myself dropping into the valley where Halfway, Oregon is located and at 7am it was a beautiful sight.
Looking into the valley near Halfway, Oregon
I continued on into Baker City where I got fuel for both myself and the bike. Breakfast was at the Inland Café, which is another must stop for me whenever I’m in Baker City, Oregon. After Baker City I rode on Old Hwy 30 to Durkee, Oregon. At the Post Office I met Postmaster Anita. We talked about the economy, healthcare and other hot topics before taking some photos and getting on to my next destination.
Durkee, Oregon
Checkout the old Zip Code sticker in the lower left of this photo
Postmaster Anita and me
I backtracked on Old Hwy 30 to Baker City and then rode west on Hwy 7 until I reached the intersection with Hwy 245. This is another great ride into the mountains and down into the valley on the other side. Lots of curves and great views along the way to Hereford, Oregon, my next stop. At the Hereford Post Office I met Shanna who would only be the Postmaster for six more days. The hours of the Post Office were being cut and even though Shanna lives in the house attached to the Post Office she didn't want to be tied down six days a week for only a few hours each day. Similar message (working six days a week) I heard from may of the Postmaster along the way. Anyway, Shanna and I had some good laughs and when Bert, the United Parcel Service (UPS) driver arrived, I had him take photos of Shanna and me.
Hereford, Oregon
Herefore, Oregon Postmaster (until July 31, 2012) - Shanna
Posing with our sunglasses on - We tried to ignore all the comments Bert was making at the time
UPS driver Bert and Shanna
The old high school in Hereford - the kids now go to Burnt River High School in Unity, Oregon
Just down the road (12 miles) is Unity, Oregon. This town has the Burnt River High School:
http://www.burntriver.k12.or.us/ where kids from the surrounding area attend school. Many of the small towns I passed through had there own high schools in the past but have since had to combine with other schools as enrollment dropped and school budgets got tighter. At the Unity Post Office was Postmaster Brenda. The Unity Post Office hours are being cut but at least Brenda's husband had a job so they can afford to stay in the area and their children attend Burnt River schools.
Unity, Oregon
Postmaster Brenda - Photos of her five children in the background
Old (closed) store and fuel station in Unity, Oregon
After visiting with Brenda I drove to the market at the other end of town to get a drink (milk of course) and eat a Clif Power Bar. Here I met a group of four KTM dirt bike riders from Hillsboro, Oregon who were riding south to north in Eastern Oregon. They were covered in dust (of course I forgot to take a photo) and they all had GoPro video cameras either mounted on their helmets or chest protectors. We sat and talked about each other motorcycle trips. Their concern was making sure they found fuel stops as they only had about a 150 mile range. They did have a support truck tracking them so if necessary they could call him to drop off fuel in an emergency. With a 300-350 mile range on my bike, fuel stops weren't a concern. We both appreciated each others journey and wished each other safe travels.
Leaving Unity east on Hwy 26 I'd be riding into long stretches of road without much population. The Post Offices I'd be stopping at would be closed but I knew I wouldn't get to them all during working hours. My first stop was Jamieson, Oregon. Here the only thing in Jamieson is the Post Office and a few farm houses. I took a photo and slipped a postcard under the door to be hand canceled and mailed back to me. Postmaster Jeanie wrote me a note on the postcard and said she was retiring as of July 31, 2012. I'm glad I made this trip when I did because many of the Postmaster are retiring as of July 31, 2012.
Jamieson, Oregon
I then rode in Vale, Oregon which is a "real" town. Here I found a large Post Office and was surprised to see all the PO Boxes were the old brass boxes with combination locks. In most Post Office the locks got changed over from combination to keys.
Vale, Oregon
I found similar plaques at other Post Office Buildings
It's rare to find PO Boxes that still use combinations and so many at a larger Post Office such as Vale
From Vale I turned right and started riding west on Hwy 20. I turned off Hwy 20 to visit Westfall, Oregon which has turned out to be the most remote Post Office I've visited to date.
Westfall, Oregon - This place is in the middle of nowhere and it was GREAT!
Continuing on Hwy 20 I stopped at Harper, Oregon. This Post Office had beautiful PO Boxes with eagles cast into the doors and a beautiful wood service window. This is the kind of stuff you'd expect to find at a Post Office Museum.
Harper, Oregon
Check out the eagles cast into the doors and they still have combination locks
Service window in Harper, Oregon Post Office
Next stop down Hwy 20 was Juntura, Oregon. I learned the Postal Service lost their lease to this location and are looking for a new place to put the Post Office in Juntura. Again I left a postcard and Postmaster Rachel wrote me a note on the card before sending it back to me - Thanks, I appreciate these notes.
Juntura, Oregon
It was around 4:30pm so I stopped at The Oasis Cafe in Juntura for lunch/dinner. When riding I try to eat lighter meals since I'm not burning many calories just twisting the throttle. As I'm looking over the menu I see a plate leaving the kitchen and it is piled with gorgeous looking hand cut french fries. The waitress tells me they are as good as they look and I'm tempted. I stay strong and order a turkey sandwich and green salad. Knowing how I longed for the fries the waitress surprises me by giving me a mini portion of fries along with my meal. Talk about good customer service. The tip I left reflected her thoughtfulness and my gratitude.
The Oasis Cafe in Juntura, Oregon - The french fries alone make this worth the drive
After a good meal I continued west on Hwy 20 to Drewsey, Oregon. Here the Post Office was on the end of a large metal building. This was a nice little town with a school and a store. Glad to see a small town that's been able to keep it's school going. A postcard was left and it was returned with a nice note written on it from Postmaster Pat.
Drewsey, Oregon
I made my into Burns, Oregon where I planned to spend the night but first I needed to make a quick trip to the Riley, Oregon Post Office, which was 22 miles west of Burns. I snapped a couple photos and left a postcard. Postmaster Anne wrote she'd been reading my Blog - Glad you enjoy reading my travels to these small Post Offices.
Riley, Oregon
Riding back into Burns (heading east on Hwy 20) I was passing slow moving vehicles. After passing a metallic red Toyota Rav4 from California, I was following him so long I'm surprised I didn't have his license plate memorized, a Oregon State Trooper was coming the other direction. I looked down and I was speeding. The trooper quickly turned around and turned on his lights. Luckily I've never been pulled over before and my record was clean so I was let off with a warning. I followed his warning and keep my speed below 65mph for the remainder of my trip.
I'd rather not camp at commercial sites (Good Sam, KOA, etc) and I all I found a Burns was a Good Sam Club RV Park. I remembered from last year's ride Lake County Fairgrounds let us camp there and since Harney County Fairgrounds was located in Burns maybe they'd let me toss up my tent there. Sure enough they did allow camping at the fairgrounds so for $5 I had the entire fairgrounds to myself which included a nice grass area for my tent, showers and and an open WiFi connection - Life is Good! I rode about 350 miles this day.
Harney County Fairgrounds in Burns, Oregon
Perfect Weather
Great camp site by the horse race track
Thursday July 26, 2012
I had my camp down by 7am and was off to Crane, Oregon riding on Hwy 78 which is east of Burns. I arrived at the Crane Post Office just as Postmaster Mary was raising the flag. We talked about the local high school, which is a boarding school complete with dormitories for the students. Farmers & ranches from miles around sent their children to this high school. The town of Crane was a booming area years ago:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crane,_Oregon but things never recovered after fires burned most of the town down in the 1930's.
Crane, Oregon
Crane, Oregon - Postmaster Mary
Crane Union High School - Boarding School
Old Crane Movie Theater
After visiting with Mary I had breakfast at the Crane Store & Cafe. A young man came in and was trying to get to Tacoma, Washington. He was lost and after a couple of us tried to explain routes he could take to reach Tacoma I decided it would be best if I gave him my Oregon State Highway map, which I did. He was very thankful and I hope he found his way.
Crane Store & Cafe
There is one Post Office on my list, Arock, Oregon, which is 2 hours east of Crane. I learned it is closed on Thursday's so I decided not to drive all that distance if I wouldn't be able to met the Postmaster. It is a Post Office I'll need to visit another time when they are open.
Update: On Sunday April 23, 2017 we made a trip to Eastern Oregon and stopped by the Arock Post Office. Sadly it wasn't open on Sunday but at least I got to see it in person.
Arock Post Office
Arock Post Office
Leaving Crane I rode west on Hwy 78 to Burns then caught Hwy 395 north through the mountains to Seneca, Oregon. along the way I notice miles of trees whose needles were all dead. At first I thought it was from a forest fire but the under brush looked fine. When I got to Seneca I asked and it turns got the forest was infested with moth that is killing all the trees. Sad to see our forests have these types of issues.
At the Senaca Post Office I met Sherry, who was an Officer-in-Charge filling at the Post Office as the Postmaster was on leave. I was surprised a Post Office the size of Seneca ended up on the reduction list. While at the Post Office a very nice elderly lady came in and was talking to Sherry and I. She had lost her husband to Parkinson Disease and she talked about what it was like taking care of him the last years of his life. It was suggested she put him in a nursing home but she said he built their house with his bare hands before there were any roads in the area and there was no other place he would want to live.
Seneca, Oregon
Officer-in-Charge - Sherry
From Seneca I rode west on Hwy 63 (Izee Road) out of the mountains and into valley into ranch and farm land. These roads have been freshly paved (not chip sealed) and were some of the best surfaces I've ridden. I had to keep reminding myself what the State Trooper outside Burns told me: "Keep it below 65 mph." ;-)
My next stop was in Paulina, Oregon. The Post Office is located in the back of the Paulina General Merchandise store. Here I met one of the most out going and fun Postmaster ever, Elizabeth. Elizabeth has been with the Postal Service for years and we talked about the changes she's seen over the years. She too is one that is retiring as the Postal Service has incentives for retirement and that is why so many Postmasters, who can afford to, are retiring. Elizabeth's daughter, Katie, is taking over for her mom. Elizabeth is going go spend more time running her ranch and more time with her grandson.
Paulina, Oregon
Service window located in the back of the store
Elizabeth and me
Grandson, Katie (daughter) and Elizabeth (mother and grandmother)
I continued west on Paulina Hwy 380 to my next stop in Post, Oregon, which is the geographic center of the state of Oregon. I learned this Post Office is without a Postmaster. Postal employees are driving over from Prineville, Oregon to run this Post Office until someone permanent takes the job. It was mid-afternoon so I decided to get a bite to eat. Only three things were on the menu and Stephanie suggested the Cowboy Sandwich, which was a meatloaf sandwich. It was very good as was the potato salad side.
Post, Oregon
Post, Oregon Post Office is located in the back of the store
After lunch I rode into Prineville, Oregon with hopes of calling it an early day and finding a camping spot. The fairgrounds doesn't allow camping but just outside the fairgrounds front gate there was a commercial campground - No thank you. I remembered when I drove through Maupin Oregon on Monday they had camping along the Deschutes River which looked nice and it was only 90 minutes away so I topped off the fuel tank and headed north to Maupin riding on Hwy 26, Hwy 97 and finally Hwy 197. The City of Maupin has camping in their City Park but when I drove through the park it was only one step below a commercial endeavor. And at a cost of $24 plus tax for a tent site I decided instead to ride down the BLM Access Road that followed the Deschutes River and look for a campsite. I found a primitive BLM camp area called White River which had three group sites (only one group site was occupied) and one single site and a pit toilet. The single site looked okay and it was close to the river where I planned to soak my feet since it 97 degrees at the the time.
After setting up camp I walked down to the river to cool off. After a few minutes the group campers arrived back at camp and headed down to the river to cool down. After a few hello's were exchanged, Dale asked me if I played horseshoes. Next Dale asked what I was doing for dinner to which I replied I had a freeze-dried meal I planned to eat. He said they were having steak and corn on the cob and invited me to join them for dinner - Tough choice but I went for the steak. ;-)
After cooling down in the river we went back to camp for horseshoes. I was teamed with Brian while Dale and Jeff were the other team. We had a blast and I must admit I was
very lucky as I hit a double ringer to give Brian and I the win in the fifth and deciding game. I hope Dale will invite me to play again.
After a great dinner most everyone else went to bed but Jeff, Niiki and I stayed up and talked. I learned this week long camping and rafting trip with Jeff and Dale has been an annual event that has been going on for about 28 years. I also leaned Nikki and I share the same thoughts when it comes to Winco shoppers. We watched bats flying over our heads catching bugs and enjoyed looking at all the stars in the sky. Jeff said if I was around in the morning that Nikki makes a great breakfast and I was welcome to join them. I planned to try and get an early start (7am) but told Jeff I'd see how things went in the morning. I rode about 300 miles this day.
Friday July 27, 2012
I woke up around 6am (like I ways do) and took down my camp and loaded up my bike. I saw a few of the others, who went to bed early the night before, were up at the group camp. I went over to say "Thank you" and "Good bye". Before I got away Dale asked me if I'd ever been white water rafting, to which I replied not really. Dale said "Want to go?" I told Dale I was planning to get an early start and get home early that afternoon when Brian said "Don't pass up the chance". Next thing you know I'm getting ready to raft down the Deschutes River with some new found friends.
Jeff wasn't kidding, Nikki makes a outstanding breakfast sandwich! After breakfast we loaded up the supplies for the day and headed to the launch site, which is north of Maupin. You could tell Jeff, Nikki and Dale have done this a few hundred times as we were getting the rafts unloaded and prepped for the trip. It was a blast going down the river and I really appreciated the knowledge and skill of Dale, who I rode with. He knows the river and how to handle his raft.
After we finished the float, which took about 3 1/2 hours, I said my thank yous and good byes. Dale told me they were having lasagna for dinner and he was ready for another game of horseshoes or a game of bocce ball. It was tempting but after being on the road for a week I want to get home to see my wife. Maybe next year?
BLM White River single campsite on the Deschutes River near Maupin, Oregon
The White River coming into the Deschutes River - This was the cooling off area surrounded by rocks
The group camp: Jeff, Nikki, Dale, Carl, Rick, Kristen, & Brian
Nikki making wonderful breakfast sandwiches on Friday morning
Sitting around camp (l-r): Dale, Carl, Rick and Jeff
Group camp (l-r): Kristen & Brian
Getting ready to float the Deschutes River north of Maupin, Oregon (l-r): Kevin, Dale & Rick
Getting ready to float the Deschutes River north of Maupin, Oregon (l-r): Jeff, Nikki, Kristen & Brian
Getting ready to float the Deschutes River north of Maupin, Oregon (l-r): Dale, Nikki & Jeff
Floating down the Deschutes River near Maupin, Oregon: Kevin & Dale
Lunch break on the Deschutes River near Maupin (l-r): Rick, Carl, Dale, Kevin, Jeff & Nikki
Jeff & Nikki running the rapids
Rafting the Deschutes River near Maupin, Oregon
After rafting, I rode with Jeff and Rick in the shuttle vehicle and they dropped me off at camp as I still had four hours of riding time left and I wanted to get home before dark. All my clothes were wet so I needed to change into something dry before getting back in the saddle. Once in dry clothes I followed the BLM Access Road north along the Deschutes River to Hwy 216 and then turned south on Hwy 97, which took me into Madras, Oregon. Outside Madras I got on Lower Bridge Market Road which allowed me to bypass Redmond, Oregon and connected with Hwy 126 outside Sisters, Oregon. I got dinner in Sisters at the Ski Inn, one of my favorite stops when passing through Sisters, before riding the last leg home. I keep on Hwy 126 until it changed into Hwy 20 then when to Hwy 22 back to Stayton at 8pm. I rode about 300 miles this day.
I rode a total of 1,600 miles over five days. I meet many wonderful people and had great weather every day. I enjoyed the simple life of camping and not having any real plans day by day. It was fun to get out and visit these rural Post Offices in Eastern Oregon. I visited a total of 15 Post Offices which means I have visited 32 Post Offices from the original closure list and only have 9 more left to visit. Meeting the group of campers outside Maupin who invited me to dinner and then took me rafting made a wonderful week even better. I can hardly wait to get back out on the road again.
