November 29 - Detroit Lake

What a great day for a ride! I really needed some “wind therapy” today. Thanks to my new electric gloves I could focus on enjoying the curves and the wind in my face without freezing fingers! It was in the high 30’s much of the day and also somewhat foggy. But that just seemed to make the sun that much more spectacular when it did appear. I rode with Leo Guzman Fernandez and Grant Myers from Oregon City to Detroit Lake and back via Silverton and Silver Falls. We passed through farmlands and drove along the North Santiam River past the Detroit Dam to Detroit Lake. The views of the mountains and water were stunning and the air refreshing. Found a picnic table in the sun to eat our snack lunch. Along the way we stopped to assess the damage from the recent fires. So sobering and tragic to see the devastation in Detroit Lake. The bottom left picture is outside the Korner Post Restaurant in Detroit Lake. Some burned out bikes and parts of a foundation are left where the restaurant once stood. Just around the corner (bottom right photo) was another destroyed business along with the charred remains of a fire truck. It was sobering to see how random the fires appeared to be. Various home and business were still left standing while others near them were not. I am grateful that our homes in West Linn were spared.