May 10: Sweet Ride to Bend and Back
Today’s ride south through Sweet Home and then east along the Santiam River and over the mountains to Bend was chock full of one luscious view after another of majestic snow-topped mountains, sparkling rivers, and thick green forests.
Exiting I-5 south near Lebanon I slowed down to enjoy the quiet country road as I passed deciduous trees in bloom, fields of fresh bright light-green crops, pastures with grazing cattle, farms dotted with brown and red barns, and yards filled with orange and red tractors.
Making my way through Sweet Home, I breathed in the smell of fresh cut wood at the lumber mills before skirting my way along the bright blue surface of the Foster Reservoir and then winding my way east along the rippling waters of the Santiam River.
The road rose in elevation as I headed into the Willamette National Forest and snaked my way through thick groves of evergreen trees and past shoulders topped with crushed red volcanic rocks. I felt embraced by the thick green foliage all around, rising into the sky above me. Rounding a bend, I caught a glimpse of the icy-white peaks of Mount Washington popping through the dense corridor of trees on both sides of me.
With almost no traffic on this mountain road, I passed the bright light-blue waters of Suttle Lake, heading south towards Sisters and taking in a closer-up view of Mount Washington to my right, the stark white craggy top standing in contrast to the almost blue colored rocks near its base.
My huevos rancheros at Jackson’s Corner in Bend with three corn tortillas smothered in chicken tinga and topped with two eggs, cotija cheese, and smashed avocado was almost as wonderful as the lunch-time conversation with my best friend Michelle. Michelle and I talk regularly by phone but there’s something so tangibly special about being able to give each other a good hug and look each other in the eye while sharing.
Feeling full of good food and blessed by my friendship with Michele, I headed north on highway 97, smiling with delight as one grand mountain peak after another appeared over yellow and green fields, past grass covered buttes, and between the thick green evergreens of the Mount Hood National Forest. What a great day on the bike!
