We saw a lot of the Scott, Salmon, and Klamath Rivers, but the Snake River wasn’t part of this trip, so why COBRA?  California Oregon Bicycle Ride Actually!  I have renamed the tour because we actually rode and camped five of the days and nights in Northern California.  While most of the BCI tourists participated on a tour of Montana in July (see Jim Luparello’s story in the last PaceLines), Wayne Broadhag and I decided to stick with the old standard, reliable, ever-pleasing OBR.  So on August 10th Wayne and I took a day and a half to drive up to Cave Junction, Oregon and the start of OBR 2007.

The route was described as scenic and the 409 miles and reported cumulative elevation gain of 28,565 feet over seven days appeared challenging.  Before I get into the nitty gritty, let me say that both Wayne and I agree that this was THE best tour we have been on that was organized by Sandy Green and her crew.  I’m sure the lower-than-normal temperatures helped, but the route, the campsites, the scenery, the support, the rest stops, the entertainment, the company, and of course the food were more than top notch!  Sandy’s tours are a benchmark by which all other tours should be judged, but be aware that the bar she and her staff sets is very, very high.  From the free mechanical support by Sunnyside Sports, to the towels, chairs, and bike cleaning by The Bike Detail, to the massage therapy by The Sports Massagers, to the awesome rest stops and dinners, this is one tough nut to crack for other tour companies.  Porta-potties are cleaned daily and a nice shower every day is the icing on the cake of comfort.

According to Wayne’s computers, as well as others’, the daily gains weren’t nearly as large as purported.  We can accept that fact.  There were four days where there was at least one climb that resembled something out of Ride Around the Bear, without the high altitude.  The highest point we reached was only 6,200 feet, but we were generally camped at lower elevations and the climbs to the summits were six to eight miles long and ranged from five to six percent steady gradients and in a few cases we were in the 10 to 12% range.  One particularly nasty one measured 16% for a short distance.  But oh were the downhills a blast!

We cycled a clockwise loop and our first day was 77 miles from Cave Junction to Ashland, Oregon.  Then we crossed into California the hard way… over Siskiyou Pass via old Highway 99.  When we topped that at 4,485 feet we were looking down on Interstate 5 where it reaches its highest point (4,310’) of its Canada to Mexico traverse.  The 4 to 6% downhill into California, most of it on Interstate 5, was exhilarating!  It was not nearly as busy as riding the 5 on the Amtrak Century through Camp Pendleton!

After a night in Yreka, CA we cycled over Gazelle Summit and into the quaint town of Etna.  The layover in Etna was perfect because of the abundance of green grass and shade trees at the park where we camped.  After three challenging days I took an easy layover day ride of 50 miles on mostly flat, deserted roads.  I rode a six-mile stretch and only saw a tractor moving!  Lindy Gravelle and her ability to go from rip roaring to sweet with her singing and electric keyboard entertained us one evening.  She invited an Etna resident over to show us his “bikes”.  The frame builder Dennis (no relation) created real works of art with his “high-rise” bicycles he called “sui-cycles”.

The Queen Stage of the tour was one of the most diverse.  We retraced our route into Etna, returning to Callahan, where the road made an abrupt turn upwards and we climbed over 3,000 feet in twelve miles, with the bulk of the gain in the final five miles.  That was followed by a 5,500-foot drop over 60 miles!

The strangest thing happened as we entered the small burg of Cecilville.  I was merely following the route slip and chalked road markings when I thought I had entered somebody’s driveway!  NOPE!  That WAS the road!  Wayne and I proceeded on the mostly gentle downhill, overlooking the Salmon River, with no guardrails and steep 200 to 300 foot drops within inches of our 23C’s.  We ended that day only 83 miles from the coast in the little town of Orleans and were entertained by a family of gifted musicians, spontaneously invited by Sandy to share their talents with us.

I woke up Friday morning to yet another spectacular blue sky and the knowledge that there would be no passes of thousands of feet to climb.  What I didn’t know was that we were slated to ride Ishi Pishi Road!  “Ishipish” is the Karuk Indian word meaning “extending down” and refers to the trail that used to end at the Karuk village near Ishi Pishi Falls.  The road went up and down for eight miles, ending at Somes Bar and the Salmon River Outpost, complete with espresso bar!  I coined the phrase “We just got Ishipishi-eighted” in reference to the beating we just endured for the first eight miles of the day.  I think my hands hurt more from braking than my legs did from pedaling!

A rolling, uphill 38 miles after Somes Bar took us to Happy Camp, home of Bigfoot/Sasquatch, who stayed well hidden during our visit to his backyard.  Our campsite there was another tree-covered Eden.  Kim and her Conklin Enterprises crew served us the usual Friday night salmon steak on a bed of rice that capped a week of healthy, wholesome dinners.  Digesting that feast became difficult however as our laugh and applause muscles were worked to capacity during the traditional talent show.

In keeping with the challenging nature of this tour, the final 52 miles back to Cave Junction climbed over Page Mountain, with nearly 3,000 feet of climbing in less than ten miles.  Another awesome downhill, blasting by a crudely spray painted border line on the asphalt with “CAL” painted on one side and “ORE” painted on the other, took us back into Oregon.

So who is up for one of Sandy’s tours next year?  One is set for Washington and the other one for Oregon.  Go to www.oregonbicycleride.org for details!