Day 12: Lava Flow Campground, Cascade Lakes, OR

By taking an eastern ring road from Tumalo State Park, we were able to get through Bend with very little hassle.  The route was hilly, but with a good shoulder the entire way, and it helped us to avoid the busy commercial parts of town.

We headed south on US 97, which we had ridden on 30 years ago on a trip from Tillamook, OR to Klamath Falls, OR.  In that span of time, it has become the preferred truck route for traveling north and south, due to the congestion found in the many cities on the I-5 corridor.  As a result, it was the least pleasant riding that we've encountered this year.

Two views of Davis Lake.  The black arm in the upper picture is the namesake
lava flow of our campground.

We opted to leave US 97 south of Sunriver, OR, choosing to head into the Cascade Lakes area.  Doing so would add 20 miles to our route, but it would bypass at least 40 miles of US 97.

But then we checked the weather forecast, which led us to check the long range forecast.  We were heading south, thinking we could find some warmer weather, but instead we were heading into a cold front that was forecast to persist for a full week: lows in the mid to upper 20s, with mostly highs in the low to high 40s.  And there were few options for public campgrounds with power along our route.

Lana had a chance to cool off in the lake.

We stopped along US 97 and did some quick route planning.  It would be wet on the west side of the Cascades, but with lows in the 40s and highs in the upper 50s.  It sounded like the preferred option.  We had a day and a half of decent riding weather left, so decided to see how close we could get to Eugene, OR in that time.

We made it as far as Lava Flow Campground (free, vault toilets) on Davis Lake, which is located at the south end of the Cascade Lakes region.  I rode 47 miles and Alea rode 19 miles of a long, hilly day.

Davis Lake, early morning.