July and August 2025

Before heading out on the by now familiar four-hour drive to Bend, we stopped for breakfast near the on-ramp to Interstate 5 at Elmer’s, which we’d not been to before but was highly rated on-line.  It was a good choice as the large portions promised by the menu were indeed substantial and nicely prepared.  Of particular interest was the German Pancake, also known as a Dutch baby, a large, oven-baked pancake that puffs up dramatically in a skillet and collapses shortly after being removed.  Unlike flat, stove-top pancakes, it has a custard-like center, crispy edges, and is made from a simple, un-leavened batter of eggs, flour, milk, and vanilla.

Sufficiently stuffed we motored south on I-5 and before Medford turned off the interstate to head up to Crater Lake, skirting its edge until we ran into Highway 97 and turned north until we arrived at my brother’s place.  We ate at home that night and the next day drove up to Eagle Crest, just outside of Redmond, to spend the afternoon with a Chuck’s friend Jonathan, who we both know from when we attended the Venice Baptist Church near our house.  Along with his wife, Jonathan lives near San Diego and was using a friend’s condo here. 

We took a short hike from the apartment down by the Deschutes River, where is it smaller in size than when we see it in Bend and spent the rest of our time on their deck eating watermelon and getting caught up on all of our lives after such a long time apart.  That night, we took Chuck out to his favorite BBQ place, Baldy’s, for his birthday and as usual Joanna and split the Ribs and Pulled Pork combo platter which I washed down with a local beer. 

The next day Chuck didn’t feel like doing much so Joanna and I drove just south of town to the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, designated in 1990 to protect the area around the Newberry Volcano which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service, and includes 54,822 acres of lakes, lava flows, and geologic features.  We were here to explore the Lava River Cave, which at 5,211 feet is the largest and longest un-collapsed lava tube in Oregon.  A lava tube, or lava tunnel, is a natural roofed conduit along which molten lava flows from a volcanic vent.  If lava in the tube drains out, it will leave an empty cave.

The cave can be explored by lantern as there is no other lighting.  Anticipating this we’d brought our headlamps along and after paying the entrance fee and parking, we made our way to the entrance of the cave.  Temperatures in it average 42 °F and it was indeed that cold once we’d entered and descended to the cave floor.  We started out walking on elevated metal pathways, up and down a series of ladders as we descended to the lowest level where we then encountered a smooth, flat muddy surface that proved to be a little slippery. 

It was here where I had a misstep and fell slightly, brushing my left leg against a stony outcropping and we decided it would be prudent to turn around and leave the cave.  I wasn’t badly injured, just a minor scrape or two, nothing that would impact me for the duration of the trip.  Later that day we went to dinner with Chuck to El Caporal, another of his favorites where the Margaritas were big and strong and just the right thing to wash down the nicely done tostada that I enjoyed for my meal. 

The next morning, we said goodbye to Chuck and made our way to the Hilton Garden Inn in the Old Mill District where we met up with our group to join the Discovery Tours 6-Day Crater Lake Spectacular Views & Trails Bike Tour, led by Greg Edwards, who we have done multiple Adventure Cycling (ACA) tours with in the past.  This would be a test case for us as our prior five tours with ACA were all camping based (Blue Ridge Virginia, Ragin Cajun, Arizona Sunsets, Idaho Trails Relaxed, and Texas Hill Country) and relatively inexpensive (three with Greg).  A camping-based tour was no longer appealing to us as my multiple joint replacements meant sleeping on the ground in a small tent was no longer feasible, future tours would have to be inn based.  Thus, this small group Discovery version, at over double the cost of the others would inform us about our future prospects for bike touring. 

In a small group tour like this one you become acquainted quickly and we were already chatting like old friends by the time we loaded our luggage and hit the road for Smith Rock State Park, about 27 miles north of town.  Joanna and I had visited there in 2012 with Chuck, and it is indeed a beautiful place, steep red canyon walls divided by the Crooked River.  

After we arrived at the park, and while we were getting set up (all of the other participants would be using e-bikes provided by Discovery), folks were encouraged to walk a bit in the park and take in the scenery.  Once we regrouped, we all set out for our destination for the day, the town of Sisters, named after the Three Sisters peaks — Faith, Hope, and Charity.  More than 10,000 ft in elevation, the peaks, are part of the Cascade volcanic arc and are the third-, fourth and fifth highest in the state. 

Technically a relatively easy day at 35 miles or so in length and only a few hundred feet of climbing, it became brutal due to the heat, as I recounted in my Strava recap of the day:

Smith Rock to Sisters. It looks easy enough, but an afternoon start meant temperatures over 90 degrees the whole ride.

Near the end of the day, I found momentary relief on a country road splitting two irrigated fields when a mis-aimed sprinkler swept over the road from field to field, momentarily drenching an innocent cyclist.  I waited through two or three cycles of that sweet, sweet cold relief.  Not too long after we arrived in town and checked into the Best Western Ponderosa Inn for our one night there.  We cooled down with some drinks from the trailer and after getting cleaned up, jumped in the van with the others for a short drive to The Barn, a food court with five different independent concepts. 

This meal, as well as all of the others on the tour was covered by Discovery and so we heartily enjoyed a sandwich apiece, for me a burger and a couple of beers.  Later we’d stop for ice cream on the way back to the Ponderosa and get ready for another day in the saddle.  We’ll pick that up and the rest of the trip in our next post. 

Links

Elmer’s: https://eatatelmers.com/

Baldy’s: https://www.baldysbbq.com/

Newberry National Volcanic Monument: https://visitbend.com/journal/newberry-national-volcanic-monument/

Discovery Tours: https://discoverybicycletours.com/6-day-crater-lake-spectacular-views-trails-bike-tour/

Smith Rock: https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=36

Ponderosa Inn: https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotel-rooms.38103.html?iata=00171880&ssob=BLBWI0004G&cid=BLBWI0004G:google:gmb:38103

The Barn: https://www.thebarninsisters.com/