Our approach to Troy took the county road north out of Elgin, shown on official state map as being 17 miles of paved surface, transitioning into 28 miles of unpaved surface. According to our odometers neither distance is accurate, shorting the actual distance. The transition point is known as Peterson's Junction, not marked on state map, where branches off the road to Looking Glass Fish Hatchery. Beyond that point the road goes by the National Forest Service reference of #62. I did though notice a posting on the early part that read #63. (For a map of the area, click here.)

My trip planning included inquires to both the Forest Service and the Wallowa County Road Maintenance Supervisor about the unpaved surface; was it packed fine gravel or was it loose, large gravel? Specifically, I asked, was it suitable for biking? Both assured that it was and without any note of warning otherwise.

The first hint of possible difficulties came from locals at a diner in Elgin where we breakfasted after having already done the 21 miles from Le Grande, our starting point. The staff and some customers started tossing about guesses as to how steep is the grade on Road #62. The trouble with interpreting locals' info is that most don't bike, therefore as motorist they often haven't even mentally registered road grades that to cyclist might be significant, or otherwise they view as totally incomprehensible the biking of any grade, classifying them all as "impossible". Just as often too they are vague about identifying landmark detail of any character, more in the absent minded sense rather than intent of misleading - It's just so damn familiar they've given it no thought. They get kind of glassy eyed when you ask. My experience of many locals is that they haven't gotten around much in the area they've lived all their life, carrying around with them descriptions based more on hear-say, anecdote and local lore than on personal experience. Damn, I often wonder, what kind of frustrations and dilemmas have explorers and army scouts faced through history in trying to get info from locals?

Usually the lined trace of a road on a standard map will give some clue about whether or not much abrupt elevation loss or gain in included over its length. Seeing no such indication and having no mention of such feature from those I consulted I didn't bother to obtain and study a topo map of the area. Ben might never forgive me.

The paved portion from Elgin was enjoyable and scenic as I had anticipated, being consistently of only low gradient rise. The first mile or so of the gravel was also tolerable too. After that though we were mostly pushing our bikes for about three hours up pitches too steep to peddle up. Those of you who have never pushed up steep grades bikes fitted with panniers fully loaded with camp-out supplies don't know that doing so can be more tiring than the peddling action on lesser grades. The loose gravel and "wash-boarded" surface, created by bobbling wheels of log trucks either breaking down or churning upward on the pitch, made our progress harder.

Ben argues the duration of that torture was more like four hours. It wasn't what I had planned but I didn't mind too much, getting to see country I otherwise wouldn't get to see. Ben's dissatisfaction was not assuaged by my poetic descriptions of the surroundings, he gave me hell.

We topped out on a ridge summit of 5,200 feet. From there on the ride to Troy was nothing but glorious, glorious, glorious. Vistas in great relief of vertical and distance: The Wenaha River gorge to the north, the Grande Ronde to the south, each deep by thousands of feet, the Blue Mountains all around and the Wallowa, Elkhorn and Strawberry beyond. Lots of natural meadows of long striated grass varieties, drooped in great bunched masses giving a hammocky look like wind billowing under a bed sheet. Tall leafy plants tapering to a spear headed shaft stitched around punctuated the billows like tooth picks in soft white bread sandwiches. Otherwise, dark sub alpine forest.

Funny, here we were amidst the very type of landscape backdrop pictured in SUV commercials on TV, yet we saw not a single one. Instead of those huge, gleaming, chrome brush-guard fitted, pimped-out urban pseudo military vehicles we saw only a few pick-ups and log trucks.

Maybe no amount of reflective time will change Ben's estimate of the comparative pay-off, but to me it was worth even twice the toil. The only way I could have seen it otherwise is by car, but I bike because that mode grants an intimacy with regional character and setting many times greater. Maybe you'll get a hint when in about two weeks my photos will be posted on the net at www.clubphoto.com.

From Le Grande we had biked only 52 miles when we made camp near a creek on the ridge top, finishing the distance to Troy the next morning. Canned tuna and Top Raman was our meal because Ben refuses to eat freeze-dried, "It can't be digested" he grunts.

Nope, the story doesn't end there and neither does Ben's disappointments.

As said, the ride to Troy was great in all respects, notably for the scenery but too the road was packed gravel, giving a good bikable surface even where quite steep. Getting to Troy the locals studied us somewhat quizzically, or skeptically, or smirked, or looked puzzled, or even guffawed out loud on hearing that we had biked "over the top". Doing a search on the net by entering the key words Troy, OR will allow you to read about the place and even see pictures.

What we learned about the area jives with what's taking place throughout the scenic and secluded areas remaining out here in the west. Urban rich folks are settling in, escaping the big cities where they made their loot, and generally bitching about how the whole country is going to hell fast because none of those lazy no-goods living back there (in the cities) are willing to work hard to pull themselves up by the boot straps like they did, build a 6,000 sq. ft. house on a mountain top cocktail ranch, and live off investments, generous pensions, inheritance, off shore holdings, crony capitalism, purchased political influence, or….. wha'the hell. They make an interesting contrast to the born-and-raised natives who remain hard working but are both more welcoming and less politically strident. Hmmm.

Ben really had a fit when he learned the official state map was inaccurate, showing paved roads out of Troy that weren't. Worse, the planned route out, the Flora grade, included a more severely steep climb than what we'd confronted, meaning three hours or more of pushing a bike upward against gravel. A paved road out, shown as unpaved on the official map, could have been taken but it added miles and included a different steep climb, the Beuford grade, neither of which were acceptable to Ben by that time.

Topping that was the discovery that no provisions or water was available between Troy and Enterprise, our next objective, which is 56 miles by the Flora route and 68 miles by the Beuford grade route. I rely on nutrition bars in such circumstances but Ben is adamant, "They can't be digested". He takes the same position on performance beverages, insisting that he can only tolerate water and that we couldn't carry the amount needed for the distance.

I proposed paying a local to convey us up and over the Flora route to pavement, and get "to-go" sandwiches from Troy's restaurant (cum visitors center/public baths/post office/souvenir outlet - no groceries though). Ben was disconsolate, voicing skepticism at the prospect of finding a ride out. I wonder though if his concern wasn't more the humiliation of having to ask for help - given his mood, we didn't go there.

As it turned out, almost without any urging the good locals immediately mustered up a ride for us to the topside town of Flora, cutting off 16 miles to where we connected again with pavement. With that advantage we didn't have to camp out again before reaching Enterprise, ate the sandwiches anyway and emptied our bottles only in the last couple of miles. That leg was nothing but pleasant biking and scenic reward, and we made it with lots of daylight left.

The following two days we biked through the Wallowa valley back to Le Grand, and then did a circuit in the Baker Valley. All good roads, not the least of which is State #82 between Enterprise and Elgin, which about 20 years back was a biking horror for having no shoulder right-of-way.

We cut our trip short by several days. Ben was so discouraged by my route planning that he cut out the leg along the Hell's Canyon rim, from Enterprise down through Halfway, New Bridge, Richland, over to Baker City, then back to Le Grand. Even though it is outlined on as prime route on bicycle maps he couldn't be persuaded that it was doable. I'll do it alone in September.

Storie Mooser
Portland, OR