Trip 03, Day 2 (Day 23): Alfalfa, Oregon, to Horse Ridge
Monday, October 2, 2006
The sleep was good. The combination of quiet solitude, near-freezing temperatures, and toasty sleeping bags made for good rest. Never mind that the tent was inside a large garage sharing space with a camper, a boat, and a car. Joe said it felt like we were camping in a display booth at an RV trade show. Not to complain…this accommodation was far superior to our KOA stay a couple of months earlier.
Starting point: 44.01805 N, 121.13144 W
Ending point: 43.90085 N, 120.98782 W
After eating breakfast in the camper, we drove the pick-up out to Highway 20 and once again used the moving offset approach. The difference today was that we decided to do 11 miles so we could finish our planned 63 miles in 6 days rather than 7, allowing us to easily make it to Corvallis for the OSU-WSU game on Saturday. So today, our “offset” was 3.7 miles rather than 3 miles. Joe walked the first segment before I started mine about 10:30 a.m.
After the chilly night, another windless, sunny day was perfect for producing the “second day syndrome.” It seems to happen every trip that the second day is one of the best, both physically and weather-wise. The scenery didn’t change a lot, but gradually took on the appearance of vast, pure wilderness as the number of visible ranch houses dwindled to a trickle. Far views of buttes peppered with trees which appeared as black dots against the tawny grass and sage of autumn produced a feeling of walking into infinite emptiness.
At 7.4 miles, the last segment started. Ahead, the road zigzagged slightly up a steep ridge, and the climb began. Near the top of the ridge was a turnout with views down a deep gully flanked by basalt cliffs. Horse Ridge summit topped out at just over 4300 feet, and the last mile was downhill into a wide, treeless valley.
Walk rating: 7.6
Money found: Day: $.07 Trip: $.40 Project: $11.09
Distance: Day: 11.1 miles Trip: 20.1 miles Project: 208.4 miles
Walking time: Day: 3:35 Trip: 6:29 Project: 78:27
Significance: None.
