2008-07-26 - Oakridge - Cottage Grove Mountain Ride
I started this scenic and challenging bike ride in Oakridge, Oregon. After Oakridge I drove towards the Hills Creek Reservoir via the NF-21, soon starting the real climb on the 2102. This road leads to the Larrison Rock.
After a long climb, I switched to the 5850 (most of the route there is only one paved direction) and climbed to the Holland Pt. junction at about 4800 feet. The road downhill from here is extremely scenic with magnificent views of the Sisters (!), the Diamond Peak (!) as well as Mt Thielsen (!). After a while you bump into a big junction, where I moved on to the NF-22, which has been paved in 2007 (the map still indicates gravel, but the entire route is paved!).
The first part of NF-22 is steep and slippery. You want to be careful there. After you get on the bigger road, the NF-22 (Brice Creed Road) runs along the Brice Creek, which is a very nice creek with lots of swimming holes.
Close to Culp Creek I turned on the Sharp Creek Road. After 3-4 mile you will run into the Sharp Creek recreation site, where you can find drinking water (don't enter the recreation site: the pump is along the road a little bit after the entrance of the recreation site). At the junction to the Bohemia Saddle I turned on the Martin Creek Road (again, the only paved direction) and after about 2-3 miles turn right on a paved road (paved Martin Creek Road continues left).
Here the terrible climb starts. Prepare to suffer. The Google Maps road are not accurate in this area: there is one paved road (hence the messy route on the Google Maps screenshot). The height profile on the bike map is not very accurate either: after the first long stretch you actually go down a bit, only to start climbing again later.
After a long climb you run into a junction with two paved alternatives (great view here). I didn't spot a traffic sign here. Turn right in the direction of London and Cottage Grove. It's a bit more climbing from here.
After the top you have a magnificent view of Bohemia Mountain, Diamond Peak, Mt June, and Eugene in the far distance. The very steep downhill section starts here. After the really steep part, it's a gentle ride all the way down to London.
Be careful: the second mountain (after Sharp Creek Road) is a long stretch without any water. If it's warm, two bottles are not going to be enough and there is not much traffic on this road. I did the first mountain (Holland Pt.) in the early morning, and had no problems there.
