By Tomas, on June 2nd, 2011 Greetings Campers!
This weekend we camp at Milo McIver State Park (http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_142.php) for a nice over-night. This is a great beginner’s level ride with minimal climbing with food and amenities very close to the site.
The weekend weather is looking VERY nice for being outdoors.
http://www.weather.com/weather/weekend/USOR0117
The trip will be around ~25 miles one way.
Cost of the site should be $5.
Free showers.
You are responsible for your own food and fees.
Since it’s been pretty wet lately and it’s going to be warm this weekend, bring plenty of mosquito repellent.
Map:
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Milo-McIver-Back-Way-from-Gresham
Cue Sheet
http://www.bikely.com/cuesheet/route/Milo-McIver-Back-Way-from-Gresham
Meeting at 8:30am Cleveland Avenue MAX Station (take it all the way to the end in Gresham)
We shall try to depart by 9am.
Return: Sunday morning, return is flexible depsnding on the group.
We’ll try to ride together but faster riders can feel free to ride ahead.
There is a well-stocked Thriftway in Estacada if you want to buy your food there.
By Tomas, on May 23rd, 2011 It has been brought to our attention that a common route that Cycle Wild takes on rides up the Clackamas River into the Mt. Hood National forest has a road closure.
Due to heavy rains this past winter, there has been another landslide on Faraday Road.
 Faraday Road
Please be advised that you’ll have to take Highway 224 to get into the Forest and that it has about 1,000 feet of climbing which is why we normally ride Faraday Road.
We’ve been told that the current signs say it is scheduled to re-open again in November 2011.
Stay safe out there.
-Tomas
Faraday Road Landslide 2007
By admin, on April 8th, 2011 There have been a couple minor changes to the schedule for 2011 – the table below shows the current schedule, and lists the name of the ride leader. Due to my impending cross-country trip, I will be unable to lead a number of rides this year – but we’re covered! We have some veteran bike campers leading the trips in my absence.
| Trip | Dates | Difficulty | Estimated Cost* | Ride Leader | Notes |
| Ainsworth State Park | Apr 30-May 1 | Moderate | $5 + food | Shawn Granton | |
| Eugene | May 28-30 | Challenging | $10 + food | Lillian Karabaic | Return via Amtrak** |
| Milo McIver State Park | Jun 4-5 | Easy | $10 + food | Ride Leader TBD | |
| Cape Lookout State Park | Jul 2-5 | Challenging | $20 + food | Steph Routh and Ed Groth | Beach wedding! |
| Battleground Lake State Park (WA) | Jul 16-17 | Easy | $10 + food | John Kangas | Lake swimming! 18 person limit. |
| Stub Stewart State Park | Aug 12-14 | Easy | $15 + food | John Kangas | Friday departures (before or after work) - METEOR SHOWER! |
| Big Bottom Wilderness Area | Sep 2-5 | Challenging | $10 + food | Tomas Quinones | Special requirements*** |
| ANNUAL TOUR | Sep 16-25 | Very Challenging | $150 + food | Tomas Quinones | 400+ miles in 9 days. |
| Sauvie Island | Oct 8-9 | Easy | food | Lillian Karabaic | |
* Costs vary. Cycle Wild does not charge anything for camping. Park sites charge a fee for campsites, and campers either pay a park fee individually or reimburse the person who made the reservations. Food is the responsibility of the individual, so food costs vary.
** Return on this trip is via Amtrak, campers must make own travel arrangements for tickets and bicycle transport. Details will be posted with trip announcement.
*** Big Bottom is inside the wilderness boundary. The bikes will be left outside the boundary (about 200 yards from our campsite). The camping area is very low risk for damage/theft, but to be safe, we recommend you bring a bike lock. Due to federal regulations, this trip is strictly limited to 12 people – no exceptions. Details will be posted with the trip announcement.
By admin, on March 31st, 2011 First off, the rumors are true – I am taking the summer off to cross the United States by bicycle. I should be back in early to mid-September. I was going to take the trip next year, but my employer is laying me off, so now is a far better opportunity.
What does this mean for Cycle Wild? Well, a couple of things.
Day trips – we need people to lead the day trips. You would be able to pick which weekend to lead them, and whether on Saturday or Sunday. The day trips are going to places like Kelly Point Park, Forest Park, the Rhododendron Garden, Elk Rock Island, Smith & Bybee Lakes, and other natural locations. If you are interested in leading a ride of 4-20 people, potluck-style picnics, etc, please contact us and let us know. We NEED YOUR Help!
As for the camping trips, this shouldn’t affect them – we already have alternate ride leaders for most of the trips, and are in the process of taking care of the rest of them. If any changes need to be made to the schedule, they’ll be posted here.
This will be the opportunity of a lifetime for me, and I thank Cycle Wild’s board for stepping up and helping out to cover some of the schedule gaps, as well as assisting in ensuring that the organization continues to run smoothly.
By admin, on March 30th, 2011  ACA's new Bike Camping website If you thought Cycle Wild was the only resource out there specifically catering to overnight bike trips, you’d be mistaken. In addition to some of the great individual sites out there, the Adventure Cycling Association has launched a new website aimed at short-term bike touring, or as we call it – bike camping. It looks pretty slick so far, and we’re glad to see that a large organization like ACA is putting some weight and effort towards promoting the type of travel that we’ve been working on since 2008. We look forward to seeing what Adventure Cycling adds to this site over the next year.
If you have some time today, head on over to bikeovernights.org and check it out!
By admin, on March 29th, 2011 Greetings campers!
We’ve got a new destination for April – Scaponia County Park. Scaponia is halfway between Scapoose and Vernonia (hence, “Scaponia”). It’s a 44 mile ride. The first and last 10 miles are mostly low-traffic roads. The 20+ miles in between are on the car-free Banks-Vernonia trail. Great news – the trail is now completely paved along its entire length. If you’ve ever wanted to ride it, now’s the time! (and if you don’t feel like camping, you could ride with us and turn back at any point along the way and get in up to an 88 mile training ride!)
This is a new park for us, and there is no campground map – so be advised that we don’t know what the site conditions will be like (especially with the rain we’re still having). We do know that cyclists normally pay $5
Details:
Meet: 9am Saturday, April 2nd at Hillsboro Starbucks (102 E. Main St. – 1 block east of the Hatfield Government Center MAX Station)
Route: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Scaponia-Park
Cuesheet: http://www.bikely.com/cuesheet/route/Scaponia-Park
Weather: http://tinyurl.com/4ov9tz9
Park Website: http://www.co.columbia.or.us/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77&Itemid=69
Park Fee: $5 for cyclists. A regular campsite is $10. Depending on group size we may exceed the capacity of the park’s hiker/biker, so be prepared to pay up to $10 to the park.
Food: Each person responsible for own food – we will stop at the Thriftway in Banks to stock up. Banks is about 11 miles from Hillsboro and 33 miles from the destination.
NOTE: There is some debate on various sites about the presence and quality of water at the Scaponia site. Please bring extra water bottles / containers and be prepared to fill them in Vernonia (11 miles before the park). If you have water purification equipment, this might be a good trip to bring it.
Weather looks to be 50s during the day, low to mid 40s at night. Hope you can make it out with us for another Cycle Wild camping weekend!
By admin, on March 23rd, 2011 First off, a very large THANK YOU to everyone who came out. You are the reason we do this!
 The March trip to Champoeg ended up being Cycle Wild’s largest group ever – 29 participants rode out from Clackamas Town Center on what turned out to be an unseasonably sunny day. The riders continued on through the big climb through Oregon City to Canby, where everyone stopped for lunch and to load up on food, drink, and supplies. If anything, the weather got even better at that point, while the 11 first-time campers in the group continued to socialize and ride with the veteran campers who came out on this trip.
The large group size was in part due to Cycle Wild reserving 2 yurts – but the yurts were only able to accommodate up to 10 people. Thanks to word-of-mouth and a few posts to local blogs, the number of tent campers swelled. Eventually there were 21 people camping in tents in the hiker/biker campsites – in March!
The remainder of the ride was under sun and blue skies, all the way into the park along the scenic trail from Butteville. There was a fair amount of variation in rider capabilities, bike types, and loadouts, so we arrived in a couple of waves and started setting things up. Since it had been raining all week, the traditional hiker/biker sites were somewhat… damp. Waterlogged might be a more appropriate term. Everyone pitched tents on the highest ground they could find, and the last tent went up more than an hour before our only real rain of the trip hit.
 It came in about 5pm, and rained for about 40 minutes. Russ & Laura of pathlesspedaled set up a tarp over the picnic table and those of us who didn’t take shelter in the yurts for a while huddled under the tarp while passing drinks around. It was a great opportunity to talk about the trip, the tarp, camping, Russ & Laura’s bike touring and their new Bromptons, and generally get to know each other. Later that evening were games, stories, and singing – with musical accompaniment by Amos Hunter and his ukelele. This was Amos’ 2nd trip with Cycle Wild.
While the singing was going on around the fire, about 8-10 of the group went into the yurt to play Apples to Apples, and had a rousing game going on for a while. Everyone started going to bed around 10-11pm, and the weather stayed decent overnight.
The group packed up Sunday morning, and headed out about 11am or so, after Matt Picio cooked french toast for everyone in hiker/biker and anyone else who happened by. Weather on the return trip was a little colder and overcast, and the group split into two main groups taking different routes home. Both groups returned safely without any flat tires or mechanical issues, after finding respective restaurants/brew pubs to get a meal on the way home. It rained a little bit on the way back, but not heavy, and spirits were generally pretty high on the ride home.
Everyone who provided feedback on the trip said they really enjoyed the experience, and I’d like to take a moment to thank the following individuals for completing their first bike camping trip with Cycle Wild: Teressa, Kristen, Taras, Ellen, Amanda, Natalie, Nathan, Rachel, Thomas, Peter, and Steven – thanks so much for coming, and I hope you join us again!
By admin, on March 17th, 2011 Latest weather is High 52, Low 37, 60% chance of rain on Saturday morning dropping to 30% later in the day and Sunday.
We are stopping at the Canby Fred Meyer for food. This is a full-service Fred Meyer with and organic section – if you have special needs, bring what you need and get the rest at FM.
We are also likely stopping at the liquor store in Canby. Champoeg, like almost all state parks, permits alcohol. Most of the people on this trip are social drinkers, so be advised. We don’t get crazy or anything – we just have a good time.
If you are hoping to get into a yurt – sorry, the yurts are full. I’ve contacted the yurt folks individually to let them know cost. The rest of us (including me) are about 200′ away in hiker/biker. We will be tent camping at $5 per person (paid to the park, not me). Bring a couple bucks to chip in for firewood, and a towel if you want a shower. (showers are free, and the bathroom/shower facility is all to ourselves – “A” loop is still closed for the reason to the RV set)
We meet at 9am at Clackamas Town Center in the parking lot just south of the MAX station. Ride at 9:15, immediately after the 9:14 MAX arrives. There may be up to 30 people on this trip, so don’t count on there being room on the last MAX in. If you’re interested in riding to Clackamas, I can give you routing aid if you want a lower-traffic route down there – email me for details.
If you are running late, call me at 503.781.5095 and let us know so we don’t all just take off on you.
Here is our route and cuesheet:
Route: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Champoeg-from-Clackamas-TC
Cuesheet: http://www.bikely.com/cuesheet/route/Champoeg-from-Clackamas-TC
Weather: http://tinyurl.com/auwsyj
27.9 miles, should be 3 hours of riding time and about an hour in Canby at Fred Meyer and the liquor store.
See you on Saturday!
By admin, on March 15th, 2011 Hi everyone! It’s bike camping time again, and we’ve got a good sized group already lined up to go to Champoeg State Park. We’ll be meeting at 9am at Clackamas Town Center (End of the GREEN line MAX) Please gather in the parking lot just to the south of the station. (down the ramp, hang a left on the sidewalk, look for the loaded blue Kona Sutra)
After the 9:14 MAX arrives with any stragglers, we’ll embark on a 28-mile trip to Champoeg State Park, stopping at the Canby Fred Meyer (about 10 miles from the park) to stock up on food for the weekend and eat our lunch. We have 2 yurts rented for this trip, but they are FULL – if I haven’t already told you that you have a spot in a yurt, then this is a TENT camping trip, and likely a WET one. FYI, I am in a tent, not one of the yurts.
If you’d like to learn some tips & tricks about camping, this is the trip – we have about 5 first-time campers and a few serious veterans on this trip (including a couple who lived on their bikes for 15 months crossing the country). So come along and enjoy the weekend and the campfire!
Details:
Depart – Saturday, March 19th @9:00am
Location – Clackamas Town Center MAX Station (end of GREEN line): 9375 SE Sunnyside Road, Clackamas, OR
Return – Sunday, March 20th (time dependent on the wishes of the group)
Distance – 27.9 miles one-way
Cost – $5 park fee (people in yurts – $8 pay to Matt, yurts are pre-reserved)
CAMPERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN FOOD – We will be making a stop at Canby Fred Meyer – some organic/vegan/gf options at that store
Route: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Champoeg-from-Clackamas-TC
Cuesheet: http://www.bikely.com/cuesheet/route/Champoeg-from-Clackamas-TC
Weather: http://tinyurl.com/auwsyj
Hope you can join us!
By admin, on February 28th, 2011 Ok, folks – the Champoeg yurt trip has worked out to be FAR more popular than expected. There are no additional yurts for rental. The yurts have beds for 5, and officially can hold up to 8 each. We have 2 yurts, so we can have up to 10 sleeping in beds in the yurts, and another 6 sleeping on the floor of the 2 yurts. At the moment, the following people have told me they are coming:
| Ellen G. | Taras G. | Ethan J. | Kellie M-J |
| Rob A. | Tomas Q. | Audrey A. | Joey F. |
| Evelyn J. | Caroline S. | Paul Z. | Jimmy |
| Amanda R. | Natalie P. | Nathan M. | Erinne G. |
We can take an unlimited number of tent campers (well, ok – up to about 30), and the hiker-biker camp is almost next-door to the yurts. So, if your goal is to go camping, and hang around and socialize – we can take you if you don’t mind bringing and sleeping in a tent. But if you had your heart set on a yurt – sorry, we tried to reserve more, but they were booked.
If you are on the above list and can’t make it – please let me know so I can open that spot up for someone else. Thanks!
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