# Crater Lake Century ride report (long w/picts)



## nor_cal_rider (Dec 18, 2006)

Crater Lake Century – August 16, 2008

Ok...so here we go again.....this was my 4th organized century of the summer and my 3rd in the past month. This trip took me up to South-Central Oregon in support of the Fort Klamath Museum to enjoy 100 miles and 7500 ft of climbing on rural roads and beautiful views of Crater Lake. The ride was entitled, "Ride the Rim" because it took both the metric and full century riders up into Crater Lake National Park, and along the Rim Road.

Being close to 3 hours from my home, I left the night before the event and headed up to Klamath Falls, Oregon. Got there around 8pm and drove to the host hotel to check-in for my room and the ride the following morning. I was greeted by the ride coordinator and provided a few tips about the ride, as well as hearing the first of many reminders about the "Ride Safety Rules" (more about this later). The host hotel (Best Western) was kind enough to get the complimentary breakfast started early (by 5am) so the riders could get some food before heading off to the ride. Unfortunately, the oatmeal, blueberry muffins, and some other stuff wasn't ready until after 5:30 am (when I got going), but I was able to get a bowl of raisin bran and a waffle to start me off. The actual ride staged at the Fort Klamath Museum, approximately 45 minutes north of the hotel. I was fortunate enough to also have a Starbucks right across the street, so I grabbed my ritual morning cup and made my way to the start/finish point.

Once at the Fort Klamath Museum, I got my bike out, aired up the tires and grabbed my arm warmers (it was in the low 50's when I got there, but it was forecast to be over 90 by mid-day). Then I lined up at the start location, since EVERYONE had to hear the "Safety Speech" (narrow roads, steep descents, sharp drop-offs, roads congested with summer RV's, helmets required by NPS, etc). Then I was off for my ride. The 100 mile ride started off by heading south along rural highway 62 and then off onto a series of country roads, lined with cattle ranches. I saw A LOT of cows!! To get the total distance up to 100 miles, a out-n-back loop was included (which some riders bypassed) and had the first of 5 SAG stops, about 18.5 miles into the ride. Perfect timing to get rid of the arm warmers. As I pulled into the rest stop, I saw a rider being cared for – apparently he was following another rider too closely and the lead rider didn't signal his intentions to pull off at the SAG stop. The result was a heap of bodies and bikes – with a 3" spot of road rash on the knee of the trailing rider, as well as a few other scrapes.

I dropped the arm warmers and long fingered gloves into a bag to be taken back to the finis location and after a very quick stop to grab a banana and a sip of gatoraid, I was back on the road. Followed the "loop road" back past the cows and then started to head north toward the lake. Only saw 2 cars until I got about 8-10 miles from the park entrance – and those were both families of other riders. As I headed north, the road gradually started to roll a bit and then became lines with pines, marking the climb into the park. The 2nd SAG stop was close to ½ way up the initial climb, at Lodgepole picnic area (approximately 38 miles into the ride). Having learned from past century rides, I pulled in and forced myself to get off my bike. Didn't really feel like I needed to, but knew I'd be happier/more comfortable towards the end of the ride by taking a couple of minutes to refill my water/gatoraid bottles and grab a small snack. Then after less than 5 minutes, I was back on the road.


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## nor_cal_rider (Dec 18, 2006)

*Crater Lake pt 2 (w/more picts)*

The climbing continued up to the sign that denoted a right turn to Crater Lake or continue straight to Medford – obviously I headed towards the park. About a 2-3 miles after the turn, I reached the park entrance. As instructed, I steered to the far right lane and unclipped so I could come to a complete stop (including placing 1 foot down on pavement). I was greeted by a NPS Ranger, and read the "rules" yet again (it was starting to remind me of George Carlin's "Airplane Safety Lecture" skit…I could almost hear George in the back of my head, "the safety lecture continues….."). The Ranger also told me to be especially careful with the climbs and descents – stating I could expect 13-20% grades. I wish I had ridden the park before hearing that, so I could have corrected him, because having ridden the Shasta Summit Century, I'd guess there was nothing over 10-12%.

After thanking him for letting the ride take place in the park, I started up the rolling hills to the Rim Village. The Metric Century riders turned to the right along the East Rim Road, while the rest of us (full century) rode a little further to the West Rim Road. Just after turning onto the West Rim, the road drops down to the first of MANY lookout points. All I can say is WOW!! I've never been to Crater Lake before, but it's awe inspiring. The color of the water is the purist/clearest blue possible. Then there are the near vertical cliffs surrounding the lake and Wizard Island poking up right at the first overlook. I stopped to take a few pictures and then started off to circle the lake, or as the ride was titled, "Ride the Rim."

Right after the initial overlook, the road started to climb, and climb, and then climb a little more. All the way I kept seeing overlook/turnout locations with more breath taking views of the lake. The grade didn't feel too steep, but I kept the bike in my 34/23 or 25 and spun my way up the road. There were a few descents as well as the climbs, and before I knew it I was pulling into the 3rd SAG stop (about 51 miles into the ride). My cyclo-computer indicated it was 10:45 am, and it was already warming up, so I needed some more water and gatoraid. I also grabbed a little fruit and some other snacks – but due to the heat, most of the baked goods were getting a little mushy (more than 1 volunteer indicated they were adding ice to the list of "things needed for next year"). Also grabbed a ¼ PB&J sandwich for some quick/sustained energy – then back on the road.


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## nor_cal_rider (Dec 18, 2006)

*Crater Lake pt 3 (w/more picts)*

As I continued my ride, I encountered a SWARM of butterflies. I mean enough to make it impossible to get past them without getting hit by several – or eating a few if you forgot to keep your mouth shut. The road then went up and down and then headed up towards Cloud Cap. By the name, you can probably guess that it is the highest point along the rim. Again – a spectacular view of the area was the reward for a long climb. Took a minute to take it all in and snap a few photos. Beginning to feel the heat really building, I began the descent to the 4th SAG stop – and lunch! Unfortunately, due to a mix up, the sandwiches had been there, but were taken by a volunteer back to the 3rd SAG stop?!?! The volunteers indicated the food was "en-route" and would arrive sometime in the next 30-45 minutes, but I had no intention of hanging around that long. I knew I had the hardest climb ahead of me and wanted to get on the road before the temps got over 90. Once again, I topped off my water bottles, thanked the volunteers and after a few more pictures, started pedaling.

I started my climb with a chocolate chip cliff bar and a few gulps of water and then just kept on spinning. The climb, combined with the heat (90 is unseasonably HOT for mid-August in Southern Oregon) was enough to stop some riders in their tracks. I saw several riders sitting along the side of the road trying to re-hydrate and rest so they could try to finish the ride (per the e-mail message from the coordinator after the event, there were some that needed to take the SAG ride back and some that should have taken the rode, but suffered instead – reminds me of advice I read about 2x,3x, and 4x centuries….better to to get a DNF than CPR). I handed out a couple of packs of cliff shot blocks and the last of my gel packs, in an effort to help those in need.

Unfortunately, the last climb was both long and less scenic, since the road followed the back side of the cliffs that form the rim. The end of the climb rewarded us with a steep and technical descent, followed by a few more "rollers" and then I saw the lodge, which denoted the end of the Rim Road. I turned left back onto the main road and headed to the park entrance/exit (approx. 7 miles). Then it was left again onto highway 62 and a nice long descent back down the road I climbed just 4 hours earlier. Since I had given out all my snacks and water to weary riders on the last climb from the "lunch stop," I stopped off at the Lodgepole picnic area again (the 2nd and also 5th SAG stop). Drank LOTS of water and ate a few bites of whatever snack food was still there, thanked the volunteers for dealing with the heat and supporting us and then got back on my bike for the last 18 miles.


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## nor_cal_rider (Dec 18, 2006)

*Crater Lake pt 4 (w/more picts)*

About half of the remaining ride was downhill, out of the thick forest and back to the rural cattle ranches. Turned off of highway 62 and followed a rural road back to the Ft. Klamath Museum. Upon checking back in, I was greeted with a wonderful BBQ and plenty of ice cold drinks (both soft drinks and water). The BBQ had plenty of food and side dishes, not to mention some tasty desserts. While there was a Spa to provide massages, I was feeling ok and decided to pass on the service. Loaded up my bike (I love having a SUV big enough to load the bike fully assembled), changed clothes, grabbed one more Mtn Dew, and headed home. Overall this was a GREAT ride – with scenery that is difficult to describe – almost "surreal" in it's beauty!!!

Each event I come back with thoughts and "Lessons Learned" – this time I came away with the following:

--Remember to check the camera settings – my digital P&S was set to "Beach & Sand" scene mode the week prior when my family and I were at Marine World taking pictures of the animal shows. I forgot to check/reset it to "Landscape" or "Sports" and ended up with over exposed/hazy photos. Hopefully Photoshop can fix them.
--Ice is a necessity for the event SAG stops – makes the drinks more tolerable and keeps the food fresher
--I'm glad I live in a proverbial furnace – 105* to 115* is COMMON for Redding in the summer and it makes the "warmer" rides easier on me than those that live in a cooler climate.
--While the heat was very tolerable for me, the higher temps cause "digestion issues" for me (I have a hard time eating when I get too hot and can't get warm/hot liquid down once I'm hot either) – causing me to avoid food for most of the end of my ride. The heat combined with warm/hot water at the SAG points made the last part of the ride more of a mental challenge. Definitely something to consider for any rides in warmer locals.

Again – a great ride with beautiful scenery – another to add to the list of "must do centuries".

Next stop Siskiyou Century in 2 weeks...stay tuned for a ride report w/pictures


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Crater Lake is amazing, that panorama is sweet.

Thanks for sharing this one with us.


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## CarbonFrk (Jul 30, 2008)

Sounds and looks like one amazing ride - thanks for the write-up!!!


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## sometimerider (Sep 21, 2007)

They didn't have lunch at the lunch stop?  I guess that's enough reason to be prepared to be self sufficient. Makes you wonder what your 50 bucks (or whatever it was) is doing for you.

I was tempted by this ride, although it would have been a much longer drive for me (Santa Cruz). Looks like it was a good one for you.


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## fasteddy07 (Jun 4, 2007)

Great shots, thanks for sharing and the write-up.

You are one mean lean century cranking machine


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

Crater lake is just beautiful beyond words. I've never been there, but I'd sure like to go someday.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Beautiful. Is there a beach or shoreline anywhere on the lake where you can launch a boat, like a kayak or canoe?


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## Chain (Dec 28, 2006)

Beatutiful ride and good shots. The shadow in the first one looks like ET is showing you which direction to go.


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## gray8110 (Dec 11, 2001)

I was there as well - I wouldn't be surprised if we ran into each other at some point. This is a local ride for me and I knew it was going to get hot. 90 isn't so hot for Southern Oregon - it was 108 at home in Medford that day - but 90 is very hot at above 7,000 feet on the rim. I wanted to avoid the heat and started at 6:45 and didn't waste much time anywhere. I ended up finishing about 12:05 and didn't make much use of the rest stops except to refill bottles and grab a Gu or cookie - I finished well before the BBQ was going to start a 1pm so I refilled the bottles and headed home.

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6526869

The ride really is well organized, there were some mixups this year because of the heat, but for a ride done with the significant constraints of the National Park Service, I'm impressed. The 13-20% grades bit of the warning is funny - the climbing on this ride is super-mild. There might be 1/4 mile at 7% here or there, but the park service built the roads with moderate grades so that the RVs and busses can carry their tourists around the park.

As always, great report. Hope you enjoy the Siskiyou Century. Great roads - I've never ridden the century, but I've ridden all the roads. Great riding and a not-too-difficult ride in beautiful terrain. Hopefully the fires will have been extinguished by then and you'll have clear skies. The Shasta and Scott Valleys have been hit hard with the smoke.


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## gray8110 (Dec 11, 2001)

tarwheel2 said:


> Beautiful. Is there a beach or shoreline anywhere on the lake where you can launch a boat, like a kayak or canoe?


No. There's no way to get a boat to the lake. The NPS does have a boat tour that they offer seasonally. The lake is 1000'+ below the road at all times and that's more-or-less a sheer cliff. The boat tours involve a pretty good hike down to the lake. When boats are serviced or survey/science boats are used, it has to be done by helicopter.


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## nor_cal_rider (Dec 18, 2006)

Chain said:


> Beatutiful ride and good shots. The shadow in the first one looks like ET is showing you which direction to go.



LOL! I was heading back towards the road to the highway from the first SAG stop. Realized the view behind me was better for pictures, so I tried taking a few shots over my shoulder and a couple holding the camera above my head. The shadow is kinda funny....


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## nor_cal_rider (Dec 18, 2006)

sometimerider said:


> They didn't have lunch at the lunch stop?  I guess that's enough reason to be prepared to be self sufficient. Makes you wonder what your 50 bucks (or whatever it was) is doing for you.
> 
> I was tempted by this ride, although it would have been a much longer drive for me (Santa Cruz). Looks like it was a good one for you.


Don't get me wrong, they had snacks and were making PB&J for those that wanted it. I was just disappointed there was no substantial food or COLD liquid. And if I had been more patient, I could have waited for the sandwiches that were going to be provided. So my entry covered the food/support AND my NPS day-use fee -- no complaints about the "bang for my buck" - it's all about the "smiles per mile", and I had PLENTY  .

FWIW - this was the smallest Century I have ridden (limited to 300 riders) this season, and the level of food support has varied each one. Seems to me that the amount of food is directly proportional to the size of the event (no big surprise). The Chico Wildflower had the most riders, and correspondingly the biggest spread of snacks. I'd say Mt. Shasta and Fall River were close to the same size, and had similar levels of food/drink, and this was the smallest offering no ice or cold drinks, and the least variety/amount of snacks - and they STILL probably had stuff left over. Gotta be one of the more difficult aspects of coordinating/running one of these events - guess-timating how much food/drink to buy.

Honestly - I train solo and do a lot of rural/remote riding, so I'm used to being self supported. Just would have REALLY enjoyed an ice cold drink.....and a little more for breakfast.

Again - had a GREAT time!!


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## nor_cal_rider (Dec 18, 2006)

CarbonFrk said:


> Sounds and looks like one amazing ride - thanks for the write-up!!!


Thanx for the compliment!! I love to ride and thought I'd share my thoughts/pictures


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

*So beautiful*

One of the most amazing vistas I have ever seen. I have never cycled there, but have driven that road. Recall having a lovely (if expensive) lunch overlooking the lake. Must have been quite the noise when that thing was formed!


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