A few weeks ago I visited Antelope, Oregon for the first time. The landscape was beautiful, but it was cold. Snow covered the hills as we rode up the Clarno Grade.
Today was different. The sun was bright in the sky, warming us just enough as we climbed to keep us comfortable on the way down. We rode up and over and beyond the John Day River.
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| Clarno Grade, in the snow. |
I was blown away. The hills were painted, the rocks spoke of years of erosion, the grass was an electric green. I rode among friends, along roads not before explored, by me. I would have kept going, letting my legs take me where ever they wanted to go; but good guidance from my comrades turned me around. It was time to go home. But I will return. I will ride further and explore more deeply. I want to go "all the way"; although I am not sure where that will take me.
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| Smiling at the top |
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| Sunshine warmed earth |
On the return trip, we made a mandatory stop. The Antelope Cafe; now under new management and serving up homemade marionberry cobbler and freshly brewed drip coffee. Jeanne and Jesse run the place. They are doing a great job. Go visit them. Closed on Tuesday.
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| Marionberry Cobbler at the Antelope Cafe |
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| How could we resist? |
