Cowboy Dinner Tree Day

Day two of the Oregon Outback started out with a nice sleep in and a beautiful sunrise at my stream-side campsite. I only had 55 miles to ride today ending at the famous Cowboy Dinner Tree restaurant and I didn’t want to get there too early. The ride started out pretty tame but after a few miles things got real ugly. I ran into a part of the trail that had dozens of huge blow down trees. It was very slow going trying to haul my bike up and around the fallen trees. I think I covered barely two miles in an hour of hauling my fully loaded bike over the huge trunks and jumbles of burned branches.

I finally got through this mess and the trail really opened up. The rest of the day was fast paved road and compact gravel and I could relax into a good rhythm. Thing thing that I’m learning about bike packing is that it seems to go smoother if I slow down. My bike is pretty heavy so there’s no charging up hills like a hero. I’ve been spending most of my time in my small ring and spinning over the hills and rocky bits. I am also learning that it doesn’t do a lot of good to try to estimate how long sections are going to take. My instinct is to plan out the hours and arrive at certain goal times but that isn’t the bike packing vibe. Instead, I’ve been taking more breaks, stopping for pictures and I even dilly dallied for about an hour at a pretty spot and made a cup of pour over coffee.

There was just one thing driving me today – dinner at the Cowboy Dinner Tree at 4:00. This sweet place is out in the middle of nowhere but it takes months to secure a reservation for their famous chicken or steak dinners. It’s all cash and all out. They serve up a great salad with homemade honey mustard dressing and rolls, cowboy baked beans and then the main event – either a 32 OZ steak or a chicken dinner. I went with the chicken and was determined to eat everything. I know what I’m doing when it comes to eating too much food. I learned on the Appalachian Trail that I have about thirty minutes before my stomach won’t take any more so timing is everything.

I scarfed down the entire bowl of salad and played it smart with the beans and rolls. They brought my main dish and it was a whole chicken and huge baked potato. It was delicious! Spicy and salty and grilled just right. I finished everything and then had a little room for their strawberry shortcake. I was feeling pretty proud of myself until I tried to get on my bike and ride the five miles into camp. I felt terrible. I barely made it in and set up my tent so I could lay down. I’m still feeling pretty stuffed but the dinner was amazing and I’ll never forget this meal for sure.

Dinner was also fun because I met seven other bike packers and finish a good deed. I found a pair of fancy bike pants along the trail on my first day and I figured they belonged another cyclist so I picked them up and stowed them away. When I pulled in to Cowboy Dinner, I met a crew of cyclists and one of them had indeed lost the pants and was thrilled to get them back. It felt great to do the small favor.

I am camping with the other cyclists tonight at a nice RV park with hot showers and a power outlet to charge up my phone. Tomorrow is going to be a long day so I’m going to hit the sack early. The cows are mooing and it’s dry and warm out. So far, this trail has been a blast. So glad I made this all happen.