Hotel Shaniko

If you are feeling overwhelmed by people, noise, traffic, the internet, planes, cars, stores, lights, electricity, buildings, animals or really anything at all, I have the cure for you. I know I’ve highlighted how remote things are on this ride but today’s section out did them – next level remote. I slept in and enjoyed my time in camp this morning. I didn’t sleep well last night. I had some visitors that kept hanging around my tent. Something with hooves but I didn’t peek out to confirm. After a few rounds of the hooves stomping around, the neighboring coyotes left for a hunt very close to my tent and their screeching echoed in the canyon in the bright moonlight.

I got everything packed up and headed out for a very long climb up a dirt road. It was a beautiful morning and the sun warmed me up on the climb. I was feeling like some quiet time so I didn’t listen to any music and just focused on the intensity of the silence in this place. The wind was calm and I heard a few birds but that was it. No cars, no planes, no farm equipment of any kind to break the stillness. Bryan and I visited the Hoh Rain Forest when we first moved to Washington after hearing a great article on NPR about a researcher that established a nonprofit called Quiet Parks International. It intrigues me that quiet has such a powerful effect. It’s something that we are quickly losing.

The climb finally ended and it was a beautiful descent into the town of Antelope – population 37. I only met one person near the local biker Honor Fridge (you didn’t even know these were a thing!) and he told me that this place was teeming with people in the early 80s when it was the epicenter of the Rajneeshpuram that ended in spectacular controversy as described in the NetFlix documentary series called Wild Wild Country. Several of the organization’s buildings have been converted to camping huts and the main facilities have since been acquired by Young Life. It is a beautiful setting but a wild history.

I had one last big climb into Shaniko today for my big treat of the trip – a night at the ghostly Hotel Shaniko. The hotel was built in 1901 to support the booming solo wool and wheat industry of the time. The town is now down to about 30 residents but the hotel is nice but absolutely deserted. I met Terry when I rolled into town. He manages the local RV park (which really consists of him and one other RV). He is super friendly and hooked me up with some quarters, laundry soap and the code to the RV park laundry room so I could wash my nasty bike kit that I’ve been in for five days. There aren’t any restaurants or stores in Shaniko so and I made some trail food in my room after a wonderful hot shower.

Tomorrow is my last day of the Oregon Outback trail. It’s been much harder than I expected but a blast to see this part of the country up close. I will definitely be back but right now I am itching to be back in the world of noise and stuff. I’ve missed all of you.