Summer in the west can be difficult. We managed to have clear skies and no smoke the entire time we were in Port Angeles and til the end of our stay in Cle Elum but it will be a challenge for the rest of our trip back down south. We left Cle Elum a few days earlier than planned because it was getting smokey and pretty hot. We had to skip a hike we had planned because you couldn’t see anything up toward the pass it was on. Back on the road. That’s the beauty of living and traveling in an rv. If you don’t like where you are or the conditions are poor, you leave.
So we scoured the smoke map and found the area around Mt. Hood to be good. Off we went and now here we are. This area is not new to us by any means. We have probably camped and ridden in the area 25 times or so. The trails are great and the area is EXTREMELY quite during the week. We did have to be mindful of finding a place in the forest that wasn’t too shady so that our solar panels could soak up the sun and keep us powered.
Our first ride from camp was a Lookout Mtn. loop. We like this trail for the pretty meadows, the winding bermy sections, the forest, and the stream that runs alongside it. We encountered zero people on the weekday we rode. Zero people, lots of fun. It isn’t highly technical though there are a few short, steep, punchy climbs that some people might need to hike.
We’ll continue weather watching as we plot our course south.
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