June 2005 - Day Ride to Timothy Lake
Roads: OR224, NF46, NF4660, NF42, US26 
Miles: 130
It’s good that heading for Timothy Lake was just an excuse to ride because the lake itself was uninspiring. Perhaps a different vantage point or sunny skies would have yielded a better photo with Mt Hood in the background. There are eleven campgrounds surrounding the lake so during the summer you can count on it and roads leading to it to be overrun with RV campers. My visit was on a chilly, overcast Monday. Only a small number of diehard campers were present. As of January 2005 the lake is open all year for fishing.
My start/end was the junction of OR212 and OR224 about five miles east of I-205. One mile east on OR224 is the community of Carver. If you are coming up I-205 from the south I suggest you start at OR213 and Clackamas River Dr in Oregon City. Clackamas River Dr will take you to Carver via a pleasant seven mile ride paralleling the Clackamas River. Between Carver and Barton State Park are five miles of sweepers as the road closely follows the Clackamas River. From Barton to Estacada is eight miles of straight road.
I’ll be visiting some national parks and doing some camping in various national forests to I stopped at the ranger station in Estacada to buy a $10 lifetime Golden Age pass that entitles me to a 50% discount on usage fees. There are some benefits to being an old guy. :-)
Just beyond Estacada I rode up the foothills and stopped at the crest to view the valley below. Then a series of sweepers carried me down to and past the North Fork Reservoir where a marina and store (open only during the summer) provides a nice rest stop if you’ve been traveling for a while.
Between the reservoir and the Ripplebrook ranger station, OR224 parallels the Clackamas River for nineteen miles through a narrow canyon with the hillsides and trees close to the road. The road is in excellent condition and presents fine sweepers and some twisties.
During the spring melt when water levels are high the upper Clackamas River is a rafting and kayaking playground.
Shortly before Ripplebrook OR224 becomes NF46 which, 45 miles later, meets OR22 at Detroit Lake. NF46 is a somewhat rougher road than OR224. I encountered a small pothole or two before reaching the NF4660 turnoff.
NF57 (the main road to Timothy Lake) intersects NF46 just past Ripplebrook. But it is closed indefinitely due to lack of funds for road repair. A detour sign at Ripplebrook directs you to NF4631.
After traveling about a mile on NF4631 I was presented with this scene. Fortunately a pavement ends sign prevented a panic stop. The road looked well packed so I decided to learn how me and the ZR-7 would handle it. I rode for about a mile before wussing out and back tracking. At my low speed it would take all day to reach the lake and, being alone, I was not comfortable going much faster. It sure was a pretty ride though. Just one more reason to think about an Adventure/Tourer as my next bike or a dual sport as a second bike.
Back at Ripplebrook I stopped to check the map. My timing was good as the clouds chose that moment to open up. I put the rain cover on the tank bag, turned my sheepskin seat pad over (it has a rubber backing) and sat out the worst of the rain on the porch of the store which was closed. After a bit the rain slowed and I figured it was time for both me and the bike to be baptized so I continued the journey. It was an enlightening experience that was not as daunting as I expected. Yes Virginia, a gloved finger does an okay job as a visor wiper.
I continued south from Ripplebrook on NF46 for twelve miles before turning east onto NF4660. This is a very narrow, but paved road in excellent condition that intersects NF42 (the road to Timothy Lake when riding north from Detroit Lake). NF4660 was in excellent condition and provided a nice experience. But because of the chance of encountering oncoming traffic I kept my speed down on this road.
Ten miles later I hit NF42 and was surprised to find a wide road with a centerline. While on NF42 I encountered only two vehicles. Solitude and a curving, twisty road that is in excellent condition—what more can you ask for? Somehow I neglected to capture any photos of the road but I made up for that lapse at the junction of NF42 and NF57 with the obligatory sign photo. :-)
From that point it is eight miles to US26 and the return trip to Portland. Normally US26 provides some good views of Mt Hood but the clouds saw to it that I would not catch even a glimpse. Government Camp at the foot of Mt Hood, a bustling community during the winter season, almost could have passed as a ghost town. Between there and the flatlands is a steep downgrade with some turnouts that afford some nice views. Next trip up to Mt Hood I will snap some photos and post them. I stopped at the Alpine Hut in Zig Zag to feed my skinny old guy body with a high calorie dinner of pork chops, mashed potatoes with gravy and several cups of hot coffee that got my internal furnace going again. From there to the city of Sandy is an easy, but pleasant ride through the diminishing mountains that prepared me to re-enter civilization and its scurrying traffic.
