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Jeremy drove up to Portland to join my neighbor and me on this little jaunt today. We went through RAIN going up and around Mt. Hood, but the weather cleared after that. This is a great drive! You wouldn't have to twist my arm much to get me to lead it/drive it again sometime. It goes way out in the boonies, with lots of straightaways for one kind of driving fun - and enough twisties for the other kind.
When I pre-drove the route I took some pictures of the distant views. The camera (my camera?) (me?) just couldn't do justice to the vastness of the country you see from these roads. Here are the few shots worth posting:
Highway 216.
Looking north from Maupin, up the Deschutes River Gorge.
Looking down on lower Maupin from the north.
Looking back at Maupin from the south
Looking west from Maupin.
Shaniko, but this doesn't look like a ghost town.
This does.
The best thing about Shaniko is the restored hotel, which is now closed - and up for sale. (Yes, you do see hitching posts for your horses.)
This drive is 260+ miles round trip, 5+ hours of driving (starting from Southeast Portland). I think the loop around Maupin, Antelope, and Shaniko is better this way (counterclockwise) because of the views you get coming back north from Shaniko. (And don't expect much from Shaniko. It's a curiosity, a stopping point - not much more.) I've listed lots of rest stops along the way; you probably won't need all of them.
The vast landscape over there is dry and yellow at this time of year. It would be fun to see what the area looks like in April and May.
Note: When I pre-drove the route on a Thursday, the restaurants were open. When we drove it on a Tuesday, neither of them was! There is a tavern and some deli-markets in Maupin. (Pick up a sandwich and have a picnic at the city park down by the river?)
DIRECTIONS
Go east on Highway 26 from Portland. (Rest stop: Government Camp Rest Area)
Turn left on Highway 216.
Turn right on Highway 197 to Maupin. (Rest stop: As you first enter the town there is a Visitor Center on the right. Turn in and go down a half block. There are restrooms next to the baseball diamond. Walk straight out to the end of the bluff while you're there - great views! There are restaurants here if you're hungry.) Wind on down through Maupin and keep going south on Highway 197.
Highway 197 merges with Highway 97 - so keep going south towards Madras.
(Rest stop: There is a highway Rest Area a few miles beyond this intersection.)
Turn left on Highway 293 to Antelope. (This portion of the drive is so beautiful. It's like Oregon meets Colorado.)
Turn left on Highway 218 into Antelope. You're on the Shaniko-Fossil Highway.
(Rest stop: Have lunch one block up at the Antelope Caf
WORK 
WORK 
09-01-2009, 05:07 PM
