burnt river canyon (67)
September 17, 2009
84 miles to Baker City, OREGON.
…well actually just beyond Baker City. My penchant now, since I’m doing most of my riding on or near the interstate, is to sleep at rest areas. They are convenient, comfortable, free, and safe, and there happened to be one 10 miles past Baker.
I’ve been riding along what was the Oregon Trail for some time now, and burnt river canyon is alleged to be one of the most difficult and treacherous parts for those early pioneers. It was for me too, and represents my third trial: mountains. The climbs were impressive- nothing I couldn’t handle, and handle comfortably, but besides the Rockies I haven’t seen anything like it. And even in Colorado I think the routes were designed more gracefully. Here they are strait climbs with 6% grades for miles and miles. And there’s a lot up and down, climaxing at another place just called ‘summit’, right around 4000 ft. It ended with a nice coast down to Baker (elev ~3400) at twilight. I’ll have a little more to say about these mountains in my next post since I’ve already finished two more passes; difficult but rewarding.
I’ve read two different explanations as to why the canyon was called burnt river. In both the natives burn the grass, but in the first case they do so to strengthen and improve the grazing land, and in the second they do so to starve the animals of the westward pioneers. In either case it’s yet another reminder that those who came on the Oregon Trail were trespassers, and the land was claimed and managed by a well established civilization. It’s annoying that the rest stop murals and historical markers take awkward steps to avoid saying this. Someday I think the undertones of the natives as savages and the pioneers as noble will be reversed, as they certainly should be.
