Milo McIver State Park - Bike Camping THIS WEEKEND!
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Matt Picio
May 1, 2012, 11:38:43 PM5/1/12
to Cycle Wild
Cycle Wild presents: Bike Camping!
This weekend's destination: Milo McIver State Park
If you've never come on a Cycle Wild camping trip, PLEASE take the
time to read this entire email. If you've been out with us before,
here's the basics for this trip:
- Depart: Cleveland Avenue MAX Station (Gresham end of the RED LINE
MAX) at 10am (meet at 9:30am)
- Mileage: 21 miles on the outbound leg, 24 miles on the return leg -
THIS TRIP IS NOT A LOOP
- Cost: Less than $10 per person for camp fees (exact amount depends
on number of participants)
- Other costs: You are responsible for your own food. Firewood is $5
per bundle, please bring a couple $ to pitch in
Route/Cuesheet: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1136173 (outbound)
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1136849 (return)
Weather: http://tinyurl.com/cvvgeg
-------------------
Details:
Destination: We're headed to Milo McIver State Park near Estacada,
Oregon. McIver State Park is home to one of the state's most popular
disc golf courses. The park also has a number of hiking trails, and a
couple day use areas in addition to the campground. There is river
access to the Clackamas River, but it's a good ½ mile from the
campground area.
McIver has a main campground and 3 group camps. For this trip, we
have the Steelhead group site. The site has a 50-person capacity, so
we're not worried about it filling up. There are restrooms and
showers in the main campground about a hundred yards away from the
group camps. There should also be toilets in the group camp area.
Trip and Weather: Weather for the weekend is a high near 60 and low
near 40. There is a chance of showers on Saturday, but Sunday is
supposed to be dry. The routes out and back are half low-traffic
roads and half high traffic roads with wide shoulders. About 7 miles
on Hwy 224 on the trip out and back and an extra 2 miles on the return
will be high traffic and fairly loud. On the return, we'll be coming
back through the Clackamas industrial area - Sunday traffic will be
very light, and it gets us off the main road. We'll be crossing a few
railroad tracks,
We're taking the "back way" into the park - a gravel/dirt PGE access
road which travels at river level rather than the 200' climb/descent
in and out of the park's main gate. If you have very narrow tires,
the gravel may pose a problem. The access gate has an opening bikes
can get through - the opening was just wide enough to admit a cargo
bike on the March trip, so we're confident it can accommodate cargo
bikes and trailers with some care.
Kids: There will be a couple families on this trip. If you have kids
and want to bring them camping - awesome! Join the fun! FYI - the
section on Hwy 224 will be loud. The part of the group with kids will
stop more often, and will take longer to get to the park. If you
don't care much for kids, no worry - the 50-person group camp is
plenty big enough to pitch your tent away from kids or from my
snoring. :-) Also FYI, the trip out is 21 miles, the trip back is 24
miles. We're taking a different route back for safety reasons. Also
be advised that the trip out has a 300' fairly steep hill (descent).
If you REALLY don't like kids, then perhaps this isn't the trip for
you. Check out one of our many other trips this year - the farther
trips are less likely to have kids.
If you're concerned about your child's safety or the levels of
traffic, our June trip (June 2-3) will be heading to Stub Stewart
State Park. That trip is almost entirely on low-traffic roads and 10
miles of car-free trail. (total trip 23 miles one-way)
Trimet/MAX: Trimet's official policy is NO TRAILERS. Cargo bikes or
other "non-standard" bikes can also be restricted from MAX and won't
fit on bus racks. If you need to ride to the meetup, be advised that
it will add another 19 miles to the trip length from Portland. Our
suggested route is here: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1136859 There
are shorter routes to Gresham. Estacada lies at the end of Trimet's
#30 bus line, which runs to Clackamas Town Center, but only Monday -
Saturday. There is no Sunday bus service to Estacada.
Food: There is a full-service grocery store in Estacada (Thriftway)
and a pharmacy. There is also a Subway, a pizza place, and a couple
other restaurants. Estacada is about 2-3 miles before the
campground. The Thriftway has some organic food, but if you have
dietary restrictions or a driving desire for non-GMO organic food, you
might want to bring some from Portland. Due to the wide variety of
dietary restrictions in Cycle Wild participants, we don't generally do
group meals. There will likely be enough camp stoves to cook food if
you don't have one, and there's always the option of hot dogs over the
campfire. If there's interest in morning pancakes, I may make
pancakes for everyone for Sunday breakfast.
Return trip: We typically return in 2 groups - an "early" group, and
the main group. The main group will likely leave the park between
11am and noon, returning about 3 hours later to Clackamas. The early
group will leave at whatever time they negotiate. THIS TRIP IS NOT A
LOOP - we will return to the end of the GREEN LINE MAX - the Clackamas
Town Center MAX station. I will lead folks to the Springwater Trail
from Clackamas TC who aren't riding the MAX. It's about 10 miles to
downtown Portland from Clackamas.
Ride etiquette: Cycle Wild doesn't dictate how its riders ride, other
than to say be courteous, and when there isn't enough room to safely
ride two abreast, please ride single-file. We are a "no-drop" group,
which means there will always be a sweeping rider who will ensure that
those at the back of the group make it to camp safely.
Cars: Cycle Wild does self-supported camping trips, we typically have
no motor vehicle support, nor motor vehicle campers in our group - but
it's not a hard rule. We've used motor vehicles to pre-stage firewood
on a couple of primitive trips, and occasionally to get to a
campground early to reserve first-come, first-served sites. We will
likely have one car out on this trip with some folks who are
interested in seeing what we're about and don't currently have the
equipment they need for this trip. If you are coming on the trip, and
have kids, or a disabled partner/spouse who you want on the trip with
you and who can't ride themselves, you're welcome and encouraged to
have them come out to this trip in a car - we can have up to 6 motor
vehicles at the group site.
Gear: You should have a tent, sleeping bag, and other necessary items
with you on this trip. Don't forget a flashlight! Our recommended
minimum gear list is here: http://www.cyclewild.org/gear-list/ If you
have questions about what to bring, or think you might not have the
gear you need, contact "matt.picio" at "cyclewild.org" (sorry for the
lack of hyperlink, trying to prevent spammers) and I will be happy to
help you.
Please bring a patch kit and/or spare tube in addition to your other
gear. If anyone gets a flat, one of the ride leaders will ensure
you're not left behind.
Breakfast: Some of us will likely meet at the Gresham Elmer's
Restaurant before departure, about 8:30am. Elmer's is one block east
of the Cleveland Avenue MAX Station. If anyone *IS* going to Elmer's,
please post it on the Cycle Wild Discussion list so folks know there's
something going on and when to meet:
Contact Number: Put this number in your phone if you're going on the
trip - 503.781.5095 (Matt Picio)
This weekend's destination: Milo McIver State Park
If you've never come on a Cycle Wild camping trip, PLEASE take the
time to read this entire email. If you've been out with us before,
here's the basics for this trip:
- Depart: Cleveland Avenue MAX Station (Gresham end of the RED LINE
MAX) at 10am (meet at 9:30am)
- Mileage: 21 miles on the outbound leg, 24 miles on the return leg -
THIS TRIP IS NOT A LOOP
- Cost: Less than $10 per person for camp fees (exact amount depends
on number of participants)
- Other costs: You are responsible for your own food. Firewood is $5
per bundle, please bring a couple $ to pitch in
Route/Cuesheet: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1136173 (outbound)
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1136849 (return)
Weather: http://tinyurl.com/cvvgeg
-------------------
Details:
Destination: We're headed to Milo McIver State Park near Estacada,
Oregon. McIver State Park is home to one of the state's most popular
disc golf courses. The park also has a number of hiking trails, and a
couple day use areas in addition to the campground. There is river
access to the Clackamas River, but it's a good ½ mile from the
campground area.
McIver has a main campground and 3 group camps. For this trip, we
have the Steelhead group site. The site has a 50-person capacity, so
we're not worried about it filling up. There are restrooms and
showers in the main campground about a hundred yards away from the
group camps. There should also be toilets in the group camp area.
Trip and Weather: Weather for the weekend is a high near 60 and low
near 40. There is a chance of showers on Saturday, but Sunday is
supposed to be dry. The routes out and back are half low-traffic
roads and half high traffic roads with wide shoulders. About 7 miles
on Hwy 224 on the trip out and back and an extra 2 miles on the return
will be high traffic and fairly loud. On the return, we'll be coming
back through the Clackamas industrial area - Sunday traffic will be
very light, and it gets us off the main road. We'll be crossing a few
railroad tracks,
We're taking the "back way" into the park - a gravel/dirt PGE access
road which travels at river level rather than the 200' climb/descent
in and out of the park's main gate. If you have very narrow tires,
the gravel may pose a problem. The access gate has an opening bikes
can get through - the opening was just wide enough to admit a cargo
bike on the March trip, so we're confident it can accommodate cargo
bikes and trailers with some care.
Kids: There will be a couple families on this trip. If you have kids
and want to bring them camping - awesome! Join the fun! FYI - the
section on Hwy 224 will be loud. The part of the group with kids will
stop more often, and will take longer to get to the park. If you
don't care much for kids, no worry - the 50-person group camp is
plenty big enough to pitch your tent away from kids or from my
snoring. :-) Also FYI, the trip out is 21 miles, the trip back is 24
miles. We're taking a different route back for safety reasons. Also
be advised that the trip out has a 300' fairly steep hill (descent).
If you REALLY don't like kids, then perhaps this isn't the trip for
you. Check out one of our many other trips this year - the farther
trips are less likely to have kids.
If you're concerned about your child's safety or the levels of
traffic, our June trip (June 2-3) will be heading to Stub Stewart
State Park. That trip is almost entirely on low-traffic roads and 10
miles of car-free trail. (total trip 23 miles one-way)
Trimet/MAX: Trimet's official policy is NO TRAILERS. Cargo bikes or
other "non-standard" bikes can also be restricted from MAX and won't
fit on bus racks. If you need to ride to the meetup, be advised that
it will add another 19 miles to the trip length from Portland. Our
suggested route is here: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1136859 There
are shorter routes to Gresham. Estacada lies at the end of Trimet's
#30 bus line, which runs to Clackamas Town Center, but only Monday -
Saturday. There is no Sunday bus service to Estacada.
Food: There is a full-service grocery store in Estacada (Thriftway)
and a pharmacy. There is also a Subway, a pizza place, and a couple
other restaurants. Estacada is about 2-3 miles before the
campground. The Thriftway has some organic food, but if you have
dietary restrictions or a driving desire for non-GMO organic food, you
might want to bring some from Portland. Due to the wide variety of
dietary restrictions in Cycle Wild participants, we don't generally do
group meals. There will likely be enough camp stoves to cook food if
you don't have one, and there's always the option of hot dogs over the
campfire. If there's interest in morning pancakes, I may make
pancakes for everyone for Sunday breakfast.
Return trip: We typically return in 2 groups - an "early" group, and
the main group. The main group will likely leave the park between
11am and noon, returning about 3 hours later to Clackamas. The early
group will leave at whatever time they negotiate. THIS TRIP IS NOT A
LOOP - we will return to the end of the GREEN LINE MAX - the Clackamas
Town Center MAX station. I will lead folks to the Springwater Trail
from Clackamas TC who aren't riding the MAX. It's about 10 miles to
downtown Portland from Clackamas.
Ride etiquette: Cycle Wild doesn't dictate how its riders ride, other
than to say be courteous, and when there isn't enough room to safely
ride two abreast, please ride single-file. We are a "no-drop" group,
which means there will always be a sweeping rider who will ensure that
those at the back of the group make it to camp safely.
Cars: Cycle Wild does self-supported camping trips, we typically have
no motor vehicle support, nor motor vehicle campers in our group - but
it's not a hard rule. We've used motor vehicles to pre-stage firewood
on a couple of primitive trips, and occasionally to get to a
campground early to reserve first-come, first-served sites. We will
likely have one car out on this trip with some folks who are
interested in seeing what we're about and don't currently have the
equipment they need for this trip. If you are coming on the trip, and
have kids, or a disabled partner/spouse who you want on the trip with
you and who can't ride themselves, you're welcome and encouraged to
have them come out to this trip in a car - we can have up to 6 motor
vehicles at the group site.
Gear: You should have a tent, sleeping bag, and other necessary items
with you on this trip. Don't forget a flashlight! Our recommended
minimum gear list is here: http://www.cyclewild.org/gear-list/ If you
have questions about what to bring, or think you might not have the
gear you need, contact "matt.picio" at "cyclewild.org" (sorry for the
lack of hyperlink, trying to prevent spammers) and I will be happy to
help you.
Please bring a patch kit and/or spare tube in addition to your other
gear. If anyone gets a flat, one of the ride leaders will ensure
you're not left behind.
Breakfast: Some of us will likely meet at the Gresham Elmer's
Restaurant before departure, about 8:30am. Elmer's is one block east
of the Cleveland Avenue MAX Station. If anyone *IS* going to Elmer's,
please post it on the Cycle Wild Discussion list so folks know there's
something going on and when to meet:
Contact Number: Put this number in your phone if you're going on the
trip - 503.781.5095 (Matt Picio)
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