20
Wednesday, June 13, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
HWY 242: Access
for cyclists is a
confusing subject
Continued from page 1
acknowledged.
ODOT plows a single
lane through the snow on the
road during the spring, and
then lets snowmelt do the
rest. Once the snow is melted
off, work crews sweep the
roadway to clear debris, dirt
and gravel, and patch pot-
holes created over the win-
ter. Opening of the highway
used to be arbitrary — the
gate was opened whenever
the work was done. For the
past three years, the agency
has determined upon a con-
sistent third-Monday-in-June
opening.
During the plowing and
maintenance period, the
roadway is closed to traffic.
However, cyclists and walk-
ers go around the gate to use
the roadway. Murphy recog-
nizes that the public percep-
tion has grown that the road is
open for cyclists — car-free.
And he acknowledged that
he himself had contributed to
that perception.
“We don’t ‘open’ it for
bicycles, and I no longer pub-
licize or, if you will, promote
that it’s open for bicycles,” he
said. “I had to learn that.
“Honestly, it’s the liabil-
ity,” he noted. “It’s not main-
tained for bicycles.”
Last Thursday morn-
ing, work crews turned sev-
eral bicyclists back as they
approached the gate. With
large equipment stirring dust,
debris and gravel still on the
road and incomplete patch-
work on the roadway, the area
was clearly not a safe place to
ride. However, crews don’t
work on weekends, and any-
one driving the highway sees
dozens of riders headed up
the road to — and beyond —
the snow gate.
Cyclists across the nation
are apparently not aware that
the road isn’t really “open”
for them. Murphy said that he
gets many inquiries.
“I’ve never had so many
calls as this year in terms of
the status (of 242) for use by
bicycles,” he said.
He said that there is no
concerted effort to reverse
the public perception that the
SOLSTICE: Multiple
events mark longest
day of the year
Continued from page 13
PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
Sweepers are still clearing debris from the roadway.
road is open for cyclists in
advance of motor vehicles.
“There’s no action to
reverse that perception,” he
said. “I explain the details
when they call and ask if it’s
open for bicycles.”
This year it required extra
work to get the road into
shape due to impacts from
last summer’s Milli Fire.
Crews repaired damaged
asphalt, rebuilt damaged
road shoulders and squared
up embankments and created
channels to allow runoff to
move without flooding the
highway.
The stretch of highway
running from the east gate to
the Dee Wright Observatory
was hit very hard by the fire.
Thousands of blackened
trunks now stand on seared
slopes where forests formerly
stood. The area nevertheless
retains a certain stark beauty,
and the mountains remain
magnificent.
The route continues to be,
as Murphy tagged it, “a great
ride.” The annual Crest the
Cascades cycling event is set
for Saturday, June 16, along
the highway. That event oper-
ates under a permit, Murphy
noted.
So cyclists will summit the
McKenzie Pass, and the cars
will follow after Monday’s
opening — all moving on a
freshly repaired and swept
roadway through a changed
landscape.
Share campfire and potluck
on Saturday, June 23, at 6 p.m.
Bring a favorite short poem
or paragraph to read aloud.
Families welcome; plan your
readings accordingly.
At both potlucks, all ages
can join in. Firewood dona-
tions are especially welcome.
Campfires are planned close
to the road, so those with
mobility issues will be able to
participate. Bring food, drinks,
dinnerware (non-disposable
preferred), and a folding chair
(optional). Email neworegon
arts@gmail.com for informa-
tion, or just show up at the
labyrinth walk for details.
Summer Solstice marks
the anniversary of visionary
Larry Harvey and his friends
founding the first Burning
Man, which led to the devel-
opment of a large, influential
artistic community around the
world. Harvey passed away
this spring. There will be a
global day of commemoration
for him on June 21.
Harvey told Brown
years ago that growing up
in Oregon shaped his cre-
ative imagination and sense
of independence. She invites
all “Burners” and other cre-
atives to make a tribute altar
for Larry Harvey during the
Labyrinth Walk. Participants
can contact neworegonarts@
gmail.com to get involved.
PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
Highway 242 is closed until June 18.
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