FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2017
Classifieds / Outdoor Rec
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7
Cycling route
announced
BUDGET HEARING NOTICE
The Baker City Cycling Classic will take place June
23rd through June 25th, 2017.
Motorist can expect delays on Friday morning on Hwy.
30 in Baker City towards Haines, also Hwy. 203 and into
Keating. HWY 86 back to Baker City and finishing on
Atwood. Racing begins at 9:30 a.m. and will conclude
around 12:30 p.m.
Friday evening there will be a Uphill Time Trial at the
National Historical Oregon Trail Interpretive Center rac-
ing starts at 6 p.m.
Saturday June 24th two races will take place, the first
begins at 8:30 a.m. and starts from the Baker City Church
of the Nazarene on Hughes Lane and heads out to Hwy.
30, where racers will turn right and follow the road to
Davenport Road then to Chandler Lane with a final right
turn onto Old Oregon Trail road finishing about a mile
from Hwy. 86. There will be a detour of north bound traf-
fic on Hwy. 30 at Hughes Lane onto Pocahontas and then
to Chico where it will rejoin Hwy. 30. Detour will be in
effect from 8 a.m. till 11:30 a.m.
The second event of the day will be the Tour d'Town
Criteriums and Kids Races held in Historic Baker City
from 1 p.m. till 7:30 PM. There will be parking restric-
tion on Main Street, Valley, 1st, 2nd, 10th/Broadway,
Court, and Washington Ave. starting Saturday morning
through Saturday at 8 p.m.
The Baker County YMCA will be hosting the Y's Kids
Races on Saturday June 24th from 11:30 a.m. till 1 p.m.
It's free and open to ages 4 through 15. For more info
visit http://www.bakercitycycling.org/BCCC/Stages.html
Sunday June 25th the event will begin at 7 AM from
Baker High School heading North on HWY 30 to HWY
203 where it will follow a rolling course through Medical
Springs, Union and North Powder. From that point it will
follow Anthony Lakes Highway to the finish line just past
Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort. The public can expect
delays on 203 and Anthony Lakes Highway so please
plan accordingly. For those wanting to spectate from the
finish, we ask that they be at Anthony Lakes Mountain
Resort before Noon.
Baker Loves Bikes would like to thank the community
in advance for their support and patience. The event is
entering its fifteenth year here in Baker County and is
proud to support our local Baker High School sports and
education programs. Each year we donate over $5,000
to Baker High School and local volunteer groups like
the Lions Club and the Northeast Oregon Compassion
Center.
Summertime
activities ahead
on WWNF
7th Run for the Ruts held
BY SAMANTHA
O’CONNER
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Saturday, June 3rd, the
National Historic Oregon
Trail Interpretive Center
held its 7th annual “Run to
the Ruts 5k/10k run/walk.
The event is a non-
sanctioned “fun run” and
all proceeds went to Trail
Tenders Inc., a nonprofit
organization that supports
the Interpretive Center
programs.
Everyone who partici-
pated in the run received a
medal when they crossed
the finish line and awards
were given for the top
three male and female
runners.
For the men’s 5K, Kale
Cassidy was first with a
time of 23:14. Second was
Zack Tomac with a time
of 25:22. Luke Janssen
finished third with a time
of 26:10.
In the women’s 5k,
Emma Baeth was first with
a time of 28:00. Second
was Melanie Rasor with
a time of 29:26. Kiah
Carlson finished third with
a time of 30:59.
For the men’s 10k, Chad
Carlson finished first with
a time of 52:02. Second
was Mike Lees with a time
of 53:51. Nicolas Solisz
finished third with a time
of 57:00.
In the women’s 10k Lisa
Bird was first with a time
of 1:01:03. Second was
Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press
Kale Cassidy, number 243, came in first in the men’s 5K run.
Dana Janssen with a time
of 1:01:14. Lily Wittich
finished third with a time
of 1:08:00.
According to a pamphlet
given, “‘Run to the Ruts’
is a challenging 5k (3.1
mile) Run/Walk or 10k
(6.2 miles) Run. The run
starts above the endurance
of the 3rd parking lot and
heads down the service
road towards the Panorama
Point Trail.
At approximately 2.3
miles, the course turns
right toward the Eagle Val-
ley Railroad Grade Loop
Trail. Then, after an ap-
proximate 430 ft. elevation
drop, it takes the Ascent
Trail, the last mile, back
to the third parking lot and
finish line.
The route is a mixture
of gravel, paved and dirt
trails, with several tight
curves.”
“Some runners asked
us to put together a run,”
explained Center Director
Sarah LeCompte. “Because
we have a lot of people
come up here and train
on our trail system and
they said our trail system
is almost an exact 5K, so,
they just said, ‘Have you
ever thought about putting
together a run?’ So, our
volunteer group decided
they’d give it a try and it
was very popular so they
keep doing it.”
This year, 102 people
participated in the event.
Brian Vegter made an-
nouncements and present-
ed the awards.
www.TheBakerCountyPress.com. Subscribe online today!
National Forests are gearing up for the start to the
traditional Northwest summer recreation season. A wide
range of activities awaits in Oregon and Washington’s 16
national forests, Columbia River Gorge National Scenic
Area, and Crooked River National Grassland: Camping,
hiking, biking, horseback riding, fishing, boating, hunt-
ing, mushrooming, bird watching, and simply driving
for pleasure to name a few. Summer is a great time in
the Northwest to get outdoors and explore the forest you
haven’t quite made it to yet.
On the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, www.
fs.usda.gov/wallowa-whitman, there are campgrounds,
trailheads, boat launches, and many other undeveloped
attractions awaiting you. Unlike some public lands, you
can camp nearly anywhere in your national forests –
please just leave your site cleaner than you found it.
A lot of snow remains at higher elevations on the
Wallowa-Whitman, such as in the Eagle Cap Wilder-
ness and on some of the upper mountain roads; however,
this is a great time of year to visit Hells Canyon and the
lower elevation trails around Baker City, Enterprise, and
La Grande. Due to snow levels and the start date of our
summer work crews, some campground and trailhead
maintenance may be not be completed. When work crews
begin, their first tasks will be to address safety concerns,
including hazard trees, rocks on roads and water testing.
So before traveling, please check our Current Conditions
page on our website for up-to-date information on roads
and recreational opportunities.
Many campgrounds on the Wallowa-Whitman NF
require reservations – www.recreation.gov – and some
trails require a pass to help us keep them maintained –
Passes and Permits in Your Northwest Forests. However,
all 2.3 million acres of the Wallowa-Whitman National
Forest belong to you and beckon for you to come visit.
A free Family Fishing Derby is coming up on the
Wallowa-Whitman NF, Saturday, June 3, from 9 am to
noon, at the Highway 203 Pond outside of Baker City. No
fishing licenses are needed on this weekend for anyone.
There will be free loaner fishing rods, prizes and instruc-
tion at both events for kids 13 and younger. Hope to see
you there!
For other Oregon and Washington Forest’s recreational
opportunities and restriction information, check out
what’s available at: Your Northwest National Forests.
Wallowa-Whitman Ranger District’s Contact Informa-
tion:
• La Grande Ranger District: 541-963-7186
• Wallowa Mountains Office (Eagle Cap, Hells Canyon
NRA, and Wallowa Valley): 541-426-5546 or 541-426-
4978
• Hells Canyon NRA Clarkston Office: 509-758-0616
• Hells Canyon NRA Creek Visitor Center and Boat
Launch: 541-785-3395
• Whitman Ranger District: 541-523-6391