Photo by Keita Oodaira & Takashi Inoue / Text by Keita Oodaira
Bonfire Time
A few years ago, I could never have imagined that I would be traveling through America by bicycle like this.
Life truly is full of surprises.
It feels deeply moving to realize that a series of encounters and experiences beyond my imagination led me here, to Oregon, America.
Throughout this journey, there were many moments where I found myself reflecting on life in just that way.
Almost every night, we would sit around a campfire, staring intently at the blazing fire and lost in thought.
It was a very luxurious time.
For our nightly campfire, we would light some fallen leaves scattered nearby, and within moments, they would turn into a proper blaze. We would keep repeating the process of gathering fallen branches from the surrounding area to keep the fire going as long as possible.
At the time, there were large-scale wildfires happening over in California. Along our route, there were also several trails where wildfires had occurred in the past. It was easy to imagine how, in such dry conditions where a campfire could start so easily, it wouldn't be surprising if such large-scale wildfires were to break out. Regardless, we had to be extremely careful with extinguishing our fires. My travel companion, Kyle, taught me that thoroughly. It seemed he had naturally learned the importance of extinguishing fires from his parents and the environment he grew up in.
Before going to bed, we would pour water on the campfire, make sure it was completely out, and then head into our tents. This became our routine at the end of each day.
The deliciousness of a hamburger brought smiles to our faces
By about the fourth day of our trip, we had finally gotten somewhat used to the flow of travel and our way of life.
At first, we had some lingering fatigue from muscle soreness when we woke up in the morning, but our bodies gradually adapted. Inocchi had been having trouble sleeping too, but he mentioned that it was right around that time that he finally started sleeping soundly.
Without any of the insanely long climbs we faced on the difficult first day, our smiles grew as we said, "This is the trail ride we were hoping for!"
After three days, we finally arrived at a place with a lot of people.
Cactus Lake, a resort area located by a lake.
It was the first spot that had a restaurant and where we could resupply our food. We had been waiting for this moment. When we went to the restaurant, we ordered hamburgers, french fries, milkshakes, and beer. It was honestly so delicious that we ate it with total focus.
After living on instant food for a while, we were craving a warm meal made by someone else, and we realized once again that food really does make you happy.
We calculated and bought food for the next few days here.
Because of the anxiety that we wouldn't have anywhere to buy supplies for another two or three days, we ended up buying a little too much, but the feeling of gaining that peace of mind was important.
Feeling the spirit of America 
Restocking supplies 
It had such a resort vibe
While we were resting and looking at the beautiful, large lake, some men in their 50s who were bikepacking came over and started talking to us.
As Kyle listened, it seemed they had come along the path we were planning to take, but because there were many fallen trees, it required a lot of carrying the bikes and took much longer than expected.
Based on that information, we hastily changed our plans and decided to take a detour on the road.
We were greatly helped by such valuable information from fellow travelers on this trip as well.
They gave us information about the road ahead
We made steady progress on the road
To the best campsite of the trip
After riding for a while, we arrived at our campsite for the day, Sparks Lake.
The scenery at this campsite was truly magnificent, and it became one that left a deep impression on me during this trip. The overwhelming natural beauty before my eyes left me speechless, and I could have just kept looking at it forever.
The next morning, Kyle picked a purple flower from the brush, held it down with a small rock he found, and placed it on the table. Just that alone shows what a nice guy Kyle is.
That gesture really gave me a sense of richness, and it made for the best breakfast time.
A single flower 
The scenery is incredible 
Breakfast is important
Breitenbush Hot Springs
Kyle suggested we go to a hot spring on the route map.
I only really had the image of a "hot spring" in my mind, but he told me it seemed like an interesting place. "Sounds nice! I want to go!" The three of us were excited, and Kyle made a reservation by phone. At times like these, we were greatly helped by Kyle's presence, as our English skills were limited.
Three days later, we arrived at our destination well before the 3:00 PM check-in time.
There was a small reception cabin at the entrance to a very vast and pleasant natural property. There were many cars parked in the parking lot, but it seemed like there was no one else who had arrived by bicycle like we had. We received a map of the facility and listened to a thorough explanation.
Meals are served at the lodge at 6:00 PM on the day of arrival, and at 8:00 AM and 1:00 PM the following day.
Other than that, there were no particular rules.
We were staying in a small cottage with three beds, but it seemed like there weren't even keys for the cottage.
Since check-in wasn't until after 3:00 PM, we headed to a nearby river to take a break.
It was a place with a mysterious atmosphere, and I was very excited.
As we headed toward the river, we heard people's voices from the bottom of the stairs. We took our food and a change of clothes from our bikes and went down the stairs.
I was absolutely shocked by the sight.
People of all ages and genders playing by the riverside were completely naked.
I looked back and urged, "Inocchi, hurry, hurry." Inocchi couldn't have imagined that there would be naked people at the bottom of the stairs either, so when we peeked down from the stairs, we laughed so hard. It wasn't in a vulgar way; it was just somehow funny.
I never thought I would experience a culture like a nudist beach at this point. Once we got down to the river, Kyle took off his clothes immediately and jumped into the river. Even someone like me who can't swim jumped in. We got used to the situation and rested by the river for a while.
When we wandered around the facility using the map, there were buildings for meditation, a yoga room, a sauna, a large kitchen cabin only for staff, a souvenir shop, a fire circle, and much more, along with several small open-air baths nestled in the great outdoors.
The hot springs weren't large like those in Japan, but there were several small ones that could fit about 5 or 6 people. The hot springs, like the scene by the river, were mixed-gender and clothing-optional. I was nervous at first, but I got used to it quickly.
At 6:00 PM, we headed to the large lodge that served as the dining hall for dinner. People started gathering one after another, and I think there were at least 100 people.
Dinner was buffet-style, centered on all organic vegetables in a vegetarian style, and everything was very delicious.
For us, who tended to be short on vegetables during the trip, it was something to be very grateful for, and we took the opportunity to have multiple servings of the veggie pizza.
With our stomachs full, we spent our time relaxing by the river again, soaking in the hot springs, and just taking it easy in the large garden.
Naturally, there was no cell service here, and no Wi-Fi.
Most of the people staying there carried books in their hands and read in various spots of their choosing.
Some people did yoga, others meditated.
We felt no concern at all, even when we left our belongings in the cottage without locking it.
My interpretation was that in that sense, this place is like a sanatorium. It is a place that values the time to disconnect from outside information and slowly face oneself. We were usually touching our smartphones whenever there was a signal, but here, we spent more time enjoying the nature and facing ourselves. I feel like it was a very peaceful time. The people who come here are likely seeking that as well.
We worked hard to soothe the fatigue from our eight-day journey and truly relax, and I felt from the bottom of my heart that I was glad we came here.
I slept soundly and woke up a little after 7:00 AM.
The light filtering into the forest was so beautiful that I watched it mesmerized for a while.
When I checked my watch, it was almost time for breakfast, so we got ready and headed to the dining hall. Many people had gathered at the lodge again.
At breakfast, gentle foods such as muffins, yogurt, salad, and soup were lined up. As we were eating slowly, a white man spoke to us, and when we told him we were on a bicycle trip, he listened happily, wished us "good luck," and we parted ways.
There were many such small encounters during this trip, and many people spoke to us as we rode our bicycles. Every time, it warmed my heart and made me think I was glad I came.
The people who live in Oregon are very kind. At least, that was true for everyone we met throughout this trip.
We decided to skip lunch, which was also at 1:00 PM, and we carefully repacked our gear and prepared to leave. Even though it was so comfortable that I wanted to stay there for a few days, we made up our minds to definitely come back here again, and we set off before the afternoon began.
However, we were agonizing over the long climb that continued right after starting, and I continued to pedal while wishing I could go back to the heavenly place we had just been.
We continued our journey, encouraging each other.
BACK TO OREGON TOUR #01
https://circles-jp.com/feature/back-to-oregon-tour-01/
