Time to start thinking about possible club tours for 2026! Here are some options. I'm not going to arrange all of them.  Let me know if you are interested in any of them by replying here and we'll see what rises to the top. I have a couple of goals for the tours:

• Avoid carrying gear on my bike so I can enjoy the rides.
• Pick rides that club members who ride regularly can reasonably do, even if some of the days are a stretch.

1. May. The Old West Scenic Bikeway in Oregon. This is one of Oregon's official Scenic Bikeways and one that the club has done before. You can check out the route here: https://ridewithgps.com/ambassador_routes/45-old-west-scenic-bikeway.

The best time to do this would probably be May since mid-summer can be very extra super hot.  This could be a carry your gear tour, or, if there are enough people we could have someone drive each day or half day and haul the luggage. Detailed plans TBD.

2. May. Base this around the "Your Canyon For A Day" ride then add a couple of rides in the Yakima / Zillah / Prosser area.

• The Canyon ride
• Donald - Sawyer - Zillah - Toppenish - Wapato loop (39 miles, 1150ft)
• Sunnyside - Prosser - Grandview loop (37 miles, 1100ft)

The roads are mostly through farm, orchard, and wine country. There are plenty of winery stops on most rides if people are interested.

3. July or August. Ellensburg after the May wind dies down.

• Kittitas loop (38 miles, 1200ft)
• Parke Creek loop (33 miles & 900ft)
• Rafting the Yakima river (not an official BIKES club activity for insurance purposes)
• Thorp loop (33 miles, 800ft).

The rides are mostly farm country rides with good views of the local mountains. June is usually not so hot, but some days can be. July often is hot. August will be hot.

The Yakima rafting would be through the CWU activities program. They provide a van to the start, rafts, floatation devices, then pickup and transport back to Ellensburg.  With no guide it's $25 per person and if there is a guide it's $40 per person at this year's prices.

4. Early October.  Central OregonScenic Bikeways. We got smoked out last year but there are a couple of rides I'd still like to try and two I'd like to ride again

• Sherar's Falls on the way down to Redmond/Bend (33 miles, 1700ft).
• Crooked River Canyon (37 miles, 750ft) or the loop (51 miles, 1800ft). Loved this ride last year. Base out of Redmond or Bend.
• Twin Bridges (36 miles, 1800ft). Smoked out last year. Ride starts in Bend.
• If we can figure out logistics (I think we can), the Aufderheide scenic bikeway (60 miles, 3600ft)
• If we can't figure out logistics, or want a less "ambitious" ride, then the Covered Bridges ride out of Cottage Grove (36 miles, 1200ft)

This tour would involved some drives between rides, but there would be no packing gear on the bikes. In the car, ride a loop, back to the car. Chow at a local place.

5. September after schools start. The Okanogan. I haven't done any of these rides, but I've spoken to people that have and they enjoyed them. The goal is to stay off highways 20 and 97.

• Okanogan River - Whitestone Lake - Spectacle Lake - Wannacut Lake (gravel?) - Blue Lake (30 miles, 1700ft)
• Tonasket - Whitestone Lake, Spectacle Lake - Horse Springs Coulee Road (gravel) (31 miles, 1450ft)
• Omak River loop (40 miles, 1900ft)
• 
  

6. September. California's Great Central Valley Bike Route. The RWGPS route is here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37344212. In spite of what I said at the start about not packing gear, this would require it.  I'm not camping though, nights would be in hotels.

Should we do the whole thing, it's 650 miles and about 8400ft. The Central Valley is pretty flat and while 8400ft sounds like a lot of elevation,  it's really not that much over 650 miles. The idea would be to take the train to Redding, CA (cheap in coach, pricier for a private room, but a lot more comfortable). The way back would likely be the train from Bakersfield station if we choose to go all the way. I'm thinking of doing this in two weeks with a couple of rest days. One of those would be in Oakdale, CA so I could attend my high school 40th class reunion.