This is an update to my post about our late October day trip over the McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway loop highway. The gate you see in this photo is now locked over the road, as is its twin gate on the other end of the 22-mile road.
McKENZIE BRIDGE — The Oregon Department of Transportation has closed Oregon 242, the Old McKenzie Pass Highway, for the winter after five days of early snowfall.
The closure was Tuesday. Because of maintenance problems the scenic highway is open only in summer and early fall.
Built in the 1930s, the twisty highway became a seasonal scenic highway in the 1960s with the completion of the Clear Lake-Belknap Springs cutoff. During the summer about 300 cars a day use the old highway.
Even as the main route between the southern Willamette Valley and central Oregon, the narrow, twisting roadway and high elevation made it too difficult to keep clear during winter.
The earliest reopening was March 21 in 1934 and the latest was July 29 in 1999.
9 comments:
2 posts in 1 day...how epic :)
your other commenters really draw my attention. Its really cool how people can identify so much with your posts, and it strikes such deep chords with them. I can tell that a lot of work goes into each post, and that you really take your time and care about it. Keep it up.
~Adam
I guess that I will have to leave the drive for next year then! Something to look forward to. :)
I'm glad I got to see it through your eyes at least - thanks for that!
Adam,
It's so good to have you back in the blogosphere, where two posts in one day really is a bit much. But at least it may have saved someone the disappointment of getting over there and finding the loop road closed (like Elizabeth, for instance.....)
Elizabeth,
You can tell now why I said to be sure to check the road conditions before heading over there. The funny thing is that my husband has next week off and we had actually wondered if we couldn't defer our McKenzie Pass trip 'til then. It's a good thing that we didn't. :)
Reading this made me laugh at how pathetic everything is in the UK -you get the wrong kind of leaves falling on the train lines and everything grinds to a halt.
Going back to the serenity poem i think its important to remember what this really means - in my experience some people misunderstand it as the nosiness to poke their noses in where they're not needed and to ignore the things they don't like and cant change - the true meaning is more about self-awareness and humility: both of which i think you have :)
DFTP,
O, you made me laugh right out loud into the dark of this early morning with your comment about leaves on tracks. That's hilarious!
Thank you for the compliment; means a lot to me. Actually, I'd never heard that particular twist on the SP before and now I wonder how often it may be misunderstood. Very interesting....
I hate freeways. You can't see anything just gray concrete and cars. We are going faster and faster.Nobody knows where, but we don't wave time for the scenic route anymore.
Thank you for the pictures!
Buddha,
Yup, the scenic route gives a little bit of life out of the fast lane. It's surprising how many people drive through their lives in high gear...
lydia - just for further amusement the "leaves on the line" is an actual excuse that was given by British Rail a couple of years ago when their trains failed to run on time
DFTP,
That is really SO funny! :)
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