Call this the last gasp of summer. The weekend before Labor Day, timed with a burst of cool air from somewhere, made for a perfect 3-day getaway from Pullman. Getting to the Cascades is always a bit of a slog, but by taking an extra scenic route though the John Day Wilderness, hundreds of miles of mostly deserted mountain 2-lane twisties stretched out in front of me.

Sisters, Oregon is a nice little town to use as a home base for some mountain road touring. Plenty of restaurants and coffee shops in walking distance from an old school motel. A bit off the busy main road in town, which I think has just about reached capacity, at least on weekends. I'm sure the locals have figured out an alternate way around town. The climate in this high desert area is pretty nice. Even in August, the morning temperature was just 37°! It warmed right up by the time I was ready to ride, but the crispiness sure felt nice at the end of a hot, smokey summer.