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Help me find the lost road

Rinty

New member
Some time ago there was post here (but it may have been in ADVrider) about a choice piece of road in the Pacific NorthWest. I marked it on one of my maps but now can't find it.:banghead It runs east - west and IIRC is less than 100 miles in length. I recall that a picture of part of it was high scrubland with no trees. It had an unusual name and may have been the Fossil to Monument road in northern Oregon. I'm planning a trip in the area in mid June and would like to run it. Anyone have any ideas, or links?
 
Academic effort

I love pouring over maps. Can you remember a city, town, intersection with another highway, anything on a map within 50 or 100 miles of it?
 
Found It -- maybe

Trace I-84 east from Portland to Biggs Junction and US97. Go south on US97 about the same distance as Portland-Biggs Junction to Shaniko and OR218. Follow that generally northeast to Fossil. Fossil to Monument is OR19; the distance is 58 miles. Looks like a wild and wooly ride. Enjoy (if this is it).

There is a shorter route there from Portland (the above is easier to trace on a map). It's US26 southeast from Portland to Madras then a very sharp left up US97 to OR293, right on OR293 to OR218 at Antelope, right on OR218 to Fossil. If you miss OR218 go up US97 to Wasco, cut across to OR206, turn right and go southeast to OR19 at Condon, then south on OR219 to Fossil.

All the roads look wonderful. Wish I could ride 'em myself, but too far from Florida!
 
It is indeed the Shaniko Fossil road:

http://www.motorcycleroads.com/75/1228/Oregon/Shaniko-to-Fossil-on-Route-218.html

Found it yesterday after a lot of searching. Thanks for your help, and welcome to the Forum.

The plan is to go to Moscow via the backroads, then enjoy the nightlife there. Then south up the Rattlesnake to Joseph, and FSR 39, ending up near Baker City. Now that the lost road has been found, I can plan an interesting route from Baker City to Fossil, which will keep my spirits up during today's blizzard. This will be the annual road trip for me and my wife.
 
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How I found it

Very easily -- Used the Bing mapping program, entered Fossil and Monument as origin-destination points, and clicked.
 
Thanks for the tip; I'll have a look at this system. I'm a map enthusiast too. I once had all the aviation sectional charts from the Arctic Circle to the Gulf Coast. :D
 
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