I wonder if my dad ever wonders about how i spend my Saturday night?
Darn,Wait Wait don’t tell me will be on.
Drove back to Winthrop. Dave stopped to talk to me, just pulled his truck over. We agreed on a ride on Sat. Kristen walked up and the gears spun more. She and her Canadian friends and me will ride Cutthroat Pass on Fri then they will ride Angels’. Enjoyed a pink @ the school house.
Tonight I decided to try the spot up where the Buck mtn trail goes off to single track. 3600′ elevation, above the 2000′ valley. Cooler temp.
Friday I am to meet Kristen and gang @ Red Barn and we would drive up river to TH. The route will take us up to Cutthroat Pass and the PCT. I met Nadine and Gary who are just finishing up their 2 month tour, and Jeremy. We met and set off. Young people again.
Up to the pass we continued.
Looking East. The Canadian gang.
Up into the alpine which is very rare to ride into this zone. Trail to the lake was nice Cascade woodland. Above the trail become loose talus riding as we rode up into alpine zone. I walked several switchbacks but rode the entire trail, of course at Life Style Rider pace. At the pass small black color flies just chewed me up shortening our stay. Rocky alpine decent back up what we rode. Fun.
At the TH I shared cold beer from my fridge. We sat bug free @ a picnic table @ the TH. Meets criteria for a Forest Pass pay to recreate license opening displayed on vehicle dash. We sat and chatted. Initeria over came us to head down mtn to Mazama General Store. Kristen ran into Don Portman whom she introduced to me. I gave him my lycra telemark pose pic.
Conversation over another beer generated dinner plans @ Kristen’s house. I made Waldorf salad after a shower. Met Brian, Kristen’s husband. He works from home supporting internet applications. He makes neat wallets out of duct tape. Their 2 dogs independently freaked on me but over the course of the evening I was able to engage them. The riders from today minus me will be doing Angel’s St AM leaving @ 7:00. I was tired and they needed to get to bed which suited me fine.
Today they left then I drove to Dave’s house for 8:30 potatoes and eggs bfast and a ride on his home trails. He built his house off Goat creek rd 8 miles up river from Winthrop and then a little ways uphill off the valley floor. Nicely done. And his Sprinter was parked in the carport. 2 fried eggs & toast and a plate of home fries, I filled to the brim.
We loaded our bikes into the back of is truck under the canopy. He drove us uphill on logging roads until his routes TH which was a wide spot in the road. When putting my bike together I learned that i left my wheel axle, Maxxle, back on my van. We drove back down to his house. We could have ridden from his house to where we jumped on the ST but we would have been worn hard b4 the enjoyment. Truck ride assured more smiles. And the drive to get the Maxxle allowed my full stomach to work thru a load.
Trails are cow path shared, new summer cut in, overgrown skidder roads. Cows are grazing and splattered the used stuff sometimes freshly on the trail. Green gunk sticks to the tire long enough to splatter up on a rider’s shorts. Worse is the front tire throw up into the face. If you can’t take a hot steamer to the chops you are not a mountain Biker according to Chopper.
Dave and I enjoyed our company which enhanced the ride. Back @ his house he offered a shower which I accepted to wash off the dust.
I headed back to Winthrop bought groceries, a pint @ the Schoolhouse then drove back to where I spent 2 nights ago. In town my van’s thermometer read 90 degrees. I gained around 1500 feet and the temp dropped into the 70s. Nice night again.
I got invited on another’s group ride on Monday.
Randy is gathering folks for a ride @ Sherman Pass Kettle trail for this coming weekend.
Since I have been in Winthrop I have ridden 4 rides on lesser know trails, ones that you appreciate a local to show.
Kristen is sharing her pics of Cut Throat that I will add. You will see how rugged these North Cascades are. Peaks are less than 9,000′. I like these mtns.
So, the developing a pay to play mtn bike trail meca has been affected by facts and area history. Now if anything it would be on USFS land and figuring ways to pay for it.
I have been listening to Willie’s Place on XM as in Willie Nelson type of music, white man’s blues.
I am running my old circular handlebar grips on my wider bars. My left hand has stiffness and movement pain. I am concerned that the rough downhill off Angels’ last Sunday might have broken away insufficiently healed bone ends as i have grating sounds.
My bike is not as plush w/ the Fox shock.
Bed time.