Hot, cloudless for most part except during late afternoon attempts to t-storm.
Yesterday I rode 23 miles at Phils working the S side along Cascade highway going to Bachelor. Lots of snow remain on Bachelor. No skis on racks around town so nobody showing their climbing joys. Surprising that the maybe 25 cars @ TH produce so few riders sharing the trail. On Storm King I met a guy on a hard tail w/ a spaniel type dog. I asked him if he knew about the blues festival in Bend. He had no knowledge. I mischose a trail and rode down the whoops again. The trail has tabletops, gappers, big berms, hucks, all w/ a shallow gradient that makes the stunts fun for a cautious person. I’d rather ride the tight twisty shallow grade w/ no stunts trails. Bend lacks almost anything technical on trail tread. What it manifests is the tight twisty between 28″ tree gaps. Places the turns are in loose dirt, many snake thru the manzanita that is just over handle bar height. There are several places where the turns turn back on themselves, whipping around. Up high and far from TH the trails are tighter and less ridden. My new bars are a full 26″ wide. Internet too slow to post pictures.
Something about this big picture that I can’t make smaller.
Finished ride @ van and took a very hot solar shower hung from side of van. I used the shower enclosure to ward off the blowing wind.
Drove into town thinking that Blues festival was downtown tonight. Town was plugged w/ all kinds of people. I walked up to Deschutes brewery hoping for a conversation. Drank a beer; place was too busy and not populated w/ my kind of people. Bend isn’t my kind of place either, or I have not met my side. Night in town was not rewarding, I just couldn’t gen up a conversation. And drove back to camp spot.
Slept well last night. Today i will attempt the N Fork Tumalo Creek. I had heard that it was still snowed in. The trail from the falls is one way uphill. Concened that if inpassable that I would need to ride downhill. The direction is to prevent user conflict and it also protects the trail from brake ruts. Encountered several small snow patches and made Happy Valley, my trail junction for Mzarek ridge trail back towards TH. Tight & twisty on upper part of biker made trail (apparently) and then down to old hiker trail. I planned on intersecting a road and to ride down off ridge & cross Tumalo Creek and ride back to TH. I missed the road, or maybe just chose to ride entire trail down. I rode it out. I sucked my last h2o as I entered the park entrance and was shown a h2o spicket and filled my 70 oz bladder for ride back to van. Today ended being the monster ride day @ 43 miles in 5 hours. Quite dry, temp in upper 80s. Another hot solar shower standing exposed to the world & wind. Clean and tired.
Tomorrow I will ride back up N fork to get a downhill back to falls. Monday AM I will drive back down to Oakridge on a rest day.
