Whew, just over a year out of state. Presently parked at Randle for internet before heading over cayuse Pass to Greenwater area.

Rode Lewis River on Fri, what fun to be back in the wet as in creek crossings, the trail was mostly dry but Spot is a bit caked. This trail ain’t flat: ride upstream gained 1958′ and returning same route it gained 1557 going downstream.

Sat I drove to Ape Canyon @  ST Helens, Clouds formed a cover over upper mtn. Decided to wait a day in hopes of clear skies. Hiked up same trail I will ride. Found blue and huckleberries, picked enough for Sun bfast.

Sunday Am the clouds were about the same. I put on knee warmers and longunder wear top and carried rain coat for my ride. Rode in forest into a brief shower, seems to only have benn like a elevation trail shower as once I climbed some more I broke out of wet. Made Plains of Abraham w/ clouds on upper mtn. Riding in volcanic debris of pumice is debilitating: a slight grade is a challenge because of energy sapping pumice. Stopped short of steep steps and turned for beer. Encountered maybe 20 riders and 4 hikers; heavy bike use. I rode against the flow on my way down.

Hot Shower @ van.

Drove back up road to bridge crossing a glacial melt stream and filled a jar of h2o to watch colloidal suspension settle. I need to research the chemisrty of the solution.

Met a Turner rider, John, who is on a big bike tour. We rode some of the same places.

And then the windy, up & down drive over h2o beat pavement to Randle.

Next is Greenwater.

Dinner time, got to do some driving & loose internet.

Sometime during the night I was awakened to sounds of rain drops on van roof. Turn to to put cover on bikes. Just a few drops but I responded to the stimulus like a dog for a bone.

Lee and I took off for downtown business and a meeting for Post canyon.

I stopped @ Mtn View to pick up my heart rate monitor and to have my rear rotor mic’d as I noticed more brake lever travel after Dog River downhill. It measured below minimum thickness and the Avid replacement is just a tag thicker. Brake lever is more to my liking and the brake is more powerful.

Lee arrived and after talking w/ Wes, the owner, for awhile we drove just out of town for the Canyon ride. It is a wooded canyon w/ old trails all over, sprinkled in were various stunts like flattened log skinnies. Out back there are some killer gap jumps. I rode several of the skinnies but this riding I rebel against as it is man made vs what is found in nature. True, riding them helps skills for what nature presents but no, I do not practice on these. Mostly the riding is a big trail system w/ steep downhills sometimes there were less steep ways to avoid the fall line trails. The soil packs out smooth perhaps because of the sheer number of bike tires rolling over the ground. The uphills were ridable w/ big effort. The wind whistled thru the trees swaying broken parts on the forest floor. One section the wind was blowing the dust right off the packed tread and Lee was cutting first tracks like an old etch a sketch. The wind was pretty gusty not like the constant 33 mph winds of Kansas. Riding in the trees during high winds might require more than just a helmet for the head.

Short ride.

Back into town picked up mail @ Post Office, the service projects to loose $7 bill this year. Did wash, grocery shopped and then drove out to Lee’s house for driveway camping.

No word from Dave Waag. Might be heading to WA tomorrow as a result.

Lost track of last posting.

Yesterday, Tuesday I sucked it up and rerode !5 mile creek w/ it’s 3300′ vert climb out, sort of like MT Coeur d”alene 257 227 hole. Why ride something down that is so beguiling to be faced w/ terror of climb out? Like eating something that is spiced hot w/ an added sweet, the sweet takes so good but you have to suffer thru the pain of the heat.

On my way finishing up my ride at a trail junction I was seeking out a creek source for h2o when 2 riders arrived and they called me by name. How… what,   how do i know you? Turns out I rode 1 day on the NUT. 3 of them are here visiting Lee. Somehow they all have connections w/ Lee thru a place in Mexico. We rode down to Bottle Prairie where I needed to go. Lee had his VW down lower and he offered me a ride back up to ,y camp and to his house to enjoy dinner w/ all these guys. I accepted both the ride and the dinner. I got to ride 8 mile creek again that just flows downhill: smooth tread and bermed corners for high speed sweet speed. I am getting pretty fast. Made a sporty chase of these young guys except for Lee who was speaking of his age problems @ 53 until he learned of my age.

So Andrew made his award winning chili. Ryan shared a special Gin that was sipping special. He topped it off w/ Absinthe. i had a good buzz at bedtime.

Today Andrew, a non local local rider laid out a killer route requiring a shuttle up to Surveyors ridge. We rode High Prairie up & down as a loop, down to Bottle Prairie down to almost Knebal springs, hit Surveyors, and then down Dog river. 3 hours of hard riding.  What a fun ride day. We cooled off w/ the spawning salmon move in knee deep very cold river.

And then into town for dinner before Andrew, Eddy, & Ryan headed back to Portland.

Driving back from the grocery store but what to hallucinating eyes did I spy but a painted school bus named ” FURTHER”. I checked it out. A guy approaches me and says let me take your picture in front. I have one. The man is Ken Keysey’s son and the bus is a replica of FURTHER from electric coolaid acid test from the late 60s, where I came from. Wow.

So, 2 days of heard riding up high in the mtns. Tomorrow my heart rate monitor and mail should be here permitting me to leave if I want. Lee is friends w/ John Harlin and I might have a chance to ride w/ him if I stay longer.

Hood has and continues to be fun.

Back up to Lee’s for the night. He is a retired oby/gyn doc.

Having accomplished my goal of riding in all 48 states I lack the impetus to continue long driving traveling. Now I am just a mtn biker living on the road riding my bike. I need to create another goal or purpose of this life.

Lee has a friendly white cat that I got big time kitty fix last night. He even hopped in bed w/ me for a short nap.

Temperature has broken in the gorge and it is windy.

Slow internet speed here in town.