Back in Ketchum and cell phone land. Time moved on w/ me in it but not captured here. Loose ramble of days & events to follow.
Friday I drove out to greenhorn gulch for a ride. I took off but just lacked the desire & snap so i gave up and dropped back to the trail head. I took a solar shower in the parking lot.
Oh, but I rode Thurs night w/ Chip’s shop up here in Ketchum. Bunch of guys rode. I learned that this ride is a guy’s only ride, the first one I ever rode. We rode same trails that Kyle & I rode which is OK I still suffered on the climbs. One guy had 2 flats and another guy 1. Back @ TH the beer flowed; it was after sundown when we made the beer stop. Just a bunch of guys scratching, spitting, and drinking cheap beer. Mark organized a Sunday ride on the other side of Galena Summit. And I got invited.
Friday I did my wash & loaded up on supplies in Hailey which has an Albertsons, Ketchum has Atkinsons which has better but smaller selection of food stuffs. Visited w/ Chip then drove back to Ketchum where I have been camping out past Sun Valley on Corral road primitive camping sites.
Sat I drove towards Galena Summit stopping @ Galena lodge to meet Don Sheppler, one of the original Hugh Ass team riders from Shenandoah Bicycle Company in Harrisonburg, VA. Other members were owners Tim & Thomas. Jeremy joined later. The team’s idea was racing was too serious so they injected fun along w/ their excellent riding skills. Don told me that they found this pair of pants that somebody sewed additional padding on them to make huge ass. The shorts were exchanged to the next rider. Rode Galena Grinder trail. And that it is. Starts out on flat for maybe 3/4 mile then climbs up on loose wood dirt. Loose and it sucked the energy out of me. I walked a bunch of it. The trail crossed several avalanche gulleys that look like they run every winter. Snow was melted out eliminating an objective risk.
Continued my drive over Galena Summit. Camp spot is Decker Flats @ intersection of 4th of July road.
Drove a bit down stream on Salmon and stopped & Redfish Lake campground. Tom told me about the Sockeye salmon adults returning to Redfish lake, named because of adult males turn bright red before spawning after their 900 mile swim up the Columbia river drainage. This year the adult count is 682 as of Sat eve. I peered over the bridge railing on Redfish Lake creek for 45 mins looking for returning fish. No spot. Later I visited the fish hatchery where I read the placards. No human to ask further questions.
USFS camping facility @ Redfish Lake has $2.00 for 5 min showers. Scored.
Camped @ Decker flats. AM temp was 34 degrees on Sunday. Drove short distance to Williams Creek TH, the meeting place for 9:00AM ride start. 6 of us started out wearing extra clothes for warmth. At 4th of July road the sun had warmed us enough to slough off the layers. We rode 14 miles on pavement and gravel road to 4th July Lake TH where the ST took off 2154′ elevation gain.
Then the fun started. We shared the trail w/ hikers as we negotiated the tech features. A big hike a bike got us to a pass over looking Ants Basin and a full on view of the White Clouds:
And looked over Ants Basin:
Steep loose rocky trail switchbacked down to basin. Dropped down warm Springs creek to The Meadow then climbed up Williams creek. Much of the forest was burned back in like ’07. Lodgepole pine.
I rode in my customary last place spot, back where the dust had settled, the rocks quit moving, and the tree branches returned to natural position. Guys waited every now and then. they got a longer rest than me. I wasn’t far behind, they must pedal on downhills.
Turned up Williams Creek for a gentle but relenting climb to divide that dropped us for long last downhill back. Oh, there was a grunter uphill down towards bottom. Williams creek is part of famous Fisher creek ride. While the trail down warm springs was technically challenging, Williams down was smooth and fast. My bike just floated over the brake stutter bumps. Way fun. Excitement came from riding fast.
Mark, the leader, likes to finish a ride @ the TH instead of completing the car shuttle. We rode the 14 miles of road that a shuttle would have covered. Much Millers, Coors, & PBR were consumed while we recalled our ride. Ride data was 36 miles, 5 hr ride time, climbed 4774′ and per the Edge I burned 3244 calories.
Mark is from Raleigh area of NC and speaks w/ a slight accent.
Sat driving almost to Stanley i saw bilious clouds of forest fire smoke and it was blowing up big time. i learned that a lightning strike started it and the winds fanned it big time. Sun the wind blew the smoke away from us. Today much of the lower valley was smoke haze & fire smoke. It is N of hwy 21.
During last night the temp dropped, colder than my doubled down blanket could keep me warm. just b4 7 I crawled out as the sun was striking my van @ Decker flats right on the shore of Salmon river. Outside temp was 21, inside it was 34, just flat out cold for late August. Finally started the heater which needs a new control valve to replaced in Spokane. The valve has problems so I have not used it since Sedona. Chance paid off.
Drove back to ketchum seeking a parking space close to E perch for potential wrench help as I am replacing my chain, cluster, and jockey pulley on my derailleur. No place behind store so I scored a street side on the corner. I set up the bike stand, put my bike in it, and opened up the tool box. Intended to make it street art should anyone stop. If nobody stops is it still art?
Finished up and walked over to E perch to visit. John, the wrench, greeted me by name and reported on our Sunday ride. During the visit people walked in & out some visiting. Rebecca Rausch hangs out here. She just won the Leadville for the second straight time. The new issue of BikeMag had a 1 pager on her including her pic. I was about to ask John if she might be around when she walked in. Cool. I introduced myself and asked her to autograph her article. Score.
Been hanging @ street side parking for internet access.
Tomorrow I will drive down to Hailey to Chip’s where he will rebuild my Time pedals.
Today was a rest day after yesterday’s hard ride. My heart rate maxed out @ 148 bpm, I spent 51 mins anaerobic which really taxed my body. Last night I had a sharp pain in my right upper chest. I feared that I might have damaged my heart. I diagnosed it as heart burn which causes the same pain and ate antacids. This AM when i woke I was cured.
My right hip pains me less and my shoulder just hurts now and then. I am more able to sleep on my right side.
So, over Labor Day some Spokane buddies are riding Curley Lake near Bozeman, MT. I might make the detour East to ride w/ them and then ride several spots as I make my way West on I-90 to Spokane for my 9/13 dental appointment.
Sawtooth mtns are pretty spectacular, quite a relief.
Caught up w/ Grace during our weekly telecon. We made an appointment for an in depth conversation. She earned the finisher award for finishing the leadville but missed her buckle.
Fri I met the honeymooning young couple w/ the sick VW camper. Today I met them by chance @ this great bakery restaurant in Stanley. They live in Bend, OR.