Sat I drove back up Alpine road climb to closer in camp spot.
Sun AM meet again @ Red Bridge for more trail work. Today I paired w/ Scott, his goal was to learn what was open up high on Alpine trail. There is a high logging road density up here. We ran into a snow patch across road, too deep and long to force even a 4X4 thru. Scott walked over the patch and continued until he hit the location of Aide station 3. Next was a drive to see if we could drive to station another road. Fortunately just ahead of us a bulldozer opened up the snow patches allowing us access. We hiked up trail from the terminus checking the trail. Shortly we encountered a massive snow patch that would be too hard for the racers to drag their bikes over. Then I got lost in the roads. We worked the next uppermost piece of trail. I carried a hazel hoe like I used to dig fire line back in ’70 when I spent 33 days fighting forest fires. Today I got to use the hoe to dig “line” thru the snow banks for a clear trail:
Long story short, we cleared the trees and several small snow patches and hiked back. Drive back to red Bridge took about 1 hour.
Tonight I stay in a trailer park guesting @ Scott’s site. Gentle introduction to Trailer Trash. It does have a clean shower room that I am enjoying. Caught a quick shower then dashed to Brewer’s Union for dinner and hoping to meet Frankie. The pub’s chef watched me pull and insisted on a van tour. I showed him and asked to be fed. Bike people in the place: Jason and wife Anna, Derrick, bartender Ben and other riders. Randy, owner of Mountain Bike Oregon (MBO), was there. I heard MBO which is a 3 day catered shuttled ride extravaganza here in Oakridge. I introduced myself and learned that the guy was Randy. I asked if i could do some trade work to participate in MBO. He said everybody knows about me and that it would be cool if i attended MBO as a guest. Cool. I still volunteered for trade work. MBO is week after Cream Puff. Got it going.
Late night socializing, no Frankie. Drove to trailer park. All was quiet. I drank a Rock Star on way down mtn and it kept me awake. No caffeine after noon. Quiet night, no fights or sounds of violence.
Today was my shuttle ride reward for 2 days of trail work. Randy drove us up mtn where we rode up the road further to Kate’s cut in where Scott and I turned around yesterday. Became acquainted to Bruce, an older rider that is very knowledgeable on local and far flung trails. He offered me a shuttle ride for tomorrow on Little Bunchgrass, another big dropper.
Alpine is a first rate trail especially enhanced by the big old growth trees. Even w/ the shuttle I climbed 1812′ but dropped 4971′. Rode it the best ever/ Great bike, tuned suspension, and seat dropper. My ghetto tubeless tires were inflated to 25 psi but they sounded flat in the woods dirt. A genuine gotta ride trail.
Back @ trailer park for a shower then a jaunt into Oakridge for whatever. I fixed dinner and typed this in a grocery store parking lot.