Spent Sun night @ school. Mon AM normal low fog clouds to melt off during the day. Helped clean up @ school.

Bethany and Richard were available to help clean up. Scott assigned us 3 to ride the ST part of the course to clean up race affects such as pull down all the trail flagging and signs. More about those 2 later. Scott is showing fatigue signs after the race. Scott drove us back to aid station 3 where I worked where those 2 went down trail, I rode out Chrome toilet where Scott met me on the road climb out as he cleaned up the road. I picked up just a few pieces of litter, the course was just so clean and the tread showed so little use for the 147 riders riding this short loop 2 times. I rejoined Scott then we drove the road course down pulling flagging we put up. I got to pull my markings from my Friday course marking. We split the trail clean up into 2 teams, B & R, and me. They cleaned the Jedi section that was major marked. Scott shuttled me to a lower section where I was on my own. How really little litter. What a compliment to the racers. B & R finally caught up to me down low. Someone from Tire Mtn down to a lower road crossing had pulled all the flagging and signs down. My work load was almost eliminated is this section. I still searched the trail for litter and the trailside tree branches for flagging. The ride was down Alpine but it was not a ride because of the cleaning.

Got down to Red Bridge @ 7:00PM. Scott hosted us to dinner @ Mazatlan. Learned about Bethany and Richard who were not a couple. Bethany can afford to fly from SLC and motel camp who has been around riding & adventuring. She knows Scott from previous Cream Puffs. Richard rides his first built steel hardtail bike and is just riding his mtn bike around this summer. He said that forces in his life called him to Oakridge. And Scott knows lots of people. Conversation revealed that the 3 of them know some of the same people and life experiences. I sat on the side line as I listened to their shared acquaintances woven into stories. We called it sleep time after 9 w/ an idea of dinner again the next night plus a ride idea for tomorrow. Caught a shower b4 bed. Richard slept outside.

Tues AM was more overcast than usual and 30% chance of rain was forecast. Meet @ Scott’s trailer @ 10:00. Plan is for Bethany to drive Scott, Richard, Derrick, and myself to aide station 3 to ride ST down. Scott needed to see the trail w/ his own eyes to learn of race effect. Bethany drove the van back to Scott’s and went out her life. Today is mostly all about riding the trail yet picking up whatever got missed. We all pulled down a few pieces of flagging missed. Derrick was riding a new store rental Ibis HD(?), a composite frame w/ a Fox 36 mm fork, a much stouter model than my fork. Scott was unchained and he flourished just flying down the trail. Pretty fast, Scott and Derrick chased each other while i stayed ahead of Richard on the downhills as he lead me on the climbs.

As we drove up mtn the clouds thickened  immersing us in  liquid clouds. Chilly, wore my long underwear top & rain coat. Trail conditions will be super because of the slight precip which keeps the woods dirt tacky and that the course has been meticulously cleaned for the Cream Puff.

As we dropped down thru the clouds the air cleared.

Still in the fog. Just flew on the trail. I like my bike. Between us we hold a steady line pointed in the correct direction riding over or around trail features. The seat dropper function is so phenomenal to get the saddle lowered out of the way so that I can crouch over the pedals. Big new meaty ghetto tubeless 2.4 Maxxis Ardent tires keep me in contact w/ mother earth. Riding so fast maybe not in terms of mph but as blurred eyesight.

Rode back to Scott’s trailer site. Rain started falling  such that being under cover was sought. The roof vent still leaks.  Scott, Richard, and I hung out waiting to hear from Bethany. No word, no more Bethany or group conversation. Scott went home, Richard geared up his bike and body for ride in the rain into oakridge to book a night in the hostel. He wears sandals when it rains. I went to the pub to find Derrick. Richard joined later.

One night @ the pub a writer told me that a consultant studied Oakridge for how to make itself known. The recommendation was to develop this part of town and to capitalize on mountain biking. Heard this repeated to accpet for fact. Oakridge is 2 towns, one the old Main st north of the tracks. The new town lines st rt 58 w/ McDs, A&W, etc. Old town is more residential and vacant storefronts. Oakridge received a $400,000 grant to make it an IMBA ride center.

Bethany made it back from her McKenzie river ride.

Last night the bar seat cramped first one hamstring then the next. I didn’t attend to my body during the ride. I woke during the night and cramped up a quad. Not a good sign, body needs rest.

At the pub Alison walked in and say beside me and Derrick @ the bar. She asked bunches of trail questions etc. She had planned on just a short day here. derrick regaled her w/ rides she changed her plans to stay for more days, just the pull of Oakridge. She rides a Turner Sultan a 29er painted raw like mine.

Slept in this AM. Today I am free. I decide a rest day. I checked out the new bakery up in old town. Bought 2 cookies that were made w/ home ingredients, a wonderful Tollhouse and a peanut butter. Stopped @ Mercantile to loan my Square Foot Gardening book to Catrina. I remembered to ask for an extension ladder so I could get up on my roof to seal the leak when it wasn’t raining. Derrick told me about the Big Bunchgrass mtn ride he was going on which is further out the ridge from where I rode last week. Scott called and invited me along. I declined the adventure because I already set myself up for a rest day.

Derrick invited me to a trail work day tomorrow to make an official Kate’s cut in trail way up on Alpine. Need to be back in town by 8:00 for opening of Mountain Bike Oregon (MBO), a 3 day we take care of you shuttle ride festival that I was invited to. MBO maxs out @ 350 riders, going to be a crowded weekend.

I have ridden the Alpine 5 times, all shuttle. Yesterday we rode the full ST part of the race course. Maybe a mile of logging road was in the mix. The good stuff was 16.24 miles, we climbed 1701′ and dropped 5012′. Alpine is the crown jewel of Oakridge riding.

Check that out you dry side people. takes moisture for life to grow.

Sat was spent preparing the aid stations as the racers arrived @ the school. I was assigned to aide station 3, the furthest and most remote station. Jason and Misty were the aid station captains, they have worked all 15 years of the Puff. Many 5 gallon plastic jugs were filled w/ h2o for each aid station.

Sat before a community prepared meal a racers’ meeting was held in the school gym. Scott told how the deal works. He raffled off some stuff. I won a Club Ride jersey a really cool item. Good filling nutritious dinner.

Then I drove the 19 miles up mtn to the aid station location.  A Ham Radio station was set up for contact w/ the outside world. Jason said 6:00 AM get to work time, first racers were predicted to arrive just after 7:00AM. We filled h2o bottles w/ GU2 and h2o and laid out a spread of food energy sources. The racers dropped off their used bottles for refills. We rinsed out and refilled bottles for next go round. Our station had a “appendix” loop out to the Chrome Toilet that added enough miles for a 100 miles that was ridden only 2X. Racers rode 3 loops and passed thru our station 5 times. On the first lap the racers were grouped closer together, as the laps added up the gaps got bigger. last rider thru our station was like 6:30PM. It took almost 45 mins to drive the 15 miles of gravel logging road down.

Made it back to school then over to the trailer park for a shower then back to race finish line @ Red Bridge at the bottom of the Alpine trail. Ate another racer paid for dinner. Scott raffled off goodies to racers only. He said that he will have a volunteer party where he will raffle off goodies to the volunteers, I will miss this party.

Overall I observed that the racers were really thankfull for the volunteers’ efforts. I gave back to the biking community.

So today is clean up and maybe riding parts of Alpine to pull down all the course markings.

I parked my van in full view of the racers. Several racers said Hi and commented they have been reading about me.

Web site w pics from Aide Station 3 where I helped.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=723394

More trailer park life. More heavy dew.

Helped Scott unload stuff from his van and place inside closed school that is the center of the race. Next he loaded John, a repeat racer who has a VW Westie w/ an adjustable solar panel, and me for a shuttle to the highest point of the Alpine trail. John’s & my roles are to flag an upper piece of the trail and check out an optional ending. In between was just ride pleasure. Part way down I stopped to visit w/ a government work project that Bruce and I met on our Tues ride. Rhodies are kicking off blossoming out.

Walked over several small patches of snow. Just another enjoyable ride down. Catch this: w/ a shuttle i climbed 2146′ and dropped 4699′.

I attached myself temporarily to a cane of wild raspberry on the lower end of Alpine trail. My momentum tore the thorns from my right forearm ripping freely bleeding lacerations. No stopping. It did seem worse than it was: streams of blood.

Drove to Merchantile hoping for my new tire. Ah, Catrina was working. Enjoyed a community activist conversation. My tire, another Maxxis Ardent 2.4, arrived. I installed it, what a sight it is to see new meat on the wheel.

Back to Pub for a cask conditioned Imperial pint of their ESB. Front page of local section of the Eugene paper was about a budget crisis in Oakridge. Decreasing consumers decreases local tax income. Some budget improper actions suspected. Return trip took me by the meeting place, the high school, to see the street and parking lot plugged w/ cars.

Back to trailer for evening shower.

Yesterday I hiked the 2.3 mile river trail to cut brush back. Carried a lopper and a shrubbery shear that works better than a lopper when vegetation is almost all vascular. Walked thru lots of poison oak, I cut the “trees” down. I wonder if I will break out from poison.  Tonight checking reveals maybe a streak on my right forearm, I might have some around my eyes.

Tomorrow is more preparing for the race.