Early evening last night a wind storm blew down the Methow rendering cell phone coverage nil and I lost what i started to write.

Spent Tues night “city” camping. City noises: vehicle w/ kicker box, slamming doors, and a cat fight. In the AM I walked Winthrop’s wood sidewalks that were originally “paved” w/ rough sawn dimensional lumber. As the boards deteriorate they are replaced w/ surfaced boards which lessen the stumbling. I have been sampling cinnamon rolls.

Wed’s plan was to ride Sun mtn trails and meet Don. Don is not @ Sun Mtn during the summer. I received a ride suggestion from the Activity staff and headed down to Chickadee TH to start. Years ago I raced here on these trails which gave me a faded memory of the trail system. Why do i ride during the 80s heat of the day? My breathing was causing me problems on the climbs and I had a squeak on my pedal stroke. I felt there was something wrong w/ the hub and I was damaging it was enough for me to call the ride short and head into town for the bike shop for repair. The trails here are all but buff w/ little challenge treadwise. The system is well signed and the map makes sense.

I stopped @ Patterson Lake down the hill for a quick dip to rinse off the grime.

At Methow Cycle and Sport Dave got on my problem. He is team mechanic for RAGBRAI (?), the incredible road riding event that tours the state of Kansas. He diagnosed the problem as my brake pads were dragging on the rotor. he showed me how to adjust the caliper by using a piece of white paper behind the caliper to illuminate the gap between the pads. When the gap is equal he tightened the bolts. Voila! no squeak and the hub is fine.

I checked back in W/ Kristen @ her work. She has friends arriving tonight staying for several days of riding. One couple is on a road trip which will be fodder for a conversation. One ride will be Angel’s Staircase that I will beg off. She is working on an interview article about me for the Methow Valley Sports Trail Association.

Easy to walk city of Winthrop  as there is a main street where all the shops are located and it is several blocks long. The Old School house is a brew pub where I slaked my thirst several times.

Last night I decided to return to my camp spot down by the Chewuck river.

Today I drove down river to the larger city of Twisp to the local laundromat that also has showers.

I returned my Monarch shock to PUSH for rapid turn around service.

Bought diesel in  Twisp for $3.99/gal. Mileage after mtn driving was 25.6mpg.

And it is noon.

Another potential landing place.

Today @ 2:30 I had a ride date w/ Kristen.  I drove into town and parked @ The Red Barn on the west side of Chewuck river for internet access.

Last night I returned to my van parked on Main st, which is US 20, I found a note from a guy I met last year who lives in the area. Dave and his wife were on a 6 week road trip from here to DC to visit their daughter who was a page in Congress. I met them in Sedona @ Mtn Bike Heaven. They had bikes on the back of their home converted Sprinter w/ WA plates, immediate shared expressions. Later I was parked @ a Syllamo trailhead in Mtn Home, AR. He gave me his phone number and said that he lives here and he knows the trails. Cool a local for local knowledge. I called him catching him on his way to a carpentry job on the other side of where I was parked. He stopped in and chatted for longer than his employer would appreciate. He is a board member on the XC ski organization that Kristen works for. I learned than Don Portman is still here working for Sun Mtn lodge. Don was a PSIA official who taught several clinics I attended when i was a XC ski instructor back in the 80s when i worked for Ski Acres. I plan on riding the resort’s trails Wed and hope to meet him.

I called PUSH and caught a human to describe my shock performance. I was handed to Eric wo remembers me from previous visits. He said ship it to them and they will service and return it right away, no waiting time. I put the replaced Fox RP23 and noticed immediately the loss of suppleness in the suspension from the Monarch.

I called Social Security admin and filed for benefits which will start in Nov. I turn 62 in September which meets distribution requirements. I doubt my longevity.

I reestablished my relationship for Squirt Lube.

Kristen arrived early after completing her meeting w/ Don who is the president for the XC org. She didn’t mention my name but she described me. Cool: she has an Element. We put my bike in and drove off to Buck Mtn TH which is one of the jewels in the Winthrop crown. She wants to interview me for Methow Valley Sport Trails Assoc and she is fascinated w/ what I am experiencing.

Buck mtn trail started out as a western US phenom of a logging road climb. The trail traveled thru open P-pine forest and sagebrush, hand built. The tread was all but buff with unpreditable dusting of sand that lubricated the hard surface for a wash out fall. Riding w/ a younger person uphill.

Even got one of me:

We finished the ride then treated us to a cold Sessions beer. It’s only 11 oz in a bottle so that isn’t a beer so you drink another one for a full beer, except we had just one. She offered the shower @ her office and dinner so she could interview me. Cleaned we walked downhill 1 short block to Main and another short distance to a Mexican restaurant. With luck the bar would have Muchoe Tequilla that her brother is part of the team distilling the 100% Agave Repesodo. I enjoyed a sipping shot. She asked questions and I replied w/ books of answers. Dinner was several hours.

Kristen thru her job is tied w/ local property owners and people that created the XC ski system. Many of them would be the contact for a mtn biking center. I have no exit plan for my Odyssey. One might be finding a place to make a mtn biking pay to play mtn bike trail system. As I listen to Kristen I get excited about Winthrop. I want to learn more but w/ each question I hesitate before asking because I still want to travel fearing that the more I know i might drop anchor. OK. I will stay here the rest of the week and will meet more people and learn more starting w/ Don tomorrow.

Kristen offered me an off street parking spot @ her office and shower privileges. City camping.

I successfully completed another go of Angels’ Staircase near Carlton, WA way back up in the mountains. As I previously wrote I remembered the effort and conditions to see the views. Times have changed, I have experienced more trails and I am 2 years older than previous ride. Somehow this time the climb hike a bike above Cooney Lake was not the most hideous climb I had ever made although this year I negotiated several snow patches. There might have been more overall hike a bike because of fatigue caused by not nourishing my body. This was real outback riding.

I drove up to the TH mid Sat afternoon where the parking lot was plugged w/ vehicles including 1 camp of throttle twisters stirring dust up and making noise. Small flies that look like house flies were using all their mouth parts biting in full force, at least no mosquitoes as no standing h2o was near. TH was @ 4700′.

The heat of summer is past, now the days are hot and the nights are sleeping chilly. On Sat the temp was in low 80s so on my ride on Sun I wanted to get it on early.

I left Sun b4 the dirtbikers. As they went by they dusted me, no slowing down. A returning downhill rider deadsticked his bike and almost ran me over. Several other riders came down w/ their engines on, for these I stayed almost on the trail causing them to slow down, several almost stalled while going by. I got some recognition as a trail user. Up ahead thru the trees I saw flashes of a foreign red color. I came upon this scene:

I split off the more heavily used trail for Cooney Lake and grunted my way to the lake. From the lake I could see what i needed to climb to continue the ride. I could have turned around and been back @ the van drinking chilled adult beverages but I deferred gratification and climbed up.

Trail topped out @ 8000′ amid the whitebark pines.

Then the descent down the Staircase switchbacking thru talus until back onto mountain dirt. Trail hits an intersection w/ Prince Creek dropping 6900′ down to Lake Chelan. Then I started climbing again bound for Boiling Lake and Horsehead Pass and the start of 6 miles and 2500′ descent over chewed up trail. This bike rode way better along w/ the Betterride skills. It was still a body jarring descent. Ride was 21 miles in 4 hrs 40 mins climbing 5126′ and burning 3955 calories.

Back @ the TH most all the cars including the dirtbikes were gone. My solar shower was soaking up heat from 7 hrs of sunlight but was only tepid. Still I bared all to the biting flies to wash off the grit. I prepared a small dinner that didn’t replenish my stores and i went to bed hungry, as a result I did not sleep very well. I was beat and hungry.

This AM I wolfed my bfast then headed down mountain and up the Methow River to Winthrop. I had still not made riding decisions. My plan was to hang in Winthrop and research options. I parked @ the city park to do internet work. A woman rides up and starts a conversation about riding. She and friends have been spending time riding trails trying to find any that are better than theirs here, they have found none, even after having ridden Oakridge recently. She is marketing director for the Methow Valley XC ski trails which are world class. The trails cross like 140 land owners. I got shivers as I have visions of doing something like Kingdom Trails in East Burke, VT which is a pay to play on private land and The Methow Valley has potential. Kristen will be leading me around Buck Mtn tomorrow.

So, for now I am hanging in Winthrop, WA, a town that has an old western wood sidewalk motif.

There is a smoke jumper base in Twisp just down river. Up the Chewuck river outside of town was the 30 mile fire where 4 ground fire fighters were burnt alive in their shake and bake tents. As a result of the accident numerous policy changes were made among them requiring mandatory rest days, down from my 1970 season of working as long as they can stand up.

So Winthrop on the dry side. Fall is moving in.