After finishing Red Hill & Devil loop, doing my wash, buying some groceries, driving to Wenatchee to the FS office, finally driving back to Devil’s Gulch TH for the night.

I learned that the destructive Spruce Budworm is the culprit for eating the bud ends on the Doug fir trees. The caterpillar is the destructive life stage that eats the buds. The trees in studies have shown that the outbreak will run its course and most trees survive. The mountain sides are tinted rust orange from the dead branch ends. Massive attack.

Yesterday I dilly dallied waiting out the sun’s warmth b4 pedaling up the road to the Mission Creek TH way uphill on logging road from where I am. I got warm right away once moving into patches of sun. First part of road stays right against the creek, or rather the bulldozed road followed the creek bed diverting it where necessary for the road. Mother nature struck w/  a massive runoff that in some places retook the road. There was one serious scramble to cross a washout. The road closure cuts down on the mtn bike shuttle riders who were the largest rec group to ride the trail I suspect. Dirt bikes and horses still get their go @ the trails. I decided that enough wasn’t enough to just do the shorter Devils gulch but to continue another 3 miles uphill to the Mission Creek TH which is more technical. I walked some of the road just to shake the kinks out. Getting to the top took 2 hours, descent was just over an hour. Had trail all to myself. Dirtbike affected. I still enjoyed my ride as I was challenged and rewarded for my decisions. 28 inch bars are the bees knees.

Somewhere down towards the bottom I ran over a rock that kicked up and smacked my rear disc rotor destroying its flatness that caused it to rub aginst the pads just like the brake was pulled. Hard pedaling going uphill. I checked out my bike @ the TH to determine why the rear wheel made strange sounds. There are biting flies that look like a house fly that just chewed on me. I took a solar shower just advertising open flesh to chew on.

Drove back to Das Rad to buy a rotor and new brake pads. Got the dragging wheel sorted out.

Spent evening in Leavenworth planing on sleeping in the ski hill parking lot in internet access. A Sound of Music production had filled the parking lot. I bagged that moving back to Sand Creek TH where I have stayed. No pic to show what this guy has created right alongside the Mission and Sand creek rds, the collectibles just allowed me to pass unscathed. Authorities can’t get him to comply w/ laws.

So today I drove to Angles Staircase TH way back up in mtns. I rode this 2 years ago. remember the nasty drag your bike up this hike a bike section above Cooney Lake? Remember how horse & dirt bike beat the tread is? I remember the alpine scenery was worth the effort. That’s my plan.

I am parked along side the Methow river south of Twisp because I found internet access to pay my due cell phone bill. It’s in the 80s, cloudless, and little wind.

Rest day in Leavenworth heating up the nuts. Will be spending maybe 2 days up Mission creek drainage out of internet access. The road to the lower parking lot is repaired but another wash out has closed the road higher. I have been internetting my fingers to the bone while I have access and made the time.

Spent night @ snowpark w/ the side door open w/ the netting stretched across. I overslept. I also was host to several fully loaded mosquitoes.

Today plan is to ride the Nason Ridge route that Patrick from Das Rad in Leavenworth laid out. Whole lot of road riding and climbing for about a 6 mile descent back to van. Ride locally. Out of the box the state did not mark the FS road intersection for the logging road climb. Backtrack. Lower down the road was being repaired from winter washouts including freshly laid gravel which just sucks the energy from me, I chose to walk a good bit of the new. Fortunately maybe only a mile was affected thus. Just a grinder climb but less than the Ranger creek rides but I was left beat anyway. Found the TH way up top. ST is posted no dirtbikes and they complied. Trail up was almost all hike a bike steep and rough. OK I am seeking the ST downhill that is to be sweet and worth the effort. At the Nason Ridge trail intersection the dirt bikes had gone towards Alpine lookout on a banned trail per the map. I started down the ridge on a trail beat by dirt bikes leaving inches deep dust. Trail picked up a logging road and a piece of an old firebreak, then an overgrown skidder road chopped up by horses. Then a short road ride back to my van. Not an overly enjoyable ride. I am finding pleasure in applying the skills I learned from Betterride.

This is a fire road bulldozed at fire perimeter, you don’t drive on it.

Huge Ponderosa Pine:

View out to Glacier peak and maybe part of the Ptarmigan Traverse i did back in 1986 0n skis:

Patrick told me that Mad Mad world & Chicamin ridge trails are closed by the winter blow down that is not cleared. Would like to ride them if the dirtbikes have been off them all year.

Next up was a shower @ Lake Wenatchee SP. Last time here parking was free. State is now charging a  one day $10 parking fee. I drove back to where I parked for my ride and rode down and took a (4) quarter shower. Very windy and place is @ the down wind shore of the lake. White caps and hat blowing away winds.

Drove shore line road to Glacier View XG. I was hoping for shoreline views on public land. Not so.

Drove back to snopark where I stayed last night.

Tomorrow I am heading to devil’s Gulch trails that Patrick said are primo because spring was so late melting out trails that little time has been available for dirtbikes, plus the trails get more wet.