Batteries are charged. Empty Scotch glass. An hour b4 bedtime. Forces are in alignment.

Yesterday I took care of a few items. Most notably is Pearl Izumi warrantying my shoes. These must last till end of July (or schedule slide later) till the Project X shoes hit the stores. I visited REI and 2 bike shops renewing acquaintances.

I checked out another place to camp which is closer to town than here but it turned out to be too popular so I moved back to previous spot. Dusty primitive road.

Sunday I rode from Skyliner TH climbing up to Sector 16 where the fun quit as I navigated maybe 30 trees felled by winter weather, mostly lodgepole which are particularly ornery because of their plentiful dead branches. Not much fun.

Today my ride was starting from Snap Fitness parking lot riding 3 miles of pavement to Shevlin Park to pick up Mrazek ridge. Up high the trail entered lodgepole forest zone for more of same knock downs. A few small patches of snow. The upper section of Farwell spring trail was also littered. Finely below the lodgepole elevation fun started going downhill which passes way faster than the climb up. I dropped down on the creek trail to Skyliner TH then took the road down aways to avoid climbing Skyliner. I left the pavement for the trail system to Bens all the way back down to Phils then a bit of dirt back to Snap. 35.38 miles, 4 hrs 23 mins, climbing 3692′.

I pulled a muscle in my right calf b4 ride start that went on to involve the knee. I have no idea what i did to injure myself. Shit, I’m going on a big ride, I’ll make the body work. I forced myself to ride. I stretched every stretch I know of seeking relief to less avail. Perhaps a rest day tomorrow.

Jesse and Lori parked @ Phils I noticed when i rode thru the parking lot on my way home.

A shower @ Snap, grocery shop, and a beer @ 10 Barrels. My walk from my parking space to inside 10 Barrels i passed by the open bar. As I was walking inside to the bar a woman server thrust a beer into my hands. She said the bar tender said to give it to me. It was the Sinister ale I drink. The bar tender saw me walking and beat me to my order.

Back out to dusty parking spot.

I registered for the IMBA trail care crew visit over in Alpine near Corvalis for this weekend taught by Jesse and Lori.

At 5:30 AM the temp was 33 degrees @ 4118′ where I camp. I ran the heater all night. Forecast for tonight is 40. Might run the heater again.

Last Sat night it was Downieville, CA.

And my odyssey continues.

At the end of Sat’s monstrous downhill my lower back came up stiff, such that I couldn’t stand straight up. I took Sun as a rest day and drove out of the mountains back towards the ocean. I drove Sun and Monday heading N and west.

On Monday I drove into Chico, CA. I picked a likely mtn bike store and entered. An IMBA trail care crew had worked in Chico which is why I landed here. Bidwell park attached to town was the project. Fog came in that turned into rain. No sucker hole.  No riding here today. I stopped @ B&N book store and bought Jess Walter’s newest novel, critically acclaimed novel, Beautiful Ruins. I make very little time to read. I continued N to Redding, another Trail Care crew visit. I found another bike shop where I learned about Swasey rd trails out side of Whiskeytown. BLM land, no camping @ TH. Ah, Whiskeytown is a fed level facility that will accept my senior card. I ended up right above the lake in a self contained unit parking lotcamp ground. $4.00. When full units are parked side by side like a parking lot. I joined another chain fitness facility where I took a shower. I found a sea food store selling fresh Dungeness crabs. The store retrieves live crabs out @ the coast then keep them alive and only cook each day what the demand is. I bought a crab that might have been cooked only hours earlier. Ah, what joy.

Tues AM was overcast and forecasted rain. I drove back to Swasey rd and geared up. Got in a ride on old trails dampened by yesterday’s sprinkles. I studied the trail map then forgot it in the van then headed uphill. Chaparral forest cover.  9.47 miles climbing1337′. Rain started falling just after I made it back to van.

Years ago I clipped an article from Bike mag about America’s newest coolest trail out on the coast in the King mtn range named Paradise Royale. I allowed the GPS to plan the route which was fine until the state highway went north and west. The GPS selected the most direct way to its credit and on paved roads. Beyond torturous w/ just twisting and winding on very narrow double track. The ups and downs were killer steep. The coastal ranges are very rough. Just a long story short it was punishing. A long decent dropped me onto US 101. About 100′ away from the 101 intersection I decided to check the stopping power of the brakes before I faced the busy highway. Shit! the pedal went to wall and just managed to stop the van. I smoked the pads. I don’t drag my brakes, I feather and pump them, never allowing the pads to heat up. Even the friendly use of the brakes failed the steep decent. I drove down 101 to find an open CA state XG deep in the redwoods. $33 a night. Coin operated showers but the building is not heated and it was chilly outside. I did take a shower again back in Redding b4 heading out.

Battery is fading in the computer and I am fading anticipating my bed.

I headed N while snow still covers trails and crews have not been out to evaluate and repair winter damage. My plan was to ride the Umpqua trail but the FS had no trail beta so I moved on up the road to Bend.

I ordered a KS Lev seat dropper to replace my Reverb.

Battery died on Jet pack after I added more info. Spent over an hour typing. Too late and to pissed to type it over. The jet pack dropped internet connection, I clicked on update on the web site to save the draft. The connection was broken and all my info was dropped.

Paradise Royale is a bust.

I’m off for a beer.

Wonderful ski down this face. I had back to back days of over the head face shots in a white out. I followed a local each day. He got first tracks as they knew how to get around a moat and miss a rock outcropping. No harm as it was all uncut. About 400′ black diamond steep face. That was back in the day of leather boots and narrow skis.

 

I drove into town late Thurs and took a quick spin @ west entrance to town. Nothing I wanted to check out so i turned around and drove back down canyon of N fork of Yuba river to Ramshorn FS XG for a $10.50 camp spot. Deserted XG, such that spring grass has not been trampled down or mowed. Right above hwy 49 and river.

Thurs. I drove back to town. Two shuttle services. Two conflicting shops. I made a shuttle arrangement w/ 1 shop but hung @ the other shop. I walked over to Yuba Expeditions seeing a guy waving @ me. It was Andy whom I met in Sedona this spring. His memory was better than mine. Yuba Expeditions is part of the Sierra Buttes stewardship organization, a non profit dedicated to improving the area trails, Big time effort. This is the better shop and the better place to put my $.

Fri I rode the N Fork Yuba trail out and back to Goodyear bar. I visited Downieville 6/24/10 and rode this piece which then was fledgling. Today is is complete and aged well. Lots of poison oak shading the trail. Trail is S of river. I took a solar shower in the FS parking lot.

I had this creak in my bottom bracket area that i was sorting out. I stopped back @ the shop where Andy said he would take a look @ it. He suspected bottom bracket, my Chris King. He replaced it w/ a Shimano XT. I pedaled a bit w/ no creak. I fried my King bottom bracket after 7,892 miles and 575 rides.

Great historical plaque of Downieville:

Andy told me of a camping spot up canyon that I checked out, a turn out on an RER. Free and quiet. I saw an old bench cut trail leading away from the road that I checked out. Tragic: future logging cruising signs. Maintaining the road for future logging.

Fri I drove back to town. Today I rode out of town up Downie river to Second Divide trail that climbed up to junction w/ Third Divide then down First Divide back into town. 2nd divide was a humper. 1st divide is almost all down hill and is part of the Downieville classic mtn bike race. I put some air under my tires several places.

No creaking bottom bracket.

Back @ parking lot I took another solar shower. Then spent the night back @ previous spot.

Sat was my shuttle ride @ 11:00. Today marked the official opening of shuttle service. 9 riders and bikes piled into a maxi van and rode up to packer Saddle drop off. A NGO plowed the road of snow before the drop off. Greg told us Sunrise was still snowed in so to ride down FS 93 to 93.3 down to Butcher Ranch trail. Another shuttle rig of riders started along w/ my batch. The pace @ the upper sections was hectic as the testosterone raged. I stayed back. Snow still covered patches of the trail, this is spring snow, not the dustings I had received in the desert:

Down a bit further a rider told us of a downed rider w/ a broken leg. I understood that he was being treated by EMTs. I passed to see his leg being splinted. Organized rescue was not able to pull his evacuation out so he hiked out using his bike as a crutch.

I took 1 hr 48 mins to travel 15.41 miles dropping 4906′ and climbing 777′ I rode down 2nd divide that I rode up yesterday. I rode down a tree root section that appeared to have a smooth run out. Hidden in the shade was a wheel trap that impeded my front wheel which started a nose wheelie and a possible over the bars crash. Coolly I rode it out.

Back in town I checked out the cemetery which is a boot hill side hill. Back in 1850s there were 5,000 people here involved in gold mining, lots of dead citizens.

When i got off my bike I noticed that my lower back was painful. I couldn’t stretch it out.

Another solar shower before a thunderstorm dropped a few sprinkles. I ate dinner @ place beside the bike shops. Pizza: portabello mushrooms, asparagus, and pesto. Tasty.

Back out to camp spot. I heated h2o and filled a hot h2o bottle and placed it on the small of my back that gave some comfort. I decided that I should rest today.

I needed groceries of which there was scarce selection in town. today I bid Andy good bye and headed down river. I am now in Grass Valley seeking its namesake.

My next stop is Chico that has a mtn bike scene. I asked IMBA for a list of towns the trail care crew had visited, Chico is one of them.