Today I rode and out and back on the Middle fork trail enjoying a casual pedal. Deep wet forest cover. Big trees. I encountered a group of BLM employees doing stream plotting. Two  ‘ologists slaked my curiosity, boils down to in hard times, eat your own. Varied vegetation cover that created sight line challenges. Fun to steer around the turns. My goal was just to pedal and keep exertion effort low. I succeeded. Chilly day.

Yesterday I rode Larrison rock again. My today ride was t0 have been for yesterday. Yesterday morning a man knocked on my van @ 8AM and in essences told me I was trespassing on private property, not his, but an investment company. I told him what i was doing to build trail here that had not weight. I did not challenge him as to his authority or what ever. I said I would finish bfast and be gone. I kept my word. I drove up Salmon creek road looking for spots. I crossed the creek then drove a short distance looking for a site. No luck. I baled and turned around. As I was crossing the bridge I saw a cow elk standing in the river. I stopped and watched. She shortly climbed the creek bank on my side. She hung around in the tree cover, several times coming out to the water. I heard unfamiliar sounds from the far side. I deduced that she was calling for her calf to cross the river which wasn’t eager to make a go of it. I left before the reunion.

I drove out to Greenwaters park to obtain h2o for my h2o tank. In the park is a small log cabin replica of original. Restoration work is on going. Someone was working today. An older man greeted me as the source of work. We chatted. He is a local historian and rattled off answers to my questions. He and his wife spent 30 years tracing the route of the Free Emigrant trail which crossed over the Cascades. He told me of a map he made showing the route. Cool. And I could have one by stopping by his Fun Museum.

Time got away from me to ride the river trail so I rode Larrison Rock again. 11.64 miles climbing 2330’ in 7 miles in 1 hr 20 mins. It took 26 mins to ride down the black diamond trail then a road piece back to my van. Zoom. I let gravity pull me downhill, I do not enhance my speed by pedaling. I adjusted my Formula T1 front brake such that I can lock up the front wheel going downhill. Necessary for controlling speed on these steep trails. Towards the bottom I encountered 2 guys pedaling up. They rode out and back, or really up and down the trail. One guy had a longer whiter beard than mine. Braided tail. We saw each other later @ the Pub for beer and dinner.

I stopped @ Del’s museum for more history and his map. Map is a GS custom spliced to show a wide landscape. The trail is from GPS data of their hikes. 1853 & 4 were only years it was used because the free land in the Willamette was gone.

I planned on driving out of town to fix dinner but I listened too long to Del. I drove up to the Pub for dinner and a beer. Matt and Michelle arrived She is co promoter w/ Derrick for the Cream Puff. She and Matt are planning on doing a recreation hospitality gig. I showered them w/ some applicable things I had learned along the way. They got it going. They offered me their vacation house in Westfir. Cool, a shower tonight. I drove up the Larrison rock road to camp. 2 miles up covered so quickly under diesel power. I hoped that I would have cell phone coverage which equals internet. No coverage.

Temps are in 40s @ night and damp. Still sleeping under the down blanket. Annual average rain data is printed on the Adventure map displaying the fact that Oakridge is wet in the winter: 8″ of rain in Dec and Jan. June and July are the least wet. I am seeing it in dry weather.

My poison oak gotten from Sat a week ago and later is still itching. I have patches of weeping sores. Oak bothers me more than ivy.

Still no plan to leave here. I have been thinking of living here. Settling down has all kinds of changes. I am able to see and experience different places365. To settle down would mean road trips always returning to the house anchor. I would be just like all the other people who are envious of my wandering life. I’m working on it.

Parked @ Rays on rt 58, going to make a Thai dinner then go for a beer. Matt and Michelle are to be there w/ the key to their house.

Friday I decided to  ride Larrison rock from town. Road climb was paved, no traffic, between 3 and 15% grade. I rode up to the rock itself that was a former lookout. The descent was very enjoyable and challenging 3.4 miles, over too soon. My 28″ wide handlebars and seat dropper makes these trails a controllable fun ride. The bars give me leverage to control the front wheel and the dropper gets the seat from under my butt. Big trees:

Prior to leaving the TH in the park I filled the solar shower. I parked full into the sun. Upon my return the h2o had heated sufficiently for a parking lot shower. Full on sun and 80 degree temp did the job.

Another evening socializing @ the pub. Just fun sitting outside being around mountain bikers who as a rule are fit. Maybe 8 guys arrived around 8:00. They flew in and landed @ airport. There were Randy’s shuttle customers. Oakridge on par w/ Sun Valley? Airplane was a prop, not a jet.

I needed hand made soap and local honey. I asked around town and found nothing. Suggestion was to shop @ the Farmer’s Market in Eugene on Sat. Good idea, go mingle w/ market crowd. 44 mile drive. paid parking. I walked around and found what I wanted. I sampled numerous strawberry farms wares and was nonplused. Greenbluff strawberries are better. I stopped @ a farm outside of town and bought 2 pints. My intent was to make daiquiris to share after my ride.

My ride plan on the way back to Oakridge was to ride the dirt to Hardesty. I parked @ same TH parking as previous attempt. Today the ride would be longer and more arduous and almost all on dirt. I rode up Goodman Creek a nice trail that climbed up the creek valley. I intersected a paved road to nowhere and rode for several miles until a vandalized sign for Alpine appeared on the left marking a trail that per the map was what I wanted. Not much traffic on it. The further along the steeper the trail became w/ numerous switchbacks that I didn’t attempt. Sketchy Oakridge bench cut narrow tread. I arrived @ an intersection w/ names and direction of trails. One was Hardesty Way. I confused this w/ Hardesty mtn. The map did not show this trail. I needed to be on Sawtooth that ran along the ridge line. I chose the Way trail and climbed steeply to the top. No real signs of traffic. Trail dropped elevation joining a skidder road then out to a trailhead for Hardesty Way. I figured the map out to learn that if I continued dropping on the logging roads I would end up in Cottage Grove over on the Umpqua. I needed to climb back to that trail intersection, I pushed my bike most of the way. At the intersection I figured out my correction. It was 6:30. I was loosing daylight. I needed to keep after it to make it out b4 dark. Sawtooth joined Hardesty mtn @ an unsigned intersection. I chose left as it seemed correct. As I rode I searched my memory for familiar features. Only after the first switchback around a root base of a conifer did I know I was correct. I made the turn to stay on Hardesty rather that Eula that I took previously. I was on the correct trail and would make it back b4 dark. Sweet descent of 4.5 miles. The error cost me 4 extra miles and a whole lot of energy. Ride total was 23.60 miles in 4 hrs 36 mins climbing 5891′ and burning 4415 cals.

Short sections of exposed side hill trail:

Tread is about 10″.

My solar shower failed again in spite of full on sun exposure, maybe the air temp robbed heat. A satisfying shower was had washing off dried blood from brush cuts.

I made it back to the pub for dinner and a shortened visit. Back out to airport. I was so dehydrated which must have caused my almost sleepless night.

Today is a rest day, really. I parked outside the Merchantile and rebuilt my drive train. New chain, cluster, and chain rings.

I have several patches of poison oak of different durations. Past experience was it takes a week for the blister to disappear. I itch for 3 days, the blisters open and weep, then dry up.

I have not figured out a departure date.

Randy comped me an MBO in July or August. 3 days of shuttled riding and beer. I did it 2 years ago. I might have to see if I can fit it into my plans. Seriously riders, MBO is special. Check it out:

http://www.mtbikeoregon.com/

And that is all.

 

I rested Monday for my aching knees time to cool off. I spend the evening @ Brewer’s Union up in Old Town. Derek is good company. He is planning a ride on Wed. Good. That happened yesterday. I sleep out at the far end of the local airstrip in the Scotch broom plants. Invasive.

Tues. I planned on riding a loop on Hardisty, the way Derek suggested which was uphill on logging road. The FS built a trail head for Hardisty. I parked there w/ sun hitting my filled solar shower bag. The route was ride back towards Oakridge to Patterson Mtn rd, climb to rd 550 till it hit Hardisty, make a few navigation decisions and end up back @ van. I rode a railroad right of way road for maybe 3 miles each way to stay off rt 58. The climb was a grunt climbing 2274′ in 4.2 miles. Took 1 hr 9 mins. I pedaled in spurts, easy up a few then back @ it. Road riding spinning would be of great help. Then the road climb up 550. Grunt, another 665′ in 1.7 miles. Now dirt. Climb some more to top of Hardisty, site of a former fire look out tower, a ground house. Then the downhill started. I went right when I should have gone straight. The intersection was not signed and I thought I solved the intersecting trail. The trail dropped fall line too steep for me to rear brake skid down. I chose Eula. Lost most of my elevation going straight down. This dropped me down to Lawler TH leaving me maybe 2 miles of railroad right of way. Total ride was 18.67 miles, 2 hrs 57 mins climbing 3699′

Back @ the van which was now shaded by trees. I felt the solar shower  which was hardly tepid. I drove the van over to a sunny parking spot & took a parking lot shower. Back into town for a pint and conversation.

Tues night the ride plan route was determined: Shutle up to Kate’s Cut in, the trail Derek and I built 2 years ago. Head up Alpine to aid station 3 where I worked 2 years ago. Ride down a logging road then up another to Blanket shelter. The climb up to Saddleback mtn where still stands a crows nest look out. The down a gated road to Aide 3, jump on start of Alpine all the way down to Tire mtn trail. take that to Cloverpatch to climb out. Hit a logging road and ride all the way back to Westfir. Meet @ Red Bridge @ 10 for shuttle.

Derek and younger skilled rider Todd and me. I expressed my concern of being slower than them making them wait for me. I would be OK Derek told me. Instilled confidence I climbed Kates. We rode up a piece of Alpine that we would later ride down. Several snow patches in same place Scott and I dug thru for the 2011 Cream Puff. And negotiated several trees blocking the trail. The logging road was a zoom down for pleasure that would be replaced by effort climbing back up the next road. Todd climbed the outside slightly reposed steel rung ladder. I kept my feet on the ground.

Back on the Alpine. Big trees open space, darkness, wet, some roots, exposure that sometimes is not apparent because of the big plentiful trees. Sourgrass mountain w/ just green leaves of bear grass

We stopped for food out in meadow for views to just blue skies. Tire mountain intersection came shortly. I last rode this to the end was back in 2009. Deep woods big trees, park like settings. Old stumps of past giants. We climbed sometimes really climbing bypassing fallen too large a tree to skinny over. Tire mtn, the second lookout site visited in one day, a personal best. I just rode. Camera doesn’t expose correctly making each woods pic very dark. The forest was this way. just ride Solve line choices switchbacks. Deep forest wet. The the climb out Cloverpatch. I was hanging pretty close till climb out when i several small muscles in my left leg started cramping. I ate mustard and electrolytes to some success but not complete recovery. Deep woods. Just special to experience this nature. Next came the downhill on logging road to river bottom back to Westfir. We no brakes down the road, I clocked 31.8. The flat road climbed a few times for short distance. My leg was really talking to me. I stumbled into Derek and Todd on west end of Westfir. I just needed to ride the flat old mill site to my van. I made it. What a hard day. 33.18 miles in4 hrs 19 mins climbing 4110′ and dropping 7437′. Computer displayed 3354 calories burned.

Oakridge has a flavor, markee trails are legacy trails: some places too steep for sustainability. But the trails met the environmental challenges. Come spend several days riding here. Randy owns Oregon Adventures puts on a killer shuttle ride 3 day weekend. I attended back in ’11. Lots of riders, well managed event. Check out his site to just perhaps you’ll commit to either July or August. The riding here takes more effort than say Bend for the same distance. Long

http://www.mtbikeoregon.com/

The solar shower underperformed again even after maybe 6 hours in direct sunlight. I expected the temp to be too hot needing tap h2o to cool off. No. I took over the toilet stall in the park restroom for my shower. Concrete floor and a drain.

I was simply beat and dehydrated. I drank a pint of Hammerlyte. And a beer. Then another one over @ the Brewery w/ dinner. We ate diner out on the sidewalk patio of the brewery. No markers are present to mark off the adult beverage section. If you are walking the sidewalk, you walk between the building and chairs  of beer drinking. Works fine by me. Derek is building a trail tomorrow and I volunteered. The place quits serving @ 9 but seems to pull the glasses after 10 while several of us enjoyed the pleasant late sun.

A fit mid 30s guy approached me beaming and saying he knows me. He read the June 2010 Bike  issue. He said that I am his example. Chris was quite excited.

My phone rang after dinner. It was guys from Sedona who were sitting outside Famous Pizza in west Sedona drinking beer after their club ride. How pleasant.

I drove back to the airport spot. I figured cramps would visit me once I laid down. I sat upright in bed for several minutes then laid down. I felt my left legs twitching then finally a full blown spasm. I carefully slid out o0f bed, careful not to tense the right leg now facing both legs cramped in cramped quarters. The cramps released allowing me to sleep undisturbed the rest of the night.

Today I am to meet Derek @ 9 out by the fish hatchery. Trail work today was to make a beginner trail out of an road cut. I walked in, Derek rode pulling a BOB trailer. We used a hoe one one side and a fingered hoe on the opposing side straight handle tool to scrape the dirt. This would be a test for my shoulder. I grubbed for maybe 150′ of trail in 90 mins. I called it quits as my shoulder became persistent in sending I’m not happy vibes. I left and hiked back to the van where the pull of an ice pack on my shoulder propelled me. So I Iced it. I worked in poison oak. I carefully removed my clothes then washed my hands w/ dish soap. It was like digging fire line but w/o the conditioning.

Next I drove into town to the laundromat which is in a ST Vinnie. I wash my clothes every Thurs just because I need clean clothes.

I haven’t made departure date yet. Pleasant hanging around @ the brewery. Oakridge is another spot that is widely advertised which does its job by bringing in many mountain bikers. There are some more rides I want to do. And I have clean clothes for another week. Perhaps Teresa will make it for a ride.