I left Spokane 7 years ago  starting this odyssey. 7 years of small living in a 6’X12′ box on wheels. It has just happened. Time passed, adventures accumulated. New places ridden. Old familiar haunts revisited. Reconnected w/ friends I have made on the way. And made new ones. I’m a professional time consumer, don’t try this at home….. unless you want to or are already doing what you want. 52 weeks a year times 7 years = like 364 weeks of vacation. Chasing the dollar leaves us w/ so little of our own time. I’m getting mine and the future looks like more of the same. Get some yourself.

The pain in my calf caused me to put my conditioning on blocks and allow the muscles to heal. I used the foam roller on the sore muscles. each day the pain was less and walking was less painful. Today, Sunday, I took a short hike at relaxed pace feeling my leg. The pain seemed to be caused by walking. Short loop. I stayed all day in my camp spot. I did the strengthening exercises appreciating the strength I am getting. I sat in the sun in my Strongback chair reading Getting Off, an off price book I bought @ Barnes and Noble. Written about a woman written by a man. Another sun burn.

After my walk I decided I needed to ride my bike to learn what pain would occur. I rode the gravel back here. No pain caused by riding. Tomorrow I ride again.

I bought the hiking guide for the OR and WA sections of the PCT. There are 190 miles between Stevens Pass and Manning Park in Canada that I haven’t hiked. I have done some planning and figuring. You need a passport or an enhanced drivers license because I am licensed in WA to get back into the US. I plotted a time flow to acquire one. It is 117 miles to High Bridge and a shuttle ride to Stehekin and the Lake Chelan boat ride back to Chelan for a bail out. Trail goes thru the Glacier Peak Wilderness that is pretty tough hiking. Desire to finish still burns.

Drove down Friday to La Pine to allow Karl to fix my furnace then meet w/ a realtor to learn of La Pine’s secrets. Karl filed the ignitor points that had some build up. He hooked up his home made propane pressure gauge that when connected to my propane system the  pressure was less than the furnace needed. He corrected the pressure by opening the regulator. He turned the control button to start the furnace. It caught. We let it run several minutes then shut it off and allowed it to cool. He told it to start and it did. Appears to have solved it’s not lighting. Sat AM was cold enough to enjoy hot air if it started. It did. May it now work the way it was engineered. I texted Karl my thanks.

Next up was the realtor, the same one Karl used to find his place. She asked me my criteria for land that she entered into a MLS query and gave them to me. I am looking for about an acre for $15,000 which is now a dream, land is 2X. She gave me a local map where I located the selected properties then drove off checking them out. Land is dead flat, tree cover is almost all lodgepole. Land was all subdivided and plotted. Most plots are an acre there abouts. Most are gravel roads, some are almost tank traps. I found several that I will return to tomorrow prolly. Next is to learn the offer process. Pieces require a septic feasibility study. An offer would be contingent on a conventional septic system. Wells appear to be shallow.

Gary and I finally made a beer drinking meeting. I met him back in Fruita and several times and places on the road. He lives here.

I checked out hiking boots at REI. I learned that not all boot companies make my 7 1/2 size. I am using one pair of Smart wool socks giving up on the liner and heavier outer sock system.

 

 

 

On Wednesday Dave permitted me to ride on the road. Issue is there is no muscle tone to hold shoulder joint in place, just tendon strength that are not elastic. Any activity that stresses the shoulder will be borne by inelastic tendons which will prolly result in the tearing of the repair. Got to stay upright. He used his infamous elbow again. I am to use my arm as I would normally except over head. He gave me 2 new strengthening exercises.

So what’s been running thru my mind while waiting recovery is backpacking. Tuesday I shouldered my pack and headed back to Sisters Mirror Lake, a 4 mile gentle hike. I was able to put on and slip off the pack w/ little difficulty. The hike was a chore. I checked my journal and learned that my last backpack was just about 2 years prior back @ Redfish lake in ID. I took a break after an hour which was uncharacteristic of my modus. After all today is a test of feasibility, not crushing endurance. I made the lake only seeing 1 hiker, the joy of being a mid week activist. I scored the camp spot above the lake. This trip I am breaking in my new Tarptent model Moment. Steve and I set it up back in Sedona after we read the instructions and I watched the video. Set up was cumbersome but successful.

One person double wall tent w/ lots of ways to ventilate. I use a Thermorest I bought back in ’02 that I use in the chair which is the vertical black object which supports my lower back. I will pay the weight penalty for the comfort. I arranged my kitchen around the seat. Freeze dried dinner for a short cut instead of buying various dried eatables. Quite night. there are 2 vestibules in the tent, when opened I am able to look out which is a welcome change from the Pyramid. Lots of condensation overnight. I walked around the lakes basin and discovered 2 other lakes that are less visited and prettier but my camp was already set up.

Nice being encased in netting to keep the few mosquitoes perched on the outside instead of inserted in my skin.

Fitful sleeping as I don’t like the feeling of nylon against my skin. crawled out after the sun warmed a bit. made bfast and packed up. Fog was rising off the lake.

Oregon Cascades are volcanic. many lakes such as this one a catch basins as there is no in nor out. Mountain hemlock. lodgepole, & firs are dominant tree cover. Mature forest has living and dead

A short distance after I started hiking in I experienced pain in my right shin that persisted on the way out.

But the back story was before I hiked I rode my bike on the road for the first time really going after it. I believed that riding the exercise bikes would prepare me for sport specific use. Hmm. Plan for the day was to hike out to the TH and hang out drying out my gear and packing it away then drive back to Bend and go for another bike ride. Which I did. My ride this time was a bit further up the MT Bachelor road ignoring the shin pain. 14 miles today. After the ride the pain was so great as to cause me to heavily favor the other leg. Great pain.

After taking a shower I drove to Web Cyclery to share ride ideas w/ Kevin. Dave, the PT, walked in and I asked him about my pain. He said it came from pulling up w/my foot on the pedal. Treatment is foam roller which I did several times last night. This AM I able to walk almost pain free. I will take a rest day today.

Tomorrow I am heading back to La Pine to have my furnace serviced and also look at land.

I emailed a realtor in Oakridge who told me my land price range was more than 1/2 less than the going price of land. Seems like the dry side will be were I buy.

So, my feet seemed not overly unhappy. I will try a longer hike next time. My thinking is to finish up going north on the PCT from Stevens pass to Canada in September after my dentist visit. I might try a stiffer pair of boots, the 2 I have looked at do not make my small 7 1/2 size.

I carry a cone coffee filter that is too large for my cook pot. last night I researched various methods of making cowboy coffee. I picked the method that does not heat the coffee which releases the bitterness. I made a cup this AM and enjoyed it. I will eliminate the filter and its few ounces.

Ah, 10 Barrels and my status. I go in almost every night at dinner for one beer. The bar keeps that know me pour me a beer w/ o asking or waiting to catch their eye. We know each others’ names. So great.

Temps have dropped here to the upper 70s and low 80s, night time is down blanket snuggle and chilly get out of bed. I suppose if the furnace worked I might run it a bit but then I would need to close the slider door.

Off to do laundry and buy the PCT book for OR and WA.

I read “Wild” and saw the movie which I wrote about in an earlier blog. Cheryl called her pack, “Monster”. Mine wasn’t that heavy but weight is relative. I hoisted my pack and immediately I set lower in the water and my stride was shortened. One step at a time. I read the tent instructions and set it prior to first use. The rest of my gear is well known and used and no surprises were experienced.

 

Today is another unsettled weather day. I am parked outside Web Cyclery, Kevin’s shop, pain cave of Dave the PT, and near the Old Mill district home of an REI store. Heavy rain is falling dropped by t-storm.

Friday I drove south north of  La Pine seeking land. I drove around and saw other realtor signs posted. I researched some more on line then drove back south this time to the Bend side of La Pine. The topography here is pool table flat. The Deschutes river drains this area. I noticed homes w/ mound septic systems the closer I got to one of the 3 rivers. I don’t want that.

Friday night I returned to 10 Barrels. Before i even made the bar Manny greeted me in the crowd w/ my beer. The place was packed as always. I waited for a bar seat or a table to open. A table opened And i grabbed it, seats 4, room for 3 guests. 2 women walked in seeking beer and maybe a sit spot. I offered chairs to them. They are from Alaska and are visiting Bend for music. We chatted until their table was opened. One bought me a beer. Later a single woman same situation. I offered her to share. She said yes because I appeared to be an intersting man. She is an artist and is here for Bend’s summer festival. We chatted for a long while until she left. She told me about her booth.

Sat was another search day. I found a place below La Pine 1.1 acres with septic installed and a well. $27,000. (maybe I am mixing my days up). But I did spin for 55 mins on the Anytime Fitness bike burning 500 cals. I took a shower then drove up to Wanoga Snow Park to watch some of the 24 hour race that Angela was racing as a solo. We saw each other as she crossed the scorers’ table. A quick greeting and she was gone. I recognized Mike, the race promoter, a guy who shared a camp spot w/me in Sedona, and Chris, a wrench @ Sunnyside. The wind gust were lifting dirt into the air prompting me to leave. I decided to find a camp spot up high here. The all weather road I chose bisected the race course. I picked the one spot in the middle. After dinner I walked down the hill to one crossing and set up my chair and played loudly an FM station that my weather radio picked up. Soon bike lights were turned on. I left climbing back up the hill to my house. 48 degrees in the AM, I slept covered by my down blanket.

Sunday I drove up to Swampy Lakes snow park for a hike. Weather forecast called for 60% heavy rain which factored into my route selection. I hiked 6 miles on single tracks till a double track out. Serious snow depth here. Some of the trails are XC ski trails. Check out how deep the snow gets:

Pine beetles are living in the lodgepole pine. Some cases they kill the host and the damage is visible of what was going on underneath the bark.

I finished my hike before rain fell. I’m sitting in my van. I looked out the open slider door and saw a silver Sprinter driving towards me. No front license plate common to Arizona, and the kind of Sprinter that TrailDoc owns. And that’s who it was, John and his wife Jan are on a road trip. I enticed him to stay and converse by offering him a beer. Interesting Sedona FS news. They are staying w/ Gary whom I met long ago. I need to make a beer appointment w/ him.

I drove back down to town to visit the summer festival. Heavy rain fell before I got there. Street closed off and populated by vendor booths. I found Leslie’s booth at the end of my circuit. I visited w/ here for awhile soaking up the ambiance as a vendor. She let me man her booth while she ran an errand. Several people stopped and showed interest in her wares but I lacked the sales closure. I bid adieu and returned to 10 Barrels. Then out to Phil’s camp spot.

Today was another PT session w/Dave. Therapy now focuses on strengthening the atrophied muscles. I have no strength. He gave me 2 exercises. He used his legendary elbow again that had me pounding the table begging for mercy. It hurts. He is allowing me to ride on the road w/ the cautionary note that I can not fall.

I texted Duff from Sedona who was heading back to MN. He said he fell at Angel Fire in NM and fractured his scapula before he made MN. Mountain biking is dangerous.

I emailed a realtor in Oakridge asking about land. Wet side of the Cascades.

The guy who imports and services the Propex heater bought property in La Pine. He shared his info. A piece of property is available on his new road. This furnace will be fixed before I leave the state.

Today I made my Spokane dentist appointment for Sept 14.