Yesterday I picked my bike up from Webcyclery who replaced my shifter cables and bled my Formula front brake. Kevin, the owner, told me about the Masten trail system outside Tumalo. He said it was not very technical and was flat. Sounded like the chances of me falling are not very high. The terrain is open and exposed to the sun, a place to ride in the shoulder seasons. The temp forecast was in upper 70s which would be bearable. I drove to the TH, I was the only rig in a nicely made BLM TH facility. I pulled up MTBProject which had the route in the database. This app is great because it uses GPS to locate you on the route which solves problems when there are unmarked or poorly marked routes, you can always find yourself. Trails were loose and patches of exposed basalt chunks. I walked several of the chunkier sections to reduce my falling potential. I learned that loose sand created soft berms and not to use them. Perhaps rain will stick the grains together. High dry country treed by juniper trees.
12 miles all on top of the rubber. My heart rate went way up in places reflecting my lack of conditioning. My crotch is saddle rubbed. My pedal stroke is toe down which makes for a smoother spin.
I drove back to town for a shower at Snap, refreshing beer at 10 Barrels, and dinner at Longboard Louies, then out to Phils for sleep.
At 10 Barrels w/ my preferentially poured beer I went outside. I sat in a chair beside a dog. I established rapport w/ him. His owner , Trevor, joined in conversation. I did not scratch him. He just relocated to Bend from Crystal ski area. We have experienced many same things from backcountry skiing to hiking the WA section of the PCT. He is working for a snowmobile company as an ambassador to teach riders about snow stability and etiquette. He is into snowmobile access to back country slopes. I likened what he is doing to E-assist bikes: if you have $ you can buy advantages. Never a conflict but maybe I planted a seed of awareness to us heart propelled recreators.
This AM it was 38 degrees. I turned on the furnace which performed as expected: it fired on the first spark and ran w/o previous rumbles. I am warm while waiting for the sun to warm me up from the outside.
Today is a busy day. I am driving over to the Oregon coast thru Oakridge. I have been searching for a backpacking trip on the shore but have come up short. Looks like just day hikes. I need to be back in Bend on Monday.
On Monday I have a massage to fix my back.
I found an interesting builder in La Pine who uses CAD for design. He returned my call yesterday while I was riding. We are meeting this Mon at the property for his viewing and helping to design the house. I am planning… but not building. Friend Bill in the Zunis has offered to help build. His work in Jack’s kitchen is what I want.
Off to complete tasks.