Friday after bfast and doing dishes inside Bill’s house I headed to riverside. My money man experienced some difficult family situations such that he was able to meet me Fri at 1:30 near 7 Mile at Riverside. would work for me to ride then drive to 5 Mile Anytime for a shower then drive back to the pizza meeting place. I dallied leaving Bill’s which shorted my ride time. (No premonition).

I drove out to 7 mile where there is a small parking spot outside the park thus sparing a $10 daily fee such that I paid to ride w/ Les et. al. I rode to the n end of the park at 9 mile and climbed sharp stick in the eye. Up top I dropped down heading west chunking along negotiating basalt babyheads using them for line choice and traction. Chunky nasty sharp rocks, there are no go arounds or easy lines, just sharp chunk. I exited thru the ORV park as I missed where the heart propelled trail went. I picked it back up along the flat above 7 min hill. Hard pack tread, smooth powerful efficient pedaling. I heard a sound that memory recall said was a soft tire. I stopped and checked to learn the rear was soft. I dropped my pack and pulled out my pump and pumped till tire firm. I pedaled away. shortly I heard the sound and stopped to check the tire: soft again. Ohhohh. Pumped again and changed my route to bail out home. Made it back on soft tire, it never went flat.

Dashed to 5 mile and took a shower then drove to meet Dennis. I piulled into the parking lot right on time for our meeting. Dennis manages my $. Our yearly meeting is over several beers discussing business and social issues. I am required to withdraw from my 401k at 70 1/2.

Afterwards I drove to Bicycle Butler one of my go to shops when I lived here to fix my rear tire. Examination revealed a dent in the rim that must have burped the bead. I used a visegrip to tease the dent out then attempted to reseat the tire. No luck. Shop compressor is too weak to burst the tire onto the rim. I swapped out the mountain king I bought by mental mistake w/ the preferred trail king and it still wouldn’t seat. I took the wheel over to the next door auto shop hoping they had a killer compressor. A wrench modified their air nozzle to my valve stem which gave the burst of needed pressure. I gave the hardly used tire to BB.

I drove downtown to The Elk for dinner. Dale has worked there for 15 years. The Elk was my favorite Spokane hangout.

I spent the night again at my former neighbors house. Sat I dallied before heading out this time bound for Bend. On my road atlas I pink highlight roads I have driven. I like to drive new roads. The retuen trip route went deep into central Oregon on back road state highways from Pilot Rock to Mitchell on rt 126. Big country: volcanic effected. At one summit I stopped to calibrate my altimeter. I watched a bicyclist pedaling up from the opposite direction. He was full out bike touring. I greeted him and asked if he needed anything. He accepted waterbottle refills. He saked if I had stove alcohol. Of course I did. He was pedaling to his 50th HS reunion. Twisty windy hilly good condition narrow paved state highway. The road lead onto USFS land. Just at a pass I dropped off on a logging road for a ways till I found a pull out for the night.

Today I finished my drive to Bend.

There is a ride in the Ochocos east of Prineville I heard about. I needed internet to research on MTB Project but I didn’t get reception till well west of there. I decided not to go back but to continue and ride Maston. Seat dropper back on and a preferred tire on the rear made for an enjoyable ride. Tire remained seated.

Back in town. Hang out at 10 Barrel. My reward idea is gaining traction. I watched some of the Seahawks game while drinking 2 beers. Drove out to Phils for the night.

COTA wants me to explain my Brain For a Beer proposal.

Tomorrow is PT to learn what I can do to help strengthen my shoulder.

Snow fell up high here on Thurs.

Friend Steve from Sun Valley and I connected to guide him on a Spokane ride he will remember for a long time because of where and what we rode. I am the local. We met on lower south hill near Manitou park. Tuesday I thought the ride out while I lay in bed waiting for the sand fairy. I pulled it off navigation wise and performance. So did Steve. Ride not in MTBproject.

This is what we rode. We started riding treed residential streets in front of these incredible old large houses. We dropped in on N end of High Drive trails. We continued north getting closer and closer to I-90, railroad bridges, and Sunset highway. Found trail that dropped off the railroad grade which ended on pavement. We dodged a bit to pick up dirt again right under I90 and a “transient” camp. Side hill sandy trail dumped us into Peoples’ Park, turned left to ride a little pavement to a right turn back on the dirt. This trail dropped us along the shore of the Spokane river going downriver. Shortly the nasty hike a bike up a steep loose sandy trail that had kicksteps to use for us to drag our bikes up. Popped out on bench level w/ a cemetery. Rode on a perimeter road turning back onto dirt, again a narrow rider / hiker created bench cut trail in the river sand. Heads attention required to keep from lowsiding down into the river. We climbed away from the river to ride thru the Nunnery. We crossed under Wright bridge getting back on dirt in Riverside SP. A steep dirt climb connected to paved Centennial trail. We crossed highway then climbed up an abandoned broken up concrete pavement road. This joined a dirt road that we climbed a short distance to turn left and  cross a locked cable. This put us right on the railroad right away. We road railroad ballast to you gotta know the trail is there descent off the grade. I knew there was a tread. Steve asked me if I really knew where I was going. I assured him I could still hear I90 traffic so I wasn’t lost. I hit the stub of a broken off branch that was hidden by remaining leaves. I hit on my right bicep. Jammed my shoulder. ( Feel no harm done). Out of the sketchy stuff to enter an archery range and rode thru w/o being a target. Crossed under the railroad entering Palisades Park. A steep climb over broken basalt topped out on Closed Rimrock road. We crossed Greenwood riding gravel to Indian Springs road. Dropped back onto horse hoof chewed up trail to cross Indian Springs creek. We recrossed Greenwood down lower riding on a wide sandy old right of way. Crossed the same railroad again then coasted down steep downhill entering another cemetery. I told Steve that we could either ride up the High Drive trails or ride city streets back to our vans. The pavement won. Steve got a taste of local stashes.

Steve and I parted at our vans, he heading on his road trip and me driving to friend Tom’s house where some of my stuff is stored in his basement. I was looking for my PCT journal and wool knickers. I found the journal but gave up going thru all my boxes looking for the knickers. I did retrieve a pair of sallopetts(?).

Tom and I joined Les at Manitou Tap house for beers and dinner. Tom is now charging me 2 beers a year for storage. Les and Tom are Boeing engineers that work at for Boeing Spokane plant where I worked for so many years. My friends at work were the engineers as we shared some of the same recreation. We have known each other for 25 years.

I followed Les out to his house near Mica to spend the night. He has an outside electrical box that I plugged into this AM while I defrosted my freezer. Propane energy source  lacks umph to lower fridge temp but electric does. There was a sizable chunk of ice on the freezer wall. I heated a small pan of water to 160 degrees then put in the freezer compartment and waited for the ice to release from the wall. Short time later the ice was in the grass outside. I switched on electric and the temp dropped. I stowed gear for running and drove away.

Today was a rest day. Forecast called for showers. As I was doing bfast sprinkles fell that I hoped would turn to real rain. Just a tease.

I drove thru Spokane to north end to the laundromat I have used in the past where the attendants are helpful and cheery. back in ’13 with my arm in a sling they folded my shirts for me. I needed no help today.

I received an email from the DOL notifying me that my tabs are up for renewal and that the van needs to pass an emissions test. I drove back south into town to the emission testing site. No waiting line. Van passed. Next step was to drive to a licensing agency to buy the tabs. Back north again. I paid for the renewal tabs. I am now legal ahead of time and won’t have to wrestle w/ mailing the tabs to me somewhere on the road.

I goggled for a dispensary and found one on the north side. I bought an eighth of Blackberry for $40 which is street price.

I am now sitting in a parking lot at the Mead airport.

Last night I read some of my PCT journal. I remembered much of it but there were things I wrote about that I forgot about doing.

Tomorrow is to be sunny for another ride.

I will head back to Bend on Sat.

I back scheduled events to arrive in Spokane just b4 my 1:30 dentist appointment om Monday.

I left Bend on Sat after a ride and shower Sat afternoon. I choose driving back highways scenic drive vs pedal to the metal faster route. My choice took 3 days of driving but what i saw was way better. I drove thru Prineville out to John Day then north on US 395 to Pendleton then up to Dayton, WA back up the Tucannon River then thru the Palouse to Spokane. What a wonderful scenic drive, like 539 miles and 29mpg up down and around.

Schools are back in session which dries up the tourist crowds which lessened the riders at Phils. I worked my way up to the top of Phils to ride down a new trail. This trail is in between Phils and Lower Whoops. Beats riding up the logging road. On my way down a stopped for a rider riding up as good riders do. He told me he met me in Sedona several years ago and is a friend of Garys whom I have encountered several times. Woody said that Gary is recovering from serious injuries suffered when he misjudged a jump. Woody said that us older people should not be doing what he attempted. We parted, he pedaling against gravity and me coasting. Another rider pedaling uphill. I stopped, he said he met me in Fort Collins years ago. Another visit.

A clean up shower at Snap and provisioning I headed north. Windy chilly day. Prineville is north and east of Bend, where I originally sought land. I experienced wind, exposure, and dryness as I headed east. I made a better choice of land over the Deschutes River drainage with tree cover, 60′ wells, and protection of the tree cover. I gave up views for security. Better deal.

US 395 is twisty and hilly w/ lots of open land to view over. I made Beech Pass outside the Malheur NF for the night. I drove back a logging road into the forest climbing to something. I found a wide spot on the road for camp. Quite night except for several hunter rigs that drove by.

Dry land populated w/ ranches, some alive, others memories. Big open spaces. I crossed into WA @ Walla Walla. I studied the road map looking for a stopping spot before Spokane. The Tucannon River going upstream to a USFS XG like 28 miles upriver. The bottom land was agriculture until the valley shrunk. The area has burned over time and recently this summer.

The XG was almost at end of road going upriver.

Quite XG, senior pass reduces camp fee by 1/2. $4 campsite w/ no water or garbage service. CXT outhouse.

Monday I drove into the Palouse w/ its dry land wheat farming. No trees just rolling hills and sky. Boggles mind on scale of space.

I passed several wind farms

The noticeable sound was from the blades cutting the air.

Making Spokane from the south. First stop was lunch @ Ultimate Bagel almost on Gonzaga’s campus. I stop there for lunch first day into to reconnect. While I was there one of the Zags coaches stopped for lunch. Mike Hart a recent graduated Zag visited. No conversation sharing happened. These guys ignored knowing fans. That’s one way to deal w/ notoriety. I engage people who ask about me.

Dentist visit reported no dental issues and compliments for the condition of my teeth. Kondo has been taking care of my teeth since 1990. Reconnect. I dropped my dental insurance as the coverage cost benefit didn’t make sense. I paid out of pocket.

Next I stopped for a visit at Mountain Gear.  Dinner was at Geno’s which is owned by same people who own the Elk. Both are favorite places of mine. I drove out to my former neighbors’ house for the night and caught up in the local news that is mostly about the squabble about an easement. Tangled mess of emotions. Quiet night.

Tuesday was a planned after work ride w/ Les and Roger whom I worked with at the Boeing / Triumph plant. Bob joined. Les took off in the lead staying well ahead of the rest of us. Les lead us over to top of 7 minute hill then zipped down the hill and never looked back for the rest of us. When we arrived at the bottom Les was nowhere to be seen. He was too far away to hear our shouted calls. We are all big boys w/ our own bikes and rigs to drive home in. Les was gone. Bob showed us trails that were new to me. Lots of more trails in Riverside SP. Riverside is the second largest state park in WA @ 8,xxx acres and is right on the river just downstream of downtown. Wonderful place to ride. Down along the river much basalt has been exposed by the river’s erosion. Nasty shit. Bob and I enjoyed a post ride beer while talking about trails.

On the way to my former neighbors’ house I showered at Anytime then went next door for dinner and watched Felix pitch.

Chilly nights. I turn the furnace on and set it for a lower temp. The furnace cycled on and off responding to the thermostat. Quite comfortable.

Today I meet up with and ride w/ friend Steve from Sun Valley who is on his own road trip. Later I will join other former work buddies for beers and catching up. Tom is storing some of my stuff in his basement. I pay him a beer a year for storage. I will retrieve my PCT journal and a pair of Filson knickers.

Sunny day today w/ forecast calling for showers. Spokane is dead dry. I look forward to getting rained on. Schools should be let out so students can enjoy a rare event, like kids in the south when it snows.

Oregon’s spin on driving sober is interesting to me. Most people are into denial when confronted w/ a accusation. Cop pulls you over, you are asked if you have been drinking. No, officer you say. denial. This is an Oregon sign:

Oregon cop stops you. He asks are you driving sober? Denial. No, I’m not. Opps, should have said yes.

Shoulder pain is minor but constant. I am able to sleep which is most important. Riding doesn’t bother me any more than typing this blog. I am still using Lars’ created block and tackle system to raise and lower my bed.