Bicycling,buffalo, bad back, and snow

Again, so much time has passed since writing that events get mingled.

Let’s get started.

Will picked me up and drove us tot he TH for Corbly creek trail. Road in would have destroyed my van. Nice fall weather and late in the afternoon which flattened the light. Just gorgeous. Corbly trail was rebuilt 2 years ago correcting previous execution. Nice climb on sustainable grade. Woods dirt and rocks up higher. We climbed to where the new joined the old then turned around for our earn your turns downhill.

View out over valley:

I usually ride during the heart of the day because I have all day and like to have afternoon for clean up and getting ready for decent dinner time. Will has his publishing co to tend to which made for the late afternoon which gave us this incredible fall light. shorter ride w/ all the benefits: 8.34 miles round trip climbing 1680′, that’s 1680′ in 4.17 miles. Descent smoked. To me a trail that can be climbed is also a satisfying speedy return.

Will took pics for the cover of his revised map. I don’t know if this will make the front piece:

We ate a late dinner at the Ale works. Sitting beside Will was Mason, an owner of Alter bikes shop in town. I checked his shop on the next day and he hooked me on their vibe, my now got o shop in town.

I slept on the street in town near the rail road tracks and I90. At least I was not bothered.

Thurs I did my laundry at the same laundromat. I drove down to Big Sky for a ride Will proposed. I stopped for a soak at the hot springs.

At Big sky i checked out bike shops, Grizzly Outfitters shared lots of info. Dispersed camping is limited. I chose south of down, up river. Before I made Taylor creek road I saw Red Cliff, a USFS XG. Senior pass means half price which is affordable. I found a spot in the almost empty XG. 3 guys from WA on a road trip stopped for conversation, 1 hand around a beer bottle and the other in the pants pocket. They drank beer while I did my dishes.

A free public bus route stopped in the Big Sky Village and drove up to terminus at Moonlight lodge. From there i rode down the easier Otter Way which is a machine built downhill w/ berms and table tops, blue color run. I was route finding using MTBProject to find the friendly Mountain to Meadow trail back to the village. I dropped down to the base area at the bottom of a chair lift that was carrying riders up mountain. I chatted w/ the liftee about how to get to the M to M trail. He ended up giving me a free ride up the chair with instruction to ride Snake Charmer which is a blue downhill run. I found the trail. Table tops, bigger berms, and loose rock connected me w/ another trail that connected w/ M to M. I rode a piece of Coolridge that friend Shane had connections to. M to M had its man made challenges. I made it back to the Village w/ sore knees from soaking up the contrived features. I hung around under the sunshine till I convinced myself to take another go at a free shuttle to ride just M to M. However when I arrived at the bus stop to no bus then read the schedule, the next bus was not for another 2 hours at like 4:30. I baled on the ride. I ate some bison meat at local brew pub. I sat at the bar between men. Wasn’t long b4 I had a conversation joining the 2 groups. I left just b4 dark to drive back to the XG. SO nice having a saved spot.

Plan for Sat ride was to meet Will at The Corral for a late Bfast. From there we drove down to Taylor fork road where there is dispersed camping. The start of the road was deemed too nasty by me to drive my van. We drove to a TH way back almost at the end of the road and parked amongst the hunters’ ATV trailers. Nice fall day. A solo rider pulled in and Will invited him along as this is Grizz country and solo riding is not always a good thing. The first part of the ATV trail had been remade making it a climbing traverse till it joined the old less steep trail. Place looked familiar but I couldn’t name the tune. Visions started flashing and I recalled my ride here back the first year of my travels named Blowout. We turned right and continued the ATV trail on the Oil well trail. Our high point was Pika Point at 9475′.

We reached the end of the ATV trail right where the fun stuff downhill started. Only dirt bikes were permitted.

Trail was steep and loose rock chunder causing to error on the safe side and walked several short pieces, other wise is was aiming the bike and letting gravity pull over the rocks. tech trail. Down towards the bottom Will stopped to check out this tree:

Our bear spray cans remained in our holsters. My van was parked way out just off the highway. I had 3 beers chilled in my fridge that I shared w/ Will and Kyle the other rider.

I left to drive to the Spanish Creek TH for a back pack trip.The drive from the pavement was about 6 miles of stutter bumped gravel and threading my way thru massive herds of ted Turner’s bison. None of them contested my right to be on the road as cows do. he has around 5,000 bison that he raises as income producing. I had been paying attention to the weather forecast whenever I received internet which called for weather going to shit on Sunday night: rain starting then cold temp turning wet into solid. i was enticed by Spanish Lakes way up in the alpine about 8 miles in. This would be my first backpack trip on non work hardened body. I wanted to spend a night out. I hiked listening to my body. The lake goal became more of a pipe dream to obtain. Skies were turning mean hinting that the forecast was actually going to happen. I saw an old campsite just below the trail and right on the river bank. I scrambled down to check it out. It was the old trail and there was a smooth flat spot for my tent. Good enough for me. I set up camp.

I have a thermorest  air mattress and I have a new chair setup that I had not looked at  since I bought it last summer. Turns out the chair was made for a 20″ wide pad and I sleep on a 25″: not a  good fit. I hiked a ways up stream to another trail junction sort of looking for other camps pots. Trail is in narrow canyon w/ slope and lots of rocks and trees, I got the good spot, I filtered water from the creek and threw a rope over a leaner tree to hand my food. I fixed, ate dinner,and cleaned up while watching threatening clouds and dropping temp. Just before dark became too dark to  read sprinkles started. I climbed into my tent and switched on my head lamp and kept reading. Sprinkles became more persistent changing to real rain. I was snug as a bug in my tent . i was also sleeping for the first time in my new Feathered Friends blanket sleeping bag rated to 20 degrees. I zipped up. Bag is so light weight by design that the zipper needed finagling to zip closed. I tossed and turned a bit,I was never too cold or too warm. Just before light I no longer heard rain falling on the tent. I looked out and saw white: sure enough Snow was falling. I was faced with packing a wet camp and hiking back down in snow. I camped at just under 7,000′ the lakes were 9,xxx” and would  have had more snow to contend with. I packed up my wet tent, spread almond butter and honey on a bagel, then shouldered my pack. All of a sudden my back like froze up not allowing me to stand completely upright. WTF? I was fine packing up then bang: froze up. Snow fell all the way back to the van.

I wore rain pants.

Back at the almost empty TH I crawled into my van and started the heater. I made a cup of coffee. I changed into city clothes then drove out. The solar panel was too covered by snow to absorb the weak sunshine. I drove thru not as many bison

I wonder how bison are wrangled?

6 miles of stutter bumps brought me back to US 191 and I headed back to Bozeman. I was focusing on soaking in the hot springs hoping that my back would loosen up. At the parking lot I walked  stooped over to the 104 degree pool. I soaked for what I could stand of 13 mins. A bit of relief that didn’t last.

Back in Bozeman I stopped at the PO for my blood testing supplies and my new sandals compliments of Bedrock sandals. No test strips. I called customer service where they told me  the meter I am using is being replaced hence no strips. New meter is to arrive UPS in 2 days which means hopefully Thurs. I gave Alter as my shipping address. Ia m here around town till Thurs.

Driving I spotted a large sign for massage. Perhaps if my my back still wasn’t happy I would seek one today.

I ate dinner and drank 2 beers at the Ale works while sitting at the bar. Wonderful mix of customers. One was from MIssissippi and I asked about segregation. He left for his reserved table. The woman to my right has moved to South Africa and I asked her about apartheid. Give me people and i will find subjects to discuss.

I street slept at same spot. I lay in bed putting off standing up and learning how my back felt. Finally at 8 I slid my legs onto the floor and  stood up: no go: still stooped. Massage appointment today. Made one for 12. She worked me over for an hour attempting to loosen muscles. Seems muscle tightness is compensating for something unhappy in my back. I can stand just a bit straighter.

I am parked at a city park in partial sun and 50 degree temp drying out my wet gear.

Weather forecast calls for shorts weather by this weekend.

During my hike I pulled Black Hills from my memory. Rapid City, SD and Spearfish will be my next stop.

I gave my failed  Raceface Turbine dropper post to ThatBikeLife shop to send in for repair and had not heard anything from the repair shop. On Friday during my Big Sky ride my phone rang: RaceFace. He said they were shipping me a new post as the repair shop was  backed up. Cool. Only the size I need is not in stock. They will call me when available and we will play find a RaceFace shop somewhere done the road. I am using the KS LEV post that works but is slower on the rising up.

Seems to me I “hurt” my back last summer after a  backpack trip near Bend.

Check out new issue of DirtRag. Great cover pic of Sue Haywood and an article. Bama wrote 2 articles about his stuff.

On Friday I added a higher number to  my age: I am now 67.