It’s Sat night at 7:56PM PDST. Where is your computer? I found mine inside my van on top of the fridge where it always is and time to write and 3 bar 4G coverage out past Phils TH, the place I prefer to stay. Only it has been discovered and heavily used and pieces of litter. Last night I checked out the spot off rd 41 across from the visitors center. FS boulder off the edge of the road closing this popular spot.
So, I am now in Bend, I arrived Thursday night from Prineville after riding Lookout Mtn. But the writing here the cart gets ahead of the horse. Temp was 31 degrees this AM up higher. Needed and enjoyed the furnace. Summer is just a few days away.
I will capture what I remember that I have experienced since last post, albeit not necessarily in a straight line.
Last known I was motel camping while my van waited its shop open slot which happened on Wed AM. Tues I hung around town. I rode my bike into downtown old La Grande to the only brew pub in town. Struck up a conversation with 2 women hot shot crew members, identified by their pants. I pedaled back while still light to the motel room with a large digital TV to watch a mariners game. Really cool to see the players. Mariners won.
Wed AM was the day of revelation of mechanical issues with the van. I chose the escape defense by asking for a shop ride up to the Mount Emily Rec Area (MERA) for a bike ride and a coast back to the shop. Carried cell phone but received no call. Anticipation. But the trails are on OR state land which eliminates Fed participation in trail approval. MTBProject on the phone attached to my handlebar. Hand built in “new style” with bermed turns. I rode the namesake loop. Previously logged long time ago. Doug fir trees. In deep tree cover.
Ride was 8.37 miles of dirt climbing 1269′. Coasted down gravel road, hit 39mph, I would have had to pedal up against that grade. 6.48 miles to dealership.
Van was in service bay. Guy told me that the van started right up. They connected their computer to the van’s belly button: nary a code was thrown. The wrench could find nothing to fix. Service was no charge. Shades of the old westie. Every time I start it now is with a held breath for it to start. Bought groceries then beat feet out of town heading west.
eastern Oregon is pretty and sparsely populated with lots of open spaces. I drove st rt 244 west to US 395 down to ST rt 26 clear to Bend ultimately. La Grande lacks riding trails, Bummer because it has an attraction.
I pushed my drive past dinner time to get closer to the next day’s ride on Lookout Mtn. I bailed for a known FS $6.00 camp ground instead of finding an out of the way sleep spot. Senior Pass cuts fee by 50%.
On Thurs I rolled away early as the van started the way it should. Descended from the mountains. I had no electronic mapping downloaded as not enough customers lived that far away for coverage. I passed the road going back in continuing till I received coverage. downloaded the info then turned around driving to the Ochoco campground starting point.
I chose the shorter route eliminating the Round mtn loop by pedaling up a paved road, turning on a FS gravel road to the TH. 7.7 miles of road climbing 1869′. Dirt “fun” started: 2.56 miles climbing 1036′. Old school hand built hiking trail. I followed mtbp. Previous time I rode the mine loop which was more painful and lots of blow downs to get by. This way hurt less. Up top snow capped peaks were higher along the Cascade crest.
Met a young couple descending. We chatted a bit. During our conversation his rear tire passed its last gas: flat. I offered assistance. He said he had what he needed.
At the top the trail drops off the NW side with some exposed ridge riding. Just way too many embedded sharply pointed rocks to risk riding to protect my wheels. I walked what I needed to keep my tires inflated for upcoming fun.
After dropping elevation the trail became almost all woods dirt. All alone, big sight lines, no trailside underbrush, cover the brake levers only, judicious application: let gravity pull downward.Downhill had 2 climbs in it. The first was longer, I mixed in walking with gasping pedaling. Downhill was 7.15 miles dropping 3278′. Entire ride was 17.4 miles climbing 3,333′ taking 2hrs 42 mins.
As I rolled into the parking lot a car with bikes on the back rolled in. It was the couple I ran into up above. He told me his patch glue was dried up, he used duck tape to keep the air in. Enjoyable people: they quit their jobs back in Vermont to relocate to Bend and a new start.
This was Thurs, laundry day. I stopped at a laundromat in Prineville. Then I drove to Bend and 10 Barrel. Major traffic, not a pleasant drive. Upon reflection again I am glad again I did not land in said city. The drive from La Pine to Bend is a straight shot going thru mostly FS land which keeps population density to almost nothing a much more pleasant drive.
At 10 Barrel I was greeted and they poured the beer I drink but forgot its name. Mariners game on big screen above me. A single woman sat down in the empty chair to my right. Free spirit ( whatever that means). We both participated in conversation. We stayed late. I finally said I needed to find a sleep spot.
Drove out to Phils choosing the big opening down below the TH. Seveal long rows of dump truck dumped wood chips greeted my headlights. The slash piles were chipped then hauled and dumped here: fuels reduction. Furnace ran.
Friday I chose an easier ride as recuperation. I rode up Ben’s to junction with rerouted official Pine Drop trail. I started to notice like wet black splotches on the dry tread. Then I saw wiggly crawlers.
They are the larva stage of Pandora moths which last year filled the skies. Life cycle is adults mate, female lays eggs at base of Ppine needle, eggs winter, spring they hatch to a pupae, (caterpillar), they crawl around seeking underground cover to create a cocoon then emerge as moths in the spring. Turns out the black blotches were formed from the wet entrails of squashed crawler. I rode behind a 70 yo rider, I saw a green squirt from a squashed crawler. Later I walked a dusty FS road and noticed squiggle tracks. I figured they were caused by the crawlers. Now you know the meaning of the subject. Descent was all Phils back to TH. I rode the rock drop that I had walked down lots of times. Smoked the trail once it became downhill direction only. Bike sure gets after it. Ride was 16.8 miles climbing 1506′. No view sheds from under tree cover. easy riding.
Finished early enough to drive back into town to reenter Bend life. Visited at Sunnyside for bike stuff, Newport Market for groceries, Back Porch for coffee beans then walked down to pot store. Same bud tender as last visit. Good stuff to vape. And all so legal.
Thurs I checked the COTA web site and found they were building trail today. Lead by Woody Keene. I jumped in for trail work today. I heard around 100 volunteers showed, Org has 1000 members. But perhaps not all were members. Coming home as I connected with familiar buds. I was assigned the advanced rider group which went out to build a piece of COD. Sustainable hand built trail under P-pines: lots of duff to remove to get to non organic dirt.Trail route favors bike travel. Dusty work. Terminated the life cycle of future Pandora moths.
Gear Fix replaced the zipper on my Wingnut hydration pack.
Good to be back in Bend.
9:42PM, furnace running 49 degrees.