Sunday night

8:04PM, 80 degrees, down from ride time of 86. At my preferred spot out past Phils. Last 2 nights the spot was occupied by same rig, I suspected abandoned. This AM after scratch pancakes and clean up I walked up the hill to where I could scope the spot. van was gone. Hmm, I wanted the spot for the day and night. I drove the van the short distance and dropped anchor claiming the spot. Found 2 crushed shotgunned Rolling Rock beer cans from a group of partiers who chose to leave their discards. Don’t think the van was part of the discards. Since sheriff’s visit the area is free of rabble. Anyway.

I have been more conservative in activity to lessen pain from hernia surgery. I wear a heart rate monitor which concurs with my perception of less hard pedaling. Yesterday was my biggest ride here so far: 23.5 miles climbing 2381′ pedaling 3 hrs 15 mins, I was anaerobic 10 mins. Using the granny 46T more frequently. Also using bigger bigger gears on flats. Big gear goes real fast.

Bend butts up against the eastern edge of the Deschutes NF. The FS is selling timber for forest health and fuels reduction. Been going on in Phils area for several years. Logging activity causes trails to be closed. Feller Bunchers: just machine operators cut he tree almost flush with the ground, no face cut. Tree is skidded out to a landing hwre it is limbed and bucked then trucked away. land is scarred by machine tracks. On Sat and after 5PM the affected trails are opened as loggers have left. resource extraction is not pretty. Fuel load is what it is because of years of fire suppression. Man putting his correction on nature.

Wed evening Woody invited me on a rock work trail project on the rerouted piece of Storm King. Forecast was for afternoon possibly damaging T storms. Meeting place was the Visitor center. I arrived several hours early. T storms teased in the distance closer in spitting drops. I was walking from y van to a water fountain filling my tank. Splatters finally reached a dryness decision for safety of van. Shortly nature quit teasing and just dumped and made noise. 15 mins before meeting time the rain quit. Woody, Joe, and Scott arrived. Our work project was to create a difficult alt line on rerouted piece of Storm King. we completed the line before dark.

Joe, Woody, Scott working on alt line on Storm King

A group of younger riders were at the TH drinking beer and telling stories. Woody wanted a rider to test our work. I walked tot he group and told them they had an opportunity going to the person who guessed my number. Guy who picked 7 put down his beer, grabbed his bike then put his helmet on. His buddies walked over to cheer him on. Rode it well. Each thanked us for what we did. But not a one asked if they could be part of it. Volunteer work is being done by mostly older men. Younger people are not contributing.

I rode with Joe back to visitor center and my van. We passed several rigs with blue flashing lights. Something was up. Next day learned that deputies responded to a disturbance that lead to a camper being shot dead. News reported that at the scene there were several rigs that were reported stolen. Guy had a lengthy record, dirt on the guy.

Thurs I drove up to Swampy snowpark to ride a favorite of mine: South Fork of Tumalo Creek. Rain washed the trail clean leaving firm woods dirt. No dust. I counted 2 other bikes ahead of me. Smoking good time. great bike package. 3.2 miles dropping only 941′ Just lots of fun. Going so fast my eyes teared up behind my glasses. deep woods cover with intermittent sun patches. Eyes do not change fast enough. Down to Tumalo creek which also descends. An uphill rider was stopped eating a snack. I made a comment about eating the caterpillars. He called me by name: Another Eric from Sun Valley over for the weekend. Then fun started with climb back to TH. I passed thru patches of snowbrush that fed same.

been fed on.

A healthy bush

snowbrush ceanothus

Last year I helped cut back encroaching plants. Told that we must cut right at the base because the plant sends sprouts from the cut end. Didn’t make sense to me as I saw old cuts with no regrowth. It doesn’t happen.

last year and prior cut back snowbrush, no regrowth from cut ends

Wonderful ride. granny gear climbs, lower HR.

Back to town for shower and beer at 10 Barrel. Younger people are popping up all over. My age group is shrinking in number. Outsiders now.

Rest day tomorrow after 5 straight days of riding. Reading “Mrs. Fletcher”.

At last Sat trail work day there were way fewer women than men. There are women only riding groups because they don’t like to rdie with men. They ride the same trails. Perhaps a women’s only trail work day is called for.

I am impressed with the number of riders who are practicing trail love. Heartening.

Phils is either downhill or slightly flat with lots of carving bermed turns, up high blind sight lines. Just an old woods trail. Down lowewr it becomes downhill only then I can really rip. Carving the twists, hucking the few kickers. Bike and equipment coupled with skill and confidence makes for smiles. My bike’s headset opening is of tjhe shape to make whistling sounds over some speed. Like bloowing over a beer bottle.

Pandora moths: larva (caterpillar) stage is elevation sensitive. In town at 3xxx’ has no crawlers but last year the town was alive with the adults. Moths are active at night, city has bright lights, woods not so. Eggs are laid at base of P Pine needle. trails literally crawling with crawlers, some still underway, others left black spots where they met their demise under a tire.

 

dark spot from Pandora moth caterpillar didn’t make it across the trail.

I stopped and watched their actions. Their rolling was caused perhaps because their exoskeleton lacked rigidity when crawling across the slope, not because they were necessarily trying to rid themselves of a predator. I did see one tree that was eaten pretty clean:

tree killed by moths.

Man messes with nature. Previous management has created an same age forest;

same size tree forest.

Oh well, that issue is punted down the road for next generation to figure out.

Ran into  a FS pumper truck parked for a break. 3 women were outside sitting on the ground eating lunch. Learned that one was on her 2nd day on the job, she had a pair of gloves sticking out of her pocket showing no wear, she had a cooler for her lunch. the other 2 women were seasoned vets. each was eating from like a store bought container using identical red handled folding knives. Said they forgot utensils. No idea how successful the tool was, I did  not see them resort to fingers.

Sunnyside installed a Wolftooth light action under the bar seat dropper lever and new cable for same and shifter. Action is super light.  Still riding a KS LEV dropper.

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