Yesterday I got after it about 8:30 to beat the heat but late enough to take my time. I believe that the heat is taking energy from my body and my brain listened to the feedback. My plan was just a climb up Bens to continual climbing up Pine Drops then down Phils back to cold beer. I completed the climb. A woman trail runner with her dog were going downhill while I was climbing. Question of proper behavior. Running was not hiking, I was climbing. How and who to yield the trail? Open forest to permit leaving the trail. I was not going to yield. OK, I did favor the outside edge of the trail and she stayed on her side. We exchanged greetings and continued on our way.
At the junction of downhill Phils and Storm King I decided to take another route home. I rode down Storm King to the junction with Grand Slam that was being feller buncher logged. Today was Saturday so logging was shut down. At the selective cut I walked around studying the harvest. Larger trees required a larger machine than what I saw operating earlier in the week, No machinery was visible, I never did see where they were.
Machine drives up to the tree to be cut, reaches its cutter boom out and grasps the tree, a quick whir of a hydraulic chain saw flings out huge chips, the machine lifts the tree(s) and carries then to a common pile then drops the tree onto the pile. What’s left are stumps cut almost at ground level and deep tracks from the machine’s tracks.These logs will be skidded to a landing for limbing and bucking. The stumps are from chain saw cutting skidder logging years before, back when many men earning good wages logged. Machines are productivity gains displacing many men. Huge investment in machinery needs lots of trees to cut which endangers remaining trees.
I finished Grand Slam to Expressway to KGB to marvins back to the van.
Friday I sought brake advice from Les’. A guy checked the brakes out: Their repair will be new calipers, rotors, and pads. Full meal deal. Chunk of more change. Guy said work could be done tomorrow, Saturday. While waiting for estimate I struck up a conversation with a woman over working a jigsaw puzzle. Our conversation somehow connected to Tom Robbins Even the Cowgirls Get the Blues she was reading. I am a Robbins fan having read at least once every one of his novels. I told her to wait and I would be right back. I walked to my van and retrieved Robbins Jitterbug Perfume book and gave to her, Never enough Robbins readers. She said it made her day. I left and turned over the service charge.
I still have pain at the hernia surgery site. I am concerned that the pain is from diverticulosis. I haven’t been feeling chipper for many days. I kept putting off medical advice. Today I decided I had put this off long enough. I made the urgent care as last patient of the day. Proceeding with another dose of antibiotics treating pain source as from the large intestine. Made pharmacy for prescription just before it closed. I started a restrictive liquid diet last night, no solid food. I think we are missing what’s wrong.
I checked into 10 Barrel taking a seat at the bar. A server stopped for a beer order right beside my chair. Struck up a conversation. She is a trail runner, has a dog and was running this AM. I described her and her dog. It was she. No harm no foul during our trail encounter.
No dinner. Drove out to Phils first checking out my preferred site which was occupied. Next I drove past the woman’s camp and selected a hardly used camp spot. Slept with the door closed, the temp dropped during the night chilling me to need of double up down blanket. Good sleeping temp.
Forecast for today was for hot and smoke haze. No riding today because of smoke and more importantly no fuel in my tank.
I walked out the road that is not on the FS map to an intersection with a mapped road. I turned left hiking towards KGB to walk back on. There is a climb (or downhill depending which way you ride it) that presents challenges to rdiers. I walked over to it and found a spot to sit with strong internet and started learning about my new phone and watching riders going either direction. Just a few were capable riders as this trail is down lower nearer to TH and the more experienced riders were riding up higher on more demanding trails. I coached several riders.
I started using my phone camera.
Back at the van I sat outside reading. just juice, broth and 3 eggs for day’s energy.
Forecast for tomorrow is for more heat and smoke. Today the smoke blew in and out early afternoon today. Clear skies tonight.
Brakes to be serviced on Tuesday. Network with medical people tomorrow.
Sitting here at 9:30 PM with the door open and windows down: no mosquitoes. 71 degrees.