Harsh on dumbing down features. Going around a feature allows a rider to build up future ability to ride the feature that the go around was built for. Altering the feature to make it rideable is in bad taste, if you can’t ride it, walk it.
Example of a new go around on Storm King at the Funner / Tiddlywinks junction.
At another place on Storm King a go around was built to get around a climbing rock garden which is over embedded boulders which prevents alteration. Someone took it upon themselves to vigorously rehab the go around.
Anyway.
Today and yesterday I rode big rides here at Phils. Observation so far is the trail love is stellar. Sharing the trail, yielding to uphill riders, greetings, many are sporting gray hair and facial hair (men). Many solo women. Trail heads are packed with rigs that brought the riders and bikes but the trails have been mostly empty as I choose not popular trails. Today, Saturday, has been the most crowded.
The weather here turned unsettled in that precip events, lower temps and wind. I check weather forecast on my phone to plan the next day’s events. Sometimes the forecast changes sightly in the morning from the night before. Take today, last night forecast had 60% rain maybe t storm after 11. Window would have been to get after it and finish shortly before 11. Except it was 40 degrees in the sun at 8. Clouds were portending dark and stiff breeze from the west. OK, I can do this, I’ll pack my rain jacket and wear my wind shell. I could build a route that would allow shorter loops. I headed out on my planned route savoring the wind shell until I warmed up. As my ride went along shortly after noon I believe I started feeling water droplets on my bare legs. It never really got after it. Broken cloud cover with blue patches, like how serious is this going to be? I would pedal in and out of those faint splatters. At the top of Storm King I talked with 2 recent college grads allowing time to pass. On the way down Phils on the way home clouds must have turned water dropping as my focus was only on the trail tunnel plus riding under tree cover can’t view much of the sky. Thinking that I should not have spent the time visiting as I might get wet before gaining van security. Sprinkles were like clearing nature’s throat, made van, put bike on rack and covered it as short shower dumped. AH, safety, made it. So far no thundershowers and still early to see is snow forecasted will fall.
The 2 young riders. They are from the Front Range in CO, they went to college in Durango, 1 was on school mtn bike race team. I asked if he knew of the twins from Cable, WI, yes the racer said. The twins are daughters of Mic and Beth in Cable that own Rivers Eatery where I have visited every trip. He found it another example of how small our tribe is. I regaled them with selected tales. They spend off and I poked after them.
Today I rode in the different direction of favored routes. Big challenge will be riding entire Storm King uphill. For the most part the trails are rider friendly but elevation gain is work. Storm King trail was 8.27 miles gaining 1273′ took me 1 hr 17 mins to ride. Total ride was 23.7 miles gaining 2106′ in 3 hrs of mostly non stop pedaling. I inhaled 9 hits off my vaporizer at the beginning of Storm King which helped the effort. Riding with a buzz has become my norm.
Thursday I spent at La Pine. First off was laundry in town. Took on propane. Lunch was take out at Subway where guiding foot steps were placed on the floor to follow to start of sandwich build line. However, there were no foot steps to follow to the exit. get you in but don’t help you get out. Foot prints were not required but I kidded them. She said she ran out.
On my land almost all of the small lodgepole regrowth are infested with a fungus. The fungus spreads to other trees and prolly kills the tree down the road. I have been cutting down those trees and piling them in a pile.
Dinner break. Steaming small filet of never frozen king salmon,$15 for 1/3 #. Steamed with diced sweet potato and broccoli. Munched on a honeycrisp apple, 2 beers along the evening.
It’s 8:30 it is 42 degrees, it’s June 6. Weather station for Bend is at 3455′, La Pine is at 4450′, my property is at 4249′, at present I am at 3860′.
On May 20 I started the drive-ride-camp-whatever. Driving has been long distance at little stop and go. Van miles per gallon is running 26+ mpg, last tank was 29mpg.
Visitor center on bachelor highway is closed, the FS even turned off the water.