For me a joy is being able to ride right from where I sent the night. At McCall I had been staying at Bear basin on lookout road. There are former social 2 wheel tracks that can connect to Bear basin system trails. Years ago there wasn’t a gate at the basin TH through which I used to access several sleep spots. It’s gated now but ATVs go around. I pedaled from my spot taking a main track that joined the Bear basin system, trails are compacted into a small area with many signed intersections. I got on the system and just wandered, sometimes checking Trailforks at intersections. I just wandered. Tight trails. I rode a connector that took me to a resource extraction rd. At the intersection I studied TF seeing a spur track that would connect me back to Ditch Witch. Road dropped down drainage, coasting picked up speed. I kept a sharp eye for the track on my left. After a ways radar said that I had gone too far down, The spur was nonexistent. What was enjoyed coasting turned the smile downside requiring a pedal hump back up. At my pedal speed I had time to really look for that track. Track was never there. Rejoined the system. Lots of work was spent on these trails.
Fallen tree over trail created a go around.
Last fall the FS carried out a prescribed burn in the woods above the basin, they used like drop torches to really get a good ground fire going. Smoke then drove me away. This year, the next growing season, ground plants came back form what I can see. Regrowth.
AQI was unhealthy which blocks out the sun and giving the appearance of pending rain which never comes. To me the light tells me to pack a rain coat. But there is no rain. However, later back inside the van one sprinkle then another, then a few more, then no more drops. Hang on, several minutes later nature got serious for several minutes dropping rain hearing contact on the van roof. Encouraging but short lived. Rest of night was dry. Forecast called for precip, I heeded their forecast by putting the cover over my bike. When rain fell I smiled at my preparation.
Today was drive day to Stanley for a Fisher Creek ride tomorrow. Steve is coming up to join. I bought groceries, filtered water for drinking water, then 5 gals of city water for sink water. Headed Down Payette river on RT 55. Road construction down a ways created maybe a 15 min wait. At Couch I turned up a fork of Payette river. Scenic drive from what I was able to divert my eyes from the twisty narrow 2 lane rd. Reader board at Couch read expect delay because of forest fire on rt 21. At a check point well outside the fire perimeter traffic was stopped my direction waiting for pilot car. Bit longer wait. Pilot car lead us down the highway and thru the fire that had jumped the road. Lots of acres, much of what I could see was meadow grass burn and burned dead lodgepoles. Pilot car reached the far side check point. Rolled into Stanley then turned right heading up the Salmon river. Stopping place tonight is in the Red Fish lake overflow camping which is undeveloped land with fire rings designating camping spots. Right on the shore of the river. No fee. Up towards Stanley rain fell enough to turn windshield wiper on slow. Didn’t last. Fire danger is mostly high or very high. I passed a developed camp ground where at 2 camp sites fires were burning. Campfires and rain are foreign during these times.
Temps are dropping, 23 is forecasted low for Stanley. The furnace isn’t keeping me consistently warm as it does not always ignite when thermostat calls for heat. It will light which turns on the green led and burn for maybe 10 seconds then shuts off. The red diode blinks which require switching the control knob on and off several times which starts the restart which fails to start. I switch the control off shortly after restart then wait for minutes then turn it on and it seems to always to start. Control switch is over my head when in bed, the location of both me and the control switch keeps furnace burning.
23 degrees, coldest this fall. Still wearing shorts and sandals.
Smoke is disappearing such that I am no longer in the fleeing mode. Ground cover plants are wearing their fall colors, haven’t noticed aspen in gold. I have not created a route or destination. No place calls me for revisit. In my first road atlas I highlight roads I have driven on, empty ares might attract me. I have pretty well covered Idaho:
From here I will move on to Sun Valley for a visit. Might catch peak aspen. I could chase fall colors? Aspen loose their leaves so quickly. Undecided. Bend’s air is back to green.
I am parked near Red Fish lake which has a resort plus public places. I am maybe 15 miles out of Stanley yet I am getting 3 bar 4G signal.
So far this year I have pedaled 2420 miles on 150 rides.