Forecast called for showers mostly after 11 AM. I planned on pedaling away around 9 to stay ahead of forecast. However, showers started in sufficient time to abandon putting on riding clothes. Wait, what do my eyes see? But open patches of blue sky. Change out of street and into wool long underwear top, knickers are still drying from their cleansing. Chilly. Gentle rain fell off and on, operative word: gentle. No T-storm forecast. Did pack rain jacket and started out wearing wind shell. Pedaled out to join Marvin’s Garden back to main TH then up Ben’s to Voodoo which is as far as trail is open because of logging operation. Voodoo climbing to Kent’s then down to junction w/ KGB all the way to its end with Marvins then home. Midday midweek crowd of maybe 15 riders seen. Sprinkles fell between the P Pine canopy to water mark my top tube. Catch this: on 6/11 I rode 11.1 miles in 1 hr 19 mins. Vert did not make a “1” number.

FS sprays either a kill or save color on a tree to indicate its life. Back in ’69 I was a tallyman for a timber cruiser on the Diamond lake District of the Umpqua NF based out of Toketee RS. There they used blue meaning to cut and yellow to leave. Here the FS has confused me with this orange paint and its meaning.  No natural selection. Feller buncher fodder.

Back at the van sheltered I devised a plan that would be the envy of every working man. Per Johnny Cash. Done for the day, can sleep wherever, decided to drive down to my piece of earth near La Pine SP. Windy drive down US 97. Intermittent wiper speed. Arrived at entrance still blocked by strung cable across the “drive”. No Trespassing sign still lashed to a tree. Seems the trees I girdled last year are still vibrant. Too nasty to sit outside let alone walk the fence line.

Health care provider recommended wearing a compression sock on my left leg to lessens the fluid retention and to help heal the still nasty wound 5 weeks old. Seems to be helping the healing pain. I put it on first thing in morning unless I will be riding right away then I would put on socks an shoes. Riding either keeps the swelling down or makes it go away. Sock goes back on after ride and is taken off at bedtime.

Bought blindly a bottle of dark rum, Pilar, paying homage to Hemmingway. Very tasty, sipping enjoyment. Wonder if same is sold in Ketchum, his hang out.

Sprinkles here in La Pine have become rain. SO much is needed and forecast calls for not sunny days and chilly for season. 49 degrees, no solar gain, turned furnace on. 4264′.

But it was a good kind in that it lacked in intensity, flashes of lightning and claps of thunder and a gentle soaking rain lasting maybe a half hour. Lessons are only learned if they are applied at a future situation. Forecast wanted low probability of rain but skies tipped their hat to more likely. I stuffed my rain jacket into my hydration pack. Yes, I still carry a bigger than necessary pack for the riding I do, again, having like a large trash bag to use for emergency protection is peace of mind. The rain jacket was sufficient. I finished the short distance of my ride on soon to be short lived hero dirt as rain knocked down the dust and temporarily stuck together gains of volcanic soil. I chose the longer way back to the van for desire to ride longer. I was less than 1/4 mile prolly from the van when the sprinkles changed to rain that I put on the jacket. I was under some tree cover for protection  and for the short distance I could ride wet. Duh, opportunity to check the jacket’s protection. Darn gender neutral clothing puts the zipper slider on the woman’s side, for me, the chest fit is not expanded. I hunkered down inside my van. There were just several rigs still in the lot. Then several rigs with bikes pulled in and waited the sunshine. Their timing put them on hero dirt until it dried out. Tomorrow maybe catch lingering benefit of wet dirt.

My present anchor spot is near an abandoned RV trailer. The front door has been flapping in the wind. I walked over to it yesterday to look it over as nobody has been to it since I have been here. Mess of personal stuff plus beer cans. I checked for license plate: none. Abandoned. Public will be on hook to dispose of. It’s on USFS land, waiting for LEO to start removal process.

I have yet to ride the higher trails up Funner and over then down Tylers. These trails are heavy shuttle traffic rdies and the dirt has been loose. No fun for me. Yesterday I gave thought to riding there but the weather decided for me to remain down.

I am using the word “repair” to describe locations where I have established relationships with needed repair services from van service to dental. Bend is one of those spots as is Sedona. Is it Repair Station? 6 month dental check up today.

Sitting in laundromat parking lot.

27 degrees this AM with frost. Weather not conducive to home gardening. Nuts to dreamed square foot garden. La Pine is colder. Furnace ran most of the night.

Clean clothes. But  my down blanket had issues with a dryer set on delicate. Purpose of dryer ride was to dry the insensible body perspiration from the down. The blanket is on my bed which for most of the time is smashed up against the side of the van so it never dries out. Body produces 2 kinds of sweat: sensible and insensible. The former comes from cooling during exertion, the later happens because the skin as an organ strives to maintain a moist skin which can evaporate which dampens bedding. Extended nights winter camping sleeping in a down bag looses loft as the down dampens from that insensible sweat. I learned this from Stephenson’s catalog from years ago. He advocated a moisture barrier liner inside the sleeping bag which captured that sweat at the source such that no evaporation occurred keeping the down dry. Will learn during tonight of its health.

Teeth check up was clean, nothing to fix. They did receive a store bought cleaning.

I headed up to ride Tumalo South Fork loop in anticipation of firm dirt on S Fork from yesterday’s rain. Arrived at packed Skyliners trailhead. I parked in the lodge parking lot nose into doghair lodgepole patch which blocks windshield view into the van; staged for the post ride wipe down. Chilly enough for long underwear top under short sleeve jersey. Layered in case I over heated. Pedaled up Tumalo Ridge. I did scare both myself and a couple hiking as I did not see them but they had assumed defensive positions off the trail. Just pedaling speed. OOPS.

Hit the old logging road and stopped for a safety meeting. I did not put my back into my effort pedaling the road to Swede Shelter. At the shelter several riders came and went as they were prolly shuttle crowd dropping to town. I rode SST again all alone.

At Swampy I came upon 3 guys hanging. I pedaled down South Fork ahead of them. I do not enhance my speed going down. I judiciously brake. I pop off rocks and roots. I was passed by a younger aggressive rider who added pedaling effort. My objective is to minimize work. At times enough chatter is happening I can’t focus my sight. What a fun bike and ride. Trail was not as firm as I hoped but it was less dusty. Hit Tumalo creek trail which for most part drops down valley. There is a stretch with  sight line the entire distance that is downhill. Several small bends. Today I hit all time high of 28.26 mph.

More rain forecast.

Revel Rail arrived Soul Cycle in Prescott today and was immediately dispatched to Bend, ecd Tues. Have Wed schedule build date.

High desert 4,000 elevation and it  June 6th. Summertime warmth getting booted by cold then summer attacks again but cold butts back albeit not as long lasting but it was 27 degrees at wake up. During a walk last evening I greeted an approaching woman, “It is June”. She stated the subject line. Needed a sweater for that walk.

Yesterday I rode a big loop down low topping out at 4900′ and start of Storm King. 25.7 miles climbing 2234′ pedaling for 3 hrs 10 mins. Above target for just 38 mins, av94rage bpm was 118. Route was from anchor spot to Marvins Garden, right on KGB down past eaten squirrel, right on KGB climbed short steep hill, over to Voodoo which loses gained elevation to climb back up on Ben’s. Ride Pine Drops entire length to ride short piece of Phils to Start of Storm King to its end at Catch and Release. Left to still closed welcome center. Next bottom end or Ticket to Ride turning onto ELV and the resident gnomes. Right on Expressway letting gravity pull me along, shallow grade but can make trail feet go by real fast. Right on KGB to left on Marvins then home. Recovery time was 22 hours. These trails are on lower elevation, pedaling is straight forward, just pedal. I wrote Bend’s miles are measured in time pedaled as miles roll on by. Elevation, even at 87′ gain per mile, was no stopping.

Last weekend the woman riding up Farwell told me about an alternative climb to Upper Whoops which is a shuttle downhill which can be pedaled but against shuttle traffic leads to conflict with non yielding downhillers. The ride starts on Skyliner, which climbs from the get go, up to its end at the destroyed bench. Go past end of Upper, then turn onto a ridden in social trail that starts with an ok gradient but it connects to an old logging road which gets after the climb. Up a ways a single track takes off. I had no idea what was coming up. She said lots of switchbacks climbing. I wanted the trail to be a ridden in by mountain bikers which would mean fewer feet climbing per mile of trail. Instead it appears to be a legacy trail but not on GS map. Way more than I could pedal as I walked a bunch. It ended at Sector 16 trail twisting its way over to next shelter where SST and Swede ridge leave. I rode Swede as it is shorter to junction of South Fork. Down South, connect with Tumalo Creek for last coast of ride back to van. Whew.

So it went like this: I parked in the Skyliner lodge lot because the main Th was jammed as were the shoulder parking. Around 10 AM on an overcast chilly 42 degrees. Knock on the van, guy greets me, Lenny, he made memory recall work, he gave me a ride over and back for an O’Leary Pittsburg Jeff ride like 3 years prior. He shuttled to Swampy and he was on his way down. 20 years younger. He said he could ride with me adding miles to his route. Way stronger than me and I worked very hard right from the start climbing Skyliner on cold body not recovered from yesterday’s ride. In a short while hunger kicked in in spite of eating entire batch of scratch pancakes at breakfast. I carried a small wedge of cornbread and a left over bite of a flax muffin that I ate way too late. I was way behind on available energy. The road climb was steep. The single track had a bunch of way steep climbing interspersed with climbing turns. Lenny’s speed would gap me shortly. He would wait along the way for me to catch up. A woman passed us at the start of the single track and she put the hurt on Lenny. Topped out at a viewshed.

Trail ended at Sector 16 so named because it skirts geographical namesake, Wiggled and squirmed to Swede ridge. Lenny retreated to head to home. Descended South Fork which was reason for this ride. Again, enjoyed capabilities of bike and entire me for exhilarating descent. Deep tree cover with infrequent cover breaks, essentially shaded dark on dark colored earth. Roots that aren’t slippery, just adjust for angle of deflection. Right turn on Tumalo creek starting with mis of gentle downs and ups until the long clear shot. Today I hit 25.6.

Back at van and started stuffing food into my mouth. I bonked early and badly. The ride was 120′ per mile of trail even accounting for  the 3.0 mile  descent of South Fork dropping 948′.  The climbing made this ride a real killer. My inadequate consumption of calories caught up with me  where as on the lower elevation trails I could have ridden bonked. Average bpm was 116 with only 6 mins above limit, I lacked energy to perform. I should have been able to pedal more of the uphills. Cold enough for a wool long underwear top under my light weight wool jersey. Wore knickers to keep knees warm. Fingers became cold up higher. A few snow flakes fell on me.

Packed up and drove down to town, groceries, then back to saved spot past Phils.

Trails here are almost all under tree cover so once I have shared several of these pics these lose interest such as this one:

At Phils I saw a Westie like I had so I stopped for a comparison pic:

Ah, 66 degrees at 5:15 with a greater than gentle breeze. Gonna open slider.

Tomorrow the van goes in for a physical, forward maintenance. Rest day, maybe focus of calorie consumption.

So, the more climbing rides can be measured in miles more so than just time. What gets beat is the cardio affected by  higher elevation. Today’s 15 mile left me more beat than yesterdays 25 miler.