Title of Ken Kesey’s novel about an Oregon logging family. I think of this novel when I think about Oakridge. Not the same but sort of. This might be my 3rd time reading this, it’s a handful lots of pages and small print. Me? Sometimes a great notion.

Choosing a book: so many choices, many new writers, so few to make a lasting impression. But which new writer will be the new Kesey or ? who have weathered time. Read the past, how far back? Newly published books are already about the past. Dudley’s in downtown Bend, independent bookstore, is loaded with Tom’s choices. Overload. I seek critical reviews for me to choose from. Taking a flyer on a book? I have made  choices like that, some were enjoyable, I have given away for me no connection books. Kesey, settle in.

So my digestion system continues to send distress signals. Last Tues visit with Whitney for diagnosis and plan of recovery. She said go 2 days on a liquid diet which will allow recovery. I drank orange juice with some pulp, chocolate pudding, jello, and lots of Ensure. It was sharp reduction in daily calories. My guts have quieted down. I did not ride for fear of bonking plus 100 degrees settled in. Sat was first ride day.

Local Walgreens where my prescription refill was sent to is temp closed. I called the other Bend location sent to voice mail, there are more than 3 callers ahead of you. I gave up after 45 mins. I discovered a location in La Pine, I asked for store change. Thurs I drove down to La Pine and picked up the meds. I googled ice cream in town finding a food truck stand, locally made small batch, 17 to 20% butterfat. My reward for a chocolate malted, black and white. Spent night on property, so nice, quiet and dark. However, my dusty road dead ends into the forest, access point sends off road rigs past. Plumes of dust. I have pulled up knapweed in front of me on both sides of road.

Friday was another hot day. Returned to Bend to The Hub Cyclery to pick up m y bike with newly installed Cura brake. TJ said wrong brake, I ordered a road bike brake. I checked my order, yep, on me. Pot, internet, money, not my 3 favorite things. I am asking for exchange for the Cura 4 which is what’s available, it has 4 pots making it much more powerful. I am running Formula Cura brakes both ends for maybe 4 years. I want a backup which put me in front of the computer.

Blue Danube waltz on my iPod.

Been staying up at Swampy which is cooler for riding, sleeping and living. No mosquitoes. Side door open all night plus small fan moving air. Sleep under just a sheet till temp cools for single layer of summer down blanket. Drinking lots of water.

Yesterday’s ride kept me up Swampy level. Joy is familiarity of trails from which to chose pleasure and pain. Ridge right from van climbs up to right hand turn onto Flag Tie over to Lower Flag for descent to Swampy, around down Swede, return on SST, short piece of Swampy then hump up an unsigned tie to Ridge for mostly downhill back to hot van. 13.6 miles pedaling for 1 hr 50 mins. Same time as previous ride. Amazing. Although on this ride my heart worked harder.

Today was another ride here. Need to ride something different. Swampy goes around the lake, S Fork leaves at the former shelter site. S Fork descent. And what it was. The bike is so stable and confidence inspiring. Literally point it. I decided to not learn my time, I just let the bike carry me while my involuntary reflexes had the controls. Trun right on Tumalo creek with its speed section, I hit 25.88 mph w/o check braking. Climbed up Skyliners. Then the killer Switchback city climb, descent, then climb it back social trail to junction of Sector 16. Encountered 5 riders. SST to Swampy back to van. 20 miles climbing 2251′ in 2 hrs 43 mins. My planned route would go by the water spigot at Skyliner lodge, the lowest point of my ride. I started with less than full hydration bladder as I planned on filling up at Skyliner.I was committed to descending S Fork. Temp was just 89 at ride completion. I drank lots of water and paid attention to perspiration and not dry skin. Switchback is its namesake climbing and climbing. My engine lacks power for riding it all and with today’s high temp I pulled back effort to walk in places. I had ridden this trail once before, I remembered that ride. I did it to myself this time. All by myself.

Early evening weather threatened T storm, all about noise here. May it not have been a dry lighting storm sparking forest fires. So far just 2 fires west and south at CA border.

My lifestyle is pretty static: ride, resupply, find a spot for the night, sleep, repeat. Same ol. Today I took a rest day after riding 6 days straight. I took care of “chores” in town. I treated myself to a black and white chocolate malted milkshake today as a calorie award and and good feeling. Visited with Tom, the owner, at his independent bookstore, Dudley’s. Nearby a street musician strummed and picked on a banjo and sang. Blue grass rock. I have no water level gauge, the tank is 7 gals. A shurflo pump pumps water from that tank thru a sink faucet. The pump will go thru micro pumps when the level gets to maybe a gallon. The pump pumps when I depress the paddle on the faucet. I capture sink water in a 10 qt bucket that shows how much water has been run thru the plumbing, it’s a minimum as not all the water goes down the drain. I get water at a sports field on the way to Phils, it’s city water that I don’t drink. Drinking water is filtered and stored in a 2 gal jug positioned at back of van on floor. It lasts 2 days. I swapped 2 books that I decided I didn’t want to finish for credit applied to Kesey’s, Sometimes a Great Notion that this will be the 3rd time thru. Every visit to Oakridge conjures up this book.  OK, bit of a stretch. 1970 I was on a fire crew stopping fires. I wore a cruiser’s vest which had many pockets, in 1 was a book I was reading during breaks. I believe it was that summer that I read it. Or, maybe that was 8 years later when I was off PCT hanging in Gig Harbor. Reading old works from authors that have stood the test of time as validation of their value. I have no knowledge of any new writers whose works will stand the test of time.

My body is not happy. I gather O2 saturation, pulse, and blood pressure from instruments I have. Morning resting pulse is 41, while riding my pulse hits 140s. Almost 100 beats more during exertion. Digestive system is out of whack, health care provider visit tomorrow.

On the weekends all trails are open to ride, during the week a population of trails are closed because of logging. Yesterday I rode entire length of Storm King because it was open. It had been feller-bunchered. Felled trees were wind rowed awaiting grapple skidder to drag bunches to a landing to be limbed and cut to length. You only know change if you had seen it before.

Storm King trail thru the harvested area rode differently as tree cover had been altered. I was sadden by the change. One thing about the cutting machines is the short stump height

I allowed myself to be saddened. Trail continued down going thru past machine logging. Grasses start regrowth process, their stalks are taller than the stumps

 

Ride was  miles climbing 1800 feet. Good ride. Temps in the 80s.

Sat I rode out and back on Catch and Release connecting with Afternoon Delight adding Round about and back. This time the computer worked the entire ride. Finally data 19 miles and climbing 1437′, I sought a less demanding ride as an easy ride. Lots of short ups.

Yellow full size former school buses are in vogue this year. There is 1 at Phils where I like to stay. At this place off rd 41 a flat nosed bus arrived. Yesterday a regular front bus continued into the woods past me.

A zipper pull on my Wingnut wore out as it no longer knitted the teeth to close the zipper. Gear Fix is a gear repair shop and consignment store. They have fixed my stuff in the past. Today I was in the neighborhood so I made a stop. A sign read 2 weeks out for sewing. I explained my situation and needing the pack for riding. Bring it in the woman said. She looked at the zipper, talked to the repair person, I was told it would be repaired before end of the day. Score. They called me before end of day. I weighed the contents of pack: just 10 pounds. The padding has lost its comfort, the pack has been well worn and will wear into the future. 100oz bladder, I fill the bladder to my planned ride. Last several rides I came in just above fumes.

It’s hot here on high desert. Next 3 days forecast for 10X degrees. I still do not use the air conditioning in the van. My reasoning is I live and play outside so I want to be acclimated to outside temp. It’s 71 degrees at 9 PM, at 3933′ elevation.

My van is so much more enjoyable with new transmission that’s noticeable and drive shaft. The original transmission shook the drive shaft, I do not know what improvement would be with new driveshaft. I figured out to lessen the episodes by keeping a load on the engine. Years and years of that shaking. I continue to enjoy performance and work to remove old memories. I haven’t filled tank to start a miles per gallon figure. The pumps shut off because of programed maximum charge on a card. $95, at $6.50/gal. Refrigerator cools to 40 degrees overnight. Its efficiency is diminishing.

Dry and dusty.

Learned from FS that the Cloverpatch tie is a continuation of existing trail so its open to ebikes and dirt bikes. SO far I haven’t seen dirt bike tracks on any of the trails here.

Box wine, equals 3 bottles, and retains it quality. Big white wine glass full pre dinner fixing.

Blood draw today for testing my gut health healing.

Thank y’all for your congratulations on my accomplishment. May I be an example, some are already here, others at the other end would never consider this life. But, it’s y’all in the belly of the bell shaped curve that letting their thoughts entertain getting something for themselves. Fourteen years.

Tuesday I finished the drive to Bend ending at a new preferred spot off rd 41. Early enough to go for a ride later. Dealing with sting of failing ATCA. Riding from here I traversed on Cartch and Release to start of Storm King and a climb. I find that as each climb is completed that the climb is less avoidable, it hurts less. Storm King has several climb pieces mixed in w/ less steep pieces. A safety meeting at the hub intersection of Storm King, Funner, and Tiddlywinks. I climbed a short piece to Tiddly which is dicey avoiding downhill riders who think they rule. No company. Made Larsen’s climbing up to Tyler’s, again all alone. Desended Tylers which from here is still woods trail before it becomes a flow trail with bermed bends. Shade and daylight patches on the ground playing havoc with my learning of what’s on the tread. Bottom out at start of Catch and Release back to van. Rode same ride on 7/12, results are all but identical, still a 1,200′ climb in 14 miles. Bend pedalable trails.

My phone does not flash left messages. I called voice mail on Tues, a message from dentist cancelling my cleaning sent on Mon while I was in Oakridge. I built my schedule for Wed cleaning. I would have stayed in Oakridge longer and put to bed ATCA. No 6 month teeth cleaning.

Next boogie in my mind was climbing up Skyliner, Upper Whoops, and Sector 16 instead of climbing Tumalo ridge. Goal was descent of S Fork for time verification. Skyliner is mix of ups and downs while gaining intersection with Upper Whoops climb. Trailforks shows the climb being on a road. The road is inside a logging operation no longer closed. Heavy vehicle traffic beat the dirt to pumice flour about rim deep. Never again. beat up road stopped at unit boundary, becoming a beat up non maintained logging road. Previous to logging that’s prolly what the road was like. I rode this one to GPS. I know of another way that I will take next time. Riding Sector 16 against primarily coasters with mostly short sight lines caused apprehension of a head on by a rider not looking ahead. The one guy I encountered was tuned out. I caught light flashes of a descending rider well before our 2 objects attempting to be is same space. I pulled over. I said something before I noticed ear buds. Only thing worse could be an ebiker wearing earbuds. Whew, rode SST up to Swampy around then dropped down S Fork. 3.16 miles dropping 905′ took 16 mins, still 1 min slower than last year. Rounding minutes, difference might be seconds. this trail rocks. Then the speedway down a piece of Tumalo creek trail. Max speed was 22 mph, the speed freaked me causing me to check brake 2x, perhaps enough to only hit 22. The bike is dead stable. My nuts are shrinking. Steve said that it’s an aging thing. Afterwards I waded rolled up riding shorts depth in Tumalo creek. Too cold for a full immersion.

Out to past Phil’s hoping for preferred spot under shade. Score. Staged for in town laundry day. The road is a driven in dirt track gone to loose dirt. Numerous rigs went by in their quest for a camp spot. Most drive by in a plume of dust, no slowing in consideration of their dust effect.

Clean clothes, line dried clothes dry by night. I visited w/ a young man in the laundromat. He’s car camping living on the road, now 2 1/2 years tent car camping sleeping on the ground. It’s like riding a single speed, just because you can, do you need to?

I headed up to Swampy. I passed a long haired guy with a full size backpack. I looked at him, he made eye contact as I drove by. I can do better. I turned around then went to offer him a ride up to Swampy. I assumed he was hiking the PCT heading back to trail where Swampy is short of trail access. No. He is from Amsterdam on a see some of America trip. His route was further along. He consulted his map and listened to my advice then headed out on the same route I would shortly ride. I followed his footsteps in the dirt till I caught him. He was on his way as was I.

Yesterday’s ride was 2 hrs 35 mins for 18 miles climbing 1903′. I should be kind to my body on a ride today. Excellent choice Swampy. here is about 2,000′ above Bend making for less hot temp which hit Bend for 90s. Start off with climb up Ridge, Flag Tie

Then descending Lower Flag to Swampy. Longer sightlines allowed for longer fast sections. More lodgepole cover and open versus S Fork which is fir and hemlock deep cover. Turn left on Swampy heading clockwise around lake. Take catch to other leg of Swampy. Decision time: shorter less climbing straight ahead or right turn for grunt climb up to Ridge for long descent back to Swampy. Ah, learning to embrace the 46T cog to power my way up. Left turn on Ridge coasting back what I climbed on the way out. Nice ride. 9.37 miles climbing 1004′.

This about that: East side versus west side of the cascades. This is East: 4,000′ volcanic desert. Desert because little precip because in rain shadow of Cascades. That is west as in Oakridge, under 2,000′, bathed from rain laden clouds lightening their load so to speak. Wet, dense tree cover, mud, organic material on ground, slugs. This: volcanic pumice, no organic, dust. The county road my property is on is unpaved. I watched dust clouds stirred from passing rigs. The road dead ends into the forest 4 properties to the west meaning no thru traffic. My land is pumice with duff from Ppine and lodgepole trees. Desert. Dry skin. No mosquitoes. That is mostly about downhill, is about 90 mins away. Oakridge is a town that needs an economic engine, a resource to be exploited including labor force. Ray’s grocery. I remember years ago there was a Ray’s in part of town I frequent. Later a safeway was built across the street. Ray’s went away. Small towns, bigger towns.

Last night I slept with the door open, tonight at 5810′ the door will be shut, chilly 59 degrees and dropping.

Here for another day to avoid heat.

$12 piece of King salmon for dinner. Steamed.

Visited a Little Library today in the Safeway grocery store lot. Picked Scott Turow book and gave 2: Waters’ Liarmouth and Walter’s short stories.