I listen to people’s stories etc about the choices they have made and the results. Me listening and learning detracts me from figuring out my own progress. I have been living in Bend area now for almost 3 months contentedly anchored as my decisions are all supported locally. From my body and van health to riding and sleep spots. I repeat my solutions.

I now have a change in the wind and on the pavement. My sister and her husband will be visiting western South Dakota on Sept 20. I am starting my plan to meet them. Back on the drive, ride, camp, lifestyle repeat for 1,100 plus miles. Google maps gave me 2 choices from here to there. One goes up thru Spokane that will be mostly interstate and the other lower thru Boise etc. The later is more enjoyable for non interstate driving. I will chose the later route. I will research Trailforks for rides along the way.

First step is accepting that I am in charge of my choices.

Today is day 7 post surgery, recovery is for 1 week post surgery which means Wed, tomorrow, is first day for hard effort. Recovery is for incisions healing, 15 of them. To date none of them have bled. Several of them are felt when I bend my knee, I have concern that several will be bothersome when pedaling. I have been walking for movement. I will ride tomorrow. The ulcer is just raw and weeping. I contacted the clinic stating this condition, the clinic passed the PA’s answer: healing can take 6 weeks, keep doing what I am doing. I am just covering the ulcer and wearing a compression sock. The edema is mostly gone. So I no longer need the weekly unna boot.

The van produced a new sound while returning from Skull Hollow. Yesterday was its check up at Import. Cause is the alternator bearings starting to talk. Landon gave me info, it can last for a long time maybe before the warning light lights up. Immediate fix is $2,xxx. I will drive until the light comes on. The repair is straight forward at qualified shop. I will just tune out the additional engine sound.

Sat afternoon I drove up to Swampy to spend the night. The trailhead was taken over by a running event which packed the lot. I drove away to seek a different spot. Back towards town a developed gravel road took off from the pavement. Trail Funner crosses it somewhere. I took this road which was well developed as I eschew stutter bumped roads. I checked out the first dirt track off the good road. I walked the short distance to its end to an established dispersed site. Cool. I drove down to it and anchored. I spent two nights there. The area was a lodgepole forest now a stump farm after harvest. I hiked from there. One hike was to catch the Funner trail. I wanted to watch riders ride the last rock challenge before Wanoga. I choose to walk this patch as did all but one rider. Just several riders. I told them I was their audience. 2 nights ago night temp dropped to 31 degrees, the heater ran all night producing blower noise for white noise.

I hiked a piece of Funner paying attention to trail condition. Several years ago I helped on a COTA trail love event that dug several drains. We dug down a bit. I saw several of the drains were now populated by lupine. Interesting regrowth.

So, back in early days of emerging mountain biking activity we rode existing trails mostly hiking or dirt bike. Those trails went somewhere and back.  Riding was out there. Pedaling  was what riding was about on what had been created for hikers and horses. You went somewhere. The sport has long since gone main stream with trails being built just for bikes. Dunno which is the dog or the tail as the sport now is about gravity downhill and technical features. New trail systems are being developed on small patches of land that focus on just riding to nowhere. Bike mags and other media show riders with wheels off the ground. This image is attractive to people considering the sport. Some buy their bike and then ride these newer trails. The user creates demand, the money making industry develops gravity focused bikes that riders buy. Volunteers or paid trail building companies build trails to support this demand. More riders buy bikes to ride these trails which creates demand to bike builders. Riders organize to raise funds to support the professional builders for riding to nowhere trails. Me, my demand is for trails that go somewhere like Bend, Road 44 trails, Moscow mountain, etc. Just me and objection to change.

Yesterday afternoon I lay face down on a surgical table covered from the waist up with a surgical gown.  The surgeon, who I learned while he worked, that he is  mountain bike and gravel cruncher. He had mapped the vein to be removed with a sharpie. I faced the wall and hugged the pillow. He started low and went high. He subcutaneously injected lidocaine and other liquids near the vein from a hanging bag , I never felt the slice of the scalpel as he made incisions. After each cut he hooked the vein and pulled removing whatever length broke free. 15 cuts. I felt his tugs. I asked for the bad parts just like auto shops give the worn out part.

The removed unna boot revealed that ulcer had finally healed thus perhaps negating this procedure. DR said I have vein disease with possible future vein issues. The removed vein was varicose as its valves were deficient.

I am wrapped from the top of my foot to almost groin to remain on until  Fri morn. Then a compression sock. I walked out of the clinic to my van then I drove down to my property N of La Pine. No riding until next Wed. I will prolly stay here a bunch of days. Just dead quiet here as the dirt road I’m on goes 4 more drive ways then dead ends into the Deschutes NF. No traffic noise. Trees all around.

That’s that excitement.

And today I am prepping for a SIBO breath test eating only baked chicken and hardboiled eggs. Spent quality minutes exposed to the sun to enhance my tan. I have a bit of a dunlop white band above my pant waist. My legs are a mix of patterns from various socks.

Back to reading.

Becoming late summer. Today at Swampy at 5810′ elevation now at 7:57 PM temp is 57. Sundown is now 7:57.  June 9 was my first day here, not quite warmth of summer. Up here then at Swampy snow still covered upper trails. Maybe summer crowds have thinned. Seems like the winding down of a summer vacation at a mountain cabin or beach. Almost 3 months. Time to pack up.

Today I rode from Swampy to swan song my favorite trails here. My time here is coming to an end. This Tues is a vein removal procedure, as the name sounds, followed by a week of no riding to let the stitches hold. No use time expires on the 27th and I plan on leaving Bend. I want to leave because I want to, I’m not burned out. I am meeting my sister in Rapid City, SD on Sept 20. I will be rationing my time between now and then.

Today I pulled together the trails here at Swampy, pretty much everything.  From the get go was the gentle climb up Ridge, I huffed and puffed for non stop distance. Today my average heart rate beats per min was 118, resting in 50s. The pedal trails here are less worn and all in virgin forest. I like nature’s way of forest growth. At junction of Flag tie, the high point at 62xx’. traverse and descend thru hemlock forest with patches of lodgepole. Hit Lower Flag that is now getting additional traffic coming down upper Flag just opened. Still coastable. I have no judgement if the trail is more worn because of Flag traffic. Dunno. Coast down to end at Swampy. Turn right on Swampy west to a catch connecting Swampy east right at start of SST. SST is a mix of ups and downs, it starts down then finishes on elevation gain. Deep forest.

SST ends at junction with Tumalo Ridge, Sector 16 and Swede. I climbed Swede. Local name escapes me for the monster steep climb. Today I pedaled it to the top while stopping 3 times to blow. Swede ends at Swampy east where a bunch of men younger than me were hanging, 3 on Revels. Left on Swampy east to same catch over to the west side. Climbed up another catch up to join Ridge for a return. Ridge is a gentle angle for both climbing and descending. Slight berms, twisty ski slalom course. Carve. Keeping looking way down the trail to possible yield to other traffic. Index fingers cover the brake lever, only applying micro squeezes for peace of body.  Back at van.  15.3 miles, climbing 1450, pedaling for 2 hrs 3 mins.

Last ride up here.

Staying at Swampy TH paved parking lot, a snow park during winter.

Flag opened last Thurs. Sat and Sunday the 2 morning bus trips bike trailer was filled. The guy I visited with said they caught afternoon bus. The trailer was filled at the in town pickup meaning those riders had several miles of city riding to return to the starting lot and their transportation. I have got on at the first stop at the Welcome Center. My joy is riding whenever I want to not constrained by income earning.

Shorter days. Last night was chilly enough to run the heater for comfort. The blower noise I learned is white enough to cancel out infrequent road traffic noise.