Hot Hood River

Saturday’s ride w/ Les was in WA back across the river, at a place called Hospital Hill in White Salmon. Les rides a what 6 3/4 travel big which is pounds heavier than my Spot but he can make it go uphill. Maybe our ride was a throw down: his challenge of my riding expertise chiseled from a year plus of riding 4 to 5 times a week on all kind of different technical challenges vs his I ride when I can on a big hit bike on trails that I know. Les pushed me way hard per my heart rate data. I sucked his wheel on the uphills talking to him hoping to shorten his breath. Telling was the sketchy exposed sidehill switchback climb on 9 year old trail built by a woman. Oh, poison oak on the trail edges. We both blew up on the switchbacks, some we made. Trail dropped almost onto lumber mill property and the uphill. Steam and sweat dripped from our bodies. I was completely sweat soaked, my gloves were slippery on the bar grips. Then the downhill, I’ll take my Spot among other reasons but trail didn’t require the beef he rode. While I do not practice Les’ training it served hi, OK in our 2 hour ride. Great trail system, tread mostly friendly, sparse cow plops.

Drove back to his campsite for a shower and then back into Hood river to find Gloria. Getting hot and no wind. On the river is the national sailboard competition w/ low wind speeds. Les went to glop onto his sailing friends and I made the scoot to the mountain bike scene.

I went to Mtn View Cycles as they are a Specialized dealer for my shoe replacements. A desirable woman waited on me. I asked where she came from and she said among other places Mammoth Lakes. I mentioned Brian Davis and she said he makes guitars. Fun talking w/ people that share connections. Mark was my local rider there.

Hot & still in town. Plan is to drive up to Surveyor’s ridge TH for night and ride on Sunday. TH is about 35 miles out of town and up into mtns @ 4000′: trees and no pavement. Found camping spot just off pavement. So nice to have only forest noise and coolness.

Sunday after a scratch made pancake b-fast I rode back out road to TH. I thought I camped on the trail road and was curious why no riders had gone by my camp. Oopps, another navigation lesson. I was @ the TH parking area small as it was and where the trail took off from. Rode nice trail out & back in & out of deep forest and out into open sections on narrow exposed trail to power lines and back. I climbed 3100′ on a ridge trail while already being on the ridge. Hot. No Les today so I was purposefully able to rest my heart sort of.

Back @ camp i waited for the sun to go behind the trees to cool things off. A hot solar shower washed the caked on dust off. No mosqs, warm sleeping weather.

Today I drove down mtn to HR to deal w/ my shoes, laundry, & groceries. Hot! Forecast temps of 100 degs. Replacement shoes will be here later this week so I am heat bound. Being caught by a weather phenomenon that I am choosing to stay in.

Run down laundromat, populated by a western states who’s who in license plates. Sad impression.

Today is a rest day. The massage cleared the pain from my hip until the end of Les’ & my ride. Today it hurts almost as if nothing was done to  my body. Darn.

No maps exist for Hospital Hill as property owner allows bikes but doesn’t want it mapped which will attract more riders. As it is Les, who has ridden it many times, explored a new trail w/ me that lead to the hellish switchback climb out of river.

My clothes supply is 5 days of bike jerseys, 8 of shorts, 10 of socks. The jersey count drives wash day. I have undershort supply of 6 days but then I can wear them for several days because I spend so many hours in bike gear which i will only wear clean. A sweaty, salt streaked jersey just doesn’t cut it. Underwear is OK several days worn. Laundromats are in big cities, not in the outlying areas usually.

Off to some errands and make ride plans for week and find coolness.

Farewell to Bend, hello to Hood River

Pleasant night @ new camp spot, enjoyed the fact that it was well shaded.

Today is short ride, a massage, and drive to Hood River to meet w/ Les and Gloria , buds from Spokane days.

Bend trails are dusty but when I am the only rider, the dust is behind me. Knees hurt, today is an easy day,and tyhat is how I rode even w/ a 17 mile 2100′ climb. Happy Valley is free of snow but mosq’s are still there. Farewell springs trail is beat from all downhillers.

Bike had some issues to be fixed by brains bigger than mine: rear wheel not true from several sticks caught in wheel, a sqreatch in the front end i can’t find, and a loose front wheel. How to get the bike fixed. I picked Sunnyside, the Turner dealer in Bend, where I bought my brake pads. I walked in the store and saw eric who helped me previously. I explained my problems in a begging voice and he said bring it in and he would work on it. WOW! I was expecting something like “can you come back like in 3 days as we are slammed. he put my bike in a stand right from my hand and turned too. The rear wheel needed just a little help, the sqreatch came from the handlebar loose in the stem, and the front hub repsonded to the King tool. He even sort of washed my bike. All for $10.00. I say Super for the shop. Bend is hosting a bike road bike week and the shop was slammed. Eric said the shop hired 2 people and there are as many hours as wrenches want to work.

Then on to my massage. I drove to Amber’s house for the appointment, she has a spare room set up as her home treatment, complete w/ bicycle tools & assorted other toys stuck in the corners. Full nude under the covers massage, 30 m is for her intro fee of $25. She freed up my hips; Saturday’s ride will tell me if I am healed.

She is another free spirit to my bunch of people I have met. She has a sister living in Black Mtn, NC and knows of Pisgah Brewery. Look out Beerbike gang of Bruce & JUT.

Bend has a Whole Foods Grocery store, affectionaly know as “Whole Paycheck”, great grocery store w/ lots of great prepared things to eat. I bought my dinner from the deli section. i firts discovered the chain in Austin, TX.

Long drive to Hood River, actually to White Salmon, WA to meet Les & Gloria @ Everybody’s Brewing pub. Darn GPS would not recognize the Hood River bridge and had to backtrack on I-84 to cross over into WA.

What a feeling of returning to my “home” state, suddenly just crossing the Columbia River my license plate belonged to the physical location.

I savored a good porter and soaked up some past history w/ people from my past. Cal visited 2x and now Les & Gloria. Ties to my past. They are staying @ a XG on the OR side of the river. We drive back across the river into OR and I am no longer “home”, fleeting feeling. But today Les and I are going to ride in WA.

Driving over Eastern shoulder on MT Hood I saw a river running white from glacial milk, finely pulverized rock slurry creating like a colloidal suspension. I have seen streams from Inland NW and Rockies clear to the Mississippi River mud and the porter colored streams of lower LA. I have seen alot.

Off to Bfast & a WA ride.

Hot dusty day riding @ Phils

Headed out just after 8, rode 36 miles, took a short solar shower, moved to a shaded spot I found during the ride, fixed dinner, cleaned up, typed this, and soon to go to bed.

Tomorrow is another early AM ride. I have a massage @ 3:00 hopefully to fix this bursitis. Meeting Les for a ride on Sat @ Hood River.

Update: never got poison oak from Umpqua.