Calendar supports. Me, upright and unscathed. Light is lower angle which creates shadows. Dirt is damp and firm, snow melt soaked in. Nary another person to share trails with.

Tues morn I drove into La Pine for fuel and water at same location. Visited the newly remodeled Deschutes County Library to print an advance directive. Printed it, it requires 2 witnesses to state I am able to ,make health decisions. Line appears to be just for a signature. Hmm? Drove up to Swampy thru Sunriver and up towards Bachelor, once out of town land is FS, pleasant drive. Still 30 miles and 40 mins drive.

Riding at Swampy at roughly 6,000′, will be feeling effects of winter soon, I chose to ride up here as I can before snow drives me lower. Arrived at empty TH parking. Geared up. Chain brush on chain to knock off the luggies, wipe down the shock, dropper post, and fork legs, check the tire air pressure usually requiring adding air. Digital pressure gauge. Knickers became too warm.

Ride was up haul road Swampy east as I sought to ride a trail only once. Got the job done as I warmed up. Took catch over to W Swampy continuing around lake

Took Swede Ridge to its end then returned on SST. Dirt is amazing in its transition from blown pumice to brown grains sticking together firm tread. 9.21 miles climbing 909, pedaling for 1 hr  21 mins. Algo rhythm read 33 hr recovery. Conditioning reflected in recovery hours.

Spent the night at Swampy. Sunrise is like 7:28

Sunset 6:14.

Fall temperature is ground giving up heat to chilly air. More enjoyable than spring when ground sucks the heat. Fall is slower, summer vacations over, stuck putting in time till next time off.

I park my van with the rear facing the sun. Again that is where the heat controller is which senses correct warmth but the front is not benefiting from that solar gain. It is what it is. I dallied waiting warmth from the sun before pedaling away. Around 10 I pedaled away, starting with climb on Ridge. Rode over many newly constructed drains built by COTA volunteers last weekend. Continued up to junction with Flag Tie, today just brown firm dirt. Down to lower Flag down to Swampy. Lower angle sun creates shadows that my vision can not see thru. For the most part when I keep my wheels in the tread there are few challenges.

Swampy around to the catch up to Ridge. This piece before fall took 9 mins, punishing climb for me. Earlier this year I walked this trail right after that heavy rain storm I experienced and watched down pour. I observed in places the hillside above the trail slid. Today I checked out several of those spots seeing little sign of slide.

Today I broke my ride into rest stops.

Camera allows light over the darkness.

9.26 miles climbing 984′, took 1 hr 22 mins. Recovery is just 26 hours.

Drove back to town for groceries and a new book. Happy Camper bread is now at Newport in time for breakfast tomorrow, today I ate the last. Drove back to La Pine. Fall is so pretty. Air is clear.

Rest day tomorrow, laundry at La Pine. Maybe library to read Bend paper.

Still no return call from surgery center for my date. Not at peace. My shoulder supports riding but typing this doesn’t allow lifting my forearm, not so much hurt as not moving correctly.

‘I started riding short distances as I was reacquainting body and brain to riding again. I lost 6 weeks of conditioning, the effects I noticed on first ride 13 days ago, for first pain were my sit bones that barked. My reflexes and handling skills seemed pretty sharp. My engine is where the loss was felt (of course). Rides until yesterday were under 12 miles, most were less than 10 miles. Sunday would be the ride to reward my effort. I passed, I pedaled all but the 4 unmakeable feats on Storm King, 20.4 miles climbing 1864’ pedaling for 2 hrs 48 mins, average bpm was 121. Average speed was what rides have become. Nice day, nice dirt, rewarding being able to ride my typical rides. Pedaling soothes the MCL and perhaps helps reduce knee swelling. Knee just feels like it is wrapped in a tight full leg sock. Even the recovery calculator is fewer hours, this ride was just 67 hours. My body was worked. Cardio recovery takes more time.

Sat morn at Swampy I was prepping my bike. I back cranked my drive train noticing more drag than normal. Yesterday I rode thru water that I suspected was the cause of resistance, most troubling would be the bottom bracket. I needed professional care. Sat, which shop would be open today and perhaps Sunday. Drove back down to town. Crow’s Feet was closest and met shop hours. Lacked the staff. They allowed the use of their hose I used to spray off trail litter. Pine Mountain is larger shop. Wrench put my bike in the vice and started evaluation. Freed chain from chain ring then spun the crank: Bottom bracket sound and spinning freely. He checked the rear wheel that also issue free.  Nothing identified to be corrected. Peace of mind.

Afterwards I drove out to anchor spot off rd 41, scored the spot. Geared up for mid afternoon ride. Plan was to ride bigger loop up N Ticket to Ride then climb COD to Storm King down to Catch and Release to anchor. Wonderful dirt. My navigation error sent me up Grand Slam which is N of COD. Adjust. Grand Slam to Storm King. I shortened my ride by descending COD instead of continuing Storm King to catch of Catch and Release. Chilly producing no sweat. 11.8 miles pedaling for 1 hr 33, longest so far. Climbed 997′.

Sunday breakfast was scratch blueberry pancakes, I ate the entire batch. Then the ride.

The ortho clinic still has not called with repair date. Riding seems to decrease my pain. Yesterday’s ride did not send do not do this anymore signal. My focus has shifted back to riding and lessening house building focus. Today I am back on my property resting and waiting out forecasted rain which hasn’t happened, just overcast and infrequent sprinkles. I plan on staying here and riding waiting repair. If my riding becomes painful I will be here for repair. Should I leave for the road and my shoulder says enough, I would drive back.

Sat AM the sun was obscured by eclipse that Bend was blocked. Up at Swampy under cloudy skies. I did not look at teh sun but I noticed the light was different than just moisture cloud cover.

Fall scene at Swampy. Lodgepole pine cover. Light is flatter.

This morning I visited TJ at The Hub and told him about my bike. He said bring it in as he had time. He discerned that the rear brake drags. He removed the caliper and spun the wheel which spun like an I9 should. He worked over the caliper by restaging the pistons which eliminated drag. Bike will be faster and easier to pedal. He forced the pistons shut as the spacing of the pistons was not identical as it should have been.

Ponderosa Pine needles have a finite life, at death they turn brown remaining attached to the tree which can take on a brown color. A wind and/ or precip  event weights the needles free to fall turning the ground brown from those needles. Tree  regains primary green. I have no knowledge if leaf life is seasonal.

Dry, no precip. Warm, Bend temps rise into 70s this week, almost back to shorts, certainly lighter jersey. Sprinkles just started.

Monday, Tues, and Wed were wet days. I spent 1 day inside the van parked on my property except for wetting a tree. Some soaking rain, mixed in with light drizzle, sucker holes. One afternoon the sky I could see was clear. I fell for the hole. I started down the road towards the forest, not far, when drops hit the nylon shell of my wornwell  puffy jacket. Discouraged I retreated to cover and that was it until Thurs.

Thurs, laundry day, and my new sheet was at Hub in Bend. All part of my plan: Arrive the Hub at 10 for shop opening to pick up new sheet, then drive short distance to laundromat. Sign on door at laundromat read closed, no power. Recovery plan: Drive short distance to Newport Market for groceries. Was greeted by an employee as I was leaving my van. He said they had no power. Recovery plan: Drive out to Welcome Center, ride, then return to complete the open tasks.

Welcome Center parking lot. Chilly enough for lightweight wool top and wind shell. Just huff and puff the climbs, I still pedal. Speed is age affected slow. Rode Ticket to Ride CCW so finish is down a draw. I saw 1 rider at a trail junction, she was quite close, then I watched her until she disappeared. The draw the trail descends had a now nonexistent  fall line FS road. The trail swoops from side to side going downhill. I coast. Back at van ride time was under an hour. I am reestablishing my fitness level which needed more pedal time so I started Catch and Release to intersection of Storm King then returned. 10.3 miles pedaling for 1 hr 20 mins. Nice day, fall chill and light.

Drove back to town. Laundromat was powered. Wash and dried my new better quality top sheet that is softer than the Target sheet. Groceries and Back Porch ground coffee beans.

I like riding the Swampy area trails from namesake trailhead. I was stocked for water and food for 2 nights here. A day or 2 before heading up I had read the propane gauge level believing enough propane to last till Sat for planned town time. However, I checked the level the morning seeing dial appeared to be pegged to the red E. Not good, need today, need to drive down to town for fill up. Last night a heavy frost fell as I saw on the downed trees outside my windows. Ride time will be late morning. I used the warm up time to drive down for propane: 4.8 gal, max is 5.6, gauge is estimate of remaining time.

Drove back to Swampy snow park which is about 2,000′ above town. Sunny and chilly, enough for knickers and long sleeve wool jersey. Huffed and puffed up Ridge trail. Dirt was primo firm. Before junction with Swampy Dutchman I saw small blobs of snow. As I climbed said trail snow was on the trail in patches to ride through. Several tracks preceded me. At 6,200′ I turned onto Flag Tie over to intersect with lower Flagline. 6,000′ elevation and above kept recent snow fall. Bike and I remained under control. Some places the snow had not melted, others snow melt on the trail running. Front fender kept my face clean but fenderless rear gave me wet cheeks. Brakes squeal when wet. Once below 6,000′ the dirt was dry and firm to dry out brakes. Water runoff is determined by temperature: Snow melt runs  where below 6,000′, assuming the same amount of precip fell, the tread was dry and firm. Rode by fall location: firm. I ride the bottom edge of the out slope tread. Maybe at my fall spot there was no base so what appeared to be out slope was just loose dirt that sucked in the front wheel.

I  am waiting for surgery schedule. I have not been contacted. I need to learn so I may plan my life. Dave, the PT who knows my shoulder, answered my questions about the surgery and recovery. He was positive for benefit to me and long term I will be able to mountain bike ride.

Forecast for tonight is 40% showers and Bend temp of 41. Here, precip will be snow and frozen dirt. Plan is to ride here then drive down to town for resupply then back to rd 41 to ride lower trails on Sunday. Swampy sits at 5,800′. Ride tomorrow would be this level and lower. Snow free tread and not puddles.

How quickly a pattern can be established. In the early days after my fall my knee hurt so badly, moving was put off as pain would start at first muscle contraction, I would sit in my turned around driver’s seat with that leg extended. A need to move arose. I moved because I had to but was not smiling. As my knee pain lessened over the days movement was not painful. Pattern: Today I sit while thinking about moving as I remain seated to avoid that pain which is no longer. I’m slowing down. Stasis works.

New sheet is pleasant. Kept heater on all night for warmth of course, and also as it sometimes does not light when commanded. Chill sets in enough for me to wake up then look at control for flashing red LED meaning light failed. I twist the control knob correctly enough to tell the heater to light. I hear the pizzo striker then the sound of ignition causing the LED to turn to solid green meaning it’s happily running. Back to sleep.

PT also said my knee pain was caused my irritated MCL, not meniscus. I am taking his evaluation to the next bike ride.