Sometime during the night I was awakened to sounds of rain drops on van roof. Turn to to put cover on bikes. Just a few drops but I responded to the stimulus like a dog for a bone.

Lee and I took off for downtown business and a meeting for Post canyon.

I stopped @ Mtn View to pick up my heart rate monitor and to have my rear rotor mic’d as I noticed more brake lever travel after Dog River downhill. It measured below minimum thickness and the Avid replacement is just a tag thicker. Brake lever is more to my liking and the brake is more powerful.

Lee arrived and after talking w/ Wes, the owner, for awhile we drove just out of town for the Canyon ride. It is a wooded canyon w/ old trails all over, sprinkled in were various stunts like flattened log skinnies. Out back there are some killer gap jumps. I rode several of the skinnies but this riding I rebel against as it is man made vs what is found in nature. True, riding them helps skills for what nature presents but no, I do not practice on these. Mostly the riding is a big trail system w/ steep downhills sometimes there were less steep ways to avoid the fall line trails. The soil packs out smooth perhaps because of the sheer number of bike tires rolling over the ground. The uphills were ridable w/ big effort. The wind whistled thru the trees swaying broken parts on the forest floor. One section the wind was blowing the dust right off the packed tread and Lee was cutting first tracks like an old etch a sketch. The wind was pretty gusty not like the constant 33 mph winds of Kansas. Riding in the trees during high winds might require more than just a helmet for the head.

Short ride.

Back into town picked up mail @ Post Office, the service projects to loose $7 bill this year. Did wash, grocery shopped and then drove out to Lee’s house for driveway camping.

No word from Dave Waag. Might be heading to WA tomorrow as a result.

Lost track of last posting.

Yesterday, Tuesday I sucked it up and rerode !5 mile creek w/ it’s 3300′ vert climb out, sort of like MT Coeur d”alene 257 227 hole. Why ride something down that is so beguiling to be faced w/ terror of climb out? Like eating something that is spiced hot w/ an added sweet, the sweet takes so good but you have to suffer thru the pain of the heat.

On my way finishing up my ride at a trail junction I was seeking out a creek source for h2o when 2 riders arrived and they called me by name. How… what,   how do i know you? Turns out I rode 1 day on the NUT. 3 of them are here visiting Lee. Somehow they all have connections w/ Lee thru a place in Mexico. We rode down to Bottle Prairie where I needed to go. Lee had his VW down lower and he offered me a ride back up to ,y camp and to his house to enjoy dinner w/ all these guys. I accepted both the ride and the dinner. I got to ride 8 mile creek again that just flows downhill: smooth tread and bermed corners for high speed sweet speed. I am getting pretty fast. Made a sporty chase of these young guys except for Lee who was speaking of his age problems @ 53 until he learned of my age.

So Andrew made his award winning chili. Ryan shared a special Gin that was sipping special. He topped it off w/ Absinthe. i had a good buzz at bedtime.

Today Andrew, a non local local rider laid out a killer route requiring a shuttle up to Surveyors ridge. We rode High Prairie up & down as a loop, down to Bottle Prairie down to almost Knebal springs, hit Surveyors, and then down Dog river. 3 hours of hard riding.  What a fun ride day. We cooled off w/ the spawning salmon move in knee deep very cold river.

And then into town for dinner before Andrew, Eddy, & Ryan headed back to Portland.

Driving back from the grocery store but what to hallucinating eyes did I spy but a painted school bus named ” FURTHER”. I checked it out. A guy approaches me and says let me take your picture in front. I have one. The man is Ken Keysey’s son and the bus is a replica of FURTHER from electric coolaid acid test from the late 60s, where I came from. Wow.

So, 2 days of heard riding up high in the mtns. Tomorrow my heart rate monitor and mail should be here permitting me to leave if I want. Lee is friends w/ John Harlin and I might have a chance to ride w/ him if I stay longer.

Hood has and continues to be fun.

Back up to Lee’s for the night. He is a retired oby/gyn doc.

Having accomplished my goal of riding in all 48 states I lack the impetus to continue long driving traveling. Now I am just a mtn biker living on the road riding my bike. I need to create another goal or purpose of this life.

Lee has a friendly white cat that I got big time kitty fix last night. He even hopped in bed w/ me for a short nap.

Temperature has broken in the gorge and it is windy.

Slow internet speed here in town.

Friday I beat heat finally back up into mtns @ 4000′ with about 20 degrees cooler.

It was suggested that I rest my leg on Sat instead of bike riding especially w/ Les. (she didn’t say that). heeding her advice i drove up bumpy 6 miles of stutter bumps to TH for Lookout Mtn trail @ High Prairie. Wore my new Sportiva approach shoes, ones that Shortt’s in HR says the PCT hikers buy for their last 500 miles which takes them well into Canada. i wore out the previous pair and plan was to replace them while in OR to save sales tax. Plan succeeded. Also I used my ski poles as helpers. The walking forced new muscle activity on hip. I did sleep better Sat night. Just a partial foundation of lookout ground house remain.  A man was there as i arrived. he is an alternative HS teacher teaching resource economics. We chatted about an hour on economic issues and his kids while I sunburned on purpose my bald head. I bid adieu and hiked back to TH.

The shoes felt good and the hip was used. Ride on Sunday will tell healing.

I discovered a small piece of road that dropped onto Surveyor’s Ridge trail near intersection of roads 44 & 17. My reason for camping here is that it was directly on trail and I hoped that I could chat w/ riders as they went by. First rider was training for Fools Gold back in Dahlonega, GA. He is from there. I chatted about Jon @ Wheelworks and my quest for ‘shine. Kid says every christmas he gets a mason jar of the good stuff in his stocking. Do well Bob and say Hi to Jon.

Next rider stops, Michael, and conversation ensues. he asks if I have extra h2o and I tell him yes but I have been drinking unfiltered h2o from a chosen stream. He declined. He told me Stienar Smith in Albuquerque sold him his bike. I met Steinar when i was there. Good chat. He is an engineer @ Tri-Cities @ Hanford. He took pictures of me w/ van and with stickers Steinar sent to me.

A woman stopped and Michael set me up for her. She winters in FL and summers here. We both shared Santos. She told me I should have driven to next 100 miles to Alaphalia.

And that was the end.

Peaceful night. No mosqs up here, just a few horse flies and biting black flies that don’t bite too often, just irritating landing on me.

Sunday I added another monster climb and steep downhill ride up to, along and then down from Gunsight ridge. Killer road climb w/ grades up to 18% on gravel. Ridge was 5.2 miles of challenging ST. The 2.5 miles down dropped steeper than an enjoyable ride would have been. Too bad to loose vert so quickly. Gradients of 6 to 10% are enjoyable, like skiing powder and making turns vs figure 11s.

I misplaced my heart rate monitor strap, I don’t remember when I last touched it. I believe it was at Thursday nights camp site. I searched where I parked and no strap. Bummer. First thing I lost on this trip. I need to replace it as it’s data keeps me from blowing up my heart. My theoretical max HR is 144. And I have experienced 152 beats. At 40 max was 153. 20 years older means fewer beats. My heart just keeps beating pounding in my chest.

Tomorrow I will drive back into HR and hope to schedule a ride w/ Dave & Jimmy. And to check out Post Canyon for Chris.

I have warranty replacement Specialized Mtn Comp shoes in brown this time. The body glove geometry corrects the knee bend to a more up & down movement eliminating the knee flexing in & out. However, the shoes have wearability issues. This time it was the fabric tearing @ the toe that caused the replacement.

Spotty internet access up here.

Les, I apologize for Verizon’s voice mail delivery. I heard your Friday night message this evening. May you have enjoyed your bike ride.