Rides

Cold dark and wet. Welcome to winter, a month early. 

This was the fall ride. Colors at their finest. The air just a bit crisp. Started out foggy though. The first 20 miles out Independence it was pretty thick. Some where before Elkins the sun broke through, and then it was gorgeous. Maple Grove to Peedee where they have an annual pie, soup and crafts event. I had butternut squash soup and blackberry pie. Back through Kings Valley and Maxfield Creek.  I parted with the group to take Berry Creek, Soap Creek, and Sulphur Springs. I wanted to test Grando on the gravel and the fast downhill from Lewisberg Saddle. It did great on both. 

Rain, fog, darkness, everything you'd expect in November but still not too cold. 

So much nicer up in the woods on these gray days, than out on the road. Very golden right now. New Schwalbe Big Ben tires on the mountain trucker. They did just fine, and so did I.

Foggy morning and colder than it has been. Moderate pace. No wind. 

Rained most of the week. Friday afternoon was nice and I got in a few extra miles. Dark in the morning but now the time changes and it will be dark on the way home.

Ankle better. Good ride. Rain held off but wind came up strong. Heading north it was at our backs and we were coasting along at 20. Heading west the cross wind blew me off the road 3 times. 

Lost track of this one.

Still nursing the ankle. Keeping the rides short. Georgous day and the ankle felt good. Maybe longer ride next weekend.

Good weather continues. Mornings a bit dark.

Short ride testing my anke . About as far as I could go without strain.

Lovely warm sunny days. Still nursing a sore ankl . 

Gradually warmed up during the week to 80 on Friday. Recovery week nursing a sore ankle. 

Splitting the week into two rides to get the miles in the right month and right bike. 

Corvallis -> Harrisburg -> Coburg -> Eugene -> Coburg -> Brownsville -> Lebanon -> Corvallis

One of my goals for the summer was to get in a 200k ride, to match the one I did last summer. The Grando was the perfect bike for it. Got up early and was on the bike by 5 AM. The B&M light on my front rack was adjusted just right, and it was great fun riding Peoria road in the dark. When it starting getting light just before Harrisburg I could see that I had been doing about 16 mph the whole way. The Grando definitely makes me faster.

Got to Eugene before 9. The bike shop I wanted to visit opened at 10 so I just rode around a bit, getting a feel for Eugene. I have great praise for the "Arriving by bike" shop in Eugene. Their focus is on urban and cargo bike but they have everything. The first thing you see when you walk in is an amazing display of Brooks saddles. Our shops here in Corvallis maybe stock one or two, they have dozens! They had the Zefal frame pump I wanted so I got that. The mechanic tightened my head set no change. Great service and a great shop.

It was cloudy and cool in Eugene but it looked like the sun was starting to break through, but heading north back to Coburg I was riding into a storm! Just a little drizzle but a steady headwind that was starting to wear me out. I finally got some relief when I got into the hills on Gap road. Got to Brownsville by 2:30 and had lunch at the cafe, which serves great sandwiches on home made bread. By now the sun was coming out and it was finally warming up. I decided to follow the Strawberry Century route to Lebannon to get the miles I needed. I was pretty tired when I got to Thompson Mills so I stopped and took a nap at one of the picnic tables. The wind was still steady out of the north so I was glad my route kind of zigzagged east and north instead of heading straight into it.

By the time I got back across the valley on Tangent road it was an absolutely gorgeous autumn afternoon. I slowed the pace just to enjoy the rest of the ride. Got home around 6, so subtracting the hour and a half I spent in Eugene I made the 200k in less than 12 hours. The time limit for a 200-kilometer brevet is 13.5 hours so I still qualify.

Cooler days. Some light rain. Back to the Saga for commuting as I need to use the panniers.

Left Friday night. Slept out off the North entrence road. Nice. Late start waiting for the Ashland crew to arrive. Hot day. Lots of traffic on the West side but car free on the East. Hundreds of riders. 

The Grando did not perform well on the downhill. Front end wobble. Not sure what to do about that  

Google Slideshow

First long ride on the Grando. Very fast pace. The bike performed flawlessly. I was able to hold the pace, which I would not have been able to do on the Saga. Very smooth comfortable ride. This bike is everything I wanted it to be.

First ride out of town on the Grando. Very smooth, very comfortable. Goes when I want it to, and where I want it to. Longer ride tomorrow.

Picked up the Grando on Thursday afternoon.

It had been very hot in the valley, and my weather app even showed 90 in Newport on Friday. Time to head to the beach. I had been waiting for the right opportunity to ride the mostly gravel route to the coast and this was it. The Mountain Trucker still had its mtb tires so it was ready to go.

I left Friday night after work. Got to Woods Creek Road after sunset. Rode until it was really dark, and then another 2.5 hours with my old mountain bike light. I wasn't sure how the long old battery on my Lights in Motion Seca would hold out. I was well into the woods now and figured I could just camp when the batter went dead. As it was I made it up to Mary's Peak road where I camped at a nice day use area. I slept in my bivvy bag under a star filled sky. This is what it's all about.

Left early and headed down the steep road towards Harlan. very rough at first with large gravel, but that gave way after a while to a very nice 10 miles of fast mountain downhill. I wasn't 100% sure I was on the right road as there had been one unmarked fork. This just added to the adventure. Every now and then I'd get a glimpse of the valley I was descending into. This was the heart of the Coast Range now. Very lush with lots of big trees, and ferns everywhere.

Eventually I came out at Harlan road which was mostly flat wide with well worn gravel. Easy going for 4 miles into the Harlan. I don't know if there was ever much here but now there was just one house at the intersection of Harlan Road and Harlan - Burnt Woods Road. There was a bridge over a creek with another road off to the south. This might have been the way to Hill Top road and the route to the coast on logging roads. I have heard this is a hard route to follow without a GPS or someone who know it so I opted for the easier, but longer, route through Elk City. A mile or so past Harlan was Big Elk Campground. I expected it would be a hot day so I stopped to get some water. There was none but some campers were happy to share.

It was another 20 miles along Big Elk Creek to Elk City. Elk City is where the creek hits the Yaquina River 23 miles upstream. There is a nice little park with a boat launch and (I think) camping. My route then joined a nice smooth, quiet paved road which came from Highway 20 and followed the river to Toledo. I stopped at a boat launch part way and had a snack. The river was already quite wide. I have made the trip to Newport many times but I had never been on this road, nor followed the river for this far. Bicycling is really the only way to go if you want to enjoy the country.

As I approached Toledo I could see the coastal cloud bank. I had expected it to be clear by now but was glad it was not as hot as it had been. There were a couple of big hills in and out of Toledo and then 12 miles on Yaquina Bay road to Newport. The sun was not coming out like the forecast had predicted. It was cool and windy all the way in. As I came to the harbor I could hear the sea lions making a ruckus. I made a mental note to come back to see them with my granddaughter, which I did the next day.

I had lunch at the South Beach fish market and then another 18 miles down the coast to Beachside State Park where Linda and January were camping. I had driven this stretch many times, and rode it once a couple of years ago, but it really seemed much longer than I expected. Plus it was windy and cold. The day before had been sunny and 80+ but today it was barely over 50. That's the coast for you. I knew it was a long ride, but was surprised when I got there to see the odometer at 99 miles.

Short week. Not much after work riding.

After work ride. Round about route.

Actually rode 3 different bikes this week. Still hot. cooled off on Friday.

Hardest ride of the year. Strong winds all the way back. I am really wasted.

Most afternoons at the bike shop specing parts for Grando.

Took the WVSB. Got a good early start. Nice ride all the way. Crossed the river at Independence. New route through Salem much better than before. Gorgeous farm country on Wheatland road. No wheat, just berries and hops and filberts. Stopped at Spongs Landing north of Kaiser for lunch. Nice spot on the river. The bike camp at Champoeg is fine. Slightly away from the other campers with some nice big oaks for shade. Great showers as well.

Still can't bring my bike in the building. Rode the Allez thinking I might get a ride in but didn't. Too much time at the bike shop working on a parts list for Grando.

Short ride with Saturday morning group. Had to get back early. Fast pace, good workout.

Recovery week after Loop Tour. No a whole lot of miles.

Stage 8 and the end of the Loop Tour. Mostly flat return to the start. Some miles on 97 but through this area it is much wider than where we were on day 2, and much nicer riding.

Soon we were back where we started and it was time to say goodbye and hit the road.

Stage 7 of the Loop Tour. No more mountains to climb, just some nice quiet roads. Most of the ride was on the Cascade Lakes Scenic Highway. Not entirely scenic as much of it went through areas devastated by the pine bark beetle back in the 80's and 90's. Got much nicer as we approached the lava, and the lakes, to the north, Campground was on the Deshutes River.

Stage 6 of the Loop Tour. Another day of hard climbing. It started in right away as soon as we left Oakridge. A short way out I pulled in at a rest stop and Lon was there. He twisted my arm and insisted I throw my panniers in the van to make the climb easier. Who was I to argue? I was glad I did as it was a long, long climb to the top of Willamette Pass. There were a couple of scenic stops along the way including Salt Creek Falls, but mostly it was just a grind.

Very nice camping on Odell Lake. We had reserved a number of sites and so we were pretty well spread out. I got a nice spot pretty close to the lake. A few of us tried to swim, but it was super shallow with a rocky bottom. I could not walk out and ended up doing some sort of crab crawl to get out where it was deep enough to swim. It was fun anyhow. There was also a lodge and come cabins at the resort. Some of us hung out at the lodge in the early evening.

Stage 5 of the Loop Tour. The longest day and some really hard climbs, but absolutely gorgeous.

I had done Aufderheide Forest Road two years before, but not with a fully loaded bike, and not all the way to Oakridge. I didn't remember it as being too awful hard and it wasn't, until that last mile to the summit. That's where it gets really steep. I was crawling along at about 3-4 mph, but I made it. Of course our wonderful SAG drivers were waiting at the top with cool drinks. You really learn to appreciate the support on a ride like this.

Again stopped at a campground on the way down, splashed in the river and hung in the hammock. I guess we broke the rules this time as the support crew did not know where we were. It was hot and no one was in a hurry to get to camp, as it was another school field. I got there just in time to get a shower before they closed the locker room.

Stage 4 of the Loop Tour. The big climb over McKenzie pass. Very nice, both up and down. Stopped at a campground on the down side and hung in my hammock for a while. Then on to McKenzie bridge and the RV park. Nice accommodations plus a catered meal.

Here I am on my way up the east slope of McKenzie Pass.

Rest day in Sisters. Not a great pace to camp as there was little shade, and little shelter. Thunderstorms were threatening but I don't think we actually got any rain.

On the rest day I rode a 6 mile dirt trail to Indian Ford campground. It stated out sandy which was hard going, but got better after a couple of miles. Took Indian Ford road back to Camp Polk road, and then Wilt road to Junipine Acres to check on the Stauff's old place. It was empty. Lot's of memories here from when the kids were little Then back to Sisters.

Stage 3 of the Loop Tour. Hot day with a nice swimming hole mid way. Joined the Smith Rock - Sisters Scenic Bikeway for most of the ride..

Leaving the town of Culver, heading back the way we came in. Fortunately we found an alternate route which kept us off Highway 97. We paralleled 97 to the east and then crossed it one to a short bike path which led to the old bridge over the Crooked River Gorge. Having stopped here many years ago with my family it was great to be back on bike. We took the time for some portraits while on the bridge with the Three Sisters mountains in the background.

After the bridge and the small park we stopped at, we got spread out but then re-grouped at the swimming hole (no pictures). I left the swimming hole before the others and rode solo the rest of the way to Sisters. This was actually my favorite part of the ride. The country varied between farmland and woods and the mountains just kept getting closer. I passed a lovely organic farm called Rainshadow and talked to a few people who were stopped by the side of one of the fields. I didn't get any pictures of the farm. These next pictures were further up the road.

It was a hot day. As the route crossed the highway some people opted for the shorter straight shot into Sisters. I continued on the scenic route. I was getting low on water when I passed a fire station where the person on duty let me fill up. As I was approaching Sisters things started to become familiar to me as we visited my in-laws there many times.

Stage 2 of the MVBC Loop Tour. Idyllic country roads for 20 miles to Smith Rock. Hiked down and up the river a bit with Dan and Eilene. Incredible place. Then a few more quiet miles to Terrabon before 5 miles on Hwy 97. Terrible road. Then back on the mellow roads to Culver and our destination. Had a surprise visit from Chris and Adinah who were on their way home from a trip to New Mexico.

Stage 1 of the Loop Tour. I camped at Tumalo park the night before so I got 7 extra miles. Hot day and a great ride.

Started out of Bend in a group and headed south a few blocks before getting out on the Alfalfa Market Road. This part of the ride was a repeat for me as I had come this way on my Northwest Passage tour in 2010. On that ride I camped up on the top just past the Prineville Reservoir, but on this ride we continued all the way down the Crooked River to Prineville for our first camp.

Rode out with Diamond who stayed with us a night.