Vacation

Here are some pictures from our vacation. We started by flying into Billings, MT--late, with an injured wrist, and in the rain, so instead of embarking right away on our backpacking trip, we spent the night in Cody. We got invited to Laurence's friend's house for dinner with the friend's new mail-order Russian bride. He's a gourmet cook and the food was awesome.

The next day, we packed our backpacks and drove to the East Rosebud Trailhead near Red Lodge, MT for our hike in the Beartooths. The ultimate purpose was to leave Samuel's ashes (he was the greatest dog on earth). The weather was perfect and almost no people. Scott set up camp in the dark (I was no help with one arm) and we opted to skip dinner in favor of a second round of hot cocoa with Bulleit Burboun (by now, maybe it was bourbon with cocoa--at any rate, it helped the Vicodin take away the pain!). The night was cold, but not as cold as the one we spent in the Sister's Wilderness a couple weeks earlier. The next morning was sunny and warm on the small gravel beach of Rainbow Lake. The ideal conditions caused us to linger here until the afternoon, endangering our upcoming drive to the Badlands of South Dakota. The only other person we saw at the lake was from Bozeman and he knows my college roommate Cynthia who lives in Yellowstone Park. Bizarre!

We carried Samuel's ashes in two water bottles which got scrutinized at airport security. We set the bottles on the beach with us and one of them attracted a butterfly that stayed for over an hour. I called it Sam's gaurdian butterfly.

Hungry after our hike, we ate burgers and drank local beer in Billings, then bought groceries for our trip east. It was 9 p.m. by the time we started the 7-hour drive. At 2 a.m. we gave up and pitched the tent at a state park in eastern Montana. We finally made it to Badlands National Park the following afternoon. We did a couple easy hikes. The scenery was spectacular! But we once again (third night in a row) set up camp in the dark. On the drive to the primitive campground on the far side of the park, we saw the sun set and the full moon rise at the same time. Really cool. The next morning we drove into Wall, SD (home of Wall Drug in case you haven't seen one of the ten million billboards they have around the country) for much-needed showers and a hot breakfast of something besides instant oatmeal. We drove through the main part of the park in daylight this time, then explored the area near our campsite. Lots of bison and prairie dogs.

The drive back to Cody was pretty awesome, too. We went through Sheridan (where we stopped for Mr. Misty's at the DQ) and drove over the Big Horn Mountains, through Greybull, then into Cody.

Life with one arm

If you're thinking that missing an arm for six weeks is no big deal, try putting one hand in your pocket for a few hours and see how things go. Here are lists of things I can and cannot do; I'll update it over the next few weeks.

I can:
open a beer
pull on elastic-waist pants
walk the dog
type with one hand

I cannot:
button pants with more than one button
apply deodorant to my right armpit
tie my shoes
do my hair
zip a jacket

The Dangers of Cycling

Portland is often considered one of the most bicyle-friendly cities in the U.S. We have bike lanes, bike paths, maps of bike routes, and aware drivers (when they're not talking on cell phones and otherwise being oblivious to their surroundings). While ridership has escalated over the past five years, the number of bike/car accidents has remained the same. Still, when I ride in town, I exercise extreme caution. I never assume a car will stop at a stop sign or signal a turn. I make eye contact before crossing intersections or changing lanes. Despite my paranoia, I still managed to get nailed by the "right hook," a classic accident scenario that is set up by having bike lanes to the right of car lanes where cars need to make right turns at intersections. This scenario has been made safer by the new "bike box"--a painted box that allows bikes to move ahead of cars when stopped at traffic lights, thus allowing them to proceed across the intersection ahead of auto traffic when the light turns green.

The bike box does not provide a solution to traffic that is continuously moving through a green light, however. Despite driver and rider caution, this accident scenario is likely to happen repeatedly. Most of my friends think mountain biking is dangerous--but all of my notable cycling injuries have occured on the roads

From Cody, Wyoming--

My vacation to Montana/Wyoming/South Dakota has been extended with wrist surgery. The day before we left, I was on my bike downtown and was hit by a car making a right turn across the bike lane. My 9-day-old cyclocross bike suffered a bent brake/derailleur handle and I was left with knee abrasions, a nasty bruise on my left hip and a broken left wrist. X-rays did not show a fracture, so I wore a splint and wrap for a week in hopes of healing a sprain. A follow-up appointment I scheduled in Cody resulted in an MRI and the need for pins and a cast. Instead of going home today, I'll have the surgery tomorrow and hang out here for the rest of the week since I can't race the Adventure Xstream in Moab as originally planned.

Despite the complications and inconvenience, we've had a fun vacation. We spent two days hiking in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana where we left the ashes of our dog, Samuel J. This was his first hike and swim. After eating and purchasing supplies in Montana, we headed for Badlands National Park in South Dakota for two days of exploring. We met two interesting people at our campsite: Jim from Ohio is living a life dream to explore the country while receiving unemployment. He's traveling alone in his Ford wagon and seeing all the usual tourist sites of the west. Julie is a teacher from Pennsylvania on sabattical and touring the country for 6 months.

We drove over the Bighorn Mountains to Cody where we stayed with Scott's parents and visited friends and family. The weather has been spectacular and I'm looking forward to a few more peaceful days here.

Birthday backpacking trip

Scott and I took Tucker on three-day hiking adventure in the Three Sisters Wilderness for my annual birthday backpacking trip. For once, the hike in was fairly short and easy. We started at the Park Meadow trailhead just south of Sisters, Oregon, in the central Oregon Cascade mountains. Overuse by horses has chewed the trail into a six-foot-wide pile of powdery dust that traverses a ridge below Broken Top. The scenery improves as you enter Park Meadow, a too-popular camping destination that offers views of South Sister and Broken Top. From there we climbed for a mile before leaving the main trail and heading to Golden Lake, a clear, cold tarn in a beautiful meadow flanked by Broken Top. From the north side of the lake, North, Middle and South Sister are all visible.



We were in time to set up camp and cook dinner before dark and we enjoyed hot cocoa with Bullet Bourbon in just enough of a breeze to keep the mosquitos at bay. The next morning was chilly with an icy breeze blowing through camp. Thinking the day would warm up, we set off for a day hike to Green Lakes with lunch and plans to relax in the sun with our magazines. The fall-like crisp air and cold wind continued all day, even though it was still August. We were able to find shelter from the wind by hunkering down on a gravelly slope above the largest of the Green Lakes.



In the evening, we went to filter water by the waterfall that pours into Golden Lake. A trail follows the creek uphill to two smaller ponds even closer to the cliffs of Broken Top's summit. Since it's only a mile, we decided (actually I decided and Scott grudgingly went along) to explore. The upper tarns were even more spectacular than Golden Lake and offered shelter from the south wind. We regretted not discovering this earlier! But dark was not far off, so back to camp we went where I finally found comfort by dragging my sleeping bag out of the tent and snuggling in it while enjoying my post-dinner toddy. That night, Tucker's water bowl froze over and we had ice crystals inside the tent instead of the usual condensation.



On the drive home in the pouring rain, we listened to the weather forecast on the radio. Snow was expected above 5,000 feet; our camp was around 6,500. Had we not had to work Monday and camped another night, we might have experienced the season's first snowfall!

Mountain Bike Oregon

Mountain Bike Oregon is a sort of all-inclusive vacation for those of us with a warped sense of luxury and a thirst for epic singletrack. The brainchild of Randy Dreilling, lifelong resident of Oakridge, city councilman and mountain bike guide, MBO is wildly popular, now filling two summer weekends with over 250 riders at each session in only its fourth year. Basically, you show up with your tent and your bike and everything else is taken care of: three meals a day, free beer in the evenings, ride shuttles and guides, bike demos, clinics and even bike related giveaways.

Shane and Russ picked me up Thursday afternoon and we made the three-hour drive in record heat. Russ attended MBO last year and had nothing but great things to say about it, so I was looking forward to checking it out for myself. I had been to Oakridge a few times for mountain bike and adventure races, but was excited to visit just for fun with no race pressure. We wanted to arrive early so we could make camp, sign up for our weekend rides, enjoy a meal and a margarita in town and get a good night's sleep before the action began Friday morning. While Russ and Shane parked their pop-up trailer, I found a site in the tent city that was springing up along the bank of the Middle Fork Willamette River. Walking through camp on the way to register, I already had a bad case of bike envy—Tituses, Yetis, Ibises, Salsas, factory and custom, geared and single-speed—it was hard not to lust after something. After checking in and signing up for ride shuttles, we enjoyed the aforementioned Mexican meal and margarita, had a glass of wine or three in camp and hit the hay early.

I was up at 6:45 to establish my morning routine for the weekend: fill mug with coffee, make my lunch, wait in line for breakfast, fill Cambelback and water bottles, prepare bike. Members of the Oakridge Moose Lodge dished up eggs, sausage, biscuits, yogurt and granola for breakfast every morning. The make-your own lunch table was piled with loaves of Dave's Killer Bread, cold cuts, peanut butter and jelly, string cheese, fruit bars, chips and assorted snacks for long days in the saddle.

There are at least half a dozen ride options every day of various lengths and difficulty.. Shuttles typically depart at 9 a.m. and 12:15 p.m., but rides from camp are available as well. We chose a short, easy ride in the morning so we could be back in time for the afternoon shuttle to the Alpine Trail, the supposed “crown jewel” of Oakridge riding.

Flat Creek was a fun downhill, followed by five miles on the Salmon Creek trail, zipping through the trees along the creek, over roots and around rocks. We had a few minutes for lunch before the Alpine shuttle. Once on the trail, 42 riders quickly split into three smaller groups according to ability. Each group had two guides, one to lead and one to sweep. There was even a water drop haflway through so we could refill empty bottles. The trail dumped us out at the covered bridge in Westfir and we pedaled paved roads the five miles back to camp and the New Belgium Brewing beer garden for a well-deserved cold one. The challenge for the weekend: to polish off the 15 kegs provided for the event. But first, yoga class to stretch those tight hips and backs.
There was a shuttle to take us the half-mile to the high school gym for frigid showers. A sign admonished “No bikes in locker room.” Dinner consisted of disappointingly cold pizza and a nice fresh salad bar.

I usually shy away from large groups, but the MBO participants were friendly and relaxed. There was no ego on the trail and riders of all abilities were able to bike together without incident. Everyone seemed to sort themselves according to skill level and avoid pile-ups on the downhills. In camp, people introduced themselves and chatted about the days rides and where they were from. I ran into people I knew from other events and met plenty of new people as well. There was a core group that ended up on the same rides all three days and we got to know each other pretty well. One of those was Tom Morgan of Ibis Cycles and his wife and sister-in-law. They were also camped next to me. Of course they all three ride Ibises. Alexis is about my size and she let me ride her bike around camp to try it out. I think I found my next mountain bike!

Saturday was another hot one, so we drank plenty of water in the morning before boarding the Lawler-Hardesty double shuttle. Lawler started with a gentle climb up a gravel road and singletrack to an overlook for spectacular views of the three Sisters and the upper Willamette valley. Then fun traversing on pine-needle covered trails to the rocky top of Lawler where several tight, rocky switchbacks awaited. The trail continued down, steep at times, occasionally exposed, and often fast and twisting through the trees. After crossing a gravel road, the trail pitched up steeply for a few switchbacks before traversing a ridge and beginning a wild and hairy descent through lots of switchbacks and narrow exposures to trail's end. Then we rode downhill some more on a gravel road to the bus where we ate lunch in the shade before shuttling back up to Hardesty Mountain, which also began with a climb.

This was my favorite trail of the week with the perfect combination of tight twisting turns through the trees, steep pitches, switchbacks and root drops. Better yet, the lagoon at the lower trailhead made for a refreshing swim before the hot bus ride back to the now eagerly anticipated beer garden. As the bus pulled out of the parking lot, one of the guides saw another rider dropping out of the trail. He leaned out the window and yelled “Hey! Are you with MBO?” “No,” the rider replied. “Too bad!” said the guide and we all laughed as we pulled away.

The tri-tip sandwiches with asparagus served up by Chris King (high-end bike component manufacturer) looked delicious, but they ran out of both by the time I made it through the line. Portabello was a good substitute, though, along with potato salad and berry shortcake for desert. In the beer garden, things got rowdy with events like the Huffy toss and the kiddy bike criterium. After all the raffle goodies were given away, we got to watch video footage from the weekend. Russ, Shane and I even rallied for a night ride out the Salmon Creek trail.

The night was hot and thunderstorms threatened, so I put my rain fly on when I heard the first raindrops. Rain never materialized, though, and the fly only served to restrict airflow, turning my tent into my own personal sauna. Sunday dawned hot and humid. Russ and I opted for the Larison Creek ride from camp while Shane took the Hardesty shuttle for more downhill fun. I demoed a carbon Epic from the Specialized trailer and was eager to see if a $6,000 bike actually does the pedaling for you. It does not. It was light and efficient, though, so the 10-mile climb to the trailhead was noticeably easier than on my Stumpjumper Pro. The first mile of trail consisted of hairpin switchbacks, babypowder hillsides and wild rocky drops. I walked much of this, but then the trail became much more rideable with roots, rocks, creek crossings, twisting turns and short but steep climbs which the Epic scooted up seemingly unaided by me.

Back at camp, the tent city had disappeared and people were loading cars for drives home to California, Washington and Oregon or flights to Maine and North Carolina. We took one last cold shower before making the three-hour drive home, now looking forward to a day off the bike!

Nice day at the coast?

In true Oregon style, it was cold and rainy for our motorcycle ride to the (coast. We planned to leave early Saturday morning, ride a scenic loop, then spend the day at the beach before heading home to have dinner with our neighbors down the street. In reality, it was almost noon by the time we fired up the Harley and roared out of the neighborhood.

I had mapped out a route that would take us out Hwy. 26 toward Seaside with a detour loop through Vernonia, Mist and Jewell in the Coast Range. Sporting my new Switchback jacket with the leather zipped ON (I had envisioned wearing the mesh option on a midsummer's ride), we left town and eventually turned off the highway toward Vernonia.

Vernonia became famous last November when heavy rains flooded the entire town and put it on the national news. Luckily, we were there for it's annual summer festival (all small towns in Oregon have a summer festival) and it took us 20 minutes to get through the 5-minute town.

From here, the scenery alternated between clearcuts and farmland, with some nice sections of forest remaining. A few houses and some trailers make up what remains of the nearly-defunct timber camps of Mist and Jewell. I traveled a portion of this route when I ran the Hood to Coast Relay a few years back. In the wee hours of the morning, Mist earns its name.

Half-frozen by the time we arrived in Cannon Beach, I cheered at the warm sun breaking through the clouds. But by the time we finished our mediocre chowder and crab melts at Mo's (an Oregon tradition but I'm not sure why) the clouds were back and the beach was no longer inviting. We continued our journey south on Highway 101 (the coast highway) to Tillamook where it finally was warm and sunny. But alas, we had no more time to spend if we were to make it to dinner on time.

All in all we had a good day, but wished a few things had been different.