tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82728318053554738922024-03-05T12:26:35.477-08:00Wherever I RoamAdventures in the Pacific Northwest and...?Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-49990328760268941452020-03-14T18:11:00.000-07:002020-03-14T18:11:51.196-07:002109 Summary- The Ski ReportOK, so it's been a spell since I posted. I suppose my original idea of blogging about all adventures was taken over by Instagram Stories and the old school social media, Facebook. 2019 started on skis, and really all the best parts of the winter involved skiing (or something like it.)<br />
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It all started with the welcoming of 2019. Sue, Julie, and I, along with three others spent the New Year's weekend on a Nordic hut to hut tour through <a href="https://threesistersbackcountry.com/huts/nordic-traverse-huts/">Sister's Backcountry</a>. I highly recommend this.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ufn3JLHo_oIyFysbKdCEoQA057RZi-xVx562cTtA2RF-jfkqbQiH2uBZ_nQg_TO3x4SqesWlESI_UWIqcGboiawpWisSsDOSPZZsWIDGmalThSLtnkye2RV7WjqLRch8vF1GxALpKIfM/s1600/IMG_3271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ufn3JLHo_oIyFysbKdCEoQA057RZi-xVx562cTtA2RF-jfkqbQiH2uBZ_nQg_TO3x4SqesWlESI_UWIqcGboiawpWisSsDOSPZZsWIDGmalThSLtnkye2RV7WjqLRch8vF1GxALpKIfM/s320/IMG_3271.JPG" width="320" />I made it to the top Mt. St. Helens for the first time in February with people I barely knew, in new ski boots. It was actually the first timetaking out my new touring skis. It worked out well, I had so much fun, and the tops of mountains, even abbreviated 8366 ft. volcanic ones, make you feel so powerful, yet sooooooooo tiny.</a></div>
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Later in the winter, I shared a story from last year's OTT adventure at a <a href="https://www.boldlywentadventures.com/">Boldly Went</a> live show. It is going to be on their podcast later this summer. At the show, I won a raffle prize of an entry to a ski mountaineering (skimo) race. My goodness, that was a hard day, but quite satisfying. I got 3rd out of 5 ladies, so that was rad. I think I will do another one next year because pushing your legs and lungs to the edge is a good reminder that you are in your mid 40s, but still rocking with the kids.<br />
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Then on a Wednesday in May, Jocelyn texted me, "Do you want to climb Adams on Saturday? Camp at trailhead. Alpine Start." I responded "Sure" and then spend 3 days half dreading the 6 mile uphill walk , but so excited to finally climb Mt. Adams. It was hard. Super duper hard, but very rewarding. We did not summit, with skis and heavy packs, but I can see that happening later this summer.<br />
<br />Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-16015865203336004012018-11-06T22:15:00.002-08:002018-11-06T22:15:34.818-08:002 Months Later... What Still Amazes Me<span style="font-size: large;">I'm still amazed that my body let me do this for 2 weeks straight. There were few times on the route that I was really tired and the pace kept everything manageable. I want to finish the Oregon Timber Trail next summer. Although I recently rode the first 15ish miles of the next section and I'm not so sure I want to redo that part with gear. It's straight the hell push-a-bike UP!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I get asked a lot, "Would you redo it?" Or, "What part would you want to re- ride?" The answer is NOPE and none with bike bags. There is something magical about a once in a lifetime experience- you do it once. I feel like I would never have the same reaction looking over Fremont Point for the first time. I will never be as thrilled to come across a 3 inch deep, 18 inch wide creek, after rationing my last 8 ounces of water over the past 2 hours. I will never react tot he same surprises. Honestly, there are parts I really don't ever want to ride again. The Earth is too big to take time to relive the unpleasant parts. And the stuff I would re-ride? Of course I want to, without bike bags. There is some fun trail between Crescent Lake and Sisters. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have 3 goals for next summer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Mountain Bike Trip in Peru (already planned, deposit placed)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. Finish Oregon Timber Trail </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. Backpack all or part of the Washington Pacific Crest Trail</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Who's in?</span>Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-49365964219587633862018-11-06T22:04:00.003-08:002018-11-06T22:18:47.486-08:00OTT Day #14- July 26, 2018: Sisters to Fish and Clear Lakes... and Trout In My Mouth<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6BFkNvVJLioyGIJnIE9GQ1ZEbqrVS8kcjeCNGlNKgQPezfsiERDDHONwrDHMmOe0XccSFR0m4MgqGe3AuCt4eZgKdyni13qbzYS5hYvN2l_Y1Z8Au4M8nY0yuNL-LQokyrSy331Qtcqj/s1600/20180726_093135_HDR-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1542" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6BFkNvVJLioyGIJnIE9GQ1ZEbqrVS8kcjeCNGlNKgQPezfsiERDDHONwrDHMmOe0XccSFR0m4MgqGe3AuCt4eZgKdyni13qbzYS5hYvN2l_Y1Z8Au4M8nY0yuNL-LQokyrSy331Qtcqj/s400/20180726_093135_HDR-1.jpg" width="383" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Breakfast was as planned. Oatmeal and coffee and anything else we didn't want to carry on this last day. We popped by <a href="https://blazinsaddleshub.business.site/">Blazing Saddles Bike Shop </a>for Evan to fix a pedal issue, and to sign the OTT log book and air up the tires. Then we were rolling along the </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading out of Sisters</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first 10ish miles was flat and mellow- a perfect way to warm up, wake up, and gear up for the big day. Everything between Sisters and Suttle Lake was a nicely groomed single track or well worm gravel road. We must have been quite a sight to the fancy folks enjoying their weekend day at the lodge, as we leaned our bikes along the deck and ordered a beer and curly fries. I admit I was a little jealous of the visitors in bathing suits, playing in the water. That's OK, I can just soak my jersey and bandana in the cool lake. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Not more than a couple miles after leaving Suttle Lake, things turned unpleasant. We had a steep hike (not ride) from Dark Lake up, up, UP to a gravel road. This road started innocent enough, but soon the "gravel" got softer and softer and looser, and eventually was just... sand. All three of us were on and off the bike constantly, due to the deep sand. And we were tired and we were hot. And SAND! It was the hardest I ever had to work to ride my bike along a mostly flat road. But hey, it was the <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5324557.pdf">Santiam Wagon Road</a> and it was all historic and shit, so I should be proud and enjoy it, but... all the damn sand.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZsqFcr0MVWBw9H3Uhbd2kjE9dbnStrTLw48ppvXJFF8c0dlKDff_CalmDa9ydyxtwdwEZWlCuE2KItF2NK2wZjPEcGmLV4dPrkoic7SMWy2uwqFrWD4IMIgbLE6_kdSKtoXZiA35f5x4/s1600/20180726_172338_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZsqFcr0MVWBw9H3Uhbd2kjE9dbnStrTLw48ppvXJFF8c0dlKDff_CalmDa9ydyxtwdwEZWlCuE2KItF2NK2wZjPEcGmLV4dPrkoic7SMWy2uwqFrWD4IMIgbLE6_kdSKtoXZiA35f5x4/s400/20180726_172338_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I had one melt down. It lasted about 4 seconds. I yelled a sigh of profanity. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEnmK1YGL1nQNDpNWZoE5YWXYT6F5FSWkvw_Cj10skNLhxFgz85pPh_NudDTbzYAsIhYYv1gkoBqdbGa3K98JeKJJB7I17gGsEq-jJYRHGjncH6g9GeXu69noahlFbBGSqcbmkjOCEqn4g/s1600/20180726_180649_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEnmK1YGL1nQNDpNWZoE5YWXYT6F5FSWkvw_Cj10skNLhxFgz85pPh_NudDTbzYAsIhYYv1gkoBqdbGa3K98JeKJJB7I17gGsEq-jJYRHGjncH6g9GeXu69noahlFbBGSqcbmkjOCEqn4g/s400/20180726_180649_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And when the Earth insults couldn't get worse, we came to a cute little interpretive sign welcoming us to SAND MOUNTAIN [quickly bring palm to face]</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/F38DBVKw5YM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F38DBVKw5YM?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdp-H3_9-oJO9UQuEosZnyXmfezZLTgA6hfo27tUl1yYbR1Gd47j3uGi6GgoKN5wom_LYnvQYM0wEPagHslan6YtlA4pox2X5qkNOOmNtImBbI18wByneBinmJHBqyyScVOjf3T8m-lo-6/s1600/20180726_170215_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdp-H3_9-oJO9UQuEosZnyXmfezZLTgA6hfo27tUl1yYbR1Gd47j3uGi6GgoKN5wom_LYnvQYM0wEPagHslan6YtlA4pox2X5qkNOOmNtImBbI18wByneBinmJHBqyyScVOjf3T8m-lo-6/s400/20180726_170215_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Finally, after a short water refill and a visit with a camper at Big Lake, we slowly road out of the sand, into some lava rocky sections, and finally back to the big woods. We were all pretty quiet the last few miles to Fish Lake at the McKenzie River Trailhead, and the end of our ride at Clear Lake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bill talked us into the trail ride option to and around Clear Lake to where Deann and Karey had set up camp and had cold beers and snack waiting. Deann caught us each a trout for dinner, cooked over a campfire. She also brought a solar heated camp shower and I used more than my share! We stayed up late. We drank plenty. We had NO plans to ride bikes the next day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next morning, we drove IN A CAR to the lake lodge for breakfast and later I took a kayak around <a href="http://visitmckenzieriver.com/oregon/item/clear-lake/">Clear Lake</a>. It's geologic history is pretty cool. Before too long, Karey and I were in the car, headed back toward civilization. Re-assimilation would be hard for a couple days, but I was ready for a rest.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>The End For Now</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For more photos, see the link on the right or... <a href="https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipN__SBrChA7uqI4r-ZVfwXA5GMjGidkF2gJ7kjyMx0oVCo2xu6xamCHtmtYm9TUkg?key=ZC1LcnNKdlNTV01URTVYS3djdWJjMGExMTh4QkZ3">HERE</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-39563259339786071182018-11-06T20:58:00.005-08:002018-11-06T20:58:49.594-08:00OTT Day #13- July 25, 2018: Random Flat Logging Site to Sisters!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">Before we tucked away to sleep last night one of us joked about the logging trucks showing up early in the morning of a forecasted hot day to finish their job. Oh, and we were not pressed for time, so we could even sleep in, which in the summer means maybe 6:30 if you're lucky.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Beep! Crash! Motor of large vehicle... as foreshadowed, the log picker uppers came just after dawn. Rather than stick around for breakfast, we quickly threw our gear together and rode the 5 miles left to 3 Creeks Campground for coffee and breakfast. Even at 8:00am, it was already hot. We were in for a scorcher. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUQ0nKDTfkouddNvUnPITeOu9LBtxG3kuAVOcDkTba_1lNI8HXKoMxQ09adcQPOk8nHbxJ7UdC7VOuiGlkWFuW1POC0kMx7q88pTsb644Mi7yeubaB8JTdse-qzxDbKI0Jc4x6jOYznoE/s1600/20180725_100801_HDR-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1468" data-original-width="1600" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUQ0nKDTfkouddNvUnPITeOu9LBtxG3kuAVOcDkTba_1lNI8HXKoMxQ09adcQPOk8nHbxJ7UdC7VOuiGlkWFuW1POC0kMx7q88pTsb644Mi7yeubaB8JTdse-qzxDbKI0Jc4x6jOYznoE/s400/20180725_100801_HDR-1.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Fed and ready, we hopped back on the Metolius- Windigo trail heading for Peterson Ridge, just south of Sisters. Due to a recent burn, this section was so eerie. The heat of the flames had scarred the trees to a grey ghost forest, creating a perfect setting for the next Tim Burton movie. It was also beautiful and the only vegetation besides some high mountain grass, were some wildflowers poking out along a very small creek. In the video below, I mention Mt. Hood. It was actually Mt. Jefferson</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzFd4b34Yv2QjXuuEBap4QXHK2c5d1Zh97GTltNG8Kck27v5bmWT-W058MbWpfP-mrj9e78ATg0Dkbf5yz2Ug' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Getting through the burn in the late morning heat finally gave way to woods that had escaped the fire the year before. It was a great place to have some lunch. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next section of trail, was pretty rocky and surprisingly technical, but again gorgeous... and still hot. Eventually our decent down Peterson Ridge took us to Sisters. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLl_pOkOpYf9F90TZ-Ax7Urbcupgy6PwOh3zmJNqT1ZhKalBspPQ6sqFZGLpzHoPF73GC_0MBmPzO8tQ9IBOvfVa8xkwIGlI2GiepUs0v8c77bbqMcZUveUAzTqZnb8eq3815Q7YTbntA2/s1600/20180725_115350_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLl_pOkOpYf9F90TZ-Ax7Urbcupgy6PwOh3zmJNqT1ZhKalBspPQ6sqFZGLpzHoPF73GC_0MBmPzO8tQ9IBOvfVa8xkwIGlI2GiepUs0v8c77bbqMcZUveUAzTqZnb8eq3815Q7YTbntA2/s400/20180725_115350_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">At some point, I felt that the air hitting my face, hooked up under my glasses and I felt hot air on my eye balls. The last few miles were long and flat. I was a bit surprised to not see many people out riding and hiking, but again... hot. How hot we wondered. When we finally made it to town and 3 Creeks Brewing, we passed a bank sing. And in the shade, the temperature reading was 97. The funniest part of the day that I can remember was the hostess at the brewery asking us if we wanted to sit outside.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">NO!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">More great food and more great beer and we quickly decided that we would be sleeping indoors that night. We needed showers, air conditioning, and beds. A couple of great friends in Bend tried to connect us up with host housing in Sisters and even offered to come get us to stay the night. But for convenience, we decided to to just grab a close hotel room for the night. </span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw-LXHAUfo9F6d8qSVqxu_qDZOGoCxDZOm4IA5UuqHhnNSnGBVFVi0gMyH9I3BVpgeg9-x1H1rZq5oPKpuYhQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My treasures collected at the grocery store included sushi, chips and salsa, coconut cream pie, cherries, and canned wine. We bathed. We laundered. We watched action movies and felt luxurious.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tomorrow's forecast was another hot one, over 95, and it was going to be a long last ride. Our LAST RIDE on the Oregon Timber Trail this year. </span><br />
<br />Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-14089495114512515002018-11-05T22:12:00.002-08:002018-11-06T15:48:51.851-08:00July 2018: OTT Inventory and Lessons Thus Far<span style="font-size: large;">Flats: 0</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Chipmunk: 738</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Coors Light Offers: 3</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Mosquitoes: 4, 592</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Deer: 3</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Cows: 10-15</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Punctured Sawyer Filter Bags: 1</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">* Never underestimate the last 4 miles. Like NEVER. You are never almost there. You'll know you're almost there where you are rolling around the campground, picking out a sleep spot</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">* End all sentences with "so far." Things change.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">* My tent is too big for 1 person and too small for 2</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">* Pack your items in your bike bags according to when you will need them, not by what they are</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">* Always say hi to the camp host.</span><br />
<br />Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-12467382328213569652018-11-05T22:08:00.001-08:002019-03-03T20:15:50.960-08:00OTT Day #12- July 24, 2018: Cultus Lake to... A Logging Site via. Mt. Bachelor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqSgfmcf2SDZlU7LX4JApSMr-qIx4pnkdYXB5sOOJW1fPzf_5Yv939Ir__xqVjQIZzjWljBb_l2sgFYRSmw_mqAEARzMr_8L7g5EynyGTgv8Uk5jUZRGpnTEVk0_G6motmBqTYSWOTmed/s1600/20180724_124103_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1335" data-original-width="1600" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqSgfmcf2SDZlU7LX4JApSMr-qIx4pnkdYXB5sOOJW1fPzf_5Yv939Ir__xqVjQIZzjWljBb_l2sgFYRSmw_mqAEARzMr_8L7g5EynyGTgv8Uk5jUZRGpnTEVk0_G6motmBqTYSWOTmed/s400/20180724_124103_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Whew! Truth time. I'm writing the blog posts for day #11-14 about 3 months after this trip. It's been emotional reliving this experience. In 2 weeks, my group mates and I are doing a short movie presentation and Q&A with our local community. I'm excited and it's gotten me thinking about finishing the OTT next summer.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Anyway... today we knew we had a lot fo uphill miles to cover. We headed toward Mt. Bachelor Bike Park with hopes of a burger and beer. The first 5 or so miles were along an old gravel road to Lava Lake Store. Yes, there was a beer at 10:00am and it tasted pretty damn good while we charged our devices and chargers.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">New lesson- always make a plan for where to meet, even when going to the bathroom. About 20 minutes were lost as we lost each other at the small campground Oh man!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Finally, we hopped on the Metolius- Windigo trail to start our uphill pedal to Mt. Bachelor. We were pretty quiet in our personal journeys this morning. We didn't chat too much. 20 minute or more would go by without us speaking at all and giving each other mental and visual space. I know I was feeling a little sentimental reflecting on the past 10 days and being almost finished. I was also pretty tired. We all were. I easily zoned into a somewhat meditative state with a repeating mantra:</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><b><i>I am strong</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><b><i>I am powerful</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><b><i>I trust my body. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/u1ZB_rGFyeU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u1ZB_rGFyeU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I also distracted myself my singing OKGO's "I won't let you down" over and over. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I also made a mental list of things that are harder than this. I later shared this mental list with the boys and it would serve as giggle fodder for the next 2 days. Whenever I looked or acted complainy Bill would just mention something that was worse- and some were very creative. It was worth the crack up. Turns out, our ride wasn't so bad. Again with the realization that we were riding our bikes most of the way through the state, healthy and free enough to accomplish such a thing.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpmp8ZA39xUlQDCuk9jZfrj0ig67Wokmrcsrl1IgpoZqbeYG0_UvqlRqTU1apVzhLfLBZpnd_5AY4LHRjrCBRJecT-kHvHUn80yXLu9TNPQMEBa17a0H0DnWt5FhBMcxv8o1y1qNVjJPmC/s1600/20180724_154933-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpmp8ZA39xUlQDCuk9jZfrj0ig67Wokmrcsrl1IgpoZqbeYG0_UvqlRqTU1apVzhLfLBZpnd_5AY4LHRjrCBRJecT-kHvHUn80yXLu9TNPQMEBa17a0H0DnWt5FhBMcxv8o1y1qNVjJPmC/s640/20180724_154933-1.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Finally, we made it to Mt. Bachelor Bike Park, at the same location as the resort and man were we ready for those burgers!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Airlift. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What!?! Bill found the first person who looked like they worked at the resort (ski/ bike patrol) where we could devour some lunch. He told us that the cafe was at the TOP of the chairlift. This was not good. Luckily, our new friend could tell we were hungry and thirsty with credit cards, and knowing that we had no interest is shredding the brow pow in the bike park, he subtly walked us on to the chair lift to take us to our late lunch destination. Here we all enjoyed elk burgers with fries, salad, and a cold beer. I guess I haven't mentioned yet that the temps were in the high 90s that day, but it was a bit cooler at the resort. </span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx5_MgS3lbolFGiefiBlHUIhoHA8R2P8fIKEyGUgWeWZz8FLIfZVKlsoBVSWU2ybzkb5FDN7vrswHrUMK7qGw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">We ended up hanging out there for almost 2 hours, just cooling off and relaxing, and drinking much much water. They eventually had to kick us out when the cafe closed. Our's were the last 3 bikes waiting at the bottom of the chair lift.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEPjmzrQkQmOS9Y8vzHnzbraM5RNHds2jsoQVEikSlpUyfPXn-fDjELIxYVA93rn14HiVidj8-8qV4LKRjNL9sK4UWA4cs__l9XnhYfkHnZWRzDKgCjrt2XmqLT7vXSh6RJU6FCCG0cax/s1600/20180724_193146_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEPjmzrQkQmOS9Y8vzHnzbraM5RNHds2jsoQVEikSlpUyfPXn-fDjELIxYVA93rn14HiVidj8-8qV4LKRjNL9sK4UWA4cs__l9XnhYfkHnZWRzDKgCjrt2XmqLT7vXSh6RJU6FCCG0cax/s400/20180724_193146_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Onward and upward we headed about 10 miles along a primitive dirt road. This was actually a very pretty ride, with amazing views of Broken Top Mountain. We were trying to make it to 3 Creeks Campground, but we were running out of sunlight. After finding some water for the evening at a stream, Bill found us a nice flat place to sleep. You could tell by the soft dust imprints left that logging operations had occurred that day right where we were camped. We were feeling pretty satisfied about our 37 miles, and 3800 feet of elevation gain. Soon we were nestled in our tents, looking for to a lazy morning and nice descent to Sisters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-67782842834337052492018-11-05T21:33:00.002-08:002018-11-05T22:05:55.766-08:00OTT Day #11- July 23, 2018: South Waldo to Cultus Lake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLYqIH4XFxXVsBMOqyivJ1_BmNJSL6iPhJu3O_iS_kRu1OyRAUEOWjiNv-uKhZ6cGAG3f0aBX87toYCXzbliyFthbs_B_keg-wCFZpEyaygd7RPvncVYD0mioz4lSQZQzjozJbzP8akXm/s1600/20180723_104600_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLYqIH4XFxXVsBMOqyivJ1_BmNJSL6iPhJu3O_iS_kRu1OyRAUEOWjiNv-uKhZ6cGAG3f0aBX87toYCXzbliyFthbs_B_keg-wCFZpEyaygd7RPvncVYD0mioz4lSQZQzjozJbzP8akXm/s400/20180723_104600_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">30 miles were on the menu for this day. We were on day 11. Wow. We only saw one other rider on our morning ride along the west side of Waldo Lake. The burn area near the campground is coming back nicely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Over 300 miles riding my bike so far across the state and I twisted my ankle today- walking on pavement to the bathroom at Waldo Lake! I taped it up with Gorilla Tape and hoped it will be OK the next day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Charlton Lake Trail is some amazing single track and mostly flat. We stayed within the same 100-200 feet for a few miles. I must return to this area to actually camp at the campground and explore beyond the lake without bikepacking gear.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We made it to Cultus Lake by 5:30 to another beautiful lake and quiet campground. I did some laundry off the end of the boat dock and only got a few raised eyebrows from families bring their boats in. I even shampooed my hair... what a treat! We enjoyed an amazing sunset punctuated by the wildfire s</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have a hard day planned tomorrow. It's going to be 36 miles to 3 Rivers Campground. So, we won't be able to take too many breaks.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh Hey! Another offered up Coors Light!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxHruuVrHvZXFd6FXaJvrHLTN_jalAy2io0JTOHV75DgxkoaijZZd459hyAmmmgXgh5FwZ0rjAScVjF68tGjTm7HtfWgZjmm8aml6esOyDG7apFrQvUg2nWTaVB-q1WUn4mL8Pb_enIf6/s1600/20180723_205538_HDR-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1345" data-original-width="1600" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxHruuVrHvZXFd6FXaJvrHLTN_jalAy2io0JTOHV75DgxkoaijZZd459hyAmmmgXgh5FwZ0rjAScVjF68tGjTm7HtfWgZjmm8aml6esOyDG7apFrQvUg2nWTaVB-q1WUn4mL8Pb_enIf6/s640/20180723_205538_HDR-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-21231118559481992202018-11-05T21:14:00.004-08:002018-11-05T21:44:42.444-08:00OTT Day #10- July 22, 2018:Bunchgrass My Ass!<span style="font-size: large;">And then there were three. Bill, Evan, and I took an easy transition morning. The whole crew had an breakfast at a local spot across from the motel. Deann took Aliza to go ride while the three of us that were continuing got packed, to head out. Late morning, Deann and Karey drove Bill, Evan, and I to the Bunchgrass trailhead, after a quick stop to pick up my bike. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">With a hug goodbye and an "I'm proud of you" from Karey, we pedaled away. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhyFoJc__yrcPg-75gghGNGjUrpXs3Iqg2c2aQB-AiG8A0l22hts-8C46VbGWu-hxwN-NG4huZ9B35luum_5_cUdmLhhFoj_fkWvQYErFQdrXxInPy1vqkfwISmdxPtq2F-siDhvXWJ2i/s1600/20180722_131811_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhyFoJc__yrcPg-75gghGNGjUrpXs3Iqg2c2aQB-AiG8A0l22hts-8C46VbGWu-hxwN-NG4huZ9B35luum_5_cUdmLhhFoj_fkWvQYErFQdrXxInPy1vqkfwISmdxPtq2F-siDhvXWJ2i/s400/20180722_131811_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">The south/ west end of Bunchgrass Ridge somewhat sucks. A recent wildfire burn made for a rowdy ride, with plenty (too much) push-a-hike-a-lift-a-use-as-walker bike section. The overgrown trail, rocky, burned section looks less than 10 years old, it was already pretty hot, and we could smell wildfire smoke from somewhere south.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It took us about 2 hours to travel less than 4 miles. I struggled. Bill struggled. Evan hadn't ridden the day before, so he was a bit bot spry. As our new friend, he waited at the top to a beautiful view. The descent was full of California Corn Lily (somewhat like beargrass with different style blossoms.) fireweed. Seriously Fireweed to go with the smoke smell.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We finally made it to a road that took us to a small pond to refill our water. Bill wasn't feeling well, so we took a little longer break, but not too long, due to mosquitoes. It was at this point of the ride, we just kept our mosquito nets on our heads. They are surprisingly comfortable to ride with!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtP6mSNIx-2Xpgx5bdMRIo7rRwmdqdDUNFR2V_kGpnX3rU8ikPooIc6ZC6yno3MwHHKRintB3LQ7H94pe8e0ZFJJf9W1wGSeml-XOWedx8dkxKgdEcJfT8MpV5Uh6bKJZL5Ab-P3muxOL9/s1600/20180722_145347_HDR-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="1600" height="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtP6mSNIx-2Xpgx5bdMRIo7rRwmdqdDUNFR2V_kGpnX3rU8ikPooIc6ZC6yno3MwHHKRintB3LQ7H94pe8e0ZFJJf9W1wGSeml-XOWedx8dkxKgdEcJfT8MpV5Uh6bKJZL5Ab-P3muxOL9/s640/20180722_145347_HDR-1.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbI44ZttqWJuRv7niq4uQbcFYyVLeIbmgfMbBrVTxhKQkK9T4SpOe45zUXovEIxH_2f1QJPxR6Dja4K4efyN4_d6scEypbOGqjzH_nkH1ZsMVwQeUX91YLMf0Qlkr0Lr3njjHofzQEvZ4/s1600/20180722_155028_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbI44ZttqWJuRv7niq4uQbcFYyVLeIbmgfMbBrVTxhKQkK9T4SpOe45zUXovEIxH_2f1QJPxR6Dja4K4efyN4_d6scEypbOGqjzH_nkH1ZsMVwQeUX91YLMf0Qlkr0Lr3njjHofzQEvZ4/s400/20180722_155028_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Another 2 miles of gravel up to the next trailhead. We finally got the reward of a gorgeous, trail, thick with trees, and many small lakes. And mosquitoes. At some point, we got off the official Oregon Timber Trail and on a trail headed straight to Waldo Lake. Oops! And... score! We made it to the Waldo Lake [mosquito] shelter. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The mosquitoes were bad! We very quickly ate and hopped into our tents and in bed by 9:30. I took some time to read and not be eaten by.... those insects.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So now, by awesome accident, we are 12 miles from tomorrow's planned end at Waldo North Campground. We are planning to make it there now by lunch. Then it's another 18 miles to Cultus Lake. The terrain looks to be mostly flattish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-43922116929155528012018-11-05T20:42:00.001-08:002018-11-05T20:42:49.691-08:00Oregon Timber Trail- The Album (Dropping.... Never)<span style="background-color: white; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Singing parodies make the miles go by. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">*All the Single Lupines (All the Single Ladies) </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">*My V_____ taking a beating, yes it is (sung to: "She'll be coming around the mountain) </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">*Moooooove Cow! Get Out the Way (Move Bitch) </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">*Ohhhhhhh.... We're Half Way There... Hope there's not a bear...Karey's legs are on a tear...Wish the was a doughnut in my chair... I need another layer... Really Nappy Hair.... (Living on a Prayer) </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">*Oh Karey.... Our Ride... is Sooooo Long... So Long.... (Oh Sherry)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span style="color: purple;"><b><br /></b></span></span>Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-83112641568501384802018-11-05T20:35:00.000-08:002018-11-05T20:35:10.251-08:00OTT Day #9- July 21, 2018- Sacandaga Campground to OAKRIDGE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEy6TjY8VMXARqxCT81fsJmqi8DoZd70MODyljQjlKtrM6rs0CJkPRc_8c_adZbdVcKbpdg0SAzxuoD17S8fo_cU2xVi9Cbh3KM9mVJLWu-kI6b7OIEReCVAFLJ-fc2jsPDXDBvQsSZtL0/s1600/1b94e8ea-1f02-4ae0-8307-bade83d3c55c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1563" data-original-width="1600" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEy6TjY8VMXARqxCT81fsJmqi8DoZd70MODyljQjlKtrM6rs0CJkPRc_8c_adZbdVcKbpdg0SAzxuoD17S8fo_cU2xVi9Cbh3KM9mVJLWu-kI6b7OIEReCVAFLJ-fc2jsPDXDBvQsSZtL0/s400/1b94e8ea-1f02-4ae0-8307-bade83d3c55c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">We all left Sacandaca Campground around 9:00. The rest of Middle Fork Trail was so great, mostly downhill, and full of greenery. The final 15ish miles on the road around the reservoir to town was a bit tedious, but not bad and we. were. almost. there.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Karey had taken the road back into town. With a couple of injuries over the past two days and a bike needing a part, she headed to the </span><a href="http://oakridgebikeshop.com/" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f6c8f; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; outline: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.15s linear 0s; user-select: text;">Oakridge Bike Shop</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">. Here she made the difficult decision not to continue our trip. Without the desire to go on solo, I decided that I would be done as well....</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">While at the bike shop, Karey met fellow OTT rider, Evan. He has his own set of bike issues, having hitchhiked from Chemult to Oakridge and was getting himself sorted out. We all met here, chatted with the shop staff, bought some t-shirts and celebrated our finish, along with Evan, who we adopted into our group right away.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Off to the </span><a href="https://www.brewersunion.com/" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f6c8f; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; outline: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.15s linear 0s; user-select: text;">Brewers Union Local 180</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"> for burgers and beers... and ice cream for Bill.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-nykCvLr8x5BttdpZu6TsNhCoVu3il5YtsGT4GdH45pon-ejG7u37wHK_0iwKFYbZN2wmXP2c9HTvW8TNXIR-FF9eRgWxo8kjH6-bEI_f9g0eo7clIRECtoIF72DhugKqaXHDEX3SiQo/s1600/20180721_143721_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-nykCvLr8x5BttdpZu6TsNhCoVu3il5YtsGT4GdH45pon-ejG7u37wHK_0iwKFYbZN2wmXP2c9HTvW8TNXIR-FF9eRgWxo8kjH6-bEI_f9g0eo7clIRECtoIF72DhugKqaXHDEX3SiQo/s400/20180721_143721_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"> Carina and her wife, Jenn were also in town and met us. Somewhere in the middle of beer #2, Bill and Evan got to chatting. A plan quickly got organized for Bill to take Karey's resupply food and supplies and the question was posed, "Well, why don't you keep going, Heather?" No reason not, so Carina followed me back to the bike shop to drop off my sled for a quick brake adjustment and look over. She gave me a ride back and just like that, I was going to keep going 5 more days with just Evan and Bill. With a finish of our beers, we left in jolly spirit.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">The next part of the plan was to check into </span><a href="https://www.bluewolfmotel.com/" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f6c8f; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; outline: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.15s linear 0s; user-select: text;">The Blue Wolf Motel</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">. I've stayed here a few times and for the price, it's a great no-frills, yet clean joint. It turned out that I made our 2 room reservation for... the next evening. As I was starting to stress out, the manager, Candis sternly said, "You just take a deep breath and let me figure this out." And did she ever. She gave us 3 rooms for... an undisclosed, amazing price. She wanted to get the rooms occupied for the night and head out to the music festival. Thanks Candis.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">After 6 thorough showers, and donning our brand new t-shirts and clean underwear, Abra came to pick us up and take us to Westifr for the ever-famous MBO (Mountain Bike Oregon Festival) luau. More beers and wine and beer and wine and pizza and beer were consumed. It was also fun to see friends from various mountain biking aspects of my life- racing... riding... my roommate Forest.... To be honest, it was a little bit of a social overload, being in the woods for over a week. So the beer helped.</span>Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-835914387204972722018-11-05T20:21:00.002-08:002018-11-05T20:21:56.156-08:00Bike Packing- The "I'm so Jealous" post<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">If you've ever spent a few consecutive days with a group of friends bikepacking or backpacking, you are bound to be jealous of some things. Here is a short list I compiled. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; outline: transparent; user-select: text;">*A beef stick that a friend pulls out with no plans to share with you </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; outline: transparent; user-select: text;">*The person sleeping solo when you're sharing a tent </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; outline: transparent; user-select: text;">*A carbon full- suspension bike riding on Winter Rim (oh wait... that was the other's jealousy!) </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; outline: transparent; user-select: text;">*Others with 2.8-3.0 width tires on sandy trails/ roads...</span>Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-45510572870230177292018-11-05T20:19:00.004-08:002018-11-05T20:19:46.957-08:00OTT Day #8- July 20, 2018-Crescent Lake to Sacandaga Campground<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Well, not that I'm writing these blog posts a month later, the memories are fainter. I expect the posts to be shorter. On this morning, I casually laughed at the condition of my legs. Between the bug bites, the mysterious bruises, and scratches from claw-like shrubs, they are quite a sight! This morning, I was a bit of a mental mess. I slept very hard and it took a lot of effort to get out of bed. On one hand, my body is getting tired. But also, my body is really getting used to this. It took me a long time to get ready. I was the one everyone was waiting on to</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"> leave.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out our legs. This is one of our many "album cover" poses.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">The trail away from Crescent Lake and Springs Campground is one of the loveliest on this route. It's a buggy climb up to Summit Lake, where we stopped for lunch, but it grade is gradual and the ground is... dirt. Yes, we were approaching hints of trail that I love the most- buff, dirt, and trees! </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFYthDHEp12vk5bPu7AZ_Gj5AtW97Hs6ZtkGwRsGp5D1OB6oQxGsmzhXPlou0_a2gPirt24JpiQzG3fNAFi_gzK59oNhfBe581eAS1_WDB2mNPue-QcLDgIFQjqWJ8EU1siNqlPvmW-Wk/s1600/2c1ad030-e6a7-4d65-a296-ddd1ac8f551f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFYthDHEp12vk5bPu7AZ_Gj5AtW97Hs6ZtkGwRsGp5D1OB6oQxGsmzhXPlou0_a2gPirt24JpiQzG3fNAFi_gzK59oNhfBe581eAS1_WDB2mNPue-QcLDgIFQjqWJ8EU1siNqlPvmW-Wk/s640/2c1ad030-e6a7-4d65-a296-ddd1ac8f551f.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summit Lake</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">If you've never been to Summit Lake, find away to get there. So beautiful, with barely a soul around. We saw a "flock" of dragonflies hanging on to grass poking out of the water! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summit Lake Crew</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">From here we rode the access road around the lake and worked our way to the Timpanogas Lake and Shelter, where we stayed for about 47 seconds. It's an adorable enclosed shelter, but not our destination and the most aggressive mosquitos, so we got out of there fast! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Then we finally got to....Middle Fork Trail. Our excitement could not be contained as we rode technical, switchbacks on our loaded bikes. There was dirt on the trail. There were ferns all around. And trees. Oh, how I missed my big fat trees.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaHyhlVNqD-TR-QXrPcan5vZhtM-fNhN1QFmhJpHHAozPdNdeSSCi-CoHHN4ErRktC9czGuXlRB7ByDH_GO8E71uzKT-dD2NFoJ4UD3IKAf148d_NTTAogIiQAGWqWLMQ8HLtP7x5KzfL/s1600/6bd009fa-a6a0-441a-8f79-d1d2dfcbf11f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaHyhlVNqD-TR-QXrPcan5vZhtM-fNhN1QFmhJpHHAozPdNdeSSCi-CoHHN4ErRktC9czGuXlRB7ByDH_GO8E71uzKT-dD2NFoJ4UD3IKAf148d_NTTAogIiQAGWqWLMQ8HLtP7x5KzfL/s640/6bd009fa-a6a0-441a-8f79-d1d2dfcbf11f.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">We made a quick stop by Indigo Springs to see about camping. Not impressed, we decided to skip more trail riding and coasted down the paved road to Sacandaga Campground. So much nicer. The next day would be the last together.</span>Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-81335193850942199332018-11-05T20:00:00.000-08:002018-11-05T20:00:33.112-08:00August 21, 2018- Goodbye My Rubi<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">By now, you may have noticed that my tense jumps all over the place. This is because I'm writing this blog, a month now after finishing the Oregon Timber Trail Ride. I'm sad and unmotivated to blog because a few things are pretty shitty and it's hard for me to compartmentalize such an amazing adventure, mixed with sadness.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Part of Winter Rim is on fire. As I write this, a month after being in the </span><a href="https://www.heraldandnews.com/news/local_news/watson-creek-and-stone-fires-expand-and-threaten-homes/article_f8f10cc8-579e-5a58-865c-9874e728148e.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f6c8f; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; outline: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.15s linear 0s; user-select: text;" target="_blank">Paisley, Winter Rim, Fremont- Winema Forest</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"> area... it's on fire. Some of what we rode on days 3 and 4 is... gone. It's sad to me that folks who were so generous to us are in danger. It's sad that others who are planning to ride the Oregon Timber Trail next year won't be able to or will be riding through the scarred remains of this devastation.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykYiZ7G5mf-gJY8X5Jq6j6CW4Ls-hrTD14DU80pplh7aS-LkDTXrDlJO17k1PKdyasj9v5H5xgxxWPm8I70d7ykgSejcOU_55FJLwEM71_RVk2QPWaGRWnO7kvS7eXoBZwVhFX1s4Xjtk/s1600/ca632c91-b2c6-4c01-a830-5c625d7cdce9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1261" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykYiZ7G5mf-gJY8X5Jq6j6CW4Ls-hrTD14DU80pplh7aS-LkDTXrDlJO17k1PKdyasj9v5H5xgxxWPm8I70d7ykgSejcOU_55FJLwEM71_RVk2QPWaGRWnO7kvS7eXoBZwVhFX1s4Xjtk/s400/ca632c91-b2c6-4c01-a830-5c625d7cdce9.jpg" width="314" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Many of you reading this knew my Rubi dog. If not, you should have. This was my Facebook post last night.... </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; outline: transparent; user-select: text;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: transparent; user-select: text;">Miss Rubi Grace VanValkenburg crossed the rainbow bridge this afternoon. She had been hiding a very large mass from all of us. She was a candidate for surgery, but that would have only been the first very expensive step of many. It was very likely cancer, based on its size and quick growth. At 11 years old, she was tired and in pain from this, and some arthritis and spondylosis. She let me know it was time to say goodbye. She loved you all. She knew if you were sad. She knew if you were sick (she would check your eyeballs to diagnose.) She knew if you loved her. She knew if you kinda liked her, but needed time to warm up. And she certainly knew patience and love like no other dog I've known. She loved to chase her buddy Rascal, even when she was tired. She loved camping, hiking, and even "swimming." She was very comfortable in her last couple of days and I am very relieved that I was with her when it was time. I will miss her.</b></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">This is the second time I've had to say goodbye to a dog. No break-ups, no life or career disappointments, no race losses, no human deaths... nothing has been worse. This hurts more. I feel guilty that I left her alone so much this summer, not knowing that a very large mass was growing in her abdomen. But I know she had fun with her buddy during summer camp and in a fucked up way, I think she knew to let me finish all of my summer plans of adventure and bike racing before she let us know that it was time to go. She knew I had a chance to experience all the things from Moab, to Whistler, to the Oregon Timber Trail, and more. She also knew school was starting and if she could just make it to last weekend, she could let the pain surface and stop eating while I was enjoying my best race of the year. It was such perfect timing that she let me know when I went to visit her and she didn't want to snuggle, a day before I was due to return to school. She knew I'd be distracted and busy the rest of the week. She knew a lot of things.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><br /></span>Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-72787003533071292932018-11-05T19:52:00.003-08:002018-11-05T19:52:58.383-08:00It's the Little Things: Small gestures that make bikepacking in a group that much better<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">*Trading Skratch Labs flavors with another rider </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">*No Internet- you think you will miss it... you don't. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">*Q-tips in your re-supply box </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">*Getting to a campsite before dinner </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">*CBD mint at mile 40 of a 55-mile gravel slog </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">*Epic Wipe (or other wipes) bath just before snuggling into your sleeping bag </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">*Fixing a creak or squeak all by yourself </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">*Learning others' camp hacks </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">*Having others to scratch an unreachable mosquito bite </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">*Bill chasing a chipmunk (seriously)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">*The Check-in from another rider. Just a simple, "You OK?"</span>Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-89266483662614762662018-11-05T19:48:00.002-08:002018-11-05T19:48:20.293-08:00OTT Day #7- July 19, 2018-Spa Day!: Chemult to Crescent Lake<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Whatever you choose to do on this trip, be sure it includes an afternoon swim and overnight at Crescent Lake! Ok, we woke up on Dawson House Lodge, refreshed(?) and ready to crank out another 50 miles. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbJdtu3p5hlTCW7lFMJCjkn8fyPX02FmMBNR7fiE6sWz68R6NuOHrLX-HixA19mO5sykItudGcICT62M481RF2MSDXbopYajBA-eMv-sdLGjpETWiIwNwEq1TCw1VLfoOVssoQUyd8PlI/s1600/20180719_201137_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: left; float: left; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbJdtu3p5hlTCW7lFMJCjkn8fyPX02FmMBNR7fiE6sWz68R6NuOHrLX-HixA19mO5sykItudGcICT62M481RF2MSDXbopYajBA-eMv-sdLGjpETWiIwNwEq1TCw1VLfoOVssoQUyd8PlI/s400/20180719_201137_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">JUST KIDDING! We decided to make it a short day, because really... we weren't totally refreshed and were all pretty stinking tired. We planned on 27 miles for the day on mostly gravel roads. Not a whole lot to report about that. It was a mellow day as promised, with a lovely water/ lunch stop along a creek and we couldn't have been more excited with our decision. We arrived to our destination around 2:00pm. The tent spots at Springs Campground on Crescent Lake were right on a clean, pebbly beach with easy access to the lake.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsvuf0NiWGJt5mx_anxTScRPY68R29O0D3WVVbpvaVEKmHzuBq3QajtGS9tbGdGXQ20umoHAaltlxKK6uQWOnIiKiC49DuyPyS5uZ8JWZZO74GezXcRHth4mqV9wxKsGnBIzbm5A7bhAP/s1600/20180719_205627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsvuf0NiWGJt5mx_anxTScRPY68R29O0D3WVVbpvaVEKmHzuBq3QajtGS9tbGdGXQ20umoHAaltlxKK6uQWOnIiKiC49DuyPyS5uZ8JWZZO74GezXcRHth4mqV9wxKsGnBIzbm5A7bhAP/s400/20180719_205627.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">The afternoon included bathing and swimming in the lake, doing a small batch of laundry from the day, napping, enjoying the breezy, yet very warm afternoon, and trying to play text tag with our friend Carina who was working at the fire lookout nearby. That evening we were SO VERY LUCKY (I might have cried a tear to two) to have her bring us some beer and hang out for a visit. She drove over an hour to us and had to work the next morning. A real friend from the outside!!! The scene was outdoor-magazine- photoshoot perfect as well. The tents, the hanging laundry, the bikes propped against trees, the people napping, sitting, hanging out, the chipmunks that lived under our fire pit, that kept trying to steal food and get into the tent with Bill.... all just glorious.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Some thoughts... I want a ponderosa pine tree added to my left shoulder tattoo... and some wildflowers... and some snowflakes. I was tired today. I didn't have a grand melt down or bonk, but my "V6" legs of the past week were more like "1.8L Geo Metro legs today. At one point, I stopped to adjust something and was left a little behind. I thought, "No biggie. I'll catch up." It took a very long time for me to catch up.... This adventure has been a lot of fun so far. I think I'm doing fairly well so far because we are taking many small brakes.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><br /></span>Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-57900205274880941342018-11-05T19:33:00.000-08:002018-11-05T19:37:02.207-08:00OTT Day #6- July 18, 2018- We rode... the road: Silver Creek Marsh Campground to Chemult<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiI3yLpuyXBXtgO-2BMJZ3jnty32IUjwqWqdnEia0V_Gs4YYvPqJb-ZT6nRXqxqNmRMRLpWb1ht5BLWQip9GMvH3PuWaMoynZhOCsib_MJsDsPrTt2TYMxbk5rviKcO00cGQapW-gE6HS/s1600/19d7d24f-cd37-40d8-af07-ef4b1317f5c5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1534" data-original-width="1600" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiI3yLpuyXBXtgO-2BMJZ3jnty32IUjwqWqdnEia0V_Gs4YYvPqJb-ZT6nRXqxqNmRMRLpWb1ht5BLWQip9GMvH3PuWaMoynZhOCsib_MJsDsPrTt2TYMxbk5rviKcO00cGQapW-gE6HS/s400/19d7d24f-cd37-40d8-af07-ef4b1317f5c5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-size: large;">Today wasn't very hard as much as it was super long... and got pretty hot. We left our campground this morning in new spirits. We decided to do all road to get to </span>Chemult,<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-size: large;"> because we knew it was going to be over 50 miles. We did learn later that the trail was pretty hard and one rider even mentioned a "trail closed" sign, so we dodged another rough day. 55 miles</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglW2Xetv8bdANMLwjYt5nBZDy2eCGU-GV9e4Amz-7WcNNsXGkGHHc4jX7HKnRVR_YeSoyWD1CjcR2n4XRG6no2ROdd738ZAKtTO8TsgXvia_ehTjBFmYJPkZXbzG_96KWI7fKl4lBS51De/s1600/67322f0d-779f-4d18-ab09-a5c47edd5719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1202" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglW2Xetv8bdANMLwjYt5nBZDy2eCGU-GV9e4Amz-7WcNNsXGkGHHc4jX7HKnRVR_YeSoyWD1CjcR2n4XRG6no2ROdd738ZAKtTO8TsgXvia_ehTjBFmYJPkZXbzG_96KWI7fKl4lBS51De/s400/67322f0d-779f-4d18-ab09-a5c47edd5719.jpg" width="300" /></span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Once we finally got to Chemult in the early evening, we stopped right away at Loree's Chalet for another round of burgers, beers, and Cokes. There's something about a Coke at the end of a long day in the saddle that just... yea. After eating, we rolled to the Dawson House Lodge for our resupply boxes. Since the impromptu hot springs cabin accommodations worked out so well, we decided to try to get a room here. There was one. room. left! We super lucked out here. Aliza, Karey, and I would sleep here, and Deann and Bill got a room at the Chemult Motel 2 block away. After settling in, opening our resupplies with much joy, and jumping in the well needed shower, we were off to do some laundry... at a laundromat... with detergent! Karey treated us all to a bottle of the worse champagne we've ever had, and we drank this sitting in and outside the laundromat</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEOuoVOx7PHl38ITntHlzReLYpk_rK5WOoQuXlwwYkuz1NDBYhJKJQJ7Y7q2tu6CHJm3Bms6iKfsTcTdTLz1peP7IIQ0a8IjSP0liTuZ34YS0SeihaVly1tYyOSW2CfQaA1FKAukS398m/s1600/a4009c98-54b6-4ec6-9135-dbc53849a4ee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEOuoVOx7PHl38ITntHlzReLYpk_rK5WOoQuXlwwYkuz1NDBYhJKJQJ7Y7q2tu6CHJm3Bms6iKfsTcTdTLz1peP7IIQ0a8IjSP0liTuZ34YS0SeihaVly1tYyOSW2CfQaA1FKAukS398m/s320/a4009c98-54b6-4ec6-9135-dbc53849a4ee.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif;">. So far I've learned a few important tips or lessons on this trip. When you are doing a trip this big... Treat yourself to a bed, electricity, and plumbing every 3-4 days. This is best on days when you are sending yourself a resupply, so you have room to organize and the ability to send what you don't need home. You also have space to throw away packaging you don't need. I'm sure as the OTT becomes more popular, places will probably host rider boxes for folks to donate what they are not using. Also if you can plan to have a long day on your last day before the resupply, a bed, a kitchen-cooked dinner, and such, that makes for a light bike on the big days. And visa verse, be nice to yourself on the days right after resupply when you have more to carry.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif;">Also, EAT! I was eating all the time. We all were. Every time we stopped, we were stuffing something into our mouths. You burn so many calories, you want to stay fed, and never feel hungry. This ride is hard enough with bonking. You will get tired because it's long and because it's hard. Don't get tired because you food bonked! You will get sore. My hands, my back, and sometimes my shoulders were sore. This is hard enough without getting hungry! Use hydration mixes, like Skratch Labs or similar. Use electrolyte tablets. Treat this as a stage race because really it feels a lot like that.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our course was almost all gravel. You know how in the northwest, we have multiple words for types of raining and cyclocross racers have multiple names for types of mud? Well, there are many types of gravel. We had rocky gravel, sandy gravel, washboardy gravel, red gravel, orange gravel, grey gravel, purple/red gravel, white gravel. We were so tired of it by mile 50, we actually chose to ride on paved highway 97 for 2 more miles than necessary in order to avoid more sandy gravel frontage road.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.chemult.org/pb/wp_ab20a413/wp_ab20a413.html" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f6c8f; outline: transparent; transition: all 0.15s linear 0s;">Chemult is an interesting little place.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif;"> You can hold your breath while driving through the entire town on Highway 97, south of Bend and not lose your breath. You get the instant feeling that the entire town knows each other well. I did not get an overwhelming feeling of welcome from the various folks, but more of a polite tolerance. Maybe it was more of an eyebrow-raising curiosity. My favorites, however, were the fun 2 ladies working at the Double D Mountain Market. Everything we bought (bug spray, Benadryl, laundry soap), one kept saying, "If only I knew, I have some of this at home!" Eventually we joked about just staying at her house that night. She also gave us the intel on the laundromat situation and who to talk to if we needed more quarters after we left, since they were our last customers. There is a Pilot truck stop in town for your travel needs too, but I'd prefer a visit with these ladies!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><br /></span>Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-27528490548559502062018-11-05T19:09:00.003-08:002018-11-05T19:09:58.593-08:00OTT Day #5- July 17, 2018- You're Never Almost There: Fremont Point to Silver Creek Marsh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYArw0yuK6le7E6qusGcsY9kcAd_Yz8YLOGixKbThnFAmR_IJZTeIlaGXV7YylVYRXHNpsJgficaGOC-b3A7R3Zv60_1AVLBL0pr8kEzvGkK5OdlNx-4X3HhDEXcKzYazQuFVqY37QJTI_/s1600/31c0d2ac-a945-4d99-adb6-3ee9a4a18cb4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYArw0yuK6le7E6qusGcsY9kcAd_Yz8YLOGixKbThnFAmR_IJZTeIlaGXV7YylVYRXHNpsJgficaGOC-b3A7R3Zv60_1AVLBL0pr8kEzvGkK5OdlNx-4X3HhDEXcKzYazQuFVqY37QJTI_/s400/31c0d2ac-a945-4d99-adb6-3ee9a4a18cb4.jpg" width="300" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">A clue to the wrath of this day is evident in the lack of photos any of us really have. I used to have more photos of this day, but I think even my phone knows that some parts just shouldn't be remembered.... (OK, so I deleted them before getting wifi to backup to Google Photos. Oops. As we were getting ready in the morning, another rider came through. We had some "where did", "how are", "can you believe" exchanges and he was gone. We named him "Michigan" because that is where he was from.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">We started all excited for our "downhill" away from Winter Rim and re-entrance into the woods. We hit 10 miles by 10:00 and thought we were pretty rad. Guess what the terrain was like in the morning? More rocks in the trail. I tipped over into a bush (foreshadowing), rounding out the 100% female tip over rate. 15 miles went by quickly and we did eventually start heading downhill. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">At about mile 13 or 14 some were needing a break. Karey and I went ahead to the "water hole" listed on the route. This turned out to be a farm well/ small pond and we ran into "Michigan" again. He was just finishing up his rest. Although covered in some small plants, once you skimmed your hand over the top of the well, the water was clear and... wet. We had made it through the driest part of the Oregon Timber Trail and not died of dehydration. Score. We decided to make this our lunch spot.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Well fed and full of energy and laughter, we rejoiced in having the whole afternoon to ride just 10 more miles. Uh... except it started with a few miles of steep uphill single track and it was HOT! It was the push 5 steps, rest 5 seconds and repeat kind of hike-a-bike, with a few riding spots. It was about 1200 ft. of elevation gain over 4 miles. And the heat got to all of us. The 2 very large logs we had to lift our bikes over got to us. We pushed, we rested, we swore... a lot. We finally made it up and over Hager Mountain, with a wave to the fire lookout. We giggled in delight on our fast descent to Silver Creek. We got in for a swim.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDxOgnD3cy-WlSKYIjiN7NEscUBamd8idNOBIILi6lDvcNYfe6FT_casPRdolFD-M-u9wRHq4wtw5ry_n8YW3jU6y9yZXD-Oi7OHe68kxvt9eRwPCXinHAN_AF-x1eKaJjA1hDL66xXpF/s1600/6b0e83c2-1a49-47cd-8973-7b0dd53dcb51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1590" data-original-width="1589" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDxOgnD3cy-WlSKYIjiN7NEscUBamd8idNOBIILi6lDvcNYfe6FT_casPRdolFD-M-u9wRHq4wtw5ry_n8YW3jU6y9yZXD-Oi7OHe68kxvt9eRwPCXinHAN_AF-x1eKaJjA1hDL66xXpF/s400/6b0e83c2-1a49-47cd-8973-7b0dd53dcb51.jpg" width="396" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">YEY! Just 4 more miles to go and it's only 4:45. And then the manzanita and other shrub bushwackiness began. This. Took. So. Long. To. Get. Through. It was uphill. We could barely see the trail. The branches stabbed and poked and scraped and laughed at us. Luckily "Michigan" had already been through it, so we could sort of figure out where to go. We were not giggling anymore during that half mile. After then, we hit more intermittent groves of bushes, and lost and re-found the trail 3 or 4 times before finally getting to the Silver Creek Marsh Campground. </span><a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1712373147" rel="nofollow noreferrer" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f6c8f; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; outline: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.15s linear 0s; user-select: text;" target="_blank">Check out our mileage and stuff here.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"> Remember, Strava does not show downed logs and bushes!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">We didn't talk to one another for a long time. I grabbed my empty water bottle, fanny pack, and dirty clothes and made my way to the well. "Michgan" was also there, well before us, and came over to help me pump iron rich water from the well. His name is Ken and he was a little further over the day than I was yet. Ken was doing the ride solo. He had started with a group in Lakeview, but was now on his own. About the time I was done with laundry, Deann came over and we visited a little with Ken. He assured us that it was OK to do alternate routes. We decided to ride road tomorrow. He also told us not to give up the overall goal. Take each day at a time. Good advice. Tomorrow was going to be a big day- 50+ miles, but at least all road- mostly gravel.</span><br />
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<br />Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-51368321578048836052018-11-05T16:33:00.001-08:002018-11-07T21:58:09.571-08:00OTT Day #4- July 16, 2018- Lumpy Bumpy: Paisley to Fremont Point via Winter Rim<div class=" " style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.6; margin-top: 2.5rem;">
This morning, our group would have slightly different starts. Deann and Bill needed to pick up their resupply box and Karey decided to join them and avoid the 10-mile gravel climb up to Harvey Pass and a nearby trailhead. This was a treat for us as well since they were also able to pick me up replacement electrolytes, sunscreen, and... Desitin (if you know, you know.) And, with limited water the next couple of days, they also brought water to our meeting spot. This gravel road is not the proper OTT route, but we knew that we'd be getting a late start and we didn't want to feel rushed later in the day.</div>
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As planned, Aliza and I left the hot spring and rode up a nicely graded gravel road up, up, up to where the trail met the road. With some bag putting on and gear adjustment, we entered the trail. Before too long, we got our first view from Winter Rim. It is amazing. You can almost imagine the ancient lake that once took over this expanse. From here, we did have to take an offshoot trail to Currier Springs, our last water for the next 20 or so miles.</div>
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This trail is rocky- like, a 15 mile, mostly exposed rock garden, with a few breaks. I was very happy to have flat pedals and full suspension. Loaded with all of our gear, plus extra water, the flat terrain wasn't as easy going as you would think. Oh but the views. I had no idea that Eastern Oregon was so... big?<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-size: 20px;">We also had another thunderstorm break, which ate up a little ride time. Trying to find a hideout in the middle of an old wildfire burn... fun. Thank you, Karey for the trail report in this video.</span></div>
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We finally made it to Fremont Point and the trailhead, near the shelter. The shelter rents out months in advance, but we were happy to camp at the trailhead. Fun fact about most of the trailheads in the Fremont National Forest is that they have nice vault toilets. Magically, they don't smell and it's nice to not have to dig a hole after your morning coffee. Most of the trailheads also have at least one picnic table, making them great places to disperse camp. The view from our camp spot was unreal. Looking over Summer Lake and as far as the eyes can reach of eastern Oregon is a fantastic way to spend the evening. With my tent set up in an open area and a warm evening, I did without the tent fly and slept under the stars following a great sunset. <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1712373064" rel="nofollow noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f6c8f; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.15s linear 0s;" target="_blank">Here's where we went and how long it took and stuff.</a></div>
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Again, I was feeling good and actually had fun riding through the rocks that day. I reflected on the funny fact that I willingly rode my bike 10 miles uphill on a mountain bike. I was reeling in the surprise that my body was still up for this. I kept wondering when I'd have my bad day, my breaking point, my meltdown....<br />
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Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-38703936640281358992018-11-05T06:55:00.002-08:002018-11-05T16:19:40.549-08:00OTT Day #3- July 15, 2018- Hiding from Thunderstorms: Mill Flat to Paisley and Summer Lake Hot Spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkn-fukkKieyRBYAMyMhOM2BShk7FQ4pBb-D6gvkyw70mWoafvExQAbTnNL0E70Q46bXd8j_blb2waAKSOmcktzH6j6GLtsFvFHJdkVIPXfQfpPtzIKyZ83DzlZje8X07ysQm01EC-GaXK/s1600/e0a875bf-8e48-4b5c-9e4d-0a1642888171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkn-fukkKieyRBYAMyMhOM2BShk7FQ4pBb-D6gvkyw70mWoafvExQAbTnNL0E70Q46bXd8j_blb2waAKSOmcktzH6j6GLtsFvFHJdkVIPXfQfpPtzIKyZ83DzlZje8X07ysQm01EC-GaXK/s400/e0a875bf-8e48-4b5c-9e4d-0a1642888171.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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We woke up to clear skies. They turned purple just as we were getting ready to roll. I wasn't too sad because clouds might equal some rain and that would be a nice change on the trail. It would keep the dust and temperature down. And since I live in an area that often rains without visual and audio effects, I didn't think we would encounter any danger. We began with about 13 miles of single track, mostly uphill, but doable. And the light rain really was nice.<br />
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This opened up to a view, with the route almost making it to the fire lookout on Morgan Butte. The exposed meant we were definitely in danger of lightning that followed each thunder boom. The<span style="background-color: transparent;"> views were gorgeous! And the smells.... oh my. Imagine fields of sage and cedar shrubs, with some juniper. Then soak it in a warm rain.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent;">The drama for the day was the thunderstorms. We had to ditch our bikes and hide under some shrubs to wait out passing storms. These storms brought lightning strikes that started over 20 wildfires in the southern Oregon area. At least one of these fires created smoke which we met up with later in the week.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-size: 20px;">Once safe, we headed down, down, down to Paisley, finishing with about 10 miles of pavement from the Chewaucan River crossing to Paisley. Finally, we would get the </span>Cokes,<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-size: 20px;"> and beers, and candy bars we had been looking for.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszskKjrvhJruqYHjI2BDccBvJdWY6SYuJk9MPSq1rWJbrpWY8Z2BeZFU5yufh_hCLc_NLbdExhzcxg1bRPdYqB3XZtm1M0Q6xQvjHBsNHmAFffkqie5WBB03YyrksZHVGe6IH9UEdzmsq/s1600/67b1ff45-5ac1-43a1-8b05-b855ab505cf2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszskKjrvhJruqYHjI2BDccBvJdWY6SYuJk9MPSq1rWJbrpWY8Z2BeZFU5yufh_hCLc_NLbdExhzcxg1bRPdYqB3XZtm1M0Q6xQvjHBsNHmAFffkqie5WBB03YyrksZHVGe6IH9UEdzmsq/s320/67b1ff45-5ac1-43a1-8b05-b855ab505cf2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Paisley is pretty small and on this Sunday early evening, the mercantile was closed. And purple clouds of doom and danger were rolling upon us again. So, we settled for beers and burgers at <a href="https://1859oregonmagazine.com/think-oregon/history/pioneer-saloon/" rel="nofollow noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f6c8f; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.15s linear 0s;" target="_blank">The Pioneer Saloon.</a> They don't have a website, but I like this little write-up and learned that it is one of the oldest saloons in the state! As we inhaled our burgers and enjoyed our well- deserved beers, Aliza called <a href="https://www.summerlakehotsprings.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f6c8f; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.15s linear 0s;" target="_blank">Summer Lake Hot Springs</a> to let them know we were still coming. And... to find out if there were any cabins left to rent instead of our camping spot. Owner, Duane said he would "hook us up" and that he would come to pick us up, so we didn't die from lightning.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4sTzKr8d1SbFeej6bKjQoJA8EJxWsfRYgw1xtMkaiqPrH4r0J-N2k0HttaaMmJkxvpmZJJqpnTqEycpZRHDROVQMzR5I9fuyv3TfbNYY_L-VTZsSXqsBqV1Fhashu4NZ4yMZYx5iQCEmz/s1600/8eae381c-68ce-4d8d-9b02-2b658bbed0fd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4sTzKr8d1SbFeej6bKjQoJA8EJxWsfRYgw1xtMkaiqPrH4r0J-N2k0HttaaMmJkxvpmZJJqpnTqEycpZRHDROVQMzR5I9fuyv3TfbNYY_L-VTZsSXqsBqV1Fhashu4NZ4yMZYx5iQCEmz/s400/8eae381c-68ce-4d8d-9b02-2b658bbed0fd.jpg" width="300" /></a>As promised, about an hour later, Duane showed up in his truck, where we loaded ourselves and bikes and were taken to our Oregon outback oasis. He let us rent the Ranch House Cabin at a steeply discounted rate, with a private "grotto piazza with private soaking pools." We were in heaven. What a treat to have plumbing, electricity, and space to do laundry and organize our re-supply packages that we had sent there. Except for Deann and Bill... their package was still at the post office, due to a miscommunication. But Duane offered to take them to the post office in the morning and drive them to a spot to meet the rest of us the next day. Of course, we enjoyed a soak with a gorgeous sunset, after the avoided thunderstorm.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_Pv_hFytoYQJswy7Jxf_avwqC7zLEWoCuhMDIpCojjQ7TlMXjGSRCKnr4GdHvc6TaLdYa5QglVmc1pbO7SC6Vcf6-rn5kPMjcXhxV_ae39lENdHtgh4MQhfEQ00zuvSvmZKRedWw82bt/s1600/2f88637b-2f3c-4999-921c-07e688492229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_Pv_hFytoYQJswy7Jxf_avwqC7zLEWoCuhMDIpCojjQ7TlMXjGSRCKnr4GdHvc6TaLdYa5QglVmc1pbO7SC6Vcf6-rn5kPMjcXhxV_ae39lENdHtgh4MQhfEQ00zuvSvmZKRedWw82bt/s640/2f88637b-2f3c-4999-921c-07e688492229.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1705564647" rel="nofollow noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f6c8f; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.15s linear 0s;" target="_blank">Check here for route and stats on the day. </a>The miles and elevation don't matter. We were riding our bikes across a state with a lot of hills, mountains, and high deserts!<span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></div>
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Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-67628218808389883512018-11-01T23:23:00.002-07:002018-11-01T23:24:52.369-07:00OTT Day #2- July 14, 2018- Cow Patrol: Squirrelville at Back of Beyond to Mill Flat Pond<div class=" " style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.6; margin-top: 2.5rem;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDqkoyC0PUX5uzTf15GWl75StkV6OENJjyU5d7mKpwHVY0S2T_BAexOGNiAZeEC-7pEzyFTtBYpBQjJvfQWM_9Qi9i7TBozR6BFl1XHWd0af-umGc6_-ONKJeTJRB3dmssULIm3cT9rHp/s1600/566dfd3e-7941-4025-b9d4-a65a24118d8a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDqkoyC0PUX5uzTf15GWl75StkV6OENJjyU5d7mKpwHVY0S2T_BAexOGNiAZeEC-7pEzyFTtBYpBQjJvfQWM_9Qi9i7TBozR6BFl1XHWd0af-umGc6_-ONKJeTJRB3dmssULIm3cT9rHp/s400/566dfd3e-7941-4025-b9d4-a65a24118d8a.jpg" width="300" /></a>It was our first morning waking up in the tent. We had survived day one and were ready to pedal on. We had decided the evening before to skip about 8 miles of single track and opt for 10 miles of pavement instead. It was going to be a hot day, with limited water and who cares about how we are getting anywhere? We are riding our bikes through the state of Oregon!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6wKAMu0I6bBbMYJsOfWSirVErJHtXkoxj5w-XaMHqd66KB7FsvnpH2K2txMEhfasd5UyENdcr5qS3pF_uCdj8ErPlD3rYFp1-0QWhkmXQ7kiBpMK3WxeXipv2p-uAF4tORTp2-LI-EWd/s1600/b16d6123-c4dd-4538-b756-5efb2ceb0e7c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6wKAMu0I6bBbMYJsOfWSirVErJHtXkoxj5w-XaMHqd66KB7FsvnpH2K2txMEhfasd5UyENdcr5qS3pF_uCdj8ErPlD3rYFp1-0QWhkmXQ7kiBpMK3WxeXipv2p-uAF4tORTp2-LI-EWd/s400/b16d6123-c4dd-4538-b756-5efb2ceb0e7c.jpg" width="306" /></a>Cows. The national forest lands are leased to farmers to graze their cows and we came across a few. It was comical at times. Cows really don't give a damn until you're right up on them and then they run... down the trail... in the direction you are headed. We felt like bike cow ranchers. Heeyah, bike pony! Round up them cows. Bill was the best at getting them to skedaddle (I just had to look up the spelling of that), so we gave him the trail name: Cow Patrol. </div>
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Along the way, we came across two men and a dog hiking- our first other humans on the trail. At a later water stop, we got to talking with them and learned they were land managers for that area of the forest. They, of course, knew about The Oregon Timber Trail. I mentioned the lack of water and both were interested in helping to get a water tank or other resource available. Cool!</div>
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It was a pretty warm day as we dropped down from our cow lined single track on to highway 395 for a couple miles and then on to exposed gravel Cox Creek Road (there is no creek of the Cox right now.) We mostly rode solo and spread out in this stretch, moving quickly in the exposed sections, and more slowly in the intermittent tree shades. About 4 miles in, we saw a car pulled over, with two people standing and a familiar dog's head poking out the back seat. Our forest manager dudes had driven to the top of where we were headed, noticed there was no water along the way, and had stopped to offer us some. Extra cool!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-U6bjd7E6ujcSLJeRpMg6ZCGNreMj9z-C59DkNmdevxgKMc79VTAE0BK_O8xXtRh9BoGHwld1LGWbevBxDuAgRXNZYDlVro9kiWM_D_X1qR7G-oe6Kp9ULXOGiz-1Ae9nzqS54zvHZFA/s1600/7aedd24d-c1c4-467c-89b8-56f40033b653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-U6bjd7E6ujcSLJeRpMg6ZCGNreMj9z-C59DkNmdevxgKMc79VTAE0BK_O8xXtRh9BoGHwld1LGWbevBxDuAgRXNZYDlVro9kiWM_D_X1qR7G-oe6Kp9ULXOGiz-1Ae9nzqS54zvHZFA/s400/7aedd24d-c1c4-467c-89b8-56f40033b653.jpg" width="320" /></a>Before much longer, we were at a trailhead and our gravel road became a forest service "road." To get to Mill Flat, where we were pretty sure there was a marsh or pond, we had to ride on what may have been Road 100 once upon a time, but was barely a trail now. But after some hesitant stop and trail finding, we made it to Mill Flat. We laughed to see a group of guys at this pond with a small creek running from it. They had driven here... from the other direction for a guys weekend. One of the guy's wife was expecting a baby and it was his last hoorah. Another Coors light was offered as I later did laundry and we all took a creek bath.<br />
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That night I camped a little ways from the others in an open meadow. The stars were bright and abundant.</div>
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<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1705564519" rel="nofollow noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f6c8f; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.15s linear 0s;" target="_blank">Ride stats </a>for the day: 32 miles, 3200ft. elevation, 4.5 riding, 9 hours total (because lunch and cows and view and water and snacks- so many snacks.)</div>
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Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-80752773486728279782018-11-01T22:33:00.000-07:002018-11-01T23:05:48.620-07:00OTT Day #1- July 13, 2018- "We're doing it!" Our Grand Departure of The Oregon Timber Trail<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-t59_4ouxaXF9KTqexwApxkHwkDcJAoXd3Y9iK1bFq4s9bGolrtnuHS8VUQR3GhKob58mlQHbvlPR8mSnUqeycOdXpFKM1XMWJOwhEIbTGildFNEPFRkL2WUgreXDHqSCPwgAx_KEuFQj/s400/20180713_154646_HDR+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking Goose "Lakeview" Lake</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Before I continue, it's important to mention that the photos here are a collection taken by all of us. Thank you Karey Miles, Aliza Richman, Deann Garcia, and Bill Garcia. It's fun to look back at these months later!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-size: 20px;">As promised, Wes was in the parking lot of The Maverick Motel at 6:00 to get us loaded up. He got our text about arriving super late and brewed us a big mug of coffee to share. What a fella! We stopped in Lakeview for breakfast. You should stop at </span><a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/tall-town-cafe-and-bakery-lakeview" rel="nofollow noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f6c8f; font-size: 20px; transition: all 0.15s linear 0s;" target="_blank">Tall Town Cafe and Bakery.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-size: 20px;"> The lady working is hilarious and serves up a hearty breakfast. I mean, where else will you get 5 perfect slices of bacon? And Wes's breakfast burrito was big enough for at least 2 meals.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-size: 20px;">Eventually we to an obscure trailhead. Really, it was a place to pull out along the road. </span>Wes<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-size: 20px;"> hung out while we got all put together and then we were off, somewhat unceremoniously, except for the expression, "WE'RE DOING IT!" which would be repeated throughout the entire trip.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguTfn6qb3UOA_kde2khTdD1IZpOmPzjx-ald49K2jw2RQ3cziLiv0IsCNWjsYY27-TtKzJ5XPBVvX_EAWuoM6fah29G2L8RxWKjphQN8Ni9Dqlol4iI2H_j5vvOAu1aLl6EluMHU-OyHv/s1600/20180713_140355-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguTfn6qb3UOA_kde2khTdD1IZpOmPzjx-ald49K2jw2RQ3cziLiv0IsCNWjsYY27-TtKzJ5XPBVvX_EAWuoM6fah29G2L8RxWKjphQN8Ni9Dqlol4iI2H_j5vvOAu1aLl6EluMHU-OyHv/s400/20180713_140355-1.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill and Deann</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><br />This first day was a hard start. We coined the term "Nap and Rally" for the day, as we were running off of our 2-hour naps. We also didn't start with enough water, which got to be a problem at the end. The ride was beautiful, as well made our way far above Goose Lake (where Lakeview gets it's name.) The highest point on the entire trail is at 8200 ft. over Crane Mountain. After a stop for lunch, we came across the scraps from an old plane crash! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Are we there yet?</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Eventually, we started to head downhill for a while, which came as a relief, from the high altitude. The last few miles were pretty rough. We were rationing our water. At a certain point, near Rogger's Peak, we decided to split up, so that Aliza and Bill could go ahead to where we thought we'd find water and start filtering. A little while later, the trail split. The OTT route was to the left with 2.5 miles to water and to the right, the trail would cross the same stream but at 2 miles. It was like two sides of a circle. Deann went left. Karey and I went right. Everyone found the trickle of water and soon we were fresh, excited humans again when we met up at the Rogger's Trailhead. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">From there it was a mostly paved handful of miles to Cam and Christine Newton's oasis, the</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"> </span><a href="https://www.bobrandr.com/our_property" rel="nofollow noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f6c8f; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.15s linear 0s;" target="_blank">Back of Beyond Resort.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">They were nice enough to allow us to camp on their property and have all of the artesian water we could drink! And Coors Light. This was the start of our three-time offering of this refreshment born in the Rockies.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">Our first day was 27 miles, about 3500ft of elevation gain, and took about 5 hours of ride time. Details are here on </span><a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1705569616" rel="nofollow noreferrer" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f6c8f; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; outline: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.15s linear 0s; user-select: text;" target="_blank">Strava</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111a0b; font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">.</span><br />
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Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-25950849009455824612018-11-01T22:04:00.002-07:002018-11-01T23:08:59.539-07:00OTT Day #0- July 12, 2018- The Longest train ride to Klamath Falls<div class=" " style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.6; margin-top: 40px;">
And then we were stopped on the track for 4 hours outside Westfir. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHI7oUIagcPsBCRVhz6E3OzDbGKHffZG9h2YDJGgUycU4qgvasQCzo9JyOIgmLrHGN3QWdjirdvP5JGdAb09cTM_3-Jx_qEDCxpGSn1plkt3-jAwdfQTCMdI9oJTwGpad3SkyNw9wRVfN/s1600/14e5a4ba-a72e-486e-b81f-e0dda893058a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHI7oUIagcPsBCRVhz6E3OzDbGKHffZG9h2YDJGgUycU4qgvasQCzo9JyOIgmLrHGN3QWdjirdvP5JGdAb09cTM_3-Jx_qEDCxpGSn1plkt3-jAwdfQTCMdI9oJTwGpad3SkyNw9wRVfN/s400/14e5a4ba-a72e-486e-b81f-e0dda893058a.jpg" width="300" /></a>Let me back up. I boarded the Amtrack train just a mile from my house, excited to meet up with Karey and Aliza in Portland, then Deann and Bill in Albany. Most of our journey was uneventful, with a visit to the dining car for beers and snacks and chit chats with each other and a couple of other passengers. Did you know that there is a hidden cabin somewhere in the woods around Oakridge? The older fella on the train told us about it. Gold and lots of it. Maybe on another adventure....</div>
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So, other than being a little late, we were still on track (pun fully intended) to arrive in Klamath Falls around 10:00pm, ride a few blocks to our hotel, <a href="http://www.maverickmotel.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f6c8f; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.15s linear 0s;" target="_blank">The Maverick Motel</a>, and get a few hours sleep before Wes Nile, from <a href="https://hutchsbicycles.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f6c8f; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.15s linear 0s;" target="_blank">Hutch's Bicycles</a> was going to pick us up to shuttle us to the trailhead at Cave and Lily Lakes, in California...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3ZVeW52kB_OH6KYrdOEFrT-kkTYg772vn5hrQr0qKLo_gV3BENYwwBfs9J_WHYpquotxAK6omqN2mhBe2OK9A9H740CTjZ_gvEEs6LvDYX2KpxRqUfO0LFv_vgWAHnLwNECQOZ_1Mt62/s1600/48bae25c-abf0-4d24-8e3d-aa4d20534d32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3ZVeW52kB_OH6KYrdOEFrT-kkTYg772vn5hrQr0qKLo_gV3BENYwwBfs9J_WHYpquotxAK6omqN2mhBe2OK9A9H740CTjZ_gvEEs6LvDYX2KpxRqUfO0LFv_vgWAHnLwNECQOZ_1Mt62/s400/48bae25c-abf0-4d24-8e3d-aa4d20534d32.jpg" width="300" /></a>Then... we stopped, just outside of Westfir, Oregon. And for those that are unaware, Westfir is outside of Oakridge, where most folks don't have cell reception. The reason for the halt was that a freight train in front of us had struck a car on the tracks and they needed to get it cleared and investigate. "An investigation can take a while. We could be here for hours!" Deann mentioned. And we were. For 4 hours, our train did not move at all and instead of 10:00pm, it was going to be closer to 2:15 am that we'd get into Klamath Falls. Of course, without cell reception, we couldn't tell Wes, so he would still be picking us up at 6:00am.</div>
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As you can imagine, after departing the train, loosely strapping our bags to our bikes, riding to the hotel and settling it, we crashed out for our 2-hour nap!</div>
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Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8272831805355473892.post-34673570075953739772018-11-01T21:42:00.001-07:002018-11-01T21:46:06.412-07:00July 10th I Guess I'll Start Another Blog....<div class=" " style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111a0b; font-family: adobe-caslon-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.6; margin-top: 40px;">
Disclosure: I originally wrote this blog using another website, but ran out of free space. I came back to good old Blogger, and now it appears that all of my posts are from November.<br />
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You will know it is time to turn the page, when you here the chimes ring like this... (*Bling*) Let's begin now....<br />
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I used to keep a racing blog until about 10 years ago. I wanted to remember the details of racing before Facebook and Instagram. I wanted to go reread good days for inspiration and laugh off the bad ones. As social media took off, I eventually stopped updating my blog and haven't really been interested in it. I use blogs in the classroom for my students to preserve thoughts and reflections. As I've grown into my 40s, I again want to keep track of the details, but now as an adventurer... without the race details.</div>
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The birth of this new blog is inspired by my time on <a href="https://oregontimbertrail.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f6c8f; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.15s linear 0s;" target="_blank">The Oregon Timber Trail! </a>It began about a year ago when I learned about a network of trails that linked together to form a continuous route from the southern border of Oregon (further south actually) to Hood River. It was touted as being "inspired by the Pacific Crest Trail and other trails in the National Scenic Trail system." I knew my bikepacking friends would be interested, so last fall, it started as a whimsical idea and by this last February, we were in full planning mode. Sometime this past spring, Aliza Richman and I rode with Kim McCormack, the first person to complete the entire route in 2016. She and her friend Sam Clark rode with the support of her husband and other friends who have since built, groomed, ridden, and promoted the trail. She got us so excited it wasn't long before I was ordering all of the bags I needed for this trip. Maybe one of my posts will cover my packing plan and how that plan changes, depending on the day.</div>
Heather VanValkenburghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09995361155280669275noreply@blogger.com0