You may have noticed from the earlier photographs that we dragged our mountain bikes all over creation on the back of the truck. We rode them some too!
One of the trails I wanted to check out in Oregon was the North Umpqua Trail. This is lovely 70+ mile stretch of singletrack through the woods along the north fork of the Umpqua River. We only had time to check out the top section, which of course makes us want to go back and do the whole thing. Just not in July, which as we found out is apocalyptic mosquito season... even the beer served at the restaurant back in town was called "Vicious Mosquito".
We found a fine dirt shortctut from the trailhead back to the main road
and the truck kicked up even more dust than our bikes did. I kept hoping all the mosquitos that had pestered Chad and Nim were choking and expiring in our wake.
After that ride, fun as it was, I ruled out further expeditions into the part of the mountains deemed "Mosquito Central". Fortunately, I had cleverly picked our next accommodation to be in the slightly warmer drier region further east (maybe I had an advance inkling that the bugs might be bad in the mountains...)
La Pine State Park was half a mile from our rental hut that you saw in an earlier post, and was chock-full of the most delightful easy (i.e. mostly flat) singletrack that you can imagine. Most of the time you got to weave in and out of the trees along either the Deschutes or Fall Rivers, and there was just enough navigation of the trail maze involved to make it interesting. I snuck out here one afternoon while Chad and Nim were napping after our day's activities over at Newberry Crater, and rode about 14 miles, only to head back to the hut and make Chad go back out with me so he wouldn't miss out. And, I convinced Nim to get up at 6am the next morning so she would get her chance too :)
We were amused by the park's "Big Tree" -- the largest Ponderosa Pine in the state of Oregon. It *is* a big tree, but my eyes have been jaded by the immensity of the redwoods and sequoia in CA.
Once up in WA, one ride that we really wanted to do was to ride up Ape Canyon and the Plains of Abraham near Mt. St. Helens. This is the non-brutal part of a ride that we did on a previous trip. I was appalled to note that the last time was seven years ago -- how could it possibly be that long???
The route climbs up a forested ridge that contains the only trees on the mountain to have survived the 1980 blast, and then pops you out above the treeline to some amazing views. What I didn't quite remember was just how steeply some of the climb was -- but I knew the views would be good.
When we hit this point, a hiker hollered from the next switch back "You guys look just amazing there -- do you want me to take a picture?" Naturally we said yes, and Chad ran the camera over to her. Two little people on bikes with giant Mt. Adams in the background.
Around another corner I got to ponder
the immensity and nearness of Mt. St. Helens.
High on the east flank of the volcano are found the Plains of Abraham -- a desolate-seeming flat field of pumice with spectacular views of the mountain (peak would be to the left of the picture below).
We hit the timing just right to see most of the Plains covered in lupine and another purple flower that I couldn't identify. The sheer weirdness of the lupine-blanketed moonscape doesn't quite come out in the photo.
After a few more corners, we were off of the worst of the pumice and the wildflowers were abundant all along the trail. I don't think I stopped grinning along this stretch even though I was pretty tired.
We started taking more pictures as we both got tired. "I'll just sit here and take your picture as you ride through over there." The sitting part was good :)
And actually the riding was too!
We took a moment to balance the camera on a rock to take a picture of both of us before heading down a couple thousand feet of swoopy tree-lined descent. Much easier on the way out.
And just for reference -- us on the same trail seven years previously. We are this young in our own heads. (I was also amused to note that my mountain bike shoes that Chad classifies as falling apart and I classify as just getting good were almost new back then.)
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