Connections

This weekend I went out both Saturday and Sunday in exploration. Figured out a pretty straight forward route and we'll be passing by another general store which should allow most of us to fuel up just in case we passed up the first store.

The roads this weekend were wet, soft, and icy in spots. Both rides covered me in mud and road grime. One plus of both rides, my new Showers Pass jacket did awesome, kept me dry and warm. My Lake boots however got soaked both rides. The views from these rides were great. Long rolling ridge lines, swollen creeks, snow mingling with green ferns and moss covered trees. It's no rolling fields of corn and soy beans, but the smells here help weigh in Oregon's beauty.

Another thing I have left out in my previous posts, a "ride" day date. April 16th is the day I have chosen. For those of you interested in riding the Mudslinger this would make for a great training ride. ;)


PS. would you like to see what the route will be?

got lost, again.

Today I missed a turn on my recon ride and ended up finding very pretty views, but achieved little in discovering more of the route. Also I lost my Starker Forest permit and my Starker maps. All in all 4 hours on the saddle was a good time. I now have Tuesdays off now so I get to ride my bike and the route more frequently!


Something I missed in the previous post.
When you send your post card in, make sure you write your name on the post card.
Every other week I'll be posting the rider roster.

Get those postcards sent!

I am now ready to accept your postcard entries. The first 50 entries will get a direction packet and a "ride" prep baggy.

Best postcard design will get a Hamm's beer cycling cap with their race prep baggy.

Before I post the mailing address I need to list some "ride" day needs and remind you that this race is completely unsupported, not official or licensed or insured in any way, and much of the course will have little markings and has little to no cell signal. So be prepared for the worst. Being that this will be in April I'm planning for a rainy miserable day so dress appropriately.

This may be obvious but I need to state the necessary things for riders to have with you on the ride. I won't be checking you over, but if you're missing one of these pieces you may find yourself stranded.

Mandatory:

1. Cycling computer with trip distance functions.
2. Helmet. Don't be an idiot and show up without a helmet. No one wants to call the cops trying to describe where they are and have a helicopter to pick up because your smashed head wide open.
   
3. Handle bar map case. Cyco Active makes a sweet map case that Peak Sports will be stocking.
4. Cash. I'm pretty sure Burnt Woods general store takes credit, but cash is universal and a safe bet for a small transaction, plus it comes in handy as a tire boot or home made bandage.
   

Suggested:

1. Flat kit including a "tire boot" just in case your tire gets sliced open. It's happened to me out there.
   
2. Cell phone
3. Decent multi-tool
4. Food. Pb&J, gel packet, cliff bar. You're riding for 4-7 hours, prepare yourself.
5. Spare chain links.
6. Band Aids or maybe even a first aid kit if your planning on getting rad.
   

This isn't necessary to say, but training for this might help.

Lastly the address to which I will be accepting postcards.

Hell of the Northwest
c/o Andrew Pierre
1825 SW 49th st #185
Corvallis, OR 97333


I'll be posting updates and a "ride" date shortly. I'm thinking April 16th.

Happy New Year!

Happy F**king Holidays

Hope you're all doing well. It was a nice holiday weekend. Saw some movies, ate some good food, and played categories on Skype with some Minnesota friends. Here's an awesome clock my friend made for my wife and I.

oh you silly silly google maps

So I began recon on the planned route. Things went well. From the proposed start riders will be riding paved road for the better part of the first 7 miles, but you will be happily greeted by a well used dirt road that is the foreground to a nice 10-15 minute climb. Then it's off into the woods for a little taste of logging roads.
This beginning portion will be very easy to navigate and after the first climb I'm sure if there is anything in the ways of a pack people will spread out and there shouldn't be an issue of bottle necking. I know I know, I'm making this sound like its a legit race.

I got a little lost in this first section only because I had no map and was trying to remember how google maps had displayed this area. Turns out my gps device mapped a route that google maps had no idea existed. Well after a back track and probably unnecessary left turn which made a large u-turn, I made it to a small neighbor hood. And then immediately recognized where I needed to go. At this point I was confronted by a scruffy Jack Russel terrier who was friends with a Rottweiler who could have cared less about me. After a short negotiation with the terrier and explination that he should probably stay near his home I was allowed to leave.

Then I started the next section of my proposed route. This portion looked great on google maps. Even Starker Forests' map promised this area would be the beginning of a great climb. Well turns out the gate to the road I wanted to go up was electronic and had a chain lock comprised of almost only locks. I ended up checking the Starker map I had and realized I could get on this road via a road just south of here. So I back tracked found the other road and bypassed the gate. Then I ended up near a water treatment plant and was eventually stopped by a man in a county truck. I was pretty sure I was trespassing, but played it off like I was just following orders from my map and figured I'd be ok. He was nice enough to just tell me to turn around go back the way I came and if I wanted to go where I was planning just continue down a different road and look for the next Starker gate on your left. He also said, "If you get hassled by anyone else around here tell 'em you spoke to Jon." I road back the way I came bypassed the gate and then followed Jon's directions.

At this point I was a little off schedule. I had covered 15 miles maybe in almost 2 hours. I was hoping to ride the first half of the route in 4 hours. So at this point I was going to at least ride the first 1/3 of the route. The next section was pretty. Really steep spots and there were some fresh cut sections on hill side with a few single trees left. Everything was straight forward and would leave most people little doubt they were on the right path.
The rest of the route I rode today was straight forward and finished with an awesome decent.

Tomorrow I'll try to ride the 2nd 1/3 of the course.

Happy Trails!

Monday morning

Monday morning will be a busy one. Go take my motorcycle license test, pay for my Oregon drivers license, visit Starker Forests HQ and get some maps, and call up Weyerhaeuser logging for a map of their land.

Next weekend I'll be riding a large portion of the route, looking at the new maps, and looking to expand and modify the route.

Come January 1st I'll get an address on this blog for racer entries.

Mac Forest, Soap Creek, and Starker Forest

Today I had the day off, the dog assumed Kristin and I were gone to school and work(no non stop barking due to separation anxiety), and I needed to justify the massive amounts of food to be eaten tomorrow.

This was my ride. http://www.bikemap.net/route/762700
As a native Minnesotan you'd think I have practiced the act of winter MTB rides. You my friend are unfortunately wrong. I've done plenty of road rides and dirt road/crushed gravel rides in winter, but never a mountain bike ride. I had plenty of friends who've done it and have been invited here and there, but I never did it. What a waste of a 5 month long winter.

I loved riding today. Up in the hills, I bet it was in the upper 20's, the snow/ice was so fun to ride on. Similar to loose gravel, but had a much more appealing crunchy noise to it. Not to mention the beauty of a snow covered area. I love how clean snow looks when it first falls. Made me a little home sick.

So today's mission was another one to gauge how difficult this ride should be. 34 miles on the mountain bike with two longer rest stops ended up taking a little over 4 hours. There was one section with an incline that even in the best of hiking boots would be difficult. I had to climb pushing the mountain bike up hill for about 20 minutes, it was more like carrying the bike. Ow! My calves were burning by the end of that one.

So in my mind I think the route will run pretty close to Mary's Peak, then head north, explore some logging roads north of Cardwell Hill, then through the Mac Forest, finally finishing on some flat roads in the valley? hmmm... I'll draw some maps up and see if I can keep it around 70 miles and something like 6000-7000 vertical feet of climbing. I'll also do my best to have at least one decent rest stop. The fast guys should be able to finish this in 5-6 hours. The rest of us can do it in less than 8.

That all being said. I think I'm going to cap the entries as well. Doesn't mean your friend who didn't sign up soon enough can't ride it too, but I'm only going to make as many maps as I can. So for those of you who want to ride this with a map get your postcards ready. In the next couple of weeks I will get you an address to mail the postcard to and will only accept entries after the first of the year. Best postcard will win something, not sure what yet, but rest assured it will be awesome.

Happy Thanksgiving!