Twenty-nine Pines

I started my journey mid-morning because my plans were to travel only 20 miles or so to the Twenty Nine Pines campground. At the 15 mile mark, I was pleased to find that the Teanaway Outpost (formerly Teanaway Mercantile) was open;

it’s been closed for over a year but has reopened with new owners. After a short refreshment break, I was on my way and soon passed over the Teanaway River.

Mt Stuart came into view and,

even though I would end up several miles closer, this was the best shot that I could get. The six miles between the Outpost and the campground is generally an upgrade. It’s not particularly steep, just continuous; I could definitely feel my 50 pound trailer! Arriving at the campground, I pretty much had my pick of sites—a far cry from what the situation will be this weekend!

Although I was in the area where the Teanaway wolf pack is located, I didn’t hear any howling overnight; this was the only wild mammal I saw.

On the way back I stopped by the North Fork of the Teanaway for this picture.

I faced a mild head wind on the way back, however, I didn’t have the long upgrade I had to contend with on the way out so the trip back was much easier. I returned home to a freshly baked rhubarb cake as a reward for my 45 mile journey!

Return of the Heron

This time of the year is very disheartening for someone who rides a bike. The snow is generally gone from the roads however, the cleanup crews haven't removed the sand and gravel from the shoulders of the highways yet. That's fine on the rural roads because there's not much of a shoulder and I generally ride in the travel lane. It's not so fine on the State Highways; taking the lane with cars going 60+ mph is not something I want to do. So, I'm fairly limited in my selection of routes to ride and they tend to get boring after a while. One of my staple rides is out to our local gravel pit; it goes past some ponds

where there is usually some type of water fowl. Today I saw a Great Blue Heron; I've seen it there before however, I didn't see it last year and I thought it had either fallen prey to a predator or found a different nesting area. It surprised me today, so I'll have to be better prepared to get a picture of it.
*edit--drove out today (Sunday)and got the picture.

Teanaway drive

Yesterday was sunless and grey with off and on snow showers; not a good day for a ride.  Since I was feeling a bit of cabin fever, I decided to go for a drive out the Teanaway.  As I went out Airport Road I missed not having the big black dog come out to greet me as he usually does when I ride by. But, by the time I got to the curves of Red Bridge Road

and I could see the hawks soaring above me, my spirits began to lift, even though I was inside a car.  I found Teanaway Road

to be fairly clear of snow and ice and the shoulders are as clear as they will be this summer.  I was somewhat surprised that the Teanaway Mercantile

was closed--it's generally open on weekends for the snowmobilers (who I saw later in the trip) but, perhaps they're only open on Saturday and Sunday.  The store is a bit over 14 miles from town and is a pleasant break--the restroom was always open, even if the store wasn't.  There was a 'For Sale' sign on the store; I hope it remains in business.  I continued out the North Fork road and began encountering areas of snow and ice across the roadway and a lot of sand in the curves and hills. 

Finally, at 21 miles from town, I came to the end of the  (paved) road. 

It was a nice journey and this morning, when I awoke to find 3" of new snow blanketing the landscape, I was glad I made the trip.

Mohar

The day dawned bright and cloudless; the rising sun gave promise of a delightfully warm day--at least I guess that's the way it began, as it was a pleasant 40° when I rolled out of bed at 9:30.  After a leisurely breakfast and perusal of several on-line newspapers, I set off for a ride.  My travel took me past one of the places where I'd taken a picture of the fall colors. 

There's an absence of color today; however, the contrasting black and white of rocks and snow presents its own beauty. 

Farther along, I encountered the turn-off for Mohar Road which starts with a fairly steep, curvy uphill. 

The weather has been warm enough that I was certain I wouldn't encounter any ice on the road, so that's the direction I headed.  After rounding the first curve I discovered that it wasn't ice I had to worry about.  The road crews had used such a copious amount of sand to give traction for cars that there was too much to provide traction for me; halfway up, I decided I wasn't going to fight it anymore, and retreated until the sweepers get out and remove some of it.  I went around to Peoh Point road and made that climb--about the same elevation but fewer curves and thus, less sand.  I finished off the day's riding with a trip up swimming pool hill to Safeway.  I guess 'swimming pool hill' will soon be (if it's not already) a generational name since there is no longer a swimming pool in town.

Mystery flat

I went out to the garage today to get the trike out for my first February ride only to find a flat tire!  I'd aired the tires prior to my last ride a few days ago, so I figured I'd picked up a nail or rock chip during that ride.  I wheeled the trike to the front of the house to catch the warm rays of the sun during the repair.  After removing the tube from the tire, I inflated it but wasn't able to find the leak: even after submerging it in the bath tub.  After reassembly and inflation I went out Airport road, stopping periodically to check the tire--no discernible leakage.  There was just enough of a headwind to make the wind chill quite uncomfortable, so I only rode out about three miles.  The return portion of the ride was quite nice, as the headwind-turned-tailwind was negated by my speed and it was as though I was riding in a bubble.  The tire held air throughout the trip--no idea what I'll find when I go out for my next ride.

I can't believe it's been nearly two months since I added to this blog.  Of course, it's always hectic over the holiday season and besides not having time to ride, there's also the weather factor.  I haven't been keeping track of my rides as religiously as I have in the past--I basically ride as far and as often as I'm able.  This year actually started off well as I was able to ride on three of the first five days of the month; then some crappy weather hit, and I messed my back up a bit which curtailed my riding.  I was able to get out for a nice ride on snowy roads last week

and today was really nice: 44° and sunny.  The only problem was, the warmth turned my favorite hard-packed snowy road into slush

so I had to go a different direction.  I know I've lost some of my conditioning however, as long as I can still go ten miles at a reasonable speed I'm quite satisfied.

Short rides

'tis the season for short rides.   The temperatures normally dip into the teens at night and, since the sun doesn't rise until 7:30 or so to begin warming things up, it's generally 11:30 or 12:00 before it gets warm enough to ride--typically 35°.  Depending on my speed and wind speed, the wind chill factor can make that feel as though it's in the low 20s.  So, I'm content to do a six or eight mile ride and return to hot coffee and a warm house.

Life and living

Life has a nasty habit of getting in the way of living, as it goes along with no regard for the important things.  Mundane tasks such as shopping for food, obtaining prescriptions, preparing for winter and attending activities for children and grandchildren take precedence and soon become all encompassing.  It takes a very real effort to get back to 'living' activities that provide enjoyment and quality of life benefits.  And, of course, the weather also gets in the way; five inches of snow on unplowed roads is pretty much a show-stopper.  However, I'm somewhat content to shrug off these minor inconviences and look at maps and catalogs, dreaming and planning for getting back to living.

Anticipation

Waiting for the first snow of the season harkens me back to the days of my youth;

although I don't have the same desires of snow ball fights and forts, I am anxious to see the fresh snow coating the browning vegetation.  I'm riding some of the lesser traveled roads now, trying to acquaint myself with the location of potholes which will be filled with uncompacted snow.  My riding has changed from going out early to avoid the heat of the day, to waiting until after lunch so I can ride during the heat of the day, which will be in the 20s and 30s for the next three or four months. That first blanket of sparkling white snow, untrammeled and clean, gives promise of a new beginning.  I want to get up early enough to ride through that white world, blazing a track before it is sullied by snowplows or turned to slush by the sun;

and if, by chance, an unsuspecting target presents itself when the freshly fallen snow is of the right consistency...

Sweet sixteen

No, I was never 'sweet' 16 however, I did just have a very nice sixteen mile ride.  The sun was glaringly bright but the temperature was in the low 40s with a light, variable wind. 

I started off going out Airport Road and then took off on the old road toward Ellensburg.





 I stopped at the Teanaway River where I could see a lot of fall color laying on the banks.

To the North, Mt Stuart stood, draped in a fresh coating of snow.

Farther along, I could see the Yakima River wending its way through the fall color remnants.

I turned off on Taylor Road, a gravel road I'd never ridden before;






at the top I was able to see the ridge that is southwest of town and noticed the first dusting of snow on it (the peak in the center of the picture.)

At Lambert Road I was back on chip seal and stopped when I crossed the Teanaway River again.

From there it was a short five mile jaunt back along Airport Road to home.

Halloween decorations

We've had extremely mild temperatures for the past three days; mid 50s, sunny and no wind. I've been making the best of it because I know the rain/snow and colder weather can't be too far away. After traveling up to Lake Cle Elum yesterday and a fairly decent ride the day before,I thought I would just ride around town and checkout some of the Halloween decorations. There were some fairly basic ones consisting of just a couple of pumpkins,

and some more elaborate including a headless horseman on a full-size horse.

I actually found one man who was still in the process of setting up his decorations.

One of the scariest parts of that display was the dog; when I stopped in front of the house, he turned to look at me and I wasn't certain that he wasn't going to come after me.
Some of the decorations consisted solely of a commercially obtained item plopped in the middle of the yard.

Some houses had no decorations but still conveyed the spirit of the season.

I thought the scariest decoration was this:

a decorative, inviting doorway with who knows what chained in the small shed adjacent to the steps.
The local Halloween parade will be on Monday; I may or may not decorate my trike, but I think I'll be in attendance to see the costumes.

Depleted

I rode up to Lake Cle Elum today; it's completed its task for the year--providing water for irrigation, salmon and recreation. 

Earlier in the year the water would have been lapping at the wheels of my trike.  Now, it's prepared to begin accepting autumn rain and winter snow so it'll be ready to start the cycle again next year.

Reality

I am trying to forget that a short week and a half ago, I was riding in sunny, 85° weather. I'm trying to forget because that will make reality easier to accept; and reality today is 35° and cloudy. I went for a ride on this crisp Fall day and found the colors are still present;

albeit, some of the color is now on the ground.

However, the colors are not as vibrant as when the sun imparts its warmth and energy to them and the water looks colder under the leaden skies.
Shorts and sandals have given way to jeans, shoes (with socks,) gloves, jacket and a watch cap that covers my ears. Soon, snow will preclude my riding on some roads and limit me to shorter distances on various loops about town. But, I'll continue to ride throughout the winter so I'll be ready to soar on the first glorious day in Spring.

The long road home

Since I chronicled our car trip to Arizona for my trike ride, it seems fitting that I tell you about our long trip home; it was very much in line with our 'Hey, that looks interesting" method of instant planning.  After completing my ride, we stayed in Seligman for the night and made the trip to Kingman on Saturday.  It wasn't a long day, because we got a late start and we also had to do laundry; we did a short jaunt around Kingman and saw some nice flowers,

and Barbara checked out some new shoes.

The view from our motel was quite nice.

The next morning Barbara got a chance to get up close to a locomotive

and then we were off for a small town we'd heard about: Oatman on an OLD section of Route 66.  The scenery on the twisting road was great.

We saw a reminder to slow down:



and then we hit Oatman during rush hour.

Yes, they allow--even encourage, burros to roam throughout the town.




After watching the High Noon gunfight

and browsing through the shops,

we were on the road again: destination-Lake Havasu City where we found an intact London Bridge.

                                                                                  We then drove into Laughlin, Nevada where we spent the night and paid our final homage to the gambling deities. The next morning, Roy did a quick loop around the top floor of the parking garage

before he loaded everything and we were off to Death Valley. We got there in time to take a spin on Artists' Drive

                                                                                  and a quick stop at the Artist's Palette.


                                                                                  From there we were able to drive to Badwater before dark.

The next morning we were off again, this time to Zabriski's Point,

Twenty mule team canyon,

and Dante's View, where we could look down on Badwater and get an overview of most of the Valley.

On our way out of the Valley we stopped at Mosaic Canyon,which Roy wrote about in A walk in the sun

We drove into Bishop, California for the night and were greeted by the snowy Sierras the next morning.



Next up was a trip past June Lake and it's waterfall and colorful foliage.

We crossed the highway and entered the wonderful world of Mono Lake

with it's fantastical tufa deposits:

The next morning we entered the realm of mountains: Lassen Peak, which looks a lot like Mount St Helens,

and Mount Shasta.

After Weed, we soon entered Oregon and the desire to get home and end the trip trumped any further side trips or pictures. We had a great time and the only problem with taking trips as we do is that there can be no planning--"hey, that looks interesting!"