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Black Friday ride
Last Post 11/28/2016 11:46 AM by SideBy Side. 6 Replies.
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79pmooney
Posts:3189
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| 11/24/2016 11:21 PM |
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I have over the years always liked riding either Thanksgiving morning (my favorite for traffic but often a challenge for weather) or black Friday (to stay far from the madding crowd).
Didn't ride today. I learned the other day from a Sears salesman about Lee Falls, a waterfall 36 miles from home. The first 34 miles is a route I have ridden a couple dozen times over the years. Relatively flat; a good fix gear ride across relatively rural Willamette Valley countryside and up a valley going into the coastal range. The small community of Cherry Grove is the turnaround 1/4 mile from the end of paved roads. Lee Falls is 2 miles in on an unpaved road and is, according to that salesman, the best falls around.
Tomorrow the falls should be putting on a show. It's raining an easy inch today. Tomorrow, showers are forecast, 46-47F (Portland, probably 5 degrees colder out there) and diminishing wind.
I'll do my best to get out early, ride easy (but over Blooming-Fernhill Road since the easy flat route two miles longer will be washed out - 95% odds). I haven't been riding a lot, some trainer, some fix gear, some market runs. It is important that I be not beat when I hit the dirt road and be willing to turn around if getting lost is a possibility. The bike is the easy part; my old Raleigh Competition with its 35c Paselas should be completely up to the task. 7-speed triple with a 26-28 low. Go out on 65 psi, drop that for the dirt and pump up again to come home.
They call it Black Friday. I am expecting a very grey Friday.
Ben
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 11/25/2016 08:44 AM |
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| Nice to get out. Always fun to hear what people are doing |
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huckleberry
Posts:824
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| 11/25/2016 05:33 PM |
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Pics, please.
Have fun! |
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79pmooney
Posts:3189
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| 11/26/2016 12:36 AM |
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Sorry huck, no pictures. I got to the falls. Spectacular but not photogenic. It was on a tributary to the Tualitin River on the far side of the river. That section of road was above and set back from the river, so the falls were a ways off and because of the trees, I couldn't see all of it from any one place. Still, impressive. A creek, not a river, but in full Pacific storm overflow. The falls cascade down about 200 feet of rock.
What a ride! Slow and hard. The last 20 miles esp. I had to take on Bloomin' Fernhill Road because it was a given the the easier low route would be a foot under water. I didn't even bother looking. (The formal spelling of that road uses a "g", not an apostrophy, but that hill lives up to the English expletive. 200' at 12% (guess). Today - 26 x 28 standing every inch, slowly.
That's what I am feeling now, but the ride was great. Featured water. I heard water the entire ride, from car tires the very early miles, then streams. the river and rain. Forded two rivers across the road, twice each. Once I hit the dirt I heard the river all the time. Loud, gettng louder as I got farther in and the riverbed got steeper. Plus there were waterfalls coming off the hill to collectors by the road, big pipes under and to the river. I saw nobody going in. At 1/4 mile, there was a locked gate but open to foot traffic. Not a sole besides me. In about a mile, I saw a very low waterfall of the whole river; maybe 12', but what a roar! I had no idea you could see this from the quiet Tualiting River I have crossed so many times. About 3/4 mile later, another gate. No Trespassing, Federal Property. (My source on this road told me that when he got here, a truck was exiting. The drive told him like the signs, that it was off limits, but that he was the last one in and he was leaving. So, Black Friday and I haven't seen a trace of a human (lots of evidence of lumbering, some heavy equipmenr) so I continued. In aboujt a mile, I got the the high falls.
The riding was great. Lee Falls Road was in very good condition and very ridable on the "rest day" between two Pacific storms. Potholes were filled with course black volcanic rock. (This is Oregon. We probably have hundreds of cubic miles of volcanic rock.) But 35c tires with 40 psi were really nice to be riding. Didn't regret using them! Ran 60-65 on the pavement. Thank you, Zefal HP.) Going in/up didn't seem too hard. But when I turned around, I got to see both how much altitude I gained and that I was clearly going to pay for it!
Once I left the Fed land, I started seeing families, families like me that had no use for malls! The day gradually dried out. Started light drizzle to light rain, progressing to dry to heavy drizzle. Never did have dry glasses. I was comfortable and warm all day, but a real part of my legs burden were the pounds of wet I was wearing. That, big tires, big fenders, racks front and rear and one Ortleib (having a truly dry place to stash clothing is REALLY nice!). Not sleek setup.
Got thinking yesterday that this bike is a true "adventure bike". Lived up to that billing today. Coolest part - for the bike, todays ride was no big deal, at all.
Great ride. Hard. I am beat and going to bed.
Ben |
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huckleberry
Posts:824
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| 11/26/2016 09:36 AM |
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Thanks, Ben.
Great ride for what sounds like a satisfying ride.
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huckleberry
Posts:824
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| 11/26/2016 02:00 PM |
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| That was supposed to say "Great READ for what sounds like a satisfying ride." |
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SideBySide
Posts:444
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| 11/28/2016 11:46 AM |
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| Nice! |
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