First flat in months

So, I am riding the Salsa Fargo up Critchfield and then Peola and I feel this strange wiggly sensation. Took me several minutes to figure out my real wheel was almost flat....oh no....what to do!

I have had only 1 other flat on a ride all year and that was in early spring. I am running ghetto tubeless on the Fargo but when I stopped to check for the cause of the puncture I realized the Sealant was going to have a hard time sealing this one. It as a fairly large and very sharp rock stuck in the tire. Luckily I was carrying a tube so after a few mins of scratching my head and thinking how do I do this again I was able to get it fixed and continue on my way up Peola.

Except for some headwind it was a great morning to be out on a bike.

From the top of Silcott Grade.......


Arty Farty.....

Hot and Cold Coyote

With a week of no rides due to work, cold weather, and darkness it was a welcome sight to see the bright sunshine Saturday morning. This time of year I really have to fight the urge to turn into a coach potato. The forecast called for temps only in the low 30's though. Jen suggested we do the Coyote Gulch / Central Grade loop. The last time I had done this ride I was having a low energy day and the climb totally kicked my arse. So, I was looking forward to a rematch.

I tossed on all my cold weather gear and drove out to meet Jen and Scott at the boat launch in North Lewiston. We took the levee trail out to the end then jumped on the highway shoulder. Coyote Gulch Road starts climbing immediately and does not let up much the entire way. We had a slight tail wind and that combined with the sun and exertion caused us to stop and remove a few layers of clothing. I had sweat streaming down my forehead. I hadn't expected to be overly warm today.

This route has some nice views of the valley and the Waha's. As we approached the top at almost 3k ft we encountered our first snow of the year and the road turned somewhat muddy. At this point it was time to re-apply all the layers we had removed earlier for the long descent down Central Grade Road.

The sunny ride really helped alleviate some of the winter blah's.



SLIDESHOW

Fall Back Flora Loop

So everyone's favorite time of year is back when it gets dark around 2pm or so it seems. Personally I would rather have darkness til noon if it allowed me a little time to see my house in the daylight after getting off work.

Anyway I got up this morning excited by thought of a nice ride with a sweet weather forecast and then I open my e-mail and see this from SeanMAN(?)

"Hey guys, think I'm gonna bail on this ride today"

I was like oh no your not and replied with something to the effect of "BS your going!". Then Scott chimed in with a few choice insults as well and Sean seeing the error of his ways relented and agreed to come along.

We arrived at Bogans on the Grande ronde river at about 9am and got geared up and headed out Under mostly cloudy skies but a nice temperature (for nov).

We had a nice cruise along the river for 16 miles then it was time to CLIMB up flora grade. Sean's GPS said the climb was 3100ft over aprox 7 miles. Once on top we had a fun and fast descent on Buford grade into Bogans Oasis where we feasted on burgers, fries and milkshakes.

Great way to start a new month!



Slideshow



















Food near!

Alternate Sage

Well, the day turned out to be nicer than I expected. Sean and I decided to go ahead with our plans to ride up Steptoe Canyon road into Uniontown with a stop at the Sage Bakery of course!

The Steptoe canyon road was a little soft from the rain that came through overnight but luckily it was not real messy. We had a pretty mix of clouds and blue sky with some strong winds up top.

Looks like tomorrow we will be heading over to the Grande Ronde to do the Flora loop ride with lunch at the Rim Rock Cafe or Bogans.......mmmmmmm.



SlideShow

The Reverse Campbell

Sean, Scott, and I pulled off the rarely attempted and rarely successful Reverse Campbell Grade ride this evening. Reverse as in climbing and not descending.

Campbell Grade is the kind of climb (1100ft in 1 mile) that causes these 4 thoughts to chase each other through my mind as a climb.

"I CAN'T do this"
"WHY am I doing this"
"I DON'T want to do this"
"I WILL DO THIS!".

The only thing that breaks up this loop is the occasional.....

"OH S@#$T it's getting steeper!!!"

Anyway, I am happy to report that all 3 of us made it to the top without having to stop and walk.....woooohoooooo!

Once up top we turned on our lights and had a quick trip back down Cloverland Grade and on into Asotin.

A few pics....

Heading out Asotin Creek Road....






Scott approaching the top of Campbell Grade....


yes!

Clearwater Color

Scott and I have been talking about doing this ride since early this spring. With the arrival of fall we figured this would be a good time to do it and hopefully take in what passes for fall colors in these parts.

The day was mostly sunny but cool when I met Jen and Scott on the north side of the Clearwater river (cherry lane bride). We started out on pavement but that turned into some extreme wash boarding gravel just past the fish hatchery. Thankfully the wash boarding diminished somewhat as the ride went further. The route ended up being about 2/3 gravel and 1/3 pavement. The first several miles were up and down along the Clearwater river. Then the road started heading up and away from the river pretty quickly. Eventually we hit a very intense and sustained climb (Hank's grade) that took us from about 1200 ft to over 3100 ft in only a few miles. Scott and I agreed that it is one of the tougher local climbs we have done. Up top there was less color but the vista's expanded to make up for it. It was also nice to be able to descend Hubbard Gulch road instead of climb it for a change.

All in all a great way to spend a Fall day.



Slideshow

Picture set

Friday Night Special

Whew what a week at work!....busy busy and Friday was especially hectic. I contacted Jen and Scott to see if they were up for a Friday evening ride on our cloverland loop route. They said heck yea, so we met up in Asotin a little after 4. When I pulled into the parking lot I saw Bill Arnold on his road bike talking to Scott and Jen. Bill decided to ride with us up to the top of the grade and then head back home from there.

The weather had taken a turn for the better so we were able to start off in our summer gear...woooohoooo! I had a lot of pent up stress to burn off so I attacked Cloverland grade with gusto, stopping occasionally to take a few pics.

Scott had just installed some larger brake rotors on his bike and the front one was not quite adjusted right and it squeaked all the way up the climb. When we got to the top we stopped to take a look at it. Scott gave it a spin by hand and it made it about 1/2 revolution before it stopped......not good! We decided to loosen everything up and spread the brake pads, etc. We were able to get it rotating fairly freely and quietly.

Up on the prairie we were treated to dramatic sky/sunset that made for some good photo opportunities. Once we dropped down Campbell grade to Asotin creek road our sunlight was pretty much gone so we switched on our lights for the ride back to town. We saw quite a few snakes enjoying the night on the gravel road and Scott spotted a raccoon as well.

By the time we made it back to Asotin I felt I had burned off most of the stress that had built up during the week... :-)


Slideshow

Climbing Cloverland Grade...








Up top.......














Campbell grade....