Elkhorn Mountain Summit Beckons

CCT9: Credit Card tour 9 is coming up next week. With luck and some sun we'll get a chance to climb Elkhorn Mountain Summit, the second highest paved road in Oregon. Guess which road is higher.....



"Climbing Elkhorn Summit
From Granite, the Byway turns north onto Forest Road 73. Look for rock "walls" made by early Chinese gold miners along Granite Creek, as they set aside larger boulders in their search for gold. The Elkhorn Byway soon meets up with the Blue Mountain Scenic Byway at the North Fork John Day Campground. The "Wild and Scenic" John Day River is recognized for outstanding fisheries, water quality, scenery, recreation, wildlife, and historical values, and is a popular destination for outdoor people. The Byway turns east and climbs its apex at Elkhorn Mountain Summit (7,392 ft.). The jagged peaks in view here form the backdrop for the Anthony Lakes Recreation Area." from http://www.tripcheck.com/Pages/SBelkhornDr.asp

Once in a Blue Mooon

Had a chance to climb Dimple Hill tonight in order to watch the sunset followed by the full moon rise. Excellent evening ride, no cougars. Eric, Danny, Jud and I cruised the gravel and observed a huge orange moon rising over the cascades. Summer is here, if but for a few days.....
PS: the new shoes were worth every penny....

Hot Foot malady in long distance cycling

Hot Foot can be a pain during the long brevets, I took the next step towards comfortable feet today. I hope.
Here's my shotgun approach:

1. New Sidi Dominator 5 Mega one size larger than my old Sidis.


2. New blue specialized insoles with the wedgie inserts. I used red in the past.


3. New Frog cleats mounted 1 mm further aft.
   

Took a short test ride to check for cleat alignment, I set them up so I can't rub the crank arms when rotated heel in.
Still feel a bit funny, tomorrow I'll take a 30 mile flat ride to get used to them.

I'm trying to dial it in before CCT9 in a week. I'm going to chase a small pack of SLBs around eastern Oregon for 4 days next weekend.
In addition, I don't need any hot foot during the upcoming Glacier 1000k at the end of June. see the oregon randonneurs link here: http://www.orrandonneurs.org/sftest/2007_Glacier_Info.html

Quartzville Road Back Country Byway

Well, what is the next scenic bike ride in store for the oregon pass hunter? How about a ride up the 50 mile Quartzville Road Back Country Byway...

planning begins with some web research...

Quartzville Road Back Country Byway - This Type 1, 50 mile byway meanders along the emerald depths of Green Peter Reservoir and the clear, cool waters of Quartzville Creek National Wild and Scenic River. Discover a corridor of old-growth and maturing forest, accented by rock outcroppings, huckleberry patches, wildflowers, and vivid fall colors. For more information, contact the Salem District Office.

http://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/byways.php

from an old news article:

ONLY THE SOUND of a cool, light breeze accompanied the magnificent view of Mount Jefferson glistening in the morning sun just a few miles to the east as cyclists on last year's Oregon Bicycle Ride paused to soak in the grand views from the Quartzville Back Country Byway.
The wonderfully scenic Quartzville Road - also known as FS (for Forest Service) 11 - winds its way west through 50 miles of remote territory between Marion Forks and Sweet Home.
Starting at Oregon Highway 22 south of Marion Forks, the Quartzville Road angles ...

Memorial Day on Mary's Peak, Oregon Coast Range

Well, I made it up Mary's Peak. Not too bad of a climb if you are not in a big hurry. I heard one entire Dave Mathews concert during my climb. Beautiful day for it, warm enough to climb in short sleeves, cold enough to pull on all the extra clothes for the quick trip back down the 9 mile descent. There is a WWII memorial at the top which I had never noticed before.

More photos here, http://picasaweb.google.com/jonbeilby/MarySPeakMemorialDay2007

The road has one lane closed off due to an immense landslide

Pass Hunter plans to woo Mary

Some call her Chintimini, some call her Timanwa, but she's Mary to me.

Tomorrow will be the first summit attempt, I'll take the Tsakanikas with compact double and 8sp rear end. 34X32 will have to do.

here's an excerpt from the Suislaw Forest link:

"Mary's Peak, at 4,097 feet, is the highest point in Oregon’s Coast Range and the most prominent peak viewed westward from Corvallis. On a clear day one can see both the Pacific Ocean to the west and many of the Cascade peaks to the east across the Willamette Valley. There are also several areas of historical, botanical and geological interest."

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/siuslaw/recreation/tripplanning/maryspeak/index.shtml

here's the unavoidable wikipedia link, many good links on this page
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marys_Peak

here are some of the other peaks in the Coast range, I'm not sure how many of them are ridable.
http://www.peakbagger.com/range.aspx?rid=1222

here's a link to the peaks of Oregon
http://www.peaklist.org/USlists/ORP2000.html