Riding Around the Hood

Would love to go for a ride but after goofing off all weekend I'm playing catch up with a few things around the orchard plus my son has a Lacrosse game in PDX this afternoon that I'm going to.

As for "changing your ways" don't do for anyone else other than yourself! Life is too short and of all people you should know that.... I thought you just went fast due to that air cooled engine of yours! Now if you had one of those new fangled water cooled thingies you would be set!

All joking aside, flowers do smell gooood, sometimes! And come to think of it that would make one hell of a photo, you smellien flowers!

Maybe Yoga to?!

Okay, I'm going back to work!

I'm a bit late with this one, but Craig's post near Ketcum Ranch prompted me to get going with it.

A week ago Saturday I spent an evening by the campfire at dvwalker's property outside Mosier.
He's up pretty high in the hills, watching Mt. Adams sneak over the mountains beyond.



It was an ideal camping evening with calm, clear skies and a very nice view from dv's "campspot" of the the Mosier Valley and the Columbia Gorge below us.



Ideal until the night. Clear out here this time of year means COLD. Really cold.
Went to bed listening to the sprayers, coating the orchard on a calm cool night, and woke up to fans, trying to keep the orchards a couple of degree warmer.

In the morning we took a walk around some of the trails he's built, and watched deer and wild turkeys getting their breakfasts.
There's lots of deer here.

When the sun turned warm, we headed up Vensel Rd to Ketchum.
Ketchum Rd runs at the top of the ridge between Mosier Creek Valley and Mill Creek Valley, outside The Dalles.
It is one of the few gravel-less roads in our area, but on top, it stays fairly dry and hard packed.




There's a few puddles here and there, ready for my water-fording ride of the day, the Mighty Shadow !!

We rode Ketchum until we got the the edge of the Mt Hood NF, where an open gate marks the beginning of the nasty pit-run rocky section.

Any of you Black Dog riders from last year will remember this section.
I skipped it on the Shadow, and turned around here.

On the way back down the ridge, you pass cattle fields of grassy meadows,
Big views of Mt. Adams to the North....




And views of Mt. Hood to the South....



While pausing here, scoping in the scenery, I spot...daffodils?
Not being a wildflower, it was curiuos why they were here, on this meadowtop, sharing this view with me today.

Walking out to them, I notice they are in a fairly tight bunch.
They have the good views of Adams and Hood, too






Upon closer inspection, I see that they are arranged in a pattern,
a classic Smiley Face !!



Cool, flowers for the cows, to remind them to smile


Well, this ride was short, but this day was too nice to slab quickly home, so the long way over Old Dalles Rd was in order.

Maxaccelleration? Here's that bridge again.




On the Hood River side of the North end of Surveyor's Ridge,
I had to stop at this view of the lower HR Valley, looking towards Hood




I don't think it'll matter how long I live here, and how many pictures I take of that mountain.
I'll never stop gawking in awe at the sight of it.
Thanks for helping me enjoy it, on that beautiful sunny Sunday, on the last weekend of April.

Sure does seem like they're taking their sweet-ass time with your KTM. What gives?

Got a big ride planned to the Oly Nat Park this weekend, too.........

Oh they are probably waiting on a back ordered specialty machine screw that holds half the bike together, requires a KTM factory technician only wrench and costs about $4500.00


It is a KTM after all:huh

The screw costs 57c
The specialty tool costs $4500.00

So.......

What'r ya doin' right now....TP?
It's an awefully nice day in the Hood, today........

Dont want to upset anyone but I just woke up from a nap

Hey AJ, Are you Shadowing it this weekend? Boy that's no fun....:huh

I just got a call from my brother, he was broke down on Free Bridge Rd. We had a bad connection but I think he had tire problems. If any of you are close it would be nice if you could have a look. I'm working on the problem from my end too so it's not an emergancy. Thanks.

I'm in Parkdale, a healthy hour of slab from Freebridge Rd.
I hope something works out for yer Bro', XB12R.

Let us know......

Thanks AJ, Craig called me too. My brother got half way down Free bridge right where that first 300' drop off is and had a flat tire. He said he got into some barb wire. He walked to the top of the hill so he could use his cell phone and called his friend in TD. They trucked the bike to Fun Country for a new tire. I always told him to carry a pump and plug kit when he's out like that, maybe he'll buy one now. I know my tire kit has saved my ass a few times before.

couldn't agree more, the magical land of hood. Thanks AJ for the pic fix, perfect timing. Traveling for work, arg!

Wet wet wet!!! More after I warm up.... And I hope TourPro's phone is still working, mine's not!

Wet is one way of saying it. At first I thought it was am unusually hard rain. I was right because it was FRIKKIN HAIL:huh

Luckily the Iphone is still working (Sorry to hear about yours Craig).

So I am an idiot (I know shocking news and no you all will argues the fact and tell me I am a genius but no I am an idiot) that decided when we left on this ride that I will just go casual. Just a t-shirt and a summer riding jacket a pair of Dickies and some regular hiking boots with my helmet.

We were just going to ride up and watch a bit of the Rally Cars. Well a couple of hours later a light sprinkle. Then we decide we should get before it became more. Well it was less than two minutes and the temp dropped BIG TIME and the rain became hail and then as we dropped in elevation it became a never ending hard rain all the way home.


But hey we were riding

So now it is time for some Cabo Wabo with Island Cool Capri Suns to warm up.

Craig has pics

So TP, did you take a sec to think about all the people hanging out on Fir Mt. Rd. watching the rally? Bet they were having some fun when that storm came in! No where to run & no where to hide.... And one tent.

Got home from a bike ride up to the snow level on Lake Branch Rd. about 30 minutes before this storm hit. Would have been real ugly on a peddle powered machine

Glad to hear you guys made it home safely

So much for the Iphone being ok. It works but has a couple of glitches..

try putting it in a baggy of rice. I've heard that works with other cell phones. Take the battery out?