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Continued
from front page:
Northwest
had the best sports car racing events and they were all envious. When he got a job offer to come to Seattle in
1965,
he
picked the Seattle job over another job offer in San Diego because of the car racing here. After he moved here, a local associate introduced him to one
of our
many local outdoor recreational opportunities, alpine skiing. He
enthusiastically skied for 5 or 6 years using his 52 outings a
year policy. He notes that back in the 60's Crystal
Mountain's
lift tickets were much less expensive than lift tickets are now. They even had an incentive back then to stay in
shape
and look forward to turning 70. You could ski for free if you were 70
or older. Next he took up white water kayaking and later Wind Surfing for about 8 years. He Wind Surfed frequently
using the same 52 times a year goal he used with
alpine
skiing. Wind surfing eventually brought him into mountain
hiking. Other Wind Surfers would ride mountain bikes to pass the time
waiting for the winds to pick up in the Gorge. He
rented a
bike in Mt. Hood and started riding. He enjoyed it enough to buy
his own bike and then commenced to do all of
the
rides in one of Kirkendahl's book. He joined the BBTC club in 1992 and
rode with them. A few years later STM started in
Tacoma
and he met them at the Seattle Bike Expo. He became the 30th
member to join STM back in 1994. He has always found the ride list to be the best part of STM with lots of
active
rides to
go on throughout the year. His favorite ride is the Devil's Gulch ride. Rick's words
of encouragement to all is: "Even if you don't do it
well,
just doing it is a mental help as well as a physical help to you." These are good words to keep in mind as winter is com-in on
us. One does truly feel mentally and physically better
after a
good brisk ride in the woods in the cold and even in the rain. It beats being a couch potato all day. Thanks, Rick, for
setting
the example of the way to be.
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Riding the McKenzie River Trail
Steve
Gann
After
two years of talking about riding the McKenzie River trail in Oregon we were finally able to get our ducks in a row and
get it
done. My buddy Jim and I headed down south the first weekend of
August. The weather was as perfect as we would soon find the trail to be. The McKenzie River trail is
about 50mi
East of
Eugene. It took us about five hours at a moderate driving pace.
The trail starts just above Clear Lake and follows the river for 26
miles where it ends at a small town called McKenzie Bridge. There are great riverside campsites all along
the main
highway and the McKenzie Bridge store has every-thing you forgot
to bring. There's even a ranger station with a
3D map
of the trail and surrounding area.
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Shuttling the trail is a piece of cake because the
main highway
takes you right
to the top. Too EASY!
We started at
the Clear Lake resort and cruised through lava flows, past two huge waterfalls, crystal dear reservoirs, "blue
pool" (a
freakishly blue pool of crystal clear water), more lava, hot springs, creek crossings, river views....man, this place will
blow your mind!
The views are only outdone by the trail. This is the epitome
of sweet single track. Imagine Skookum Flats, Lewis
River, and
Palisades all rolled into one. One minute your blazing wide open, hitting dips, hips and pulling' tricks, the next minute
your totally
concentrating on staying upright over gnarly, jagged edged lava rock... .ouch! That stuff will tear your skin off like a
cheese grader.
Then its back to bomb runs through huge old growth. Ifs
so good you'll think you're poaching a hiker only trail
McKenzie
is definitely worth the drive.
Here are a couple
pointers if you
choose to go:
-
Plan
your ride for Monday through Friday (Saturday and Sunday the trail is littered with hikers)
-
Bring
enough water and food for a five-hour + ride.
-
Bring a
map of the trail (even a shitty map is better than none)
-
Stop
by the ranger station (they're very helpful and have great maps)
-
If
you ride like Jim, bring an extra seat post so you don't
have to
"BOX it" for four miles!!!
-
And
most importantly, if you're planning a trip to McKenzie
CALL ME!
Peace Out... Steve
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Classified ads New wheel set: Mavic 317 Disc rims, XT Disc hubs, and DT
Swiss
double butted spokes 14/17 gauge. Nice and light for sure. Never
been used and priced to sell. I am asking $230 and that includes a spare rim. Contact me for pictures or
more
information:
jeffrey.caldwel l@att. net
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