Last week (July 2016) I finished a mountain biking trip in Bend, Oregon. The trip included seven days of riding, camping in a hammock, and exploring the town of Bend.
It was a spectacular trip!
I biked 277 miles, rode 18 of the trails in the Bend area (just a small fraction of the mountain biking trails in the Bend area).
The trip was filled with spectacular mountain trails, high desert landscape, challenging climbs, and thrilling descents. The entire week was a refreshing break.
Here is what I learned…
Bend, Oregon is one of the best places to ride in the USA. Hundreds of miles of well-marked trails and a large number of rainless days allow for a wonderful mountain biking ecosystem. In my seven days of riding, I only rode a small fraction of the vast number of trails available in the Bend area.
Hats off to Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA) and to the many organizations and individuals that support its initiatives. COTA develops and maintains the Bend area mountain bike trail system in cooperation with the US Forest Service. COTA rocks!!!
People in Oregon are kind and helpful to visitors. I always received a kind greeting and a helping hand wherever I went.
God gave me good health and allowed me to the encounter another small slice of the vast universe he created. I am thankful to God and acknowledge his wonder, power, and creativity. It is his world, and he allows me to live in it.
Below are my daily experiences, filled with photos, maps, and descriptions of my rides. I hope that you use my experiences to gain a perspective about Bend and that you benefit from my experience …
Woke at 7:00 am and packed up to check out of Motel 6. I am moving to a hotel that is close to the bus stop where I pick up a bus that goes from Bend to Portland. Checked out of Motel 6 at 8 am and biked through the town of Bend. It was cool (about 55 degrees) and sunny. Stopped at a local restaurant to fuel up with a bean, egg, and cheese breakfast burrito.
Climbing fuel – breakfast burrito.
I am completely excited about my last day in Bend. I planned to ride TiddlyWinks trail (the 7.2 mile trail on which I fell two days ago), and Storm King trail (4 miles). They are both super fun trails and I begin the day with unbridled anticipation. Rode out of Bend up the Cascade Lakes Highway, 13.5 miles, to Wanoga Snow Park. The trailhead for Tiddlywinks is there. Arrived at the Tiddlywinks trailhead (about 5,500 feet in elevation) at 10:40 am.
Rode to the most challenging section of the trail and stopped to rest and get a drink. The challenging section had danger warning signs, but riding this section of the trail is mountain biking at its best.
Danger ahead – thumbs up!
Loved descending the challenging section of Tiddlywinks trail. The big-time downhill curves and switchbacks were super fun, leaning into the banked berms while riding the disc brakes to keep a safe speed. Zig-zagging through pine trees, flying through the jumps, and nailing the landings was super fun. I rode with a heightened sense of awareness – using all my skills, balancing efforts, quickness, and agility to negotiate the downhill course.
Downhill section of Tiddlywinks trail near Bend, Oregon. Bumps, jumps, banked berms, and fun!
Rock section of Tiddlywinks trail – near Bend, Oregon.
Stopped at the bottom of Tiddlywinks trail for lunch (granola, trail mix, and water). While eating lunch, I noticed a bike about 20 feet up in a tree and took a photo. I wandered, “Did the rider get some big air on a jump and met the tree mid-air? Or was this a rider who met a tree when the snow was so deep that 20 feet up was ground level (snow melted in the spring)?”
Lunch spot at bottom of Tiddlywinks trail.
Bike in tree at bottom of Tiddlywinks trail – near Bend, Oregon.
Saddled back up after lunch and rode the flowy and fast Storm King trail. The ride was mostly downhill and was invigorating.
After riding Storm King trail, I connected up with the Deschutes River trail and rode it downriver towards its end near Bend.
Rode into Bend and checked into my new hotel. Then I returned my bike to the bike shop – loved the sign outside the bike shop. It was late afternoon and was sunny and 80 degrees F.
Walked to dinner and then walked about 2.5 miles to the hotel. Cleaned up and packed up to leave Bend via bus early the following morning.
It was a superb day – a perfect day – the best way to end my mountain biking adventure in Bend.
I rode 38 miles today and topped out at 5,500 feet in elevation.
Woke up at 7:30 am in the Motel 6 – what a luxury (compared to camping in a hammock)!
Did not eat breakfast – just geared up and got ready to ride. It was 54 degrees F outside when I began riding.
I saddled up and hit the trail for another day, cranking up the mountain towards Mt. Bachelor. I’ll use all my 24 gears on today’s ride – another day of adventure!
“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” ― John Muir
I wonder what John Muir was like many years ago – perhaps he would be a mountain biker if he lived in this day and time! I am privileged to take his advice on this day, following some wonderful dirt trails on my mountain biking adventure.
It is another great day. I am thankful for the exquisite beauty that God made in his creation. The way the sun rises to warm my skin, the way a tree grows and extends its shade, the grace of a bird in flight on the mountain updraft, the symmetry of a bright flower’s bloom, the thundering rush of a stream over a waterfall falling at its base and running downstream. God’s hand is everywhere I see, hear, and feel – and in everything I experience.
And I am grateful for the health with which God has granted me. Due to health issues, many are not able to ride mountain trails as I ride them. And my health is not taken as granted – I consider health a gift from God each and every day.
So I started the day thankful and amazed at what God had in store. I rode out of Bend towards Mt. Bachelor, on the Cascade Lakes Highway, headed for an epic advanced/difficult trail called “Tiddlywinks” (7.2 miles long).
Sign on Cascade Lakes Highway – near Bend, Oregon
The climb was gradual for the first few miles out of Bend. But the elevation grade kicked up soon. I geared down and kept cranking. Many vehicles headed out of Bend on the highway carried mountain bikes, road bikes, kayaks, paddle boards, and other recreational equipment. Many bikers passed me as we cranked uphill. Most of the bikers going up and down that highway were road bikers. Each had an encouraging word as we passed. I saw a cross country skier with poles and roller blades going up and down the highway – he was training seriously in the off season (summertime).
With stops to rest and to check navigation, it took me about 3 hours of ascending 13.5 miles to get to the Tiddlywinks trailhead. I stopped and ate lunch (granola bar, trail mix, and water) near the trailhead.
Tiddlywinks trailhead, near Bend, Oregon.
Don’t let the trail name Tiddlywinks confuse you. This is one epic mountain biking trail, not some fru-fru trail. The trail begins with a mile, or so, of relatively flat downhill. Then some climbing to a ridge. After this things get interesting – multiple danger warning signs on the trail – see the “skull and crossbones” on the pink sign below.
Some serious. steep downhill trail after the signs. I rode down multiple switchback curves through the trees – the trail was similar to a motorcycle motocross track with MONSTER banked earth berms and deep ruts.
Switchback curve and banked earth berm on Tiddlywinks trail – near Bend, Oregon.
Switchback after challenging switchback took me downhill. It was a big drop. I thought the curves would never end. It was mountain biking heaven! I was riding the brakes most of the way down, using both front and rear brakes to check my speed. In between the curves were earth mounds and rocks for launching jumps into the alpine air.
I took multiple jumps and had my only fall of the entire trip. I saw another earth mound, let go of the brakes to gain speed, and launched into the jump, only to discover a rock outcropping out of sight, but visible as I launched past the mound. Mountain rock embedded in the landing zone (LZ) is not what you wish for. My front tire hit one of the rocks in the LZ, and my front wheel slowed. The rear-end of the bike kept moving forward with my momentum, and my speed forward launched me over the handlebars. This move is called an “endo” (short for end-over-end). My bike and I tumbled to a stop just off the trail. I was still clipped in to the pedals. When all the tumbling stopped, I was located upside down (and sideways) in some low bushes, with the bike on top of me. I think my backpack took some of the impact of my falling body when it hit the ground. And my helmet did its job protecting my head. I lay there for a minute, letting the adrenaline and the shock of the crash subside. During that time I was doing a self-assessment – was anything broken or bleeding? No visible injuries. Then it took a few minutes to get the bike off of me, to untangle myself and the bike from the bushes, and to right myself.
Relieved that I had no injuries, I rested. Then I got back in the saddle after a few minutes and rode the rest of Tiddlywinks trail downward to a trail called Storm King (4.1 miles). Storm King was a fun, downhill, flowing trail. Then I hooked into Catch and Release trail (2.5 miles). Then I rode the Deschutes River trail (4 miles) back to Bend, following the Deschutes River. Stopped next to a place upriver of Bend called “Lava Island” and ate a snack. It was sunny and 82 degrees F.
Lava Island, Deschutes River, Oregon.
Then I rode streets of Bend to get a snack at Taco Salsa. I thought it would be a snack – I ordered a bean and cheese burrito – and they delivered a monster burrito that became my dinner. It was delicious and hit the spot at the end of a full day of biking.
Eating outdoors at Taco Salsa.
It was early evening, so I biked to Bend’s town park (Drake Park) on the Deschutes River and enjoyed the green grass and relatively cool temperature.
I biked 39 miles today and hit 5,500 feet in atitude.
I took several dirt paths today – like John Muir suggested. It was a good day and I was grateful for the blessing of this adventure.
“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” ― John Muir
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