And then there was one...

Yesterday was a big day for us. First, the G-man was heading off on his 4 week adventure with NYC and second, I was heading off on my adventure. Orientation at NYC was 10 am and we got there a tad early and sat in the car listening to The Chosen. At 10 we headed inside the building and the parents got oriented while the kids went outside and began the process of forming groups, checking gear and moving through the teaching stations. After gear check Garrett and I said our goodbyes (I fully admit to balling my eyes out here) and I split for town. It felt way weird to be without him. Despite the pain in the neck teenage attitude he was so incredibly sweet that morning as if he knew that is just what I needed.


I headed into town and hit REI then the local bike shop, Pauls. There the local bike dude gave me several excellent tips on where to ride, where to camp that night and where to stock up on local brew and provisions. I headed off to the Kings Castle trail off hwy 126. Now I have to tell you the way the bike guy described the trail was something like 'it followed the forest trail for a while so you could warm up your legs and then climbed a bit until near the top when it became rocky and would be hard to ride except for the really experienced. The top had great views and the return trip was all downhill'.
Okay, first off, the 'warm up' was about 100 meters long and the uphill was brutal for this flat lander! Maybe I should have mentioned I suck on a bike and I am from Texas! But I was determined. One of the reasons I wanted to spend time up here after dropping Garrett off was to help get ready for The Desert Winds Expedition Race as well as Nationals in Moab. I had to start somewhere. Aftre a couple of hours of riding, climbing, pushing and whining I made it to the top of Castle Rock. The views were incredible and so worth the pain. The downhill took all of 45 minutes and I had a shit eating grin on my face when I was done. I packed up the bike and headed to the camp that was recommended.


The camping spot was down the road a bit and I found it easily with bike dudes directions. Located right next to the Mckenzie River, a free lovely spot in the national forest equiped with a flat tent area and fire ring I was in heaven! I set up camp, built a fire and had some of the local fare I had picked up earlier; queso fresco, polenta bread, homegrown tomatoes and blueberries and salsa and chips. I washed the whole thing down with a brewski from Eugene.
I read a little before bed and fell asleep listening to the river gurgling.


I am in Bend today and am aiming for Phil's Trail and maybe a dip in the Deschutes.
later gater, rob