All's well that ends well

I was joined by a few friends today as I rode from Blue River to Sisters and back via McKenzie Pass. McKenzie Pass is a seasonal road that is normally closed by snow from late October until late June or early July. The NW had a lot of late snow this spring resulting in record snowpack. ODOT weighed the cost of plowing the road open (a daunting task given the depth of snow and that it has the consistency of block ice!) or letting mother nature take her time and melt it open. They finally decided to plow one lane width and open the road to only cyclists and hikers. :-)
We took advantage of today's beautiful weather and a car free route to take a pedal over to Sisters for lunch. We weren't the only ones to be thinking this.

When we arrived at the Blue River Ranger Station, our designated starting point, there were probably near 100 other riders making preparations to ride the pass.



We began climbing immediately, and would continue to do so for the next 25 miles during which time we'd climb over 4400 ft.

Along the way we commented on the number of wildflowers we saw. There were columbine, lupine, and wild rhododendron, and a few others.


As we reached 3800 ft we saw our first roadside snow. With the incessant climbing the snow just kept multiplying.


We reached the summit and spent a few minutes taking in the view, and horsing around a bit!










Before we lost too much elevation we rode through the deepest snow drift of the day. It was pretty awesome!


While the road on the climb up had been littered with pine needles and cones the descent to Sisters had been swept and we enjoyed a fun and fast run down to our lunch stop.



We finished lunch, topped off water bottles and began the return trip. About 5 miles out of Sisters I got a flat tire. My compadres rode off as I stopped to make my tire road worthy again. It was warm and I sought shade to work in.

Sisters is only 2100 ft lower than McKenzie Summit so before long I was back on top. where I regrouped with my fellow riders and also met up with some Salem Bicycle Club folks.

We were looking at a 25 mile descent and planned to work it.
Because of the debris on the road and tight turns we kept the speed down somewhat, but were still moving quickly.


We were in a group of about 17 and before long my 56x11 gearing put me in the front of the pack. I was picking a good line through the corners and keeping the speed just slow enough to be able to pick my way around the debris patches.

As I was making a tight left turn a rider came pedaling hard around me. I moved to the right a bit to give him room. That put me out of line as I entered the right turn. I was working hard to get back left in the lane in preparation for the next tightening radius left turn. Unfortunately there were some patches of pine needles in my preferred route and at the speed I was traveling (and braking gently BTW) I was afraid I'd slide out on the corner so I continued on the right side of the lane as I entered the tight left turn. It didn't take long to realize I was coming in way too hot to make the turn in the line I was traveling. I braked hard with both brakes but soon was to the point that the front wheel was going to skid. I feathered off on the front brake and clamped the back brake down pretty hard. At the edge of the pavement there where rocks about the size of tennis balls to soft balls with a few larger specimens thrown in....... then a drop over the side of a size that didn't look fun to go over. As my front wheel went into the rocks I clamped down on the rear brake hard enough to skid. The centrifugal force pushed the skidding tire around so that the front of the bike was now facing the pavement that I desperately wanted to return to. Both wheels were now sliding sideways through the rocks and my uphill foot was unclipped and playing stabilizer. I came to a stop about 2 feet short of a white 4x4" post marking the edge of the road.... and still upright. :-)

My fellow riders commented on my stellar bike handling skills. I just figured I was lucky. Either way, I'll take it over laying over the bank with broken bones.

Before long we reached the western snow gate. We rgrouped than someone said, "Let's light `em up" and we pedaled off again. We held a 30-35 mph pace down the sloping road. On the more frequent straight stretches on the section of road my 56x11 was showing it's worth. I dropped the group and rode into the parking lot with just Ken in the draft.

We regrouped, loaded our bikes, and made our way to the nearest pizza establishment. With over 6700 ft of climbing today, all in the first 55 miles, we figured we earned it!



As we drove back northward the sun went down on a great day. Blue sky, high 70's to low 80's, light wind even at the summit, great riding partners.......and I kept the bike upright. What more could you ask for? :-)


See all 72 photos from this trip HERE


.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........79..............0.............0..........0..........79
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.........79..............0.............0..........0..........79
YTD........4132..............0............37..........7........4175