Travelling to Bend, Nov 1-7, anyone want to get some dirt laps in!?

[NorCalSJK]

Most of my family lives in Bend and we'll be staying there Nov 1-7. Hoping to get some prime dirt while we're there...anyone care to ride?

I've done a number of the more well-known rides in the area (Phils, Funner/Tiddly, Farwell, North Fork), but looking to branch out a bit. Can ride most terrain and pedal well :-)

Would look to ride in the mornings while kids are in school, staying on the Westside near Newport Market/Backporch Coffee.

[SchralphMacchio]

The prime dirt you seek is not in Bend

[NorCalSJK]

Well, we are visiting my family, so I'll be stuck with whatever is there :-)

Kicked around the idea of a day trip back to Oakridge.

[SchralphMacchio]

Trust me I know how that goes with being stuck riding close to where you have childcare.

I’m actually considering going to the dark side and getting an eMTB because kid free time is so limited and every Oakridge climb is like at least 3k vert before you start going downhill ... opens up a lot for the days with only 4 hours or less door to door ...

[TBS]

Well, we are visiting my family, so I'll be stuck with whatever is there :-)

Kicked around the idea of a day trip back to Oakridge.

McKenzie River trail is nice right now, with good leaf peeping and no fire damage. Get it before the rain/cold Thursday &Friday

[SchralphMacchio]

MRT rides pretty well when wet also. Those volcanic features below Blue Pool, uh, pool up and make rideable 10” deep water surfing segments, heh! Also, the no hikers reroute west of the main trail, between Blue Pool and Trailbridge reservoir just opened.

Petersen Ridge and Trail 99 not as far of a drive from Bend ... it’s not west slope loam but I like the trail tread better than the dry sandy stuff that gets hammered all around the Phils and Whoops area.

TBS, have Bend trails seen enough moisture? I bet Tiddlywinks isn’t riding *too* slowly right now - but I haven’t been keeping track of East side weather lately.

I just had a ridiculous yet amazing adventure ride on the D&T segment of the NUT on Saturday. It’s riding really well, except for one part 2 miles upriver from the Hot Springs that has washed out with half the trail tread having fallen into the river and the remaining strip being off camber, loose wet and slippery, having to hug the canyon wall to walk it and barely being able to pass bikes between riders ... I’d not recommend it for anyone who isn’t a strong slab rock climber used to exposure, and also not for weak swimmers ... best to ride D&T then cut out south via 1414T Thorn Prairie Connect, and then take the fire road down to the last 2 mile segment between Umpqua Hot Springs and Toketee (first two mile segment after the Hot Springs is also literally gone due to landslides and trees down).

[SchralphMacchio]

Oh yeah, re: Oakridge ... Waldo area is riding really well right now (multiple friends were back there last weekend) and Oakridge dirt is in hero shape. Alpine is cleared (I think anyways, I’ve been talking with the trail manager since it reopened) and running really smooth, I’m sure the same for Larison.

Moon Point unknown - it may have gotten hammered by the Labor Day storm. Middle Fork totally hosed by the Labor Day storm.

[NorCalSJK]

Thanks for all the great intel! Have to figure out where to start.

Just getting kids settled, they are buzzing around and super excited to be back in town, they love it here.


As far as rides, the MRT looks amazing, not sure how I can pull it off this trip, looks like trailhead is an hour drive from here. Oakridge could be a possibility, but maybe I'm dreaming.

I've ridden Flagline, Northfork, Farwell all before, and would love to check out again, but wondering what the condition are like.

If anyone wants to catch a ride, let me know!

[fmac]

TBS, have Bend trails seen enough moisture?

I think Funner/Tiddly area saw some recent maintenance. It rolled well yesterday. Maybe it's just morning condensation as temps have cooled?

[SchralphMacchio]

I was seeing wet fog/clouds and a fair bit of overnight condensation up near the high point of 138 over the weekend, so it makes sense if higher up on Cascade Lakes Highway and Skyliner had a bit of something similar going on.

[TBS]

Petersen Ridge and Trail 99 not as far of a drive from Bend ... it’s not west slope loam but I like the trail tread better than the dry sandy stuff that gets hammered all around the Phils and Whoops area.

TBS, have Bend trails seen enough moisture? I bet Tiddlywinks isn’t riding *too* slowly right now - but I haven’t been keeping track of East side weather lately.

P Ridge and T99 are dry with a lot of deep sand in corners. Just about went down twice yesterday when front wheel washed out in corners. Supposed to rain Thurs/Friday. New trailhead is nice though

Haven't been to Phils in a month or so. Would expect it to be worse than P Ridge due to more use.

[TBS]

OH yea, know that Oakridge is about twice as far from Bend as Clear Lake trailhead on MRT

[NorCalSJK]

Got my rig built/finished the night before we left...not much time to dial it in...but put in almost 90 miles on it in 3 days riding while I was here (had some family/kid rides as well but used my HT)




Day 1- Took it easy and did some XC pedaly type stuff starting and finishing through Phil's. Bike needed some adjustments, so was a good thing to go a bit chill. Couldn't get my front brake/caliper dialed in, so went over to Pine Mtn Sports and they fixed it in about 2.5 minutes (I'm a HACK of a bike mechanic)



<iframe height='405' width='590' frameborder='0' allowtransparency='true' scrolling='no' src='https://www.strava.com/activities/4278253497/embed/852c31068764262a1bd507052be76b1061daf441'></iframe>


Day 2- Went big. Had my wife shuttle me to Dutchman Sno-Park and hit what is probably my favorite section of trail in Bend, Flagline. I went Flagline-Funner-COD, and ended up with 35 miles and about ~2200ft of climbing (not bad for a 'shuttle' ride).



https://www.strava.com/activities/4282489360

Day 3- Another big ride, shuttled to Skyliners, then rode Tumalo Creek to Mrazek and descended Farwell (a good steep, loose, rocky test for the Ripley), then traversed back towards Phils and rode Whoops and cruised the rest of the way. Ended up 30 miles and 2700ft of climbing.



https://www.strava.com/activities/4291506880


Now it's snowing and I'm drinking a beer. Wish I could stay!