I finally got around to posting the photos from the 2009 editions of Mountain Bike Oregon on the WatermanAtWork.com website. MBO is a lot of fun; looking forward to 2010.

There is a new page in the Mountain Biking section of the website called “Locals Only“. There are lots of great photos of the local trails and riders; it will make you want to go riding.

The weather is really gloomy here so I’m working on more photos and video that will be up on WatermanAtWork.com in a day or two.

We are back in Ohio visiting family and friends and squeezing in a couple fishing trips on what were probably the last couple nice days of the year before the boats get winterized and stored away for the winter.

The first day out the weather was really nice; about seventy degrees and sunny; pretty good weather for this time of year. We did OK, but not great. As you can see by the photo above; broham Gary got the big fish of the day.

The next day; the weather was not so nice. Colder and windy; borderline conditions, but since it was probably the last day of the season; we had to give it a go. Good call; the fishing was really good and we limited out on fat perch.

Then we ran into a little bit of a problem. On the way home; the leaf spring on the boat trailer broke. The axle broke off trashing the trailer and leaving the trailer on the street with no wheels. How do you get a boat and trailer off the street with no wheels on the trailer? All it takes is about a dozen people, a few floor jacks, three cops, two tow trucks and about $250. That is ending the fishing season with a bang.
Will be back in the PacNW in a couple days.

This is the time of year where the weather changes quickly; the first major rains of the winter season have made the forests come alive with full fall colors. The mountain biking has been beyond description; fantastic scenery and challenging trails in perfect condition. We are so fortunate to have this kind of riding available. Much of the land around here is private property and the owners let us ride; that is very generous of them, that’s for sure.

The colors are all just a blur on the twisting singletrack. The rocks and roots are a lot different when they are wet; you still have to pay attention to the trail.

The moist weather brings out the wild mushrooms. Some look pretty tasty, some look pretty deadly.

Higher in elevation; it gets wetter and greener. The air is still with all the moisture hanging in it.

The deeper into the hilltop forests you go; the darker it gets. The trails are in perfect condition although the wet conditions take a little getting used to again after a long summer of dry, dusty riding. These are not well known trails; no one has been here for days.

At the highest elevation you reach the evergreen groves. Nothing but bigger trees and trails carpeted with pine needles.

On the trail to the lower valleys the foliage turns from brown to green and finally to the brilliant fall colors of red and yellow. The colors make it an unbelievable ride downhill.

I have ridden about seventy miles over the past four days; it has got to be one of the best mountain bike experiences I’ve ever had. This place is one of the best places to ride a mountain bike anywhere. Being able to sneak into that glory nature break between summer and winter and ride these trails in perfect condition has been amazing.

A couple days ago it was snowing; yesterday it was mostly rainy with the sun breaking through a little in the afternoon.

From the top of the hill here you can see small storm cells moving all around you as the weather quickly changes.

Today was the first snow of the year; about an inch at 2000′. Last week was in the 70′s!

The overnight temperatures have been dipping into the thirties; time to get all the crops in and prep the land for winter. Firewood is being laid in for the winter and hay in the barn for the animals over the winter.

These are tomatoes that were picked last evening. They could probably grow another week, but if the next couple nights are cold; they will freeze and we won’t be able to eat them.

The weather could not be better for this time of year; a little cold overnight and in the early morning, but beautiful during the day; especially in the late afternoon in the evening sun.

We are extremely lucky to have great bike riding here; roads winding through beautiful countryside and forests and trails that traverse some of the best off road bicycle riding anywhere.

The summer weather has been great; autumn might be short and wet. There is fresh snow on the local mountain peaks and the leaves are in full color changing mode.

Only a few days before it starts to rain………………

WatermanAtWork is happy to welcome Cabelas as our only internet sponsor. We use a lot of their stuff; if you look at the photos and videos on the website; you’ll see a lot of Cabelas gear.

Click on the Cabelas links on the WatermanAtWork.com website; help keep the Top Ramen on the menu.

Looks like about six inches of snow over the past couple days on Mt. Hood; snow level down to about 4K’. Anticipation of the coming snow season is building. Looking forward to Meadows opening and some backcountry trips as well.

Always sad to see a beautiful summer pass; but the leaves are turning colors; that means rain and snow are right around the corner. Hopefully, we can get more riding in before it gets too wet and/or cold; but the snow gear will be coming out in a week or two. Getting plenty of exercise splitting and stacking firewood.

On my last mountain bike ride; I was trying to keep up with DH Dan G and probably going faster than I should have been going when I clipped a tree with my handlebar that sent me flying head first into another large tree.

Checking out the damage to the helmet; looks like I hit the tree near the top of the helmet. You can see two big dents at the front of the rear air vent where it hit first. Then rolled off the right side of the tree trunk. There’s a piece of bark stuck in the black foam part of the helmet.

I put my left hand out to ward off the tree; dislocated my pinkie finger and smashed my ring finger for the effort. Checked my disc brake pads; they were down to the bone; that wouldn’t have prevented the crash but it probably didn’t help. The stupid pads only lasted 300 miles.
Wavered just a little bit outside the fine line between control and speed.