The mountain bike riding here in Cascade Mountains is always great. It’s been a hot, dusty and always short summer here in the PacNW. The weather is still good, unfortunately no rain so the extreme fire danger continues. Fire smoke drifts in and out of the area but thankful no major wildfires in the immediate vicinity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It seems like it’s been 100\u00b0F all summer and one morning it’s overcast and 40\u00b0F.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
I finally broke down and put a new rear tire on the trusty Giant Trance. Bike tires have gotten really expensive, I run them down to the bone. I notice the better traction, especially in loose sand and dirt, but I go so slow these days it’s hard to tell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
It’s getting cloudier, but still no rain. Everything is dry and dusty and the normally green mountain forests are tinged with brown. Walking in the woods sounds like walking on corn flakes. As autumn approaches, the mornings are getting cooler as night time temperatures dip into the low forties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
I found the remains of this bird on a remote mountain road. Everything was missing except the wings. Not sure what what’s going on here, but this looked like a hawk or some other bird of prey. It’s unusual to see these remains in the middle of a road. My personal opinion is that this bird did not die of natural causes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
The glaciers on Mt. Adams have really taken a beating this summer with all the record breaking heat. As fall quickly approaches, nighttime temperatures on the mountain are falling into the thirties, but it still in the eighties during the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
The sun is out and the mountain wind is cool as the clouds race by just a few thousand feet overhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
In the areas where there have been forest fires in the past, the underbrush grows quickly without the shade of the dense mountain forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
In this remote part of the Cascade Mountains, the thick underbrush with logs and tree stumps inches off the trail, it is imperative that you keep the bike on the trail and not to go even a foot off either side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
On some trails, there are so many downed trees, the trail will revert back to nature. Nature’s way of saying that “this trail is closed”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
As we headed out, or more accurately, up on our final ride of this latest MTB camping adventure in the Cascade Mountains, there were clear signs of the seasons changing. Nights are getting much colder and the leaves have started to turn colors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
The final ride of the session was to the end of the road at the border of the Mt Adams Wilderness where bicycles are not permitted. This is a tough climb up steep, windy mountain roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
From up here you can see the Cascade Mountain foothills as they tumble into the Columbia River Gorge and across the Columbia River to a hazy Mt. Hood in Oregon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Fall is here in this part of the Pacific Northwest and that means that the mountain bike riding in the sun and nice weather is just about over. We’ll be getting in as much riding as possible before the weather gets too nasty. Stay tuned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
![\"Overcast](\"https:\/\/watermanatwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/CloudyMorningMTBCamp8-21-21.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/watermanatwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/NewTire8-21-21.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Cloudy](\"https:\/\/watermanatwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/CloudyMtnRoad8-21-21.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Remains](\"https:\/\/watermanatwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/BirdParts8-21-21.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Partly](\"https:\/\/watermanatwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/PartlyCloudyMtAdams8-22-21.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Partly](\"https:\/\/watermanatwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/PartlyCloudyMtnRoad8-22-21.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Mountain](\"https:\/\/watermanatwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/BurnAreaTrail8-23-21.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Bike](\"https:\/\/watermanatwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/RemoteMtnTrail8-23-21.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Mountain](\"https:\/\/watermanatwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/TrailClosed8-30-21.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"First](\"https:\/\/watermanatwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/FirstFallColor8-28-21.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Steep](\"https:\/\/watermanatwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/SteepMtnRoad8-30-21.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Looking](\"https:\/\/watermanatwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/HazyMtHood8-30-21.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n