Bachelor to Bend

This weekend I headed to Bend with Chris Holm, Tiffany Gregg and Brent for some mountain biking on the dry east side of the Sisters Range of the Cascades.  Weather for Corvallis looked shitty so we decided to over the Cascades where the clouds can't reach.  We ended up staying overnight in a "Day-Use" parking area of one of the
Cascade lakes (I think "Flagstaff" was the one).  On the way to Bend Chris and I stopped in at REI for some maps and for me to quickly try on a pair of Asolo boots I'd like to purchase soon for my CTD hike in August.  We then got some dinner at a Red Robbin (gotta love that fried egg on top of the burger). 
    I bought some wood and we stopped at safeway for some booze and snacks for biking the next day.  We had a great fire going by 10:30pm and after drinking the 6-pack I was out by about 1am.  I apparently had a dream about Fragle Rock because I mentioned it in my sleep along with Gonzo... what was I thinkin'..?   
    In the morning we got up to learn we would have to wait 3 more hours as Brent's friend Dan and his girlfriend Lori drove up from Salem so we could shuttle cars to the
end of the very long downhill ride.  While Chris and Brent shuttled cars Tiffany and I waited in a snow-park parking lot underneath Mt. Bachelor in the sun.  We met some nice old folks collecting butterflies in a nearby field and it brought back memories of my youth (minus all the wrinkles). 
    When they all returned and we started the ride it was a great day.  We got a little lost at first but then we found our way.  For the most part the ride was downhill but on the flat sections I found I was no match for the group of professional bikers  My usual method of standing up out of my seat to peddle up hills using my climbing legs failed because of all the loose sand and dust on the trail providing no grip without weight (sitting down) on the back tire.  On the downhills I kept up just fine but felt a little wobbly (hopefully from my lack of clipless pedals and not my head trauma).  Our trip down lasted 4 hours and was about 24 miles long of sick downhill single track. 
We went through one section named "whoops" because it was just mounds of dirt pilled up for tricks and stuff.  At the end parking lot was also a freeride trail with double-ups and everything that I got to check out while they shuttled the cars again.
    It was a beautiful day in the sun with good people and I can't wait to head back to that area to explore all the other trails.  Tiffany and Chris are always a riot to hang out with.  And as you can see from the last photo... we all got pretty dirty...

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