Youngs River Falls Access

Weyerhauser logging road #411 from Youngs River Falls.

1.84 mi. round trip. 2.9 mph avg. Up the road and return, exploratory. Pretty steep, long climb heading in. We logged it on the GPS -- got to just about where we figured we got to. It's solid, well maintained hard surface gravel logging road. I wonder how busy it is during the week.

Pigged at Fultano's Pizza/Salad Monday Night Buffet. Then got sick, just like we usually get sick -- (gastro). I need to stop that routine.

More Peter Johnson

Saturday evening -- 5/29/11

4.8 mi. 3.1 mph avg. 1.54 hr.

The dark red loop is Friday's walk (5/28/11). Saturday walk is yellow. The white zig-zag line is Weyerhauser logging road access from Youngs River Falls to Logan Road -- about 5 miles according to Google Earth.

We're working to parse together the lay of the terrain, and how to access. For now we're thinking mt. bike from Logan Road or Youngs River Rd. at the falls.

We've been told this area is decent mt. bike access on logging roads. The road parsed out runs along the ridge at the south end of Peter Johnson. Would be an interesting exploration.

6.1 Miles Saturday -- And Fell In The Creek!

6.1 miles. The GPS says I averaged 2.9 mph -- when I was moving. I didn't stop except to talk to some horses.

We packed the CamelBak M.U.L.E., nylon windbreaker, banana, apple slices, and about 2 litres of water. (Why is it that when I hike, I inevitably forget to pack the cell phone?)

New Balance boots, walking poles, nylon pants, polar fleece pull-over. GPS hanging off the waist belt of the M.U.L.E. (It's an acronym -- we know not for what.).

Out to the end of Peter Johnson Road. The road dates from about 1900 and used to access what is now Weyerhauser property. Road surface turns to dirt and then a clear-cut from recent logging. Drainage from Tucker Creek runs beside this road, meandering through bottom-land, skunk cabbage, marsh.

We followed game trails through the woods, traversing the creek -- losing balance and falling into it -- Fortunately the creek is no more than a ditch here. In an effort to meet the Weyerhauser access coming in from the southwest, some dicey bushwhacking across fallen trees, blow-down . . .

Bypassing the marsh and finally traversing to higher ground in a clear-cut we came upon the Weyerhauser logging road leading out to Logan Road.

Then north on Logan Rd. to Gary's property, up the hill. No one home at Gary's house, and we hiked up the Pacific Power high-tension line maintenance road, over the ridge and down into Carlson's Nursery, (steep!), Tucker Creek Road, and return to Young's River Road, Peter Johnson Road and home.

Decent walk, a bit arduous, dirty/wet, but 6 miles that put together the lay of the terrain around Tucker Creek and Peter Johnson Road. We're probably not going to make this a "regular route."

Fluctuating between 215 and 220 these days, 23% to 29%.

41.36 miles!

Trek 1500 -- 41.36 mi. 15.4 mph avg. Lewis & Clark Rd. to Miles Crossing, Warrenton, Ft. Stevens, So. Jetty, return via CostCo. Started w/ 120 bpm pace, and at So. Jetty (21 mi.) started pushing to 128 / 130 bpm. 133 bpm on climbs. Feeling strong!

(Jeez! We still look old and overweight . . . )

Blood Work --

Blood Work from 4/29/11

I suppose I could list all the numbers, but let's just provide the summary from Dr. Atkinson:

May 16, 2011

Your Vitamin D level is normal which is great!!! Keep doing what you are doing!

It was good to see you in the clinic. You have made many amazing changes. I am so happy for all the positive things going on in your life. Your test to look at diabetes, called the HGBA1C is down from 8.3% to 6.2% -- which is normal. Your cholesterol levels look great. Your kidney function is normal as well. I am impressed by all that you have done and hope more people get your motivation. It was a pleasure being able to get to know you.

Wish you all the best,

Dr. T.M. Atkinson, MD."

Dr. Atkinson is doing a residency in Cardiology these days. And so this is a bit of a "fond fare thee well" from her to me.

Sunday -- Tillamook Head, 6.84 mi.

Tillamook Head -- 6.84 miles. It's still a mud hole, seriously muddy. The entire walk gets reduced to navigating around the muck stretches. Mud up to the knees on the inseams of the pants. I slipped a lot on the mud/clay surface. Fell once and bent my ski-walking pole.

1.5. litre protein drink: skim, yogurt, wheat germ, protein powder, banana, blueberries, fruit mix. Sardines, apple slices.

We were beat at the end of the walk. I suspect maybe it's because I haven't been walking and instead have been cycling. Maybe we're just out of shape for the specifics of walking?

That said, the climbing was much less daunting yesterday than the same hike in Feb.

Stiff, really stiff post walking. Stiff that evening, next morning. sore toes/feet. The LaCrosse boots are waterproof and solid for hiking muddy, but heavy and stiff. They're intended for mountaineering on glaciers. Some walking around helps w/ the recovery, stiffness. Over-did, and ate a lot after -- characteristic of over-did.

218.5 lbs, 25% -- we seem stuck here.

Seaside -- 27 mi.

Friday PM 5-20-11
Trek 1500 -- Sunny & warm, 62F

27.5 mi. 13.7 mph avg. 2 hr. Heart rate running in the 128 - 132 window. Climbs getting toward 134. Climb up the hill from Seaside runs about 138, and peaked out at 142 right at the crest. Gears on this bike provide for faster climbing. Lower gears allow better cadence up the hills -- and they're easier to wind up. And so segments of this climb turned out some acceleration. Post ride feels better than the previous -- not stiff, and feeling recovered rather than beat. These are fitness gains!

218.8 this morning, circa 25%

Trek 1500 -- Seaside Fast!

After a false start, return to secure bead on the rear tire . . .

30.15 mi. Couple hours, but the time and avg. scores got bungled in the return for repairs.

140 -- 142 up the climbs (85%)

Fair amount of riding in the 135 window (82%)

Seeing lots of segments w/ 20 mph pace or in that realm.

This bike w/ 27 gears rides smoother, climbs easier. It seems more responsive when standing on the pedals to climb. Gears are closely spaced, maybe 3" -- easy to select precisely the right gear for the pace.

After some lethargy the past few days, this was a very strong ride. It felt good.

In other news: We bought a small tool box at Home Depot $5.99. Simple box, internal tray, lid bins. This for all the bike tools. I have spoke wrenches, pedal wrenches, some other open ended. Tire pressure gauges, CO2 cartridges, spokes/nipples (probably useless, wrong length), grease/lube, casette wrench, chain breaker . . .

All in one box now, rather than scattered in several others. (Like gun cleaning kits, and black powder tool boxes . . . )

Back is stiff -- has been. It's the riding.

Ohhhhhhhh yeah . . . hard riding and NO KNEE PAIN! The clipless pedals and shoes are a good idea. Also, they're easier to stand in at stop lights/intersections. Easier to walk in. Getting out is no issue. Getting clipped in can take some searching, but we're getting faster, more instinctive.

Still Training For The Tour de France

Yikes! Bikes!

Schwinn 564, circa 1988, 14 spd. -- 36 spoke pair Shimano wheelset. 32 spoke pair Shimano wheelset. 700 x 23c tires. I like this bike on the flats. It's old school and nice to ride, reliable.

Trek 1500, 2005. 27 spd. -- Two pair, Bontrager Race wheelsets. 18 spoke front, 22 spoke rear. 700 x 23c tires. We're concerned about the wheels. These types had been cracking rims. This bike is lighter, more gears. I need to get it up to speed so I can trust the wheels on the road.

These days, 25 miles is about the right distance, two days in a row. Then I need a day of recovery. We're hoping to log some miles, extend distance, and improve recovery intervals.

Youngs River Road Loop --

A bit faster, and this time I remembered to take my HRM.

22.5 miles. 1 hr. 32 min. 14.4 mph avg. We're running in the 130 bpm window (79%). HR is running from 128 (78%) up into 134 (82%). The HRM tends to push the pace a bit more because I'm watching both the avg. speed and heart rate.

I start to run out of steam about Miles Crossing -- 4 miles from the end of the ride. I notice that the heart rate starts to fall off 117 bpm, even though the speed stays up w/ a tail-wind and flat terrain.

Rt. knee is a bit tender, but not really painful. It seems mediated a bit by standing. I was noticing some generalized numbness from saddle pressure, and arm/shoulder stiffness. This distance is about right.

I think about riding to Seaside, w/ the climb -- and want to log more miles before we do that on any regular basis.

219.6 lb. post ride. 25%

Road Bike -- Thursday

Youngs River Loop -- 22.5 miles, 13.5 mph avg. 1 hr. 40 min. The weather cleared and is warmer. Moderate pace, enjoyable ride. The clipless pedals seem to resolve the knee pain issues.

We're awaiting warming weather now, plan to ride later this PM.

(Cycle computer is still screwing up max speed, temp. and it tends to reset, lose data. $25 would get me a new one, but I don't think the data is all that necessary -- but it's nice to have.)

Re: May 7, previous post. I've been feeling tired, over-worked. I expect a week off may have recovery benefits. My weight is up a bit (222 lbs). The time off has allowed a recharge of the system. I want to ride more now.

35 Min. -- Spin Bike

35 Min. @ 115 to 120 bpm (70% / 73%). At a couple points we went up to 125 bpm. and then sustain while slowly dropping back to 120. Not very energetic. Raining and wet/cold.

Youngs River Road Loop

Bicycle -- Schwinn 564

31.5 miles, 2 hr. 15 min. 14 mph av. speed

This is a longer ride, because we rode into 3 Cups, and then across the bay to Warrenton, out along Ft. Clatsop, Lewis & Clark Rd.

We're discovering that pace is best mediated by heart rate, not speed. The comfortable heart rate window is 138 bpm -- 85%. Climbing heart rate is running 148 / 150 bpm -- 90%.

We're feeling stronger. Maybe it's because two days off and not climbing the ascent coming out of Seaside on Lewis & Clark Road. That's 1.5 miles of steep, hard, slow climbing -- both directions.

Youngs River Loop -- roads are patchy in spots, rough, broken pavement. Waluski Road gets me around the bridge grating near the fairgrounds and adds some distance. We suffered up Williamsport, climbing heart rate at 150 bpm, but not hopeless and decent recovery at the top of the climb. Then across the crest of Smith Pt. and down to 3 Cups Coffee House

We had a tire failure -- tube leak which we fixed with the spare tube. But then the bead was giving out on the front tire. These tires are maybe 20 yrs old and deteriorating. We'll replace them both.

Moving the bars down a bit seems to be perfect now. I opened up the brake tension to provide more clearance. The Trek Radar computer seems to have a loose battery connection, and so we re-tensioned the spring. I keep losing my Max Spd reading when the computer blanks out then reads 99.9 mph for a second. It's reading temperature all wrong too -- 81F.

Protein shake for breakfast: skim milk, non-fat yogurt, banana, strawberry, blueberry, whey protein, wheat germ -- about 32 oz. Ride and then another shake.

214.6 lbs 25%

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Later --

We drove into Bikes & Beyond, bought two 700 x 23 cm tires (Bontrager, the Trek accessory brand), also bought two sets of SPD clipless pedals -- one set for the Schwinn, one for the Trek. And some Bontrager shoes for the pedals, a small tire pressure gauge, and a 15 mm pedal wrench.



We got the tires installed, a new rim strip for the front. New tube. Patched the old tube for a spare. Installed the pedals and adjusted them. They're taking some getting used to -- not really easy to find the clip-in spot under the shoe. We have the pedal releases adjusted, fairly tight because we're used to riding "tied in" with toe clips.

These pedals should address the knee problems. I was getting rt. knee pain again today, but not like Sunday. These pedals allow for some lateral movement in the foot to remedy knee alignment. This is the whole theory behind the clipless pedal design.

We're looking to ride tomorrow. Some stiffness, recovery tiredness. I like the Youngs River Loop, a decent mix of flat and short incline -- the right distance, some options for distance/terrain, and not much traffic. The roads have some patchy spots heading toward Youngs River Falls, but we're able to pick a line though most of the broken pavement.

Sunday Road Bike

Schwinn 564 -- 27.1 miles to Seaside. 2 hr. 11 min. Avg. speed 12.5 mph.

This route has some significant climbs: Out of Seaside to the summit on Lewis & Clark road the climb is 1.5 miles. Pace on most of it is 6 - 8 mph, but there are a couple stretches, some deceptively short pitches, where this speed drops to 4 mph. Lowest gear (probably 50 in.), and my rt. knee-cap was bothering me (Patellar chondromalacia -- except that it's likely from pushing too high a gear, not joint deterioration.)

Goes away when the riding stops, hot bath helps, lower gears helps.

Climbing is the last fitness gain in cycling.

We took two bananas, and a large water bottle. Ate one banana and followed the ride with a protein shake: skim milk, yogurt, whey protein, banana, strawberries, blueberries, wheat germ.

This second ride demonstrates all the symptoms of "over-did" -- sore kneecap is most obvious, but some "flagging" (bonk) on the end of the ride, about 5 miles out. No acute pain, but stiff in the shoulders, back. We get over it after the ride.

Then we slept and ate out of control . . . Over-ate and over-slept -- classic signs of over-did.

But the weight is looking good: 216.8 lbs, and 25% -- variable. Likely higher on fat because we're dehydrated.


Today (Monday) we're recovering. I feel good and want to ride some more -- only flats and watch the gearing (watch the knee). We rotated the bars/brake grips up so that the brake grips are the natural position, instead of "forward" and a second position above the brake grips. This seemed just a bit high, and so we moved them down just a bit -- like an inch or two.

We're going to lower the bars on the spin bike. They're set now above the saddle. We're moving them level or one notch below.