Exploration!

6.8 miles, walking. 686' ascent. 2 hr. 11 min. 3.1 mph avg. pace --

Walked to the end of Peter Johnson Rd. Then east though across the grass path, up the draw along the creek drainage to the end of the "trail" such as it is. Then follow the bottom drainage and move forward (east) and I could see clearing ahead, maybe 1/4 mile.

The woods break into Gustafson Bros. clearcut and up the ridge to Rd. 490 -- the access along "Lone Ridge" . . . Gravel logging road down to Youngs River Falls 3.74 miles, then Youngs River Rd. return home, at about 10 PM.

Sore feet from walking on the asphalt roadway (Youngs River Rd.), but otherwise we feel fine. I'm wanting to get the MTB up into these roads, explore more of this area.




A -- start of the grass path at Peter Johnson Rd. end.

RD End -- end of grassy path.

B -- end of any path whatever, creek drainage.

Peter J -- previous extent of walking into woods.

CR -- Creek drainage (trickle ditch, step across)

Bound -- Boundary of clearcut.

RD -- Start of logging road to 490.

MTB -- Recovery Ride

Probably an hour, on the road. MTB (Trek 3700), easy pace, smooth at about 60%. Tucker Creek Rd, Ft. Clatsop, Old 101, Youngs River Road. Gaining better momentum and steering control riding up the driveway!

Re: Group

Wednesday, 22 June, 2011

We've been "tired" of late. Rain, weather has been marginal. Motivation has been abysmal. I wonder about riding and intensity/duration/recovery. I wonder about getting back into a moderate walking routine.

I like the riding, but it seems to burn me out for the most part.

Walk --

2.38 miles, 3.1 mph avg. To the end of Peter Johnson Rd. and up the draw, past the "pond" -- looking for the connection to "Rd. 490" and up that hill. Old logging roads in the area are "on the map" but over-grown and abandoned.

Crown Camp Rd. Jct.

This is a new set of routes -- Extension from Youngs River Falls and the river/creek bed, and then a connection out to Crown Camp Road Junction, the intersection with the Gearhart water resevoir, just below the summit on Lewis & Clark Rd.



We're checking distances. It's about 4.33 from the junction out to the "loop" and what's marked here as "Road 9." Then that loop gets some distance in it, and some climbing.

We're exploring at this point . . .

Road 490 -- Lotsa Walkin'

We decided to drive to Youngs River Falls and then navigate the loop on Road 490 up to the crest of the ridge and return on the lower access road. Driving cuts 8 miles of riding on the highway out of the equation.

Trail starts at "001" which is the parking lot at Youngs River Falls -- actually the quarry. Then up to "R490" which is the junction between the "upper" route and the lower route. Ride sequence runs "Road 7" to "Road 1" in descending order. I first navigated on the Google Earth map, and out on the trail from "Road 1" to "Road 7" to figure out the route -- and got lost about "Road 3" where I turned right and descended down to Youngs River instead of taking a left and ascending to the ridge.

Entering at Youngs River Falls ("001"), the route is a long uphill. Between the loose gravel and the incline, it's more pragmatic to walk than ride. The lowest gears on the bike don't provide enough forward speed to balance on the loose gravel. The bike bounces and lurches on the gravel, gets off the line, takes a lot of energy to steer.

Road 411 is a climb up to Road 490 -- Then 490 becomes a long steep climb, very long, very steep. Walking and pushing the bike is a significant workout.

(We opted for budget, "Hi Tech" trail shoes. These are ankle height, with a bit of a "lug" sole. They seem perfect for riding and walking on these roads. More comfortable and secure than the Avocet shoes, which are intended mostly for road touring.)

Navigation entailed a lot of GPS checking. I had intersections marked w/ numbered flagged waypoints, and was able to confirm location, find the route to the next flag/junction.

There are a LOT of side roads which don't appear on the maps. (This is the character of logging areas.)

Coming down the back side of the ridge I was getting entirely disoriented as to direction and where I might be headed. I checked waypoints/flags and kept anticipating which way to turn at the next two junctions. This worked for me.

Finally, coming down the slope, I recognized the road I was on the other day -- when I got "lost" . . .

And we got a clearer view where the roads lead, what the intersections look like. There are plenty of options for getting lost!

8.41 miles, lots of walking. The elevation gain says 1256 ft. 1 hr. 20 min.

Lots of varied pace, intervals in essence. Walking and riding.

We're getting less anxious about "washing out" the front wheel on turns in gravel.

Wednesday --

2.32 miles, walking, 45 min.