Fall is awesome. We headed out for a quick ride Sunday morning. I peaked out the blinds looking west and there were some spots of blue sky but the ground was wet and it had clearly been raining sometime recently. The sky to the South was grey with a big cloud bank. What the heck, we went for it. Up at Swampy Snowpark it was snowing ever so lightly, really tiny itsy bitsy pieces that were more like hail. They trail was damp and AWESOME as we winded up and around. About 15 minutes in we hit some actual snow that was sticking to the ground. It never got to be more than a dusting though. The air was soooo fresh tasting and smelling as I cleared the ridge and started downhill.

Last night Derek and I went for a mountain bike ride after work and did a nice little loop up Phil's and then around and down Ben's. Coming down Ben's there was some asshat that thought the entire network was his and he was too good to yeild the trail. I saw him coming up behind us when we pulled aside to let a couple come up the trail. He slammed on his brakes and crashed into the bushes trying to get around all of us. Fast forward to a couple miles later and again, we had pulled over to let a group of 4 come up the trail. It's singletrack and there is not room to pass side by side in this section but dude tries to squeeze between Derek and the riders coming up the trail. We took off and left him in the dust after that.

Some people just ruin the fun of the world.

What a nice weekend. Sunshine, warm weather, great trails, awesome beer... Deschutes has some new seasonals that are noteworthy. Fresh hop brews have started and there are more to come!!!!

Saturday we went mountain biking on one of my favorites loops. So many folks come to Bend and only ride Phil's or Mrazek and are missing out. Adventurous people are rewarded.





That's one GIANT mushroom!



Who needs on rv and hookups when you get a cozy spot like this with a nice view?



Sunday I did a big swim workout and then we rode down to The Summit to watch the Chargers play. AAAARGH, another action packed game that came down to the wire. FRUSTRATING!

Stanley Idaho

Stanley, Idaho was our last stop. We did two rides here while we camped and enjoyed the small town. Our first ride was not what the map mad it sound like. The climbs were too steep and loose for riding, especially after all we'd ridden in the prior 2 weeks. The downhill was awesome, but the climb made it not worth it. We rode for almost 6 hours but at least two was hiking.



















This was the end of the trail Derek had ridden up the river to see if the trail continued on and then he had to walk back to let me know.

Sun Valley

The riding in Sun Valley was really hot and dry. There are a lot of steep ups and downs! I really enjoyed the town of Ketchum, very cool laid back vibe compared to Jackson and we met quiet a few very nice locals.

First way to test a town is to have a beer

Then you ride the next day.

When we weren't riding we were tasting local beers and checking out the scenery.

Antler Arch in downtown Jackson



Mormon Row - Mormon homesteaders established these scattered cabins in the early 1900s.







I'm that close to the Bison, I was just standing there and he wandered across the street right in front of me.



Momma was quite pretective of her little baby there.







Our next stop was Sun Valley, Idaho.

Snow King Jackson Pictures

Our second ride in Jackson was another long day at around 5 hours of pedaling. We started at the snow mountain right in town and rode some fun trails on the slopes before heading out on a big loop. Again, super fun singeltrack with amazing views.

Here is the view of Jackson from the face of the ski slope.





Wilson Canyon - I was initially a little uneasy about taking this trail because it showed as double black diamond on the map. It turned out to be totally rideable, though the picture makes it look tame. I rode it all and then hiked back up to take Derek's picture.



















We finished the day with beers at the Snake River Brewery.

Jackson

We made the drive from Bozeman to Jackson, Wyoming and setup camp at Gros Ventre which had been closed two weeks before because the grizzlies were using it for their roaming grounds.

The town of Jackson is pretty touristy and we didn't spend a lot of time there. Most of our time was on the bike or out taking pictures of the scenery.

Our first ride was Black Canyon. Climb up for something like 2 hours, descend for a long ways. It was gorgeous scenery as usual.

Crater Lake (not THE Crater Lake)















Our campsite



River at our camp.



A moose!