It’s September. The flowers have bloomed and lost their petals, the dirt is drying up even in the most moist north facing enclaves.  The mosquitoes have retired for the season, the logs have been cut off of the trails, and if you’re  a mountain biker, hopefully you have some miles in your legs by this time of the season.

The red maple in my front yard has its first crimson accents, and the grass is that particular color that signifies late summer in the northwest.  This time of year is my favorite time to ride around Oakridge.  Despite the dryness of the soil, you can hardly call it dusty.  The contrast of the vine maple and oregon grape against a backdrop of conifers is stunning.  If we’re lucky, and we are, there will be some very clear days where a person can stand atop one of the regions volcanoes and see Mt Shasta in California, and Mt Adams in Washington.

This year there have been a couple little wildfires near Oakridge, one of them is still burning up on Buckhead Mountain, the heart of the Alpine Trail.  Alpine is closed for a while.  But is has been a wet year here, and the burning logs rolling down the hill haven’t been able to set the whole countryside afire.  The smoke rolls off of Buckhead like the whisps from last nights campfire reminding us of the potential destruction fire can bring, yet surrounded by moist forest one could say it just adds character to the hills.

This time of year I find myself trying to balance between working at the Mercantile, finding and organizing volunteers to help at the FAT 55, managing the permitting, food, music, and other elements of the race, and getting out on my bike.  The past couple weeks have been rich in all of the above, but especially rich in good rides and great volunteers stepping up to help.  I’ve been out on Heckletooth, Bunchgrass (all the way from Waldo Lake Rd, Fuji Mtn Trail, back to Oakridge), Larison Rock, Hardesty, Deception Butte and Salmon Creek.  Getting out on rides is what fuels me to keep my fire stoked for promoting this event, for getting stoked when you come to Oakridge to ride, for living in this little town on the headwaters of the Willamette.

The rides I’ve been out on have reminded me of some places that need some TLC, whether it be fixing a corner, filling a rut, putting up a sign, or clipping back some brush that took advantage of our wet spring and early summer.  With only three weeks left before the 2012 race there’s no time to waste.

I’ve also been real fired up to see a couple unicyclists sign up for the event!  A long time unicyclist myself, I’ve always thought it would be rad if there were endurance unicycle races.  As with the bike race my logic is to think that if I like the idea, other people might too.  So, it has been with a warm heart that I have received these entries.  The only course posted on the website is the 50+ mile figure eight, which leaves me wondering, did these unicyclists sign up hoping to do the entire course?  Or were they hoping I had something else up my back pocket?  I’m hoping for the latter.  My thought is to start the uni’s with everyone else, run them up Salmon Creek to Rd. 207, The Wall.  Here the bikes will turn left, and the uni’s will go right. Right up The Wall.  The will hit the Eugene to Crest Trail and head down, now back on the bike course once again.  Once back in Greenwaters Park they will continue on just like the bikes, but instead of going out to Larison Creek they will climb up to Larison Rock, and finish in the park.  It should work out to just over 20 miles.. A marathon uni race!

Come on out to pre ride the course.  Heckletooth is pretty dry and slippery, but overall it is all in good shape and is fun to ride.

Cheers to September!

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