Hi All!
Thanks so much for the good wishes, Fellows; they didn't go amiss and are very much appreciated.
I spent pretty much all day today glued to the computer weather reports, making inquiries in the areas I would be riding, and checking NOAA, and things do not look safe for me to embark on the trip I had planned. Temperatures are at record highs in populated areas and much higher in the open, unshaded desert.
The latest weather forecast has been upgraded to Lightning Activity Level 3, thunderstorms, hail, and 50mph winds with fires predicted. See:
http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/halfway-or/97834/weather-warnings/2187695 Worse, the weather is predicted to be at or near 100°F/38°C for the next three weeks -- right when and where I would be:
http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/halfway-or/97834/july-weather/2187695 Worse yet: The temperatures on the reflected east side of Steens Mountain in the Alvord are likely to be another 20-25°F hotter. I know from experience I can make it alright three days in a row in air temperatures of 125°F/ 52°C with 6.5-10l fluid intake/day, but each day, my core becomes more dehydrated. I can't safely make it through the fourth day in the open with no shade in such low humidity, working as I would have to in the high heat and steep grades. Nighttime riding is a possibility, but then I wouldn't see what I came for, and the tent is insufficient shelter from the temperatures I'd deal with, being even hotter on the desert floor's surface. It would be as bad in the mountain canyons on the double-backed curves of FR-39 that comprises the core section of the Hells Canyon Overlook. If the woods close due to fire danger as predicted, I'd be over there with nowhere to go anyway.
I've got the time for a tour blocked out, and I'm
not going to miss out on going *some*where, so I have decided to string together a series of shorter tours in more temperate climes.
I'll drop by the Bureau of Land Management district office early tomorrow morning and pick up a new map for the Coast Range with current township, range, section, and spur road numbers. Goal for Tour 1 will be to leave Eugene to cross deep into the Coast Range and spend two nights there, bisecting Cannibal Mountain before dropping down to Five Rivers, then following the Yachats River to Yachats on the mid-Oregon coast and stay in the little cabin owned by my family before touring down the coast to the town of Reedsport, where I'll follow the Smith River upstream to Wolf Creek Pass, then on home to Eugene once again and then ready myself for the next tour to the Calapooya Mountains and lower Cascades. It was 28°F cooler in Yachats today than it was in Eugene, where it hit 92°F/33°C.
I plan my trips well in advance with great care, and you can imagine my disappointment at deferring this one to a future date. This evening, I called a friend of 36 years who offered to standby in the event of an emergency, and learned he and his wife were so concerned about the temperatures, they'd planned to surprise me by following my route and meeting me at one of my stops with cold drinks and some treats -- a thoughtful gesture beyond what I could have imagined or hoped for. They were on the verge of calling me to reconsider the trip and were much relieved at my change of plans.
Well...I'll still get a tour; a nice one with a couple more to follow, and will be off within another day or two. My goal is to avoid knowingly putting myself or others in danger when pursuing my fun. A key part of Extreme Touring is being Extremely Responsible and this is the right action for these circumstances. If it cools sufficiently and there's time before the Fall rains turn the playa to pudding, I have my route all ready and planned and can go then if I can juggle some scheduled commitments.
Disappointed though I am, this will give me a chance to really test and sort out the bike and equipment in hard touring conditions and then address any shortcomings in a reasonable timeframe. Much is new for this year: Bike and drivetrain, power-generating trailer and the bags for it, the sleeping bag, tent (for bike tours), pad, netbook, portable 4G LTE hotspot, solar panel and accumulator, and so on. If adjustments are needed, they can be made easily before going off on the next tour deep into the Calapooya mountains, perhaps with a side trip to Crater Lake National Park, which is always pretty at any time of year.
So, thanks for your kind words and thoughts; they'll be just as good for the adjusted tour in the opposite direction.
All the best,
Dan. (...who today was reminded that discretion really is the better part of valor. It is good to be brave, but it is also good to be careful.; If you are careful, you will not get into situations that require you to be brave)
