Changing of the seasons...

It has been a rapid transition from Summer to Autumn here in Bend, Oregon. The trees have dropped most of their colorful leaves after the first storms of the season rolled through the Cascades this past week. There is snow on Mt Bachelor and the Sisters and the high-alpine trails have been covered with blankets of white and put to rest for the winter.

The end of the riding season means it is time for Bend's Big Fat Tour. Three days of epic riding on the area's best trails and the chance to hang out with some of the most dedicated mountain bikers in Oregon. Friday's ride visited the Ochoco's for the first time in BBFT history, and the most hardy riders trudged through snow and mud to conquer both Round and Lookout Mountains in one day. Saturday was the longest day with the classic ride around Mt Bachelor and back to town. Sunday's route included the traditional climb up to Cache Mountain west of Sisters, and as a pleasant surprise we saw the best weather of the weekend.

We finished the season for Cog Wild Bicycle Tours with three days of riding along the North Umpqua River Trail last weekend. It rained through the weekend and we rode in a few inches of snow along the Dread and Terror section from Lemolo Lake to the Hot Springs. But it was the prime time to see the maples dropping their golden yellow and shiny red leaves.

As has been the case for the last few years I am preparing for a long commute to my seasonal employment with Vela Windsurf Resorts in Los Barriles, Baja California Sur, Mexico. I am looking forward to a season of the tropical life: mountain biking, sailing, kiting, gulping ice-cold Ballenas, and enjoying the company of my "seasonal friends." But it is hard to give up the stability and security of a "normal" life, and I am leaving with much reluctance and more than a few regrets. I have learned much about myself through the experiences of this past Summer and Fall, and have had to re-evaluate my priorities and wants and needs. Does life ever get easier? Does it ever stop changing? What I do know is that road trips give you the time to think about life's situations, and the pace of life in Baja offers many chances for introspection. And so I shall depart the NW with a new resolve and outlook on life and I intend to make this a most memorable and exciting season.