Notes from the Methow

Today qualifies as what you might call a bramble ramble. Looking at dotted lines on my maps at home, I decided to try to make the run from the Lone Pine campground up to the hairpin turn. At least, that’s where at least two maps claimed a trail existed. I’m not saying they’re wrong. I’m just saying I didn’t make it quite that far.

If I lived in Twisp I’d be out on the Twisp river more. That’s for sure. The valley connects to so much, and eventually terminates just over a pass from the Early Winters drainage! But it isn’t exactly close Winthrop.

I’ve attempted this little run before, in the other direction. It’s a surprisingly long haul AND STEEP, given that it’s all basically shrub steppe. Today, I had the time window to finish the run, so I was pleased to be able to keep pushing.

As much as I love the valley, I’ve spent long enough appreciating its beauty from within. I needed to get out into the high country or I was going to lose my mind.

As summer keeps rolling on, I keep rolling up valley. Another warm day sent me to Mazama to run, and I chose the old logging roads up Sandy Butte. Mostly to keep cool.

I saw a huge wall of smoke headed my way and I stopped. I worried it might be a grass fire, and tried to figure out my best course of action. Good practice, but I quickly realized it was just pollen. But it was a LOT of pollen.

In spite of all that driving, I went out past Mazama for today’s run. I went out to a little waterfall along Cedar Creek.

I rushed out of the house after inhaling a pint of green juice, two cups of coffee and a peanut butter and fried egg sandwich with chia seeds. I kind of felt all of that that on the way up. Good ultra training, if anything.

There are a LOT of old roads, game trails and side paths in this area! I see more every time I explore. I think it was good to connect that sense of ignorant hubris to the feeling of being lost. No doubt this is often how it happens, especially at dusk.

Ran too far. Mathematicians talk funny, but feel open to new ideas. Physicists love to tell stories, but can be pessimistic about new ideas at times.

hat got me thinking about how hard it is to teach an introductory course. You absolutely cannot get into all the motivating details in a first pass, especially in a topic as general as quantum mechanics. And that’s okay, but it really necessitates a point of view or a theme.

Back in action! I'm starting to document the start of my Monsterous Moonshine Project.

"What appears to have been meteor smashed through the skies above the Okanogan today. People have reported it as far south as Richland and as far north as Tonnasket. "

"Down the road, below the bluff in some guy's small field, there were like five or so toms all puffed up, gobbling around the spraying edge of a sprinkler. The late afternoon sun was shinning through their lighter feathers. It was a really weird scene. Where they showing off for a hen? Where they taking a shower? No idea. But in the middle of this scene was a guy just hammering away at something, oblivious to his company."

So much of the obvious lines between Twisp and Winthrop involve state lands that are now closed. Running from Sun "Mountain to Elbow Coulee to Aspen Lake to Deadhorse and back to Twisp has been something I’ve been keen on for a while now. But it will have to wait. It's DNR land. Additionally, Pipestone is also closed. And word is that the Rattlers have woken up early this year. Rattlers are no fun when they're still barely awake and a little... slow."

"My main goal was reaching the Mazama store, with its cookies and sandwiches and cold drinks. That more than enough to propel me forward on what was stacking up to be a considerably flatter, road heavy run."

"Approaching the Winthrop Trailhead I was being followed by a truck, which drove up after me with an alarming amount of speed. There’s a new sign on that gate that said 'Caution: Motorized Vehicles' in mailbox sticky letters. So I assumed it was related, and took Black Bear instead. For whatever reason the truck never made it past the gate."

"As usual, I didn't fully appreciate the distance to Mazama. The dirt road was calm and lonely until the last bit of downhill - past the second cattle guard, where I had two cars coming up! Gnarly!"

"Upon my return the hatchery trailhead, I found the gate had been closed! Like. Closed and locked! And I still had to run home. Bummer. There goes another one. "

"Different kinds of work are impossibly hard at different times of the day. I don't have the brainpower to make serious decisions after 4pm."

"Late at night my dad texted and started asking about exercise planning. He can still go Stand Up Paddle boarding - The State of Hawaii is fine with you in the water, its the beaches they want clear - and the weather has been so good he wants to be out there every day. Although he's rightly worried about over doing it."

"Because the pie was so good, we couldn't keep it all to ourselves. We broke the rules. Sort of... It was like watching some meta, real life TikTok."

"Lots of folks have been practicing with baking or cocktails or making lattes at home... Some of the happiest times of my life were hovered over that stove, cooking black beans in a cast iron skillet, eating them, sprinkled with goat cheese wrapped in corn tortillas."

"Finally! It was a warm day! Shorts. Sun glasses. and Trucker hats."

He asked me where I was from. A twinge of guilt ran through me as I said "Winthrop". He tossed his head back, "I live just over there." They called my name and I greedily started wolfing down my coffee cake.

Yesterday was a sad day for the valley

"I turned around, and very carefully hustled back down to the main road. The sun came out for a bit as I sailed down the hill, past the golf course, and lightened my grip a bit. My back brakes are feeling a little loose. I’m not sure how I’ll get them replaced. Are bicycle brakes considered essential business?"

"I road my bike down wolf creek road. I explored a bit up 5005 towards the Virginian Ridge, but it was covered in snow. They’ve been logging this area since the fall, and it’s been a long while since I’ve been upon the ridge."

"The silver lining, I believe, will be a really nuanced view of the roads and trails I do manage to run on. "

"The transition from biking to running — as part of a single outing — is quite a different story. Each time I got off the pedals my legs feel like dead weight. Especially if there was any uphill pedaling."

"After noon I rode up the Chewuck, counter clockwise. It was about 55F. I tore up FS 37 for a bit, but it got dark and foreboding so I turned around and crossed the river."

"I also cleaned the entire drive train and discovered a few shocking things. First, the front sprokett was almost detached and had a few loose screws. And one was missing! Yikes!"

"Every morning I wake up I make coffee, three eggs, half a can of black beans, some meat, some greens and whatever adornments I can chop up and add to the mix, a second cup of coffee... and then... I guess it depends."

"Everything transformed so fluidly, so completely, that it's almost not worth talking about."