Ooooh, no. It's 35 miles of country road; seventeen of them are BAD roads, dirt, seven-percent grade.
Keeps out the riffraff. But no, a bicycle ride up that way would be a "challenge" kind of event and feat.
I choose pain
- Thread starter pmbug
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Keeps out the riffraff. But no, a bicycle ride up that way would be a "challenge" kind of event and feat.
So in other words, it'd whip your butt into shape in no time at all.
Sounds like "win" to me. Lol
By the time I got there, I'd have to turn around and head back.
That's IF I got there. Even allowing a rider was in good enough shape, what about a flat tire? These are not country dirt roads. These are MOUNTAIN dirt roads, with granite pushing through the hardpan. Often sharp-edged...road-grader blades causing rock breakage, and the jagged ends work up, over time.
You'll get a little quicker each time, therfor eventually leaving time to actually shoot some before you gotta leave.
That just means you'll get really good, and fast, at fixing flats.
Again, sounds like a "win" to me. Lol
Tougher tires with liners go long way toward preventing flats.
Yes, I suppose so.
....and I was just havin' some fun with this. I realize a 35 mile ride up a mountain is prolly not realistic for you, or probably anyone not extremely used to riding in such conditions.
It's been a little while, but I once went mountain biking in Colorado at Copper mountain, and I rode all the way up their dirt rode to as close to the summit as I could get.
Edited add: looked it up. That's 2600 feet vertical.
They shut the lift down about two hours before the rented bike had to be returned and I wanted one more run down the mountain.
So I rode up. It was hard, but I made it.
....and I barely made it back in time to return the bike.
Also rode up the mountain at Winter Park resort a few years later.
.....and after a full day of riding, had my friends drop me off at Berthoud Pass about an hour before Sunset and I hiked over Flora peak (13,131') and down into the valley on the other side of it to where I re- met my friends at their campsite.
The wimps went around and drove up from the other side of the Continental Divide. Lol
....and I was just havin' some fun with this. I realize a 35 mile ride up a mountain is prolly not realistic for you, or probably anyone not extremely used to riding in such conditions.
It's been a little while, but I once went mountain biking in Colorado at Copper mountain, and I rode all the way up their dirt rode to as close to the summit as I could get.
Edited add: looked it up. That's 2600 feet vertical.
They shut the lift down about two hours before the rented bike had to be returned and I wanted one more run down the mountain.
So I rode up. It was hard, but I made it.
....and I barely made it back in time to return the bike.
Also rode up the mountain at Winter Park resort a few years later.
.....and after a full day of riding, had my friends drop me off at Berthoud Pass about an hour before Sunset and I hiked over Flora peak (13,131') and down into the valley on the other side of it to where I re- met my friends at their campsite.
The wimps went around and drove up from the other side of the Continental Divide. Lol
Are there any downhill mountain bike trails near you in Montana? I'm kinda thinking there probably are.
If you've never tried downhill, it's a ton of fun, and will help get you into shape.
Or even just regular cross country type of bike trails. That stuff will help a lot towards lower body muscle toning and help improve your balance.
It will also help to sharpen your cognitive abilities.
Mountain biking requires fast and constant mental work.
.....and cognitive slowing is another issue we face as we age.
Learning new stuff and forcing your brain to have to process things faster, helps immensely with putting off the cognitive decline seen in many aging people, as it reinforces existing neural connections, as well as creating new ones.
....and anything that can help stave off things like Alzheimer's longer, is a good thing.
If you've never tried downhill, it's a ton of fun, and will help get you into shape.
Or even just regular cross country type of bike trails. That stuff will help a lot towards lower body muscle toning and help improve your balance.
It will also help to sharpen your cognitive abilities.
Mountain biking requires fast and constant mental work.
.....and cognitive slowing is another issue we face as we age.
Learning new stuff and forcing your brain to have to process things faster, helps immensely with putting off the cognitive decline seen in many aging people, as it reinforces existing neural connections, as well as creating new ones.
....and anything that can help stave off things like Alzheimer's longer, is a good thing.
I just did it after reading your post.
Pain report
This morning I jogged a mile at the track.
(afternoon)
Crucifix Crunch - 1 set of 15 reps just to get the abs warmed up.
Core Hold Series (immediate transitions)
Form 1 - Today I positioned my arms at about 80 degrees - just shy of perpendicular to the ground. My back came up about half the distance from the ground that I normally reach with arms parallel to the ground. I focused on keeping the abs tight and breathed. I kept the back off the ground until breath 26. I was tempted to lower the hands when I realized I wasn't going to make it to 30, but I chose to tough it out with the high degree of difficulty. I finished out to 30 breaths with back on the floor.
Form 2 - I kept my feet low to the ground for higher difficulty. i had to continually bear down with the abs to keep the lower back flat to the floor. I was mostly successful out to 30 breaths.
Form 3 - I kept the kicking as low to the ground as i could while keeping the lower back on the floor. They were definitely lower than yesterday. Finished 30 breaths and realized that my abs never really burned like in the past. I mean, I felt them working and they are slightly sore as I finished, but I never had the burning pain that these isometric holds incur when you first start them. My biggest issue was just keeping the lower back flat to the ground.
Side planks - 25 reps each side today
Right side - Shoulder popping loudly through the first 15 reps. Then it stops popping and doesn't even signal pain. I stopped at 25 by choice but could have pushed for more.
Left side - Shoulder did not pop at all, but around rep 18 started signalling pain. I'm glad I didn't push the right side for more reps, because the 25 rep on the left was about my shoulder's limit.
Horse Stance - 1 set of 60 is MY goal
I start out and more or less find the right spinal alignment right away. Quads start burning around breath 15. Around breath 30, the burn is intense. Knees start shaking around breath 45 or so and by breath 50 it seems most of my leg muscles are spasming. I keep breathing but the burning is really intense. I reach breath 60 and put my hands on my knees and audibly groan as I push myself back to standing position. Pain!
Wall Sit - 1 set of 60 is MY goal
I sit into good position immediately today. Quads start burning around breath 12. Burning ramps up with each successive breath. I keep breathing. Around breath 42, my knees start to vibrate slightly (somewhat less pronounced than the shaking I usually experience with Horse Stance). I keep breathing and the burning is getting very intense. I make it to 60 breaths and shimmy up the wall to standing position. Pain!
Bottom Push Up Hold - 1 set of 45-60 seconds is MY goal
I get into position - core tight and straight. Breath 15 and all feels good. Breath 16 and am feeling failure approaching. Breath 20 and I feel the mental wall telling me to release the hold. ignore it and bear down. I'm going to failure today. Each breath is a struggle and today it's my chest/pecs that are feeling the burn. I exhale breath 25 and collapse. Triceps didn't even burn/complain. Chest/pecs woke up today.
(short rest - running out of time again)
Bear Crawl Hold - 1 set of 45-60 seconds is MY goal
It wasn't until breath 50 or so that I noticed any strain at all. This hold is easy (for me). Arms/elbows/shoulders started shaking during the last 10 breaths, but it was mild. Quads were working but not really burning enough to notice over the shoulders/back.
(short rest - running out of time again)
Iron Bridge - 1 set of 60-90 seconds is MY goal
"easy mode" straight plank bridge - shoulders start vibrating around breath 15. Soon thereafter they are shaking mildly but the shaking reaches a plateau and does not get worse. My head isn't bobbing like yesterday. Right hamstring tries to cramp a few times and I have to relax that leg to abate the cramping for a few breaths. Very annoying. I reach breath 60 and could have gone much longer, but chose to stop because of time constraints and my right hammy cramping issue. Shoulders are sore.
(short rest - running out of time again)
Active Dead Hang - Shoulder width grip today. Lasted 21 breaths. I pushed to failure too. I needed a longer rest as my back/shoulders were tired from the last 3 exercises.
This morning I jogged a mile at the track.
(afternoon)
Crucifix Crunch - 1 set of 15 reps just to get the abs warmed up.
Core Hold Series (immediate transitions)
Form 1 - Today I positioned my arms at about 80 degrees - just shy of perpendicular to the ground. My back came up about half the distance from the ground that I normally reach with arms parallel to the ground. I focused on keeping the abs tight and breathed. I kept the back off the ground until breath 26. I was tempted to lower the hands when I realized I wasn't going to make it to 30, but I chose to tough it out with the high degree of difficulty. I finished out to 30 breaths with back on the floor.
Form 2 - I kept my feet low to the ground for higher difficulty. i had to continually bear down with the abs to keep the lower back flat to the floor. I was mostly successful out to 30 breaths.
Form 3 - I kept the kicking as low to the ground as i could while keeping the lower back on the floor. They were definitely lower than yesterday. Finished 30 breaths and realized that my abs never really burned like in the past. I mean, I felt them working and they are slightly sore as I finished, but I never had the burning pain that these isometric holds incur when you first start them. My biggest issue was just keeping the lower back flat to the ground.
Side planks - 25 reps each side today
Right side - Shoulder popping loudly through the first 15 reps. Then it stops popping and doesn't even signal pain. I stopped at 25 by choice but could have pushed for more.
Left side - Shoulder did not pop at all, but around rep 18 started signalling pain. I'm glad I didn't push the right side for more reps, because the 25 rep on the left was about my shoulder's limit.
Horse Stance - 1 set of 60 is MY goal
I start out and more or less find the right spinal alignment right away. Quads start burning around breath 15. Around breath 30, the burn is intense. Knees start shaking around breath 45 or so and by breath 50 it seems most of my leg muscles are spasming. I keep breathing but the burning is really intense. I reach breath 60 and put my hands on my knees and audibly groan as I push myself back to standing position. Pain!
Wall Sit - 1 set of 60 is MY goal
I sit into good position immediately today. Quads start burning around breath 12. Burning ramps up with each successive breath. I keep breathing. Around breath 42, my knees start to vibrate slightly (somewhat less pronounced than the shaking I usually experience with Horse Stance). I keep breathing and the burning is getting very intense. I make it to 60 breaths and shimmy up the wall to standing position. Pain!
Bottom Push Up Hold - 1 set of 45-60 seconds is MY goal
I get into position - core tight and straight. Breath 15 and all feels good. Breath 16 and am feeling failure approaching. Breath 20 and I feel the mental wall telling me to release the hold. ignore it and bear down. I'm going to failure today. Each breath is a struggle and today it's my chest/pecs that are feeling the burn. I exhale breath 25 and collapse. Triceps didn't even burn/complain. Chest/pecs woke up today.
(short rest - running out of time again)
Bear Crawl Hold - 1 set of 45-60 seconds is MY goal
It wasn't until breath 50 or so that I noticed any strain at all. This hold is easy (for me). Arms/elbows/shoulders started shaking during the last 10 breaths, but it was mild. Quads were working but not really burning enough to notice over the shoulders/back.
(short rest - running out of time again)
Iron Bridge - 1 set of 60-90 seconds is MY goal
"easy mode" straight plank bridge - shoulders start vibrating around breath 15. Soon thereafter they are shaking mildly but the shaking reaches a plateau and does not get worse. My head isn't bobbing like yesterday. Right hamstring tries to cramp a few times and I have to relax that leg to abate the cramping for a few breaths. Very annoying. I reach breath 60 and could have gone much longer, but chose to stop because of time constraints and my right hammy cramping issue. Shoulders are sore.
(short rest - running out of time again)
Active Dead Hang - Shoulder width grip today. Lasted 21 breaths. I pushed to failure too. I needed a longer rest as my back/shoulders were tired from the last 3 exercises.
There's a trail, off Lookout Pass...where I-90 crosses, now...called the Hiawatha Trail.
There's a concession there...Lookout Pass is also a ski slope. Summers, they use it as the muster point for riders doing just this. You park at the lot, right there at the lodge, near the Interstate...get your bike out, and with a guide or a group (so they can organize a trip back) you ride down to, I think, St Regis. It's about 25 miles by the freeway, but much more on the trail.
The trail was mostly on the roadbed of the Milwaukee Road, but the Lookout Pass section belonged to the Northern Pacific Railroad. Now, this takes some explaining...the NP crossed Lookout Pass, through Wallace, Idaho (the last Idaho town to have open brothels; and even now the cathouse is run as a museum). Wallace had a railroad trestle going right through parts of the town, and also, given its challenging topography, it was one of the last sections of I-90 to be completed. That portion of the freeway was open in, IIRC, 1979.
It took a consolidation of the three Northern Transcon railroads to make THAT happen. The Great Northern, Northern Pacific, and Chicago, Burlington and Quincy merged to form the Burlington Northern in 1970. Parts of the Milwaukee Road, bankrupted in 1975, were later purchased. The Lookout Pass portion was seen as superfluous and was ripped out...down came the wooden trestles, still used to that point, and in went the freeway. The BN's High Line, the Great Northern route, became the main line through the area. BN sold (leased the track) the former Milwaukee Road portion through central Montana, to Rail Link...until BNSF reacquired it three years ago.
Okay. The Lookout Pass railroad bed, now an ORV trail called the Hiawatha Trail, is wild...and famous. Last time I was on it was on a trail motorcycle, and I tore up a tire. Scared the hell out of me - two in the afternoon, in mountain-lion country. The cats come out at dusk, and I had a 40-mile ride (on the trail) back to safety.
This would be different, but I've done long downhill rides. They're as hard as uphill, or even more so - potential loss of balance or control. I may do it; but I may decide that the thrillseeker life is one I'm too old for.
Sounds fun.
What if you just go slow and control your speed? It'll take longer, but also allow you time to get used to it. You can go faster later.
......and carry a handgun in case of mountain lions.
Are there grizzly bears around there too? I know Montana has some.
My mountain time has all been in Colorado and New Mexico, but there aren't any of those there. Just black bears and also mountain lions. Never been bothered them though. Never even seen one in the mountains, but that doesn't mean that one of them didn't see me.
Looked it up.
www.ridethehiawatha.com
That would be a ton of fun. You should def do it.
From their website:
The Route of the Hiawatha – Scenic mountain bike or hike trail is 15 miles long with 10 large and dark train tunnels (Nine that you ride your bike through.) and 7 sky-high trestles.
The ride starts with a trip through the 1.661 mile long St. Paul Pass Tunnel, also known as the Taft Tunnel. It is a highlight of the trail that follows the crest of the Bitterroot Mountains near Lookout Pass Ski Area. The best part is…. it’s gently downhill with shuttle buses available to transport you and your bike from the bottom of the trail back to the top. This family friendly trail is easily enjoyed by a wide variety of people from young children to super seniors.
That's you, a "super senior", right?
If I had that near me, I'd ride it weekly. Both up and down. *
What else have you really got to do?
* Are you allowed to ride it up? Some places with trails like that are directional.
Saw this in their FAQ:
the trail is OK to ride downhill from Taft or Roland to Pearson for most youngsters of 5 to 6 years of age and older,
There ya go. If nothing else, do that part of it. If kids can do it, I've no doubt you can too.
Route of the Hiawatha Bike Trail | Tickets, Shuttle & Bike Rentals
Plan your ride on the Route of the Hiawatha Scenic Bike Trail. Buy trail tickets, shuttle passes, rent bikes, & learn about the famous Idaho-Montana rail trail.
www.ridethehiawatha.com
That would be a ton of fun. You should def do it.
From their website:
The Route of the Hiawatha – Scenic mountain bike or hike trail is 15 miles long with 10 large and dark train tunnels (Nine that you ride your bike through.) and 7 sky-high trestles.
The ride starts with a trip through the 1.661 mile long St. Paul Pass Tunnel, also known as the Taft Tunnel. It is a highlight of the trail that follows the crest of the Bitterroot Mountains near Lookout Pass Ski Area. The best part is…. it’s gently downhill with shuttle buses available to transport you and your bike from the bottom of the trail back to the top. This family friendly trail is easily enjoyed by a wide variety of people from young children to super seniors.
That's you, a "super senior", right?
If I had that near me, I'd ride it weekly. Both up and down. *
What else have you really got to do?
* Are you allowed to ride it up? Some places with trails like that are directional.
Saw this in their FAQ:
the trail is OK to ride downhill from Taft or Roland to Pearson for most youngsters of 5 to 6 years of age and older,
There ya go. If nothing else, do that part of it. If kids can do it, I've no doubt you can too.
Part of it is the balance...you're skewed. Then, you hope you don't develop brake trouble...my bike has hydraulic discs, but they're imprecise. I did a shorter downhill run a couple years ago, walked (a different) bike partially up a trail, intending to ride down...it was work. And there were times I skidded the front tire, and almost lost it.
Practice? Probably. That's a hard way to learn, and iffy.
Handgun? In that situation it would work. But a few things: First, on this bike-ride-shuttle-back, there's bound to be an anti-gun Karen in the bunch. Probably signs on the lodge, as there are everywhere, NO FIREARMS PERMITTED.
Back on that motorcycle? Man...you know, if you think about it you can realize, a motorcycle is a police magnet. You get pulled over and right away they're drawn to your gun. Now...since Montucky has been overrun by Golden Shitte escapees (including our own former sheriff) you JUST DO NOT KNOW. Out here, there's probably sheriffs like Grady Judd or Mark Lamb; but you won't find them in Flathead or Missoula or Gallitin counties...all taken over by the Left.
And trust me, there's some Ex-Californicators who'll see a rider going by with a holster and call the cops, saying "HE THREATENED ME!!" I don't need that. The odds of a weapon CAUSING trouble, right now, is far greater than the odds of it preventing trouble on the trail.
You weigh the pros and cons. For the moment, the disadvantages of riding armed, win out.
Yup...but grizzlies are relatively shy. They'll attack what they see as threats, but they're not openly looking for human meat.
UNLIKE the big cats, who see hikers as self-delivering jerky snacks.
I'm gonna look into it.Looked it up.
Route of the Hiawatha Bike Trail | Tickets, Shuttle & Bike Rentals
Plan your ride on the Route of the Hiawatha Scenic Bike Trail. Buy trail tickets, shuttle passes, rent bikes, & learn about the famous Idaho-Montana rail trail.
That would be a ton of fun. You should def do it.
From their website:
The Route of the Hiawatha – Scenic mountain bike or hike trail is 15 miles long with 10 large and dark train tunnels (Nine that you ride your bike through.) and 7 sky-high trestles.
The ride starts with a trip through the 1.661 mile long St. Paul Pass Tunnel, also known as the Taft Tunnel. It is a highlight of the trail that follows the crest of the Bitterroot Mountains near Lookout Pass Ski Area. The best part is…. it’s gently downhill with shuttle buses available to transport you and your bike from the bottom of the trail back to the top. This family friendly trail is easily enjoyed by a wide variety of people from young children to super seniors.
That's you, a "super senior", right?
If I had that near me, I'd ride it weekly. Both up and down. *
What else have you really got to do?
* Are you allowed to ride it up? Some places with trails like that are directional.
Saw this in their FAQ:
the trail is OK to ride downhill from Taft or Roland to Pearson for most youngsters of 5 to 6 years of age and older,
There ya go. If nothing else, do that part of it. If kids can do it, I've no doubt you can too.
It was one of those things I'd put in the "Someday" jar. After my trip up the trail (another part, I see from the maps on that site; the route goes into Idaho, not Montana) I kinda had a bad taste in my mouth.
This sounds easy. And it's no problem transporting my bike up that way, none at all. It's an 85-mile trip, all on the Interslab.
Balance should improve with time.
What is imprecise about them? I love my hydraulics. Far better than the mechanical ones I previously used.
It will be work, but work that progressively gets easier as you get better at it. So there's that.
On any trail, ride what you can, and hike-a-bike on what you can't. Either way, it's good exercise.
Learn to modulate your front brake, and control your speed.
After you've ridden a trail a few times, you'll learn where you need to be not letting it roll so fast, and where you can let 'er rip.
Until then, err on the slow side.
It's really the only way to learn.
Gotta just get out there and do it.
....and do it regularly.
Ok, maybe no gun there, but on other trails it might not be a problem.
.....and you could take bear spray maybe. That should deter a big cat too.
It really does.
Looks like a really cool place too.
So what, over and a half total drive time? That's not too bad I suppose, but I thought it might be closer to you. Closer always helps if ya wanna do something regularly.
Don't you live near Missoula?
Here's a mtb trail listing of trails near there.
If you are somewhere else, look on that site and I bet you'll find some.
Yeah, bear spray. I have that.
Thinking about it, as this has unfolded...I'd decided bear spray would be what I'd take.
Sadly, I didn't have it that day when I had a motorcycle flat.
I planned, just not enough. I had an air pump and a plug kit...and I'd never fixed a flat on the road/trail before. Hell of a way to learn.
I had the pump, which I didn't always carry, but not the bear spray.
I don't think bear spray would work with mountain lions, though. Just make them mad. Bad-tempered killing machines...that's how Fluffy would act if she were big enough to get away with it.
I'll let you know. It's just the time of year for it, now...I'll do it, or not, this week.
September I'll be doing something else, so it's now or next y ear.
Yup, Missoula County.
I've just not gotten that adventurous with the trails. It's hard to get a bunch of riders together, without a club...certainly not old people. Realistically, only a small percentage do this kind of thing at all.
But I'm gonna check out the Hiawatha trail tour. That fascinates me...I remember as a kid, I came across a photo-spread of a place called Lookout Pass. It was done about 1955 and I was looking at it ten years later...huge steam locomotives pulling freight trains over those old-school wooden trestles. With a village below...I know now it was Wallace.
I've always loved the woods and mountains; and spent decades on the railroads. And corporate histories fascinate me...how all these railroad companies came, and some went, and some others merged...the stories behind them. I've worked on the Denver & Rio Grande; on the Great Northern's High Line (both with a contractor team) and then on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern (took a train, every workday, over the viaduct that replaced the Ashtabula River Bridge that collapsed killing 92 people) and the original New York Central mainline into Buffalo. Then, the Soo Line's property from Saulte Ste Marie to Green Bay, and then again the Soo, between Minneapolis and Huron, SD.
Then on to Montana. There, the story ends for me. But, to me, recreational time as a kid, was spent in pine forests, or in rowboats or canoes, or later, camping trips in northern conifer forests.
Got off-topic here, but, yeah. Frankly, since I've got a tiny economy car, a trip to Lookout is just less than 10 bucks in fuel; and for an off-topic reason, the car is fully depreciated. Branded title now. So mileage doesn't matter.
I'll see if I can get some photos, if it happens.