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No Whiners: It's all about the patch

It's all about the patch.
Pam Stevenson

The 2009 version of Bend's Big Fat Tour this past weekend was epic as usual. I don't really know that because I was a wimp and only did the two-day recreational ride rather than the three-day “Epic” (I had to work Friday – that's my excuse). But I did see what riders looked like after completing all 148 miles of dirt and lava rock and I think the name was appropriate.
Now in its 15th year, the BBFT is the brainchild of Paul Thomasberg, who constructs new routes each year designed to test the mettle of the toughest mountain bikers. This year, the weather forecast was downright horrendous, which would have added to the “epicness” for sure, but instead riders were blessed with three days of perfect trail and riding conditions.

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Firsthand Learning: Students from Pilot Butte Middle School explore the Metolius fisheries

Students from Pilot Butte Middle School explore the Metolius fisheries.
The Source Staff

Recently, the doors to the world were opened wider for 32 students from Molly Grove's 6th-grade class at Pilot Butte Middle School as they explored the ecosystem of the Metolius River – thanks to the efforts of Salmon Watch, an education program within The Freshwater Trust's Healthy Waters Institute.
James Bartlett, PGE fisheries biologist (AKA a “fish-squeezer”) was ready for the first group of students eager to learn more about the fish that ply the Metolius. About 100 yards upriver, Larry Morse, water quality specialist for the City of Redmond was preparing his tools for teaching the students about the chemistry and quality of the river waters.

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Embrace Your Inner Couch Potato: Flicks and books to keep you stoked

Flicks and books to keep you stoked.
Pam Stevenson

I'm sure somebody will lambaste me for not being hardcore enough, but the cold, rainy weather we are in store for this week makes me want to embrace my inner couch potato and throw a log in the fireplace. This is a great time of year to overhaul your bikes, grind your skis, go to the movies or just get under the down comforter with a good book.
SKI FLICK SEASON
Shorter days. Cooler temperatures. Fall colors. All signs of the changing season. None more so, though, than a proliferation of ski flicks. Last week it was big mountain skiing movie The Edge of Never at the Tower followed by the Powderwhore movie Flakes at McMenamins. If that wasn't enough movie watching, we had BendFilm all over Central Oregon the rest of the week. Personally, I'm not ready for winter yet, so the film I caught was The Women and the Waves, a documentary about women's surfing pioneers. One of my favorite quotes: “When someone said 'You surf like a girl' it used to be an insult. Now it's a compliment.”

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Inspiration: From unlikely heroes in our midst

From unlikely heroes in our midst.
Pam Stevenson

Last weekend I was skinny dipping in a gorgeous alpine lake and this weekend I awoke to gigantic snowflakes blanketing town. It's that charming schizophrenia that makes Bend such a special place to live. Many of us moved here for the sun and the snow and the recreational opportunities they afford. But this week, especially, I was reminded why I stay. It's the people. That probably sounds trite, but the next time you're seeking inspiration, just look next to you.
CALL IT “UP” SYNDROME
I met Karen Gaffney at a luncheon last week. Karen lives in Portland, but she was in Bend to connect with friends and share her story. Karen Gaffney, all 4 feet 10 inches and 95 pounds of her, has swum the English Channel. Fewer people have swum the 21 miles of 60-degree water from England to France than have climbed Mount Everest. By the way, English Channel etiquette calls for no wetsuits. Those crazy Brits! Karen accomplished the feat in 2001 on a relay team of 14 Oregonians, which included Bendites Mike Tennant, Laura Schob, Tom Landis and Sara Quan. They completed the swim in 14 hours and 11 minutes.

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Hand-Taming Wildlife: Don't feed the bears… or the deer or the skunks

Don't feed the bears… or the deer or the skunks
The Source Staff

There are a lot of people throughout Central Oregon who think it's cool to tame mule deer so they can pet them. That, Oh Best Beloved, is one of the dumbest things anyone can do.
Then there's the business of people baiting cougars by attracting deer to their back yards. That's equally as dumb. I know one guy near Sisters who feeds carrots to mule deer by hand. Some day either the deer will beat his head in or perhaps a cougar will decide man meat is better than deer meat.
Leave game animals to be just that, Dear Readers – “game.” It's unlawful to “bait” deer during hunting season anyway and in my book it's just plain dumb to bait cougar at any time. But having said all that, there's the business of feeding birds and our little Mountain Chickadee is trusting enough that it is often “tamed” and will come down to a human finger in hopes of finding a sunflower seed.

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Recreational Drugs: Scientific support for addiction

Scientific support for addiction
Pam Stevenson

It's Monday morning and I'm sitting at my computer. According to Doug Weber, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Pendleton, “For the whole area, today is going to be the last nice day in the current forecast.” The equinox came and went last week, daylight is waning, and it could be snowing in Bend when you read this. Youch. Time to move to the southern hemisphere… or turn to drugs.
Somehow the conversation turned to drugs at the Bend Roots Revival last Friday night. I know no one will believe me, but I've never dropped acid, snorted anything up my nose or even smoked pot. OK, I did puff on a joint once a long time ago, but I didn't actually inhale. Instead, these are my recreational drugs of choice:

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Albino Birds: The brass tax when it comes to white birds

The brass tax when it comes to white birds.
The Source Staff

This is the time of year when birds and other wildlife unlucky enough to not have their normal colors become very noticeable, such as “leucisitic,” “albino” and “partial albino” forms. These unfortunate victims of a quirk of nature lack their natural colors that would normally protect them from the energy of our sun, keep them safe from inquisitive humans and predators, and be accepted as a member of their own social group.
Even the parents of their own young will sometimes shy away from their offspring if they're too far off their normal appearance. Once an albino robin begins to appear “different,” the parents will eventually try to avoid it. The albino bird, on the other hand, doesn't realize that it's different and keeps trying to join the group. The two photos above are case in point. They are both “loaners,” a partial albino robin, and one that almost made it, but has black eyes, not the unpigmented red eyes of a “true albino.”

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Do Something Oxymoronic: Have some serious fun at a work party

Have some serious fun at a work party
Pam Stevenson

What are you doing this weekend? If you've got random plans to do nothing, I've got an incredibly convincing argument for you to consider a Work Party. Sure, you could enjoy a Staycation eating jumbo shrimp, drinking dry martinis and watching reality TV. I am hopelessly optimistic that you will find a Work Party to be an oddly appropriate way to spend your time. Work Parties are serious fun. Not to mention that they're wonderful opportunities to give back to the trails you love.

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Around the Hood: Hut-to-Hut Adventure

My first hut-to-hut mountain biking trip was 18 years ago in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado and the La Sals of eastern Utah.
Pam Stevenson

My first hut-to-hut mountain biking trip was 18 years ago in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado and the La Sals of eastern Utah. The seven-day, six-night, 215-mile trip from Telluride to Moab stuck in my mind as one of my best adventures ever. But, I hate to do the same thing twice, so I never returned. That is until two years ago, when the San Juan Hut System (www.sanjuanhuts.com) opened up a second route from Durango to Moab. As soon as I learned about that, I signed up and recruited a game group of friends from Bend, Hood River, Ashland and Taiwan.
San Juan Hut Systems' slogan is “Adventure Without the Weight.” They provide route directions, food and accommodations for do-it-yourself kind of people. Each hut is equipped with food, water, propane cook stove, cookware, and bunks and sleeping bags for eight people, so all you really need to lug along are some small panniers with clothes, a sleeping bag liner and personal items you can't live without. The routes follow mostly dirt roads from the high alpine tundra of the San Juan Mountains to the canyon country and desert slick rock of Utah.

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