clydascope

an afternoon run up to harkless flat in the inyo range

It was a beautiful weekend up here, but it's dry. I guess this means I need to get better in the sand! casa diablo road chidago canyon road fish slough

The weather changed briefly, I got sick and didn't go out much for a few weeks, until yesterday... tumbling along jean blanc road black canyon tungsten hills

Nice to see some other photos of the area, the White's are one of the best areas around. Snow riding isn't my favorite either, but when it melts the sandy stuff is like butter! Yesterday in the Tungsten Hills

Thanks again, I'd love to go riding with anyone who makes it up this way. Troy, So is your dad doing the jazz show on the radio too? Oh those sandy trails in the Tungsten Hills - they eat me up! I know of your brother but haven't met him yet, we have many mutual friends though. I play those mountaineer's games too...

We had a few storms last week, here's the last one coming in It dropped a bit of snow in Bishop And made some sloppy riding!!!!

Some random shot from the past couple months... Owens Valley Chalfant Valley Chidago Canyon

Thanks Ben, right now I'm in Bishop but have lived in Yosemite, Lone Pine, Rovana and Mammoth Lakes over the past 30 years. Let me know if you make it up this way and we'll take a spin... Chris Here's an old slide that I scanned of my buddy Gark from the late 80's near Hot Creek...

I took a ride over Westgard Pass to Deep Springs the other day and found a nice little camp with great views and spent a cold night out.

I love my Honda, this is the 2nd one I've owned. Randy, the beer was, well, let's just say it's not my favorite. Check your e-mail for a video of my first tasting... Look forward to riding with you again! Here's a shot from last summer with Randy in the Inyo Mountains.

Thanks for the compliments. I figure I'll keep posting photos as the season continues, most years we can ride all winter but nothing like this year so far. Here's a blurb from my blog about the area... Speeding south on Fish Slough road, the sun dipping low toward winter, a flock of small birds lit out in front of me. I must have been going 60 mile an hour or better on the dirt path and did not hit the brakes, just eased up on the throttle. A collision of feathers seemed inevitable. One by one the little birds flew a rolling track and peeled off to the sides just as I was about to hit them. Backlit in the late afternoon light it felt like the Blue Angles in miniature had just given me a private show and I was the lead plane tearing through the pack. I raised my left arm in a triumphant gesture and twisted the throttle back up to pace. http://inyobellyproject.blogspot.com/

It's a bit dusty down in the valley just head uphill and things get better, sometimes rockier but sometimes smooth as silk

Today I tried to do the Buttermilk Road Loop but ran into some sheet ice just below the McGee Creek crossing and decided to call it a day

The gate in Silver Canyon is open but the gate at the research station is closed like it always is. It was surprisingly warm for the time of year, maybe in the 40's up top. It's been close to 70 in Bishop for a few weeks now.

Ha, I laid it down in the same spot Randy! Since I don't know what the old maps were like all I can say is I'm glad Kevin knew his way around a roll-chart! This was my first time using one and without reading glasses it was tough. We found a few places where things didn't line up, got mixed up more than once. Oregon is a crazy maze of dirt roads! Zina, if you find the bush-whacking section I tried to make it clear which way to go at the mystery "Y". Hope it saves you a few miles of eating branches.

Glad to help, feel free to ask any questions...

Gotta love the Blues and Brew! I may end up there on Friday, they have some good music on tap this year. Enjoy the ride up the White Mountain Research Station, it's one of my favorite place. I spent 3 summers working up there in the '90's and one of the perks of being an ex-employee is access whenever I want!

Greeting All, Just a quick hello from the beautiful High Sierra. A few years ago I met KTMrad through a mutual friend after a 10 day trip in Baja. Since then I've had the pleasure of riding with Randy a couple times and decided to join the group. If anyone is in the Owens Valley and wants to get out, let me know... Chris photo by Kevin O'...

This is an abbreviated version of an e-mail I sent to Zina a few weeks ago, thought other might get some value out of it. For many years I fought hip pain. Turned out I had osteoarthritis, the cartilage on both the ball and socket begins to wear out, and bone spurs grow that inhibit range of motion. After all the tests I was told that I was a candidate for dual hip replacements. The news was rather devastating. Before leaving the doctor’s office he suggested that I look into hip resurfacing because it was supposed to be a better, stronger joint and involved less bone removal. The total hip replacement (THR) involved cutting off the top of the femur, where it jogs inward towards the hip joint, then a replacement part is inserted into the top of the femur. They also grind out the old socket and insert a new one. A hip resurfacing only trims the ball of the femur and leaves most of the bone intact. It also includes a new socket. The diameter of the new parts is closer to your natural joint, much bigger than a THR. The tricky part was figuring out when to have the work done. I scheduled my first surgery for May 8, 2008. I was terrified! The most amazing thing about that day was the speed of the surgery, I was awake less than two hours after being put under. And the pain was gone when I woke up – the pain was gone!!! And I was walking with crutches that afternoon! I had three weeks on crutches with 50% weight bearing, then three more weeks with a cane, a total of three months of no impact, six months minimal impact. I was back on my motorcycle in about three months, dirt riding at four months and feeling strong at six months. I started planning for the next hip and on March 26, 2009 I went back to Santa Monica for another round. I was in much better spirits this time for I knew what to expect. The Surgeons Assistance told me that if everyone had the same attitude I had they would get much better results. In December of that year I rode 1,400 miles in Baja, a good mix of dirt and pavement. I ride all the time at home, had my first crash last month; steep dirt hill, lost momentum, dropped it and tumble over backwards a bit. Other than nearly tearing off my fingernail and a sprained wrist I walked away with any hip issues. Felt good to push it a little. When I was researching the options I kept reading comments from people saying the same thing I've been saying for the past couple years - Why did I wait so long? The fear of the unknown was holding me back on the first round, the knowledge of regaining my body inspired me on the second one.

Yup, that's me. After nearly three decades living in the high country I have gotten to know the place fairly well!