MTB Peterson Ridge - Sisters

The plan on Sunday was to head over to the Mckenzie River Trail and do the infamous MRT as an out and back from the bottom to the top and then back again.  It looked like the weather was going to hold up but as it turns out it would not be possible to get to the trailhead.

The McKenzie Pass is still closed...so on to Plan B....I figured I was in Sisters already and it might be a good idea to explore that area.  I had heard good things about Peterson Ridge and decided to go explore that trail system.
Those trails are fun but not exactly very demanding in terms of exertion.  I rode for almost 4 hrs and managed to maintain an average heart rate of 101!!! yes, 101...as crazy as it might sound, I was on the single speed and was just cruising.

The trail system basically is a big loop where the east trail is called PRW, and the east trail called PRE.  There are a handful of connector trails that connect the two.  I did a couple of laps on the system and then also took any/every spur/connector I saw to try to eek out more saddle time.

The best thing about the trail is the views.  There are a couple of spots where it just opens up into great view of the Sisters Wilderness area.  Pretty sweet:

 Jefferson:

MTB COB Phils & Beyond

Saturday's ride was the start of exploring the upper Phil's trail system...there are hundreds of miles of connected singletrack that you can ride without ever having to be on the road.  It is an amazing network of trails that not only must have been a lot of work to build but to also maintain as the treefall each winter/spring creates some early trail cleansing challenges.

I wanted to put in a long-ish day in so took the day at an easy tempo and took in the rides/trails/views.  It is tough to take an easy tempo especially when it is not in my nature and the trails are riding so fast!

Saturday's ride took me from downtown, to the Phil's network, up to Skyliner, then over to North Fork to Swede Ridge, and then down Sector 16 to Whoops to Phil's to downtown again.
The views going up North Fork had amazing views of the Tumalo Falls area, with 'reach out and touch me' views of Bachelor & Tumalo Mtn.   Sector 16 was a disaster area!  I stopped counting down trees across the trail at about the 50 number.  That is going to take a lot of work to get back to riding.  It must just get trashed considering it sits at the top of the ridge and must get hammered with wind.

The intent was to try and start riding the course for the High Cascades hundie but the starting 1/3 of the race was off limits due to a race series this weekend. It was still great to get out and explore new trail though!

Tumalo Mtn:

 Sisters Wilderness area:

 mo' Sisters

 Tumalo Falls area & trail

 looking at Bachelor in the clouds:

Video Stoke

sample of some riding in Central Oregon: