The day started off well with a scenic drive along man made Rimrock Lake and down into the Naches region. This scenic highway gave us big hopes for a nice drive. The south east portion of Washington includes Yakima and consists of undulating hills and rolling plains.

After switching drivers and stopping for gas we climbed out of Pendelton and traversed to Boise. A few mountain passes later we were on the home stretch towards Sun Valley.

We rolled into town around 6pm and started looking for our campsite. What we didn’t plan for was the Sun Valley Summer Symphony and the amount of RV’s that had pulled into town. Most of the nearby campsites were already full, and after unsuccessfully driving up a gravel road, turned around and headed back to town for dinner.

Being a resort town, I was a bit worried of fancy restaurants and "Whistleresque pricing" but pleasantly we came across Smokey Mountain Pizza, and enjoyed a great pasta dinner and pint of Fat Tire Amber Ale.

As darkness had now fallen, we continued up north of Ketchum on highway 75 to look for a campsite. There are many sites in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, from full service to very basic remote sites. First attempt included passing three full campsites before trying to turn around on this narrow gravel road. A nice couple driving by suggested there were spots just up the road, so we continued inching our way up this valley until finding a small campsite just on the side of the road. The sky was clear, the stars bright and a river flowed just nearby. We setup tent and jumped into bed in our warm woollies (the temp was down to 10 degrees Celsius after a high of the day at 34)

We had made our first destination and looked forward to a few days on the trails.

All in all a priceless experience which puts perspective on what you have in your own back yard.

More detailed installments are coming soon, but here’s a quick overview of our route.

View Larger Map

Last year our travels took us through BC, checking out rides in Revelstoke, Golden, Nelson and Christina Lake. We were trying out for a Specialized Bikes Stumpjumper Trail Crew.

As September rolled around, we missed the cut but through twitter and their ensuing rides, we virtually met a few like-minded riders.

One person, John Friedrich, was lucky enough to make the final selection. Through his blogs, photos and videos, we added Bozeman to the list of stops for this year. We also tried to meet up with another fellow twitter user, so we added Sun Valley Idaho to our list.

This years fire season was becoming exceptionally bad in BC and for the first time that we could recall, the weather office reported current conditions “smoke”.

With such unfavorable conditions at home, timing seemed perfect for our departure. The car was packed, our bikes were ready, the house sitter was arranged, and we headed south.

We left after work to get across to the mainland and south of the border. A cheap hotel room later, we hit Seattle and dropped in on the Flagship REI store. If you make it to Seattle, be sure to check out this candy store for the outdoors type.

As with any good trip to Seattle, coffee was in order, and while we didn’t go for old standard Starbucks, we stopped across from REI at Vivace for one of the best espresso’s I’ve ever had.

While surfing the wifi I checked on the webcams for Mt Rainier as the windy road would be just a hinderance were it not for the stunning scenery on the drive. We were in luck and turned south for the hills.

As our projected route will take us through numerous state and national parks, we purchased the $80 annual pass which not only gets you into the parks, it gains you discounts on camping in various state forest service campsites.

Mount Rainier is a stunning trip, with many alpine lakes, glacier overlooks, and opportunities for hiking.

Indian Creek on Rimrock lake was the final destination for today, and after a quick bite to eat, it was time for a quick writing session and off to bed. Big day tomorrow with the hopes of setting up in Ketchum for our next few days of riding.

While Vancouver Island is blessed with an abundance of trails to ride, having met many racers through the BC Bike Race, we’ve heard of great riding in so many other places. Mtnbikinggirl and I have chosen two locations to spend our time riding this summer. Sun Valley, Idaho and Bozeman, Montana. I’ve traveled these areas in the past but haven’t ridden the local trails.

Along the way we hope to sample various restaurants, brew pubs, fruit stands, bike shops, lakes, rivers and mountains.

Be sure to follow our progress.

Road Trip

Sugoi Evolution Jersey

Being more often on xc rides than DH runs, I’ve been wearing a 3 pocket style jersey as my base layer to carry my first aid pack, cell phone, camera and some snacks.

Through the racks I browsed trying a selection of jerseys on for size. XL sure does vary from the Euro-Fit to the North American sizes. Thankfully after a few tries I found Sugoi’s Evolution Jersey.

The Evolution Jersey is made of a lightweight summer fabric with silver ions to fight odor-causing bacteria. Three back pockets are generously sized and a full front zip makes it easy to vent for warm days. The overall style is a “semi-fitted” cut.

It comes in 4 colour patterns including white, yellow, red and the blue seen here.

The jersey is very comfortable without any tightness across the shoulders and the length is more than adequate. Overall first impressions were very good for this product. I will update as time goes on.

This was my first Sugoi product in some time, but I’m looking forward to getting a few more items for my cycling wardrobe.

Look for more regular updates through the spring as trail building, riding and racing become more prominent in the calendar.

What else have we been doing?

• Island Cup Series – planning and marketing for local grass roots racing series on Vancouver Island

• Marin Quad XC Review – all mountain quality performer

• BC Bike Race – new trails, new towns, and more injuries as MASH Director

What else is going on in the Comox Valley?

• Great article from Pinkbike.com – Vancouver Island – Late March 2010 Trip

The Comox Valley is a great place to live and ride. Be sure to put it on your list of “Places to Ride” and if you’ve been before come check out the changes and trail updates on both sides of Comox Lake.

Recent news told us that Shaker, Entrails and some other Lower Cumberland mountain bike trails were soon to see logging activity so it was a last chance to ride before the big changes would come.

With help from Les at Black’s Cycle in Comox and Dan from Dodge City Cycles, for the Norco Fluid 1 and Go Pro helmet cam respectively the vids, while dark, show a taste of what you can find in the Comox Valley. Thanks to Teresa (@mtnbikinggirl), Pascale, Paul, Jack, Johnny and Katie (last three are the dogs) for a great ride.

First up was the climb to Sykes Bridge and then into Teapot. This was followed by a ride through Shaker. RIP

Hope you enjoy the vids!

Teapot – Cumberland, BC from Kookjai Media on Vimeo.

Shaker from Kookjai Media on Vimeo.

Untitled from Ken Perras on Vimeo.