Last week, The Logging Road Cyclist was poking around the internet looking for something or other about rides around the area and he stumbled upon this webpage. Seems like Mr. Bingelli too has gotten fascinated by rides in the Valsetz Triangle, that region bounded by the Laurel Mountain Massif-Bald Mountain highlands on the north, and the Little Grass Mountain-Green Ridge complex on the south. The Luckiamute River, drains it to the west and the South Fork Siletz to the east. If you stay off the highlands, its a good place to find moderate rides. TLRC recently found a fascinating paper on the geology of this region ( Baldwin, 1964) and got fired up to knowledgeably nose around out here again.
A few years ago, he had done a nice loop, riding up Rock Cr., down Sunshine Cr. and the Siletz, passing Fourth of July Cr on the way. He liked the name, and given all this recent interest, and a desire to close another Triangle loop, he and Gnat headed out on a truly dismal late February day to check it out.
TLRC gets ready to roll
The loop is about 18 miles and 900 feet or so of climb.
The ride started with the climb over the Luckiamute-Siletz divide, passing the turnoff to Chandler Pass. They rode in steady, heavy rain, marveling at the massive new clearcuts high on the east flank of Chandler Mtn. The ride is a combination of pleasant and interesting mixed second growth with astounding clearcuts where the old stumps of the first-growth stand out of the slash like rotted teeth.
It’s pretty easy to find the way. After crossing the divide and riding down Rock Cr a ways, one arrives at a five-way road nexus. Next take the one-two-third turn up Fourth of July Cr. From the top of the climb out of that creek, there are nice views back down the valley,
and east over to Chandler Peak
TLRC ponders whence he came
Chandler Peak
After the initial soaking rain, TLRC and Gnat had a bit of hail and a bit of wet snow before it got kind of sunny in a soggy sort of way. They basked a bit at the junction east of Valsetz, put on their spare sets of dry gloves and pedaled back to the car. TLRC wore his rain jacket all day, a rarity.
One reason TLRC likes riding out here is he gets to see his little black piggies. There were none on the way in, but going home there they were, and one came out to greet TLRC.
Narcoleptic piggy