Joe Kline / The BulletinErik Vandendriesche, of Bend, rides over a rocky section of the C.O.D. Trail on Sunday afternoon.

It was one of those spring days when you just HAD to get out the door.

The temperature was in the high 40s, but the sun was shining, and the forecast for the next few days looked bleak.

We have to take what we can get during April and May in Central Oregon, when rain, snow, hail and/or wind can often ruin a day spent outside.

So I secured my bike to the car rack and headed for the small parking area near Entrada Lodge off of Century Drive, just 1½ miles from The Bulletin. Phil’s Trailhead is not the only quick access point to the myriad trails west of Bend.

From the parking area near Entrada, mountain bikers can access the C.O.D. (Cash on Delivery) Trail to link up to many other singletrack trails in the Phil’s network. Typically when I start a ride near Entrada, I get off C.O.D. as soon as possible, turning onto the Marvin’s Garden or KGB trails, which are much easier.

But this time I was determined to quit avoiding the highly technical C.O.D., and I planned to ride the entire trail out and back. The trail runs for 7½ miles, sort of paralleling Century Drive, and connects to Storm King Trail at its southwest end.

I started from near Tetherow Golf Club, where C.O.D. traverses a wind-swept ridge before merging with Marvin’s Garden deep in the ponderosa pine trees.

C.O.D. is not technical in its entirety, but rather has several challenging sections interspersed throughout its length. I negotiated the first section of jagged lava rocks successfully, then climbed hard to reach a more smooth and flowing part of the trail, gladly going from black diamond (advanced) to blue square (intermediate) on the trail rating.

The reward for making it through the more advanced sections of C.O.D. is that the intermediate sections are incredibly fun to ride, some of the best — and least crowded — singletrack in the Phil’s network, in my opinion.

After passing the intersection with the E.L.V. Trail, I continued south toward Seventh Mountain Resort.

I hammered up a steep climb, then cruised down a fast descent before the trail settled back into a gradual climb toward the Storm King Trail.

Another bone-jarring technical section awaited, this time with round baby-head rocks rather than sharp basalt. I rolled over them with relative ease on my 29er bike, but I was forced to dismount and walk in a few places.

Such challenging areas I find much easier to ride over while biking downhill or on a flat stretch. Rolling over sizable rocks while riding uphill is something I have still yet to master. But the C.O.D. Trail is the perfect place to practice that.

As I continued pedaling hard at the edge of my comfort zone, I noticed that light snowflakes began to fall as sun rays gleamed between the towering pines, casting a uniquely Central Oregon spring glow on the Deschutes National Forest.

When I finally reached the junction with Storm King, I was pretty taxed and more than ready for the mostly downhill ride back to my car.

The trail back down was fast and curvy, taking me through various tight turns and features, including small jumps and logs to take on. On some extremely rock-strewn parts, I braked hard and stopped, then made the decision to go back up the trail and try again to ride the section.

Most of the time I succeeded on my second attempts, which led me to believe that walking around areas of a trail deemed too challenging is usually an overreaction on my part. If I maintain momentum and let the bike do the work, often I can make it over even the most rock-infested portions of singletrack. This gave me an extra boost of confidence as I continued down to the lower technical sections of C.O.D.

By the time I arrive back at Entrada Lodge, I had ridden 15 miles in about 2½ hours, and I was thoroughly exhausted.

But I had acquired a newfound nerve to conquer the technical trials of the C.O.D. Trail.

— Reporter: 541-383-0318, mmorical@bendbulletin.com