Hack on the Bike

Sandy Ridge

2011-06-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

Another great ride at Sandy. We had Mike,Jason,Jeremy, chip, Otto and I. Great conditions and weather. Man, the work they have done on that trail is evident. Good job local builders! I did 17 miles with 3188 feet of climbing. Thats good for me. Mike and Jason were patient for us at the top of the climbs and had a good time on the trail. Looking forward to riding there again soon.

2nd Semi-annual Memorial day ride

2011-06-01T16:17:00.000-07:00

We had 30 plus riders for this grass roots gathering. A bit wetter than I would have liked but hey, it's Oregon.

I went to Moab and Fruita again

2011-05-10T20:09:00.001-07:00

Portland Bike Show

2011-05-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

The Pedal Nation Bike show was in April. Aaron and Andrea did a great job again.

Riding

2011-02-24T11:39:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I posted. Most of my bikes were apart for servicing, and I have a new DH frame I'm building up! Still fine tuning the endur but it's close. I had a great ride the other day with Jamie at Growlers. Perfect dirt in Feb. Can't wait to get back and do some filming.

Great ride at Growlers

2010-11-14T18:55:00.000-08:00

First ride with Mike since he moved back home from Maine. Trails were good n wet but good none the less. Dale rode with a hurt shoulder and was being Dale, Jim had a good crash and Chris had like 8 good crashes.

Summer is over

2010-10-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

Time for Fall and Winter riding. That means different tires, different ( or more) clothes and mud. can't wait! but here's a few pictures to remember the summer by.

July

2010-08-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking that this year's riding for me was not as good as 2009. Then I look back at the rides and think " It's been pretty good". It started off with the annual 4th of July Glade run. It was the 8th year and every time it's crazier . Terry and I started this ride in 03 and it seems to generate quite a bit of interest each year. Met some new folks and had some of the same ones too. There was a lot more snow this year. As in the

first mile was snow. We got a lot more wierd looks from the skiers as we pushed our bikes past the lodge and through the snow to the start of the trail. The riders were rolling their eyes when everyone realized what we were going to do. Oh well... Mountain Biking is exciting, thats for sure. After that weekend it was a blur of Downhilling, Surveyors Ridge, Black Rock shuttle day, Riding to the Farmers Market and more Downhilling. Met a lot of new people at the rides and thats always cool. But unfortunately my bikes are dying slowly. The enduro is definitely giving up the ghost so this will be a memorable season. The Enduro's last ride is coming soon. photos from the shuttle day from Jason van Horn. More here. http://www.ihatebikes.net/site/features/2010-black-rock-shuttle-day-gallery/

June has been good

2010-06-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

Early in the month C.P came over from Idaho and the last few rides after have been good as well. Hit up Falls Creek with a good group including the Causeys which is always fun. It was kinda wet-ish but traction was pretty good none the less. Diamond Dale put on a dismount show as usual. Funny stuff. The next weekend Sean and I rode the gulch and had a great time on some of the newer trails. can't wait to go back. Summer is finally here so the full on riding will be happening non stop.

Captain Idaho visits Oregon/Washington

2010-06-14T17:47:00.000-07:00

Craig has been talking about coming out here to ride some trails with tree's for a few years now. Well. he finally stopped talking and started driving. I met up with him on thursday night in Hood River and we hung out at family man hitting some of the drops and stunts waiting until Flying J showed up so we could get ready for our night ride. Straight to the top on the muddy road. Night time downhilling is real fun. Especially for Craig. New trail at night. No crashes so we got back to camp, burned some books and goofed around until around 1:30 am. Up at 6:30 to do it again and Craig say's " Wow this is kinda scary" about the trail once it was light. Not scary at night I guess. After that we headed over to Syncline on the Washington side for a quick run. Getting hot and dry over there. Back to our place for MTB movies and burritos then up early to head to Falls City and the Black Rock trails. Dirt was perfect and we must have had 17 people riding with us. Craig was stepping it up and hitting some cool drops. Otto had a hard crash and sprained his ankle( but is ok now as I write this) . We hit most of the fun trails and then all the air went out of the day when some girl had a bad crash at Basic training. Landed on her head went out on a back board. not good. Most of our group left when they saw that. Craig and I and a few others did one more run so we could leave with a better memory. Back to my place for homemade pizza and mtb movies. Up early-ish to ride Brad's trail. One run then Craig's Amber alert van got a flat tire. Day over. After getting back to town and getting no good deals on fixing a tire within the day he risked it and headed east. Great weekend with minimal crashes. Makes for a long work week.

Great day in Bend w/ Otto and Bamma Don

2010-06-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

Otto and I went over on Fri after work and camped. Great spot by the river. Then met up with Bamma Don at the phills trail area and put in 25 miles. Maybe more my computer was off for a bit. Trails were perfect and so was the weather. We hit WHoops, Phil's, Storm king, COD and a couple others I think. Can't wait to go back and get away from the stupid rain we have here on the west side.

Bad weather

2010-05-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

It's been raining and raining the whole weekend weekend but I did manage to get 2 rides in at Black rock last week so I guess all is not lost. Otto even went once and did really well. He rode on a few ladder bridges and worked on his jumping a bit. Had a good group. Tony, Craig, Raul, Jamie, Otto and myself. Raul was stepping it up by hitting some of the new features. Tony and I hit a cool drop the we hadn't done before so that was fun. Jamie and I went back on Mon after work for more and to film a few clips. The sky opened up right when we were leaving. Good time but I just wish this weather would lighten up. I'm ready for some dry trails.

Moab/Fruita/Grand junction Day 7

2010-05-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

Headed for home. 17 hours on the road and we got back about 3 am with no problems. Thanks to the guys who gave up a week of work to go ride and thanks to Rollo and Wife for meeting up w/ us. Can't wait to do it again.

Moab/Fruita/Grand junction Day 6

2010-05-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

For our 6th day of riding we met up with Rollo at the Rd 18 trails and hit up Zippetty do da and the kessel run. That was great to ride those trails again. Everyone seemed to have a fun time especially the Kessel run. Over and over. Then it was off to the Hot Tomato Cafe, which is an awesome place to eat and hang out. Mountain bikers making food for Mountain bikers. One of the owners is Anne Keller, Famous photographer. Can’t wait to go back there. In the afternoon We 9 minus Jamie and Donny) met up with Mr and Mrs Rollo at the Kokapelli trail head to ride Mary’s loop and Horse Thief bench. The wind was crazy. Probably 4o mph gusts as we rode to the rim and once on the trail it didn’t let up. Made for some interesting riding. Rollo showed us where a guy had fallen the week before and broke his leg or something. Fell like 20 off a cliff onto rock. There was 3 flats on Horse thief but other than that and the wind and me being exhausted it was a great way to end our riding adventure. Good bye to Rollo and back to the camp for fire and goofing off then get ready to go in the morning.

Moab/Fruita/Grand junction Day 5

2010-05-09T18:15:00.001-07:00

After the Rabbit Valley beatdown we had another windy night and then met up with Rollo again in Grand Junction at the Lunch loops trailhead. We were late of course but that’s the way dirt bags are. So we shuttled up to Ribbon and it was on. Ribbon to Tabahoo ha, to Eagles wing to Free lunch to Holy Cross to some steep, straight down trail. It was an awesome day with only Todd Crashing and bruising is ribs. O and I got a flat. Again. The Ribbon is a huge slab of sandstone that must be a couple of miles long with cliff’s on both sides. Cool. Free lunch is the new ish freeride trail with some drops and jumps and Holy Cross is a tech riders dream. Lot’s of rock up and overs and plenty of places for pic’s. Not that I took any. I was too busy riding. Another great day though we were getting tired by this point. that’s why they make red bull I guess.

Moab/Fruita/Grand junction Day 4

2010-05-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

After the P. Rim ride we arrived back at camp to find a older guy and his dog at the site next to ours. This could go either way I was thinking. Turns out George was from Canada and an awesome guy. Big time canoeist and pro photographer.http://www.wildernessbound.com/

He was waiting for his wife to return from a multi day canoe trip. He was having some back or knee problems. I forget which. We talked with him quite a bit and then the morning of day 4, packed up ( poorly) and headed for Colorado. We saw a crazy accident on the 191. Looked like someone lost a bunch of stuff from a trailer or something. Once in Colorado we met up with the Mighty Rollo and his Wife Debroah. Good to see him again. We rode the Western Rim trail in Rabbit Valley which is a cool 20 mile ride. Jamie had a bad Alpo sandwich from Subway and was feeling poorly for half of the ride , but eating at a subway in Moab will do that to you. The Western Rim has a moxture of Rocky/Sandy dbl track and edge of the canyon single track. It finishes with and old stage coach road above the singletrack and finally to the kokopelli pack to the parking area. I was smoked after that so we headed to Fruita for camp and Mexican food.

We found both.

Moab/Fruita/Grand Junction Day 3

2010-05-09T08:11:00.001-07:00

For day 3 we decided to hit up Porcupine rim again and we were able to go up a bit higher to U.P.S so that was cool. Perfect weather. We took a few more photos and video to remember the views and fun. UPS has some freeform slickrock areas that are cool. Roll straight don or go around. Always with the massive view within reach. It was an uneventful ride, no flats or big crashes but awesome to hit such a great trail 2 days in a row. Life is hard.

Moab/Fruita/Grand Junction Day 2

2010-05-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

So..... we got up early after a COLD night, headed to the Red rock bakery for coffee and whatever and loaded up for Amassa Back. Sky looked like rain or lightning so we were hoping for the best. The pedal up was ok and we got a little wet from sweat and rain. Ran into a guy that said it was snowing a bit up top. cool. Todd hit a cool drop on the way up and we enjoyed the BIG views to the left. At the top we got a lot of pic's and after Donny finished dangling his feet over the edge we headed down. Man it was fast. I went OTB in a tech rock garden and slammed my wrist. good thing I'm so strong.( ya right. I mean lucky) then about a half mile from the end I flatted.2 nd of the trip ( including my van) o well. nice day for a walk. so we loaded up and headed to meet our 1 pm shuttle for P. Rim Kristy from Coyote shuttle is super cool and even remembered my van and I from the last time we were there. We didn't hit U.P.S today but started at L.P.s which was fine. Trail was great. Views were crazy and no one got hurt, but I did get another flat. So much for trying to pass in the ROUGH. Once at the bottom Dale and Aaron rode for my van and then we headed back to camp for more jumping. nah..just dinner and extra sleep. Tomorrow Porc rim again!!

Moab,Fruita,Grand Junction-Day 1

2010-05-08T15:52:00.000-07:00

I had been wanting to get back to Moab and the Grand Valley ever since we were there in 2007 on our family road trip and this was the year. Jamie was in right away then not sure and finally he was going . Do or die. We invited a wide group of people and when it came down to the wire it was Jamie, Aaron Nation,Donny, Todd the Big Mac, Big ring Dale and my self. Callin was planning to go but broke his shoulder at Post canyon two weeks before our big send off. The plan was to leave on Fri April 30th and ride sat-mon in Mab, and then ride Fruita/Grand Junction the rest of the week. Jamie and I were at my place at around 3 ish ready to get out of town but soon realized we should just sit down and watch mountain bike videos until everyone arrived. So we did.

We left around 5 ish and headed to the east side to pick up Todd and get on the road. At mile post 24 the Ram jam van started hopping and the left rear tire exploded. Off to a great start as usual.. It was a good thing I was with 5 guys that had 10 bikes and just as many cell phones. So Todd changed the tire in 4 minutes flat and all the other guys used their phones and facebook to find out where we could get a tire at 7 pm on a fri night. That was of course after Dale ran onto the freeway to gather the best peices of the tire to tape to the van latter. So at 8:45 we had 2 new tires and were $$$$ poorer but at least we were headed east and out of the rainy North West. We drove all night and saw plenty of odd things ( every thing is wierd after driving 10 or more hours) and rolled into Moab Utah in the early Evening and after a quick drop by at out campground we hit up the slick rock trail. It was 12 miles of climbing and descending on the slick rock trying to stay ahead of the storm that was passing by. One time I was taking a break ( one of many times) and I turned and saw Allison Dunlap riding by. Crazy. Dale got a pic of her and I so that was cool. Don't meet Famous mtbr's every day. So by the end of the ride Dale had crashed 3 time and Jamie once. Back to the camp for food and the David lee Roth jumping contest and get ready for riding on day 2.

Pedal Nation Bicycle show

2010-04-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the first annual Pedal Nation Bicycle show here in Portland,Oregon. Aaron and Andrea Nation put in a lot of hard work over the last year ( and more) and it payed off. The event was a success with nearly four thousand people over two days. Gold sprint races,Bike Fashion show, Skills area, Freeriders hitting some cool jumps, franken bikes this show had it all. Well, there needed to be more mountain bike stuff but that will happen next year I think. So if you needed another reason to come to Portland, this is it. for better pictures check this link http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikeportland/sets/72157623703624957/

The last 4 rides

2010-03-27T18:28:00.000-07:00

Four great rides in a row. Can't beat that! Two days at Growlers, Browns Camp and one at Sandy Ridge.

Todd's B-day

2010-03-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

It was a pedal nation ride and also T-mac's birthday so we combined the 2 and had a great day. Hw many people? 20-25-30? I've heard all those numbers thrown around. 4 trucks up the hill at Post Canyon and no serious injuries. Causey jacked his hand but that's the norm for him lately. Great day and the season is only beginning!!

Echo- Red to Red

2010-03-10T17:58:00.000-08:00

So I heard about this XC race in Echo and I told Dale about it. He never forgot, so we ended up going and I'm still tired. Great course, weather, people and event. Too bad I'm lame at climbing. I had a great time though and will be there next year for sure. We rode around 23/24 miles through Fruita like single track with no room for passing. I just pulled over. The free burrito was lacking but hey...it was free. I finished and not dead last. that was my goal. Time to work on my climbing eh?

Awesomeland:Women of Dirt SOLD OUT!

2010-02-26T05:45:00.000-08:00

The movie sold out and was a big success. Mark Brent ( the film maker) came down from Seattle for the Portland premiere and It was a great time. Pedal Nation needs to do more movie showings. Too much fun.

My Favorite place

2010-02-21T18:55:00.000-08:00

Just got back from my favorite riding spot and the dirt was perfect. Perfect! Had a great turn out for the first Pedal Nation group ride this year. Sean and Elizabeth made it out and it was great to ride with them. Also Crystal a friend from Way back tried mountain biking for the first time and I think she liked it. Tammy was back from her forced retirement last year with her jacked shoulder. Alway fun to ride/chat with her. Also had Aaron and Andrea Nation,Phillip and Dale, Calin and Joe kowsky. No violent crashes or gushing blood but it was fun anyway. Oh and it was really sunny.

Last week

2010-02-21T18:46:00.000-08:00

Rode at Syncline last week with Eric,Reagan , Fat Larry, April,Jamie and I think that's it. I was getting sick so it seemed a little half hearted but still fun. At least Jamie didn't hurt his leg again. It was Eric and Reagan's first time there and I think they had a good time. When I got home I really started to get sick. Fever and coughing all week. Yea.

Women of Dirt

2010-02-09T19:39:00.000-08:00

Pedal Nation is having a Portland premire of the Bones Over Metal movie WOMEN OF DIRT. Feb 25 at the Clinton Street Theatre. Check info at the Face book event page or the Pre registration page

Ridden hard and put away wet

2010-02-04T17:39:00.000-08:00

Had a great ride at the gulch with Joe-kowski. His first time there. It was wet but traction was great.13 miles with 2306 ft of climbing and 2253 ft of descending. Can't beat it.

Riding

2010-02-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

I take it for granted what great people I get to ride with.

First ride of the new year

2010-01-12T17:07:00.000-08:00

Well the first on dirt. I've been riding to the store with my Wife and that may be another blog in the future. Anyway, We had Jeremy,Aaron Nation Phillip and Dale the rookie (AKA: the Natural) and we headed to Washington to ride some great single track. Most mountain bikers in January are riding the couch or going to spin class(Todd Mac) or doing some of those other sports. Whatever those are. The most exciting moment of the day was on 1-5 . We were doing 70 and all of a sudden we were coming up on this car pretty quick, so Dale started to go around him to the left and he started swerving left and right! Maybe he was texting? So we got around him and I was looking back at the idiot while Philip was passing him then he went right off the road and into the cables in the medium. Crazy. I got to call 911 and all that goes with that. You never know what gonna happen in Warshington. So we got to the trails and Philip started cursing my name. He brought his Single speed. I guess he thought we were riding on a bike path. The trails are great on a SS with the right gearing . Not sure if he meant his gearing was good by the sign language he was giving me but I think he may have needed one more tooth. Three out of the 5 riders had not ridden these trails so I knew we were in for some excitement. Right of the bat I doing a log ride for the 2nd time so Dale could video and my tire slipped and I went to the ground hard. Too funny. A little later Dale went OTB then Jeremy tried to break himself in half with trees 2 different times. Philip fell but I missed it and He road a great line on a big log but we didn't video it. oops. Great day with a lot of excitement and already planning the next ride.

2009

2010-01-02T14:27:00.000-08:00

2009 was a great year for riding. I only rode 2 new trails and re-rode almost everything I have ridden. Met a lot of new friends ( Eric,Reagan, Aaron, Andrea, Callin, Tammy, Mangus, Jarret, Phillip , Probably more if I really think about it) and had awesome mid week rides with the Pedal Nation Group. Helped 3 people out of the woods with serious injuries, Rode at Downiville and North Star , Bend and had a great camp out at Waldo lake. I could go on and on but I'm thirsty.

2010 is looking to be a great year and I'm gonna ride new trails and even hit up a few races.

Can't wait!

Mid Week Snow Ride

2009-12-29T16:38:00.000-08:00

I have most of the week off so I called Jamie and We gathered a few hardcore riders and headed for the Gorge. We love riding Syncline in the winter because it's frozen and hardly anyone is there. Today was a bit more than frozen. Probably 4 or 5 inches of the white stuff at the top. It made seeing rocks and things like that a bit more difficult. 10 min int the ride Jamie crashed and tweaked his leg. Twisted it weird I guess, so he was walking the rest of the way down. Mangus crashed hard and hurt his thumb, but who use's thumb's anyway. We made our way down and had a great time with almost crashes and crashes. Derek got extra points for pinning it most of the way. When we got to the bttom Frisco was waiting and ready to go, so we headed back up. Mangus, Jake and Derek hit Coyote Canyon and Frisco ,T-mac and I did the main line again. I finally fell in a rocky section and Frisco fell like 3 times that I saw, but he was going for it hard so it was expected. Epic day for sure and it look's like Jamie will be sitting out for a few weeks again.

SW Washington

2009-12-26T17:00:00.001-08:00

Some of my favorite trails are in SW Washington. Winter is the best time because everything else is under snow or too muddy or under snow. The trail builders spend so much time making and clearing trail that the riding is always perfect. I've been riding this zone since 2001 and I'm not tired of it yet.

Twas the night before..

2009-12-24T11:58:00.000-08:00

Twas the night before the day before Christmas and....oh never mind. Jamie and I did a night ride and here are the pic's.

Wed night Pedal

2009-12-02T20:44:00.000-08:00

It's cold,dark and wet. at least it's not raining. It was just Jamie and I tonight and that was ok. We pedaled the wet , muddy ( in places) section of forrest park that I only frequent in the winter. Forrest Park is the largest city park in the nation. Yes, bigger than Central Park in New York. but it has no single track for bikes. That may change someday, but for now the law abiding mountain bikers ride the fire lanes when in Forrest Park. At night it's almost like single track. So my Bianchi Single speed had a wimpy rear cog and I didn't have another for the tame hills at F.P. so I improvised. I ended up with a 32/13 which is a stupid ratio but I could ride. It was typical for the F.P. ride. Muddy on the German Town road end and dry after. Heard some Coyotes and that was wierd. I can't believe I've written this much about Forrest Park. Funny. Anyway...I bent the cog or tooth or sompin so the last mile of our 10 mile ride I had to walk. O well. Fun ride and not as cold as I thought it would be. Looking forward to the next Wed night Pedal.

Syncline

2009-11-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

or should I say MUD cline?

Jamie and I wanted to do a post Thanksgiving day ride so we got a few interested. Aaron got Some Pedal Nation people and David invited some friends so it was a big group. First run we did the main DH run which was muddy and my goggles got so mucked up that it was kinda sketchy. All I could see were shapes. Not good, so I took them off for the rest of the day. When we got to Little Moab it was much better. This section drains well and we were loving the rocks. @nd run most of us hit Coyote canyon and that trail is awesome. I only rode it once before, but I'll be riding it a lot more I hope. Lot's of skinny single track and lots of rocks. It was quite the diverse group. DH bikes, old XC bikes 5" trail bikes and hard tails. Great ride.

Back on the bike!

2009-11-26T07:44:00.000-08:00

So after I healed my sliced leg from the big East Mt Hood epic ride our family started getting sick. Sore throats, fevers, and finally the 2 week long cough. What a drag. So it was a great thing to get the bike out and head to Falls City with some of the guys to ride in the rain. I think I missed the fall riding. It was Flying J, Josh, Derek, Todd mac and Aaron Nation.( Aaron's 2nd time. We were soaked by the time we got to Basic training but at least it wasn't crowded. Goofed around there for a while and then headed up. Sunday stroll looked a little slippery so we kept walking. Derek hit the drop after the BIG step up after the cheese grater. First try..Case a de a. 2nd try perfect. E T was running slow but Josh made it work. Derek and Josh hit the cliff drop and then out of no where Todd the BIG mac hit's it. What? Josh and I almost fell down trying to get out of the way. Todd got rider of the day for sure. Down the trail, slipping and sliding and back home. Man..it's gonna be a long winter.

Black Rock Shuttle day

2009-10-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

The WESTSIDE TRAIL FEDERATION sponsored their 2nd shuttle day at the Black Rock trails located near Falls City Oregon. 7 hours of not riding up hill can't be bad. Transition was there with a full fleet of bikes to demo and a lot of stoked riders ready to rip. Then the rain came. It dumped really hard but hey...this ain't Idaho. So the riders kept riding and the drivers kept driving. Fat Larry was keeping it loose, Flying J hit 30 mph up the hill, and I drove the BIG box truck and managed to turn it around and back it down over and over with out getting stuck or going over the edge . I think there was around 150 people and and more counting the volunteers. Oh.. April was there too. Great Oregon riding.

East Mt Hood Epic!!

2009-10-01T17:46:00.000-07:00

I've been scoping this route for a few years but since it covers so much ground (for me) I figured it might be too much. turns out it was just enough. When I e-mailed Terry and Debbie about the ride they said "YIKES!" I knew Jeremy would be into it no matter what and I figured I have enough anger left to make it. Tanya was going too and I knew she'd love to do it as an out and back but would do a shuttle if we gave her a prize at the end. The night before I talked to Jeremy and he said his cuz "mumbling Matt " was going to come. hmmm. I wasn't sure about that since it was a ride of unknown mileage, and he’s been on like 1 pedaling ride this year. Oh well. not my cousin.

We met up with Terry , Debbie and Tanya at the Mt Hood store and headed to drop off their car at the end of the Oak Ridge trail. We started the ride at Bennett Pass and went 4.1 miles up to the Gunsight Ridge trail and then up and up. The Gunsight ridge trail was really cool with nice rocky sections and great views. One big long rock garden was really challenging. It was actually more like a land slide that we were riding across. Of course there was the dinner plate section. Slab’s of rocks that clanked like plates when you rode across them.

So we thought we got to the end of the Gunsight ridge trail when it came up to a road and we knew we would have to be on a road for a bit after that but the mileage on Debbie’s computer wasn’t adding up. When we got to the bottom of the lame WAY dusty road we realized that we missed the 2 miles of down hill single track . OOPS. Debbie said “ There’s always next year” but Terry and I knew it had been 5 years since we had tried to ride this trail and ran into mass amounts of snow. So with out too much thought Terry and I decided to ride back up the dust road and ride the single track and then continue on. Debbie said “I’m not waiting” Jeremy and Matt looked like they thought we were crazy and Tanya always wants to climb so it was set. As we pedaled away Jeremy heard Debbie say that this was a bad idea. We did not see them again for nearly 3 hours. She was right.

At the top of the road we celebrated with some dark chocolate and then started climbing on the single track decent. Yay. It didn’t last long then we were flying and the section of trail was pretty fun. I was getting some serious arm pump. Maybe because my rear brake was not really working. Combined with the front brake I could slow down so that was good I guess. We got back to where we left them and started up the road and ended up and a huge Forrest road climb Probably a thousand feet in 2 miles or something. I was realizing why it was hard to get anyone to go on this ride. Good views though and nice and quiet because I couldn't keep up with T ‘n’ T. We got up to the High Prairie parking area and there were a ton of riders resting but not the ones we were looking for. Some of the riders were on a 4 day hut to hut ride from Hood river back to Hood river. I could have used a hut at this point in the ride.

So we were on a dirt road for a bit and then got into some great flowing singletrack. A lot of descending. After linking some trails together we had to ride some black top until we found the connector to the beginning of the surveyors ridge trail. DBL track for a couple of miles then back to single track. We had been riding really fast and were surprised that we hadn’t caught up with our group. ( never split up on a group ride) SO on the dbl track my phone starts ringing but the time I could get it out of my pack I missed the call. It was Jeremy and they were a half a mile ahead of us. Cool. It was good to see them again. Matt looked like he had been done for a long while, pants torn in half etc. etc. Debbie was Chip and Jeremy was in a good mood as usual. Surveyors ridge was as great as I had remembered but a lot of climbing. We got to a section where it was fast and rocky. I was chasing Tanya and she was flying!. I was right on her and then when it would smooth out she would take off and be losing me I would be like Oh no! what gear am I in. Man is she fast. It would have been great helmet cam footage. Next time. We eventually made it to the Oakridge trail which would drop us down to Terry’s car and the end of our long day. Ton’s of switch backs awaited us and more rocks. The switchbacks were tough and I made a lot of them. It was super loose. About a mile from the bottom I wasn’t making a switch back and tried to hop off running I got a cramp in my leg and couldn’t pull it off. ( my leg was bothering me a bit as I had gotten a cramp about 2 hours earlier) So I went off the bike and rolled , landed about 20 feet from my bike and then I heard Jeremy yelling “ Look at your leg” . Got a crazy slice from the rocks I guess. too bad. So after sitting there and bleeding for a while I finished the ride by walking the switchbacks and riding the trail. Great ride and a long day. I’ll do it again next year and be stronger but I’ll skip the blood.

Waldo Lake and the Alpine trail vid/ slide show

2009-09-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

Waldo Lake and the Alpine trail

2009-09-23T06:21:00.000-07:00

Waldo Lake and I have a bit of a history. About 4 or so years ago I rode waldo in the snow. Unintentionally of course. It was really fun for a while but soon I was wet and cold and 21 miles seemed really long. The next time about half way through I was riding the only real tech section and smashed my knee. Probably could have used a couple stiches and that kind of put a damper of the ride. In fact it was bugging me so much I pulled out 5 miles early. So this year would be the year for more pictures and less cold and less blood. There was probably 30 people invited as this was the 1st annual Pedal Nation Waldo Lake camp out. A week out from the trip Aaron said there would be around 10 riders which meant 16 camping or so. It ended up 4 camping( Aaron,Eric, Reagan and myself) and 5 riding. Calin drove down for the ride but didn't camp because his wife had the swine flu or something. The forecast was for a bit of rain on Sat but when I got up Reagan informed me that there was blue sky and is was not going to rain. About 5 min after we started pedaling it darkened up and cooled down. Me..short sleeved jersey. Aaron..rain jacket. He went to college so he knows when to stay dry.The trail was a bit dusty at the beginning but not too bad. Lot's of rocks and great views of the lake. We twisted and turned and took lot's of pictures and before I knew it we were at the section where I smashed my knee in 07. I had actually tried to ride this section the first time in the snow but ..well....there was snow so it was a little crazy. So I screwed up my first attempt and bent my brake lever about as much as you could bend it with out it snapping. the next few attempts I made it all the way through the bigger rocks but managed to screw up in the easy stuff. Mostly made it but it doesn't count. Eric had me thinking that he might get hurt. His first 2 attempts were not very long before he was jumping down the trail. then out of the blue he stomped it clean. good to see. Down the trail we went and soon it was sprinkling and the sandy dirt had some moisture so traction was great. The rest of the ride was great until about 10 feet from the end of the trail an fascist bug flew into my helmet and bit my head. Man..it hurt for 3 hours and I still have a lump. By the time we got to camp it had started sprinkling. or raining. Either way I was wearing shorts and had no rain gear. Eric made Fire and Reagan made Chilli and everything was ok after that. I found out that my tent is made for summer nights and my sleeping bag has a broke zipper. Once again I was camping dirt bag style. Sitting in the rain in shorts and borrowing a cup for the coffee. The next day Reagan had a sore knee so they opted out of the alpine ride. Eric was nice enough to shuttle us to the top so we could BOMB down the trail. Sun was a beautiful day with blue sky and 65/70 deg. Perfect. Aaron said ' Hardly any climbing " so that meant some climbing. but it was mostly down. Great single track through huge trees. If there were some dangerous rocky sections it might have been the ultimate single track. Maybe it was anyway. Great weekend with great people. Looking forward to more riding camping soon.

Lewis River Trail...again

2009-09-13T17:18:00.000-07:00

The first time I rode the Lewis River trail I knew it was a N W Classic. The ride was a nightmare but the trail was great. I've ridden it 7 times now and every time it gets better. This time it was Terry,Debbie, Eric, Reagan, Tanya (all the way from N. Carolina) and Myself. We started at the upper falls. Most people start at the lower falls and miss a whole lot of good trail. Conditions were great after some much needed rain the weekend before. Terry and Debbie were coming off a week of Lot's of rides like Waldo lake and the NUT, so they seemed ready to go. Tanya was a climbing machine, maybe she was thinking of her growler? I think Eric made one of the hardest climbs of the day. Hat almost made it and I was close too. The ride was great with no crashes or mechanicals. I think the next time I go up there I want to go up higher and ride either the quartz creek trail down to the lewis river or something else just as dumb. We stopped by walking man for food and another great ride is in the books.

When a tree hit's a woman

2009-09-10T15:32:00.000-07:00

or a woman hits a tree. I've helped a lot of people out of the woods in my short mountain biking career and it's never a good thing. I remember the Red Raja used to have these business cards that said "don't get hurt in the woods alone". He got that one right. So on our usual wed night ride in the Tillamook state Forrest the conditions were perfect for a ride. Barely sprinkling and moist trails. Jeremy,Tammy and I took off in the front and were flying along enjoying the dirt flying up in the air. Jeremy and I get to the first bridge and we were having some serious fun. The mood changed quick when Ned came walking down the trail and said Tammy had maybe broken her arm. not good. So we hiked back up the hill and sure enough she was on the ground and in some serious pain. It looked to me like her shoulder was dislocated or worse. I guess she hit a root,went OTB and shoulder first into a tree. We hiked her up to the road and soon Aaron showed up with a car to get back to the parking lot. Off to the Hospital. She was tough all the way there and while we waited for the doctor and x rays. 6 weeks to heal she Say's. She'll be back soon stronger than ever.

Heal fast Tammy!

Mary's Peak

2009-09-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

At 4,097 feet Mary's Peak is the highest point in western Oregon. You can see the ocean to the west and the cascades to the east. So they say. All we saw were clouds in every direction. The day started out with our 6 person ride whittled down to 3. Team Enduro.I rained hard on Sat and sunday morning as I was getting ready it was ..raining. I'm ok with that, not because I have some fancy rain wear but because if I cancelled a ride every time it rained I would not ride a whole lot. So Eric, Aaron and I headed south to a trail that none of us had ridden, driving through every scattered shower in the Willamette valley. This trail has been on my radar for some time. I've read a lot about the hard climb and treacherous decent so I was excited to have my own opinion. I hardly ever state my own opinion. We nearly found the wrong trailhead easy enough but got turned around and headed the 10 miles or so through torrential downpours to another HWY which connected us to the right road which was at the exactly same mile marker, and from there it was easy. Drive to end and get out. We were concerned about the temp a the top so we kinda dressed warm ish. About 10 min into the 3.5 mile gravel road climb I was soaked with sweat and plenty warm . When we got to the East Ridge trail it was sprinkling a bit so we were happy to be in the trees. The hill side was really steep so no going off the trail. It was a little rocky but not too bad. Eric and Aaron rode nearly all of it . A couple of the switchbacks were impossible. Massive roots with tight turns. It was kid of surreal with the clouds moving through the trees. Sometimes I thought we must be in B.C. When we got to the top (aka the FALSE summit) and it was so foggy all you could see was ..... fog. It was really cold , so when some clouds went by and revealed the true peak we agreed that this was OUR summit and to not tell anyone. My hand's were getting numb by the time we found the trail to head down the dangerous decent. It was wet for sure so the roots were unpredictable but that the kind of riding I like. Non stop wet MASSIVE roots and quick turns through huge trees. Eric had a few off the bike moments from the slippery roots but nothing serious. I guess he hit his head on a stump. Aaron almost fell while taking a picture. Dangerous thing, standing along side of a trail. Near the end Eric found a cool log ride and rode it clean 2 times. The downhill was too short (as always) but made me want to go back with the helmet cam. I think next time it'll be a night ride!

Falls Creek, Wa

2009-08-23T17:08:00.001-07:00

Riding the Falls Creek trail in Washington is one of those rides where I laugh and cry. Cry when I’m almost at the top of the climbs and laugh on the downhills, where I clip pedals on rocks and brush my shoulder against trees with out getting knocked off the bike. I’ve ridden the trail before but I guess I had forgotten how great it is. This is why I love mountain biking. Climbs that have an end and descents that seem not too. This was a Pedal Nation ride Aaron and Callin set up. I think Callin has ridden this the last 3 weekends. Addict. So we had myself, Jeremy, Louis (my son) Aaron, Andrea, Callin, Cami, Eric, Reagan, Tammy, and?? that’s it I think. We started at Old man pass, which is a xc ski area I think. Within the first mile Aaron get’s stung by a yellow jacket and Cami ride’s over bear uhh droppings. All over her legs and down tube. Once the climbing began it all is a little fuzzy. Seems like Jeremy and Louis and probably Eric and Aaron made the climbs and I stopped for coffee. Once we got to where it was going the right direction I was laughing. I chased Jeremy for a bit and he chased me. I clipped a pedal on a rock and managed to not crash and Jeremy and I both grazed our shoulders on a tree and escaped without a scratch. Reagan had a fall and so did Tammy and Louis. And Andrea. Great ride, with great people as usual. Some of us hit Walking man afterward so that was a plus. Bring on the weekend!

M R T

2009-08-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

This was my 4th time riding the McKenzie River Trail. Bike Magazine says It's the #1 trail in America. They may be right. It has everything. Flowing single track, Rooty sections, Rocky lava sections, climb's and descents,, and distance. That's what makes a good trail. Right? So Eric from across the grass wanted to ride this and set up a camping trip for some of his friends and family and I was able to force my way in for the ride. I brought Son #2 and Jeremy. The ride started off with dusty single track with a few climb overs. Tree's ya know. Jamie and Graem were ripping so I figured that would be the last I would see of them for the day but they were always waiting at the end of a good descent. Eric did a fancy trick straight to his shoulder but only Louis saw it. It sounded quite exciting. Eric's broother's shifter fell apart and that was the one mech issue of the day. Apart from my creaking bottom bracket. Ihatebikes.com

The ride was a blast and it was a good group. I can't wait to get back down there and ride that trail again.

Pedal Nation mid week ride #????????

2009-08-16T10:56:00.000-07:00

The mid-week is a great way to make it through the week.

This time we hit up the storyburn to gales creek a couple of times. We had Aaron,Donny,Tammy,Louis,Jeff,Jeremy some new people that I don't remember their names. O..and me. Louis crashed 5 times and Jeff once I think. Fast into hard corners can be exciting. It was another great ride and every one had fun and a lot of bug bites. Louis had 26 on one arm. Yikes!

Pedal Nation-Lewis River trail ride

2009-08-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

Headed to the Lewis River trail for a great day of riding. We had 11. There was a few cancelations. It was a little warm for me but that's how it is around here lately. No blood, a couple of small falls, and a lot of fun.

Pictures do the talking:

Silver Mountain, Idaho

2009-07-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

It's way too hot to think of what to write about our recent trip to Idaho. So I'll just say We rode Silver Mountain (the longest Gondola in the world) with Jim,Noah Leon and Ephraim. Was fun and fun.

Chalupa tour

2009-07-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

Raul had 3 buddies from Venezuela that came to the great pacific north west to ride and the first stop for them was in the Columbia River Gorge. ( long sentence eh?) We hit up Post Canyon and Syncline. Also present were Larry , April and Jamie (shuttle mom) oh and I was there too. Fun day and I'll let the pic's speak for themselves. I hope.

Riding with an old friend

2009-07-18T08:14:00.000-07:00

I haven't seen anyone from my school days, since...well school I think. So when Dale G. found me on Facebook I was pleasantly surprised He made a comment about some of the mountain biking pictures and said he'd like to try that sometime. So I held him to it. We (Louis,Otto and I) picked him up ( he lives 12 min from us) and headed to Browns camp. What better place to take someone for a ride. It was 90 in town so I was hoping it would be a lot cooler. Well..it was a little cooler I guess, but not much. The ride was great and no blood or broken bones. Louis said he was impressed that dale was riding so well through rocks with no suspension. Kid's eh? Fun time and look forward to doing it again sometime.

Nestor Peak/ Buck creek

2009-07-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

Headed up the gorge with Raul,Tony and Carlisle to ride some epic single track. It was on the Washington side which meant we had to pay our .75 cents to the bridge nazi's . We dropped off one truck at the bottom and we definitely felt out of place. The parking lot was full with...rafters. Last week it was people with ski's looking at us funny, this week it was people in wet suits. To the top, and boy was it the top. Great view every direction. The trail was rocky and dusty. It's summer after all so I wasn't to surprised. We did 2 runs and Carlisle had 3 crashes. One for the video camera. That's always good. Another great day riding in the Gorge

4th of July Glade run. 6 out of 7 years. Not bad.

2009-07-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

In 03 Terry and I did a 3 man ride on the Glade, to Crosstown to Pioneer Bridal trail. It was a fun ride and little did we know we would be doing it 7 years later. I guess if you have a good thing going...well, you know.

This year we had Myself, Mtn Rider, Terry, Mrs. Terry, Josh, Dustin,Tony, Sean, The Don, and Carl. Fat Larry and Fancy April joined us later. I guess sleeping in is good. I wouldn't know. So Jamie was absent because he is still broke. Hopefully next year he'll be back. The Glade had snow for a bit so most of us shredded the natural lines. Sorry IMBA. Was fun. and loose. Crosstown was fast and had 2 joggers. and Pioneer Bridal was really fast and had 2 hikers. Great day and great riders.

Downieville / North Star

2009-06-29T19:16:00.001-07:00

When Fat Larry and Fancy April asked me if I wanted to do a trip to D-vile and North Star the answer was quick and expected. I had to answer twice which made me wonder if they wanted me to go. It was on. It was Fat, Fancy, Bif , and Flying J. o and me. then Flying J ruptured hisgoocher so he was out and Dirka was in. We left on a Wednesday and it was bad to be in California again. Too hot. So we did a hard drive to cali and stopped for some good grocery store food. Yummy! sitting on the asphalt and eating salad is fun. So we arrived in Downieville ( after buying a map) with out too much trouble and got moved in. We were right on the river and within heckling distance of yuba expeditions. Thursday came quick and we were ready for the shuttle to the top. Yuba is lame by the way. So we went to the top and man..what a great view. Fat 'n' Fancy's cali friends followed us up and soon it was DOWN. Mostly. Tony seemed to have something wrong with his bike. I got a flat, Dirk got 2, and a bad rental, and I forgot my pump. Pedal,Pedal,Pedal. Fun ride. Fat's late friends. One gets broke. Late for every ride. Hanging at the bridge near where Juanita was Hung. Once again my LOUD mouth attracts trouble. Almost throw down with locals. Tony gets cool points for emptying his pockets. April runs. (for Larry) Long night. Next day is the same except we didn't get 3 flats and a jammed chain and attitude from yuba(is lame) So I ate the banana instead. That night..no drama or near fights. or wrestling. Up early ( I think) and headed for North *. Directions from odd people make for long drives. Safeway's in Cali are quite frightening. but we made it out alive. Found our condo..and then found it again. Tony got the onions but not the soap.( laundry) Watched Drop In season 2. Up later each day but still ready to ride. Waiting in line for the lift pass. Hmmmm. Shawn Palmer? yes. Haggered but riding the EVIL.( of course) Up the MTN and sketchy all the way down. This aint Oregon. Where were the Californians? I mean the ones we knew. Too bad. Dog Bone! AFTER THAT I HAVE NO FRIENDS. Dirk on the Gran Mal=speed=crash. German precision. Shopping! I got a sticker. April bought me wings. Why? Dirk was dirty and still drinking cranberry juice. Mexican? not Jamie. FOOD! No Burritos?jondis girls aren't Mexicans. Long talks about message boards? No more nut's. Down the stairs , and load the car/thing. Bear tracks? Bernie? Where is he anyway? headed for home. Trading blue clouds for grey. I'll take it.

Repeat? Ha........of course.

Long Weekend

2009-06-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

Sat was the 12 annual "Tour de Gulch" and it was great fun. Jeep knows how to put on a fun event. Around 60 riders that were divided into smaller groups to tour a lot of the trails. I got my first flat at growlers in ...well, forever. That's ok, but i didn't have my pump. ( because i never get flats) so I borrowed the smallest pump I could find and just about got a cramp in my shoulder pumping up the tire. I may have been better off with my mouth. Food,Beverages and raffle followed the ride. I only took 1 pic and it was of my bike USD after I changed the tube. Great ride. Sun was a Pedal Nation group ride down at Falls City AKA: Black Rock. It was Aaron, Adnrea,Joe,Ryan, Raul, Jeremy,Mmmatt, and a few others. I dont remember their names.We helped a bit with moving some skinnys for a re-route of lower bonzi and after that we got to shuttle for 3 runs. I could use the same desriptions I always use (great,fun,gnarly,really great,really fun, etc...) but I'll go with MEGA fun. The dirt was perfect after some needed rain and we were flying down the trail. We rode Bonzi,Sictor and part of Grannys kitchen. Really good group and awesome day.

Mid-week ride

2009-06-18T16:58:00.001-07:00

10 people, 13 ish miles and one great ride.

Down the hill, and drive up the hill

2009-06-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

We shuttled some cool DH trails this weekend and I still have a head ache. It turns out that my bike is quite heavy, especially when it lands on my head. Anyway...the Chalupa picked me up and we met Big Mac in Long pew where we waited for the young guys who sleep in. We met up with Maximum Radness and Cole and the Blue kid. Made it to the trails and up the mountain and within 3 min I was OTB and on my face with bike on top of me. Good trails eh? Next I come around a corner and just past a stump drop I see the Chalupa and T-mac crawling out of the bushes dragging their bikes. Good trails eh? Too much fun and no pictures. That always happens when the trails are so good.

The Stinky has been de-commissioned

2009-06-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

I got my Kona Stinky DLX in Sept of 2003. It was my first DH/freeride type of bike and I had no idea what I was getting into. I just knew I wanted to have a big bike and ride scary trails. Mission accomplished . I rode it in Moab,Whistler, Post canyon,Black Rock, North Star and countless other down hill trails. The dents and scratches tell the tale. It was a great bike and it was just taking up too much room in the garage. plus extra parts are a good thing. Stinky D... R.I.P.

First Blood

2009-06-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

Today I drew first blood. I chose knee pads over shin pads and paid the price. Not too bad though. Good day on the trails. Good to see Darren again, Been awhile. Bugs were out so we had to keep moving. Hit the race trail and bonzi a few times. It was fast today.

Mid-week ride

2009-06-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

Another great Pedal Nation mid-week ride. Ended up with 12 riders. Only one mechanical

( broken chain). and we got to see XC todd.

Visited Jamie and his foot

2009-05-31T07:45:00.001-07:00

Raul and I went over to see Jamie and his foot. He ruptured his Achilles tendon last week when we were riding. I guess after his surgery he may be off the bike for 6 months. Yikes! No Whistler,Downiville and North Star for him. So Raul and I hung out and watched F1rst. Awesome. Then we watched some freecaster stuff and hit the road. Lame to be injured.

I think it's clean bike time

2009-05-31T07:40:00.000-07:00

The last few rides have been no or very little mud on the bike. Good, I'm tired of scrapping it off.

Had a fun ride on Sat in the )(&@)($&_ area with Bif and Todd the big mac , and it was ripping. only a couple of pics's because that's how it is when your having ton's of fun.

More pictures from Bend

2009-05-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

A weekend for bragging

2009-05-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

I rode 2 out of 3 days this weekend. Good ya? I'm cool eh?

Rode in Bend. Super dry of course. Fun trails. Mostly smooth and a few tech sections. It was good and I like driving.

Mon was a fun ride on some of our local DH gnarly trails. 10 people deep and we ended up with Flying J heading to the hospital. Ruptured Achilles tendon. That's how it go's some days. 4 runs and BBQ. can't beat it. uhh I guess you can beat it by not going to the hospital.

More pic's from the Wed ride-thanks Aaron

2009-05-24T19:11:00.001-07:00

Wed ride

2009-05-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

Midweek rides are great. I'm always waiting for the weekend , so when you can do a mid week ride to break up the work week it's a good thing. It was another Pedal nation group ride and there was like 7 i think. Joe-kowski, Eric from across the yard, Aaron, Donny,Tammy and Calin. Conditions were good. A few wet spots of course. The bug's were out in full force but other than that I had a blast. I was chasing Eric when he went into the bushes, that was funny. Another "Wish I had the helmet cam" moment. Really good ride but I got home really late and had to get up really early. Nothing like dinner at 11 pm.

It was Hot out

2009-05-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

Louis and I headed up to SW Washington with Eric from across the yard, and it was hot out. Not over the top hot but definitely warmer than it's been lately. So we hit up Growlers ( one of my favorites) Eric hadn't been there yet so I'm always ready to give a tour. We rode the usual trails and I was pretty worn out by the end. Eric is a good climber and it was fun watching Louis chase him. Louis seems to not want anyone to get away. Me? I don't care anymore. I'll catch up eventually. The ride was good and the trails were good. What more can you ask?

The Wilson River Trail

2009-05-09T19:55:00.001-07:00

I've ridden this trail on a few other occasions but when Daver said he hadn't I had renewed interest. Louis hadn't ridden it either , so it was time to introduce them. The forecast was for 72 deg and I was ready for some short sleeved riding. Driving past a few trail heads I noticed how packed they were and I was thinking the trail would be crowded. Nope. I guess everyone stopped at Gales Creek. Anyway...parked and started riding. The trail was in really good shape with a few tree's down and a lot of Forrest litter. This trail is an up and down trail so we were climbing and descending. The last 2 times I had ridden here I was on my SS so riding with gears was great fun. I still struggle on the climbs but I'm not ashamed to walk. Beautiful weather and scenery. We got to a high point about 5 miles in and came across a massive slide that took out the trail. We crossed and there was another, then another. After the 4th one we figures the one mile decent we were looking forward to was lost because we would be getting off the bikes so much. Snack break and then turn around. Louis says " Yikes!, there's a bug on my hip." I say " Smash it" He say's "It won't Smash" This goes on back and forth for a bit when he finally says " Will you help me" So I check it out and it's a Tick. What!? A tick in NW Oregon? What the tick is that about?. I got it out and he was ready to head out and shower and make sure he was tick free. So on the 5 miles back there was plenty of tick related comments by Dave and myself. Louis has a good sense of humor. The last 2 miles Louis dropped the hammer and Dave and I were starting to lose our legs. I wonder if Louis was trying to get as back for the Tick comments? Hmmm. back to the truck and headed back to make it in time for Church. While unloading, Eric from across the grass asked us where we were riding and I told him where and about the tick. He said his Wife got one at Hagg lake ( a nearby trail) Man..first the swine flue and now ticks in a wet section of Oregon. What's next? great ride regardless. Spring is here!

Around town

2009-05-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

Didn't get on the dirt this weekend but did a couple of around town rides. Sat with Marla and Sun w/ Marla and Henry. No big miles( 30 total) but lot's of smiles. except from me.

The Last two day's

2009-04-30T23:01:00.000-07:00

Hooked up with some Pedal Nation riders and Joekowski for a ride at the Scappoose trails. Really fun time. Got split up though. That happens sometimes. Next day hit up Browns camp with Jarret,Tim-fsr , Louis and I. another fun ride and i'm ready for some sleep..

Night ride a bust

2009-04-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

I had another one of my great ideas. I called Jamie and said " Let's do a night ride at Syncline" so it was on. Beautiful weather, good pizza, glaring at the toll guy , met up with Carlyle , geared up and up the hill. Truck dies and then we realized it was low on fuel. OOPS! 4 and a half hours the tow truck got there and I got home at 2 am. At least I won't have to charge my lights . Poor Raul will now have a demerit on his license. O well..it could have been worse. I'm not sure how though.

Week day ride

2009-04-23T18:25:00.000-07:00

I got off work early today (real early) and that means ride. So I grabbed Louis and Otto and we headed for Browns camp. It's finally clear of blowdown and snow. I rained and hailed really hard on the way so thought it was going to be a death march but it ended up real nice. The trail was probably 60% dry and the greasy parts were really fun. No crashes and the kid's made some good climbs. I think I'll try it again this weekend.