I Rode My Bike Today...

Evening ride, Blackstar Tree Farm to Beeks. 72 degrees at start and dropped to 52 degrees. Spectacular Sunset.

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Day two in Durango. We rode Raider Ridge above the Horse Creek area right out of downtown. I always seem to read good things on the internet but it only gets a 3.1 rating on TF or MTB Project, I don't recall which. RR itself is black and double black on TF and I'll say w/o a doubt that it was the hardest trail I've ever ridden in Durango. If you like Grafton Mesa in Hurricane, you'll have *some* sense of what RR was a like, except RR made Grafton look like a green trail in many spots. The local we rode with said he's had more friends break bones on this trail than all the others combined. So many boulders linked together, versus slabs, that you ride over/on top of both up and down. The UP portions of boulder climbs eventually wore me down and they turned into short HAB's for 2 out of 3 of us. Once it started to go down consistently, it was still plenty of chunk but more shale slab in nature with a few 4 foot drops thrown in for good measure. I don't have to tell you guys that the photos don't do the difficulty justice.

Off to a good start. I'm actually surprised they aren't permitted.
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Climbing up the Sugar Trail to get to Raiders Ridge
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My buddy Darren, at 43 years old, he's only an honorary Team AARP member.
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This boulder slab is off camber and maybe 12-14 across. Nobody else wanted to ride it because of the drop off the top side...
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Darren's local buddy Brian....
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Darren posing, this would be looking North towards Silverton
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Faust29 said:
Short Strawberry ride this morning with @SnakeCharmer , @redwoods , and @rossage . :thumbsup:

As I was getting ready to leave, I saw a very attractive young lady approach the van. Next thing I know Ross is heading off with her. Dude really is a chick magnet! :eek: :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Turns out she just had a flat tire... :D

#GoodDeedForTheDay
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Yeah the four of us took care of that encroaching buckthorn on the Strawberry trail just up from Red Box. Restores sightlines and flow. Some of the offending members were cut down to stumps-especially if it was a corner.
Watch out for the Widowmaker tree that you have to go under. Gonna need a pro for that one.

That wasn't just a flat tire, it was an automobile tire. The young lady had slashed it on a rock somewhere up the Mt Wilson road. Came back down looking for help, they found us.
Fortunately they had everything in the trunk, though the go-cart spare tire was nearly flat.
@Faust29 saved the day with his compressor.
I had a bike pump...
Got the girls back on the road headed down the 2 myself.
Might be back this way tomorrow
 
rossage said:
Yeah the four of us took care of that encroaching buckthorn on the Strawberry trail just up from Red Box. Restores sightlines and flow. Some of the offending members were cut down to stumps-especially if it was a corner.
Watch out for the Widowmaker tree that you have to go under. Gonna need a pro for that one.

That wasn't just a flat tire, it was an automobile tire. The young lady had slashed it on a rock somewhere up the Mt Wilson road. Came back down looking for help, they found us.
Fortunately they had everything in the trunk, though the go-cart spare tire was nearly flat.
@Faust29 saved the day with his compressor.
I had a bike pump...
Got the girls back on the road headed down the 2 myself.
Might be back this way tomorrow
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And the story continues...

@redwoods and I decided to stay and pedal up to the saddle between Strawberry Peak and Mt Lawlor. That was an easier climb than I thought it would be considering that you're carrying pretty good speed when you are coming down. Perhaps our legs were ready for some pedal pushing. Anyway, we stopped at the saddle, drank some fluids, BS'ed for a few, and took in the views. The last few times I've been up on that saddle, I've heard people chatting in the bushes on the Mt. Lawlor side, not far away. Maybe there is a hidden nudist colony over there??? :geek:

We got back on the bikes and headed down to the highway, enjoying and appreciating the fabulously cleared section of trail that starts after the exposure section. Patrick almost ate into the Widow Maker. That thing comes up on you fast when you forget that it's there. :whistling:

From there we dropped back down to the highway and did a shuttle ride for the Gab section between Redbox and Switzer. On a side note, I think somebody may have been trying to steal my CRV. I kept hearing a Honda alarm system going off as we were climbing out of Switzer. When we got to the top, I could see a guy standing near and above where I was parked. He was there when we dropped off my car, too. And the thing that makes me suspicious is that my doors were all unlocked and I am positive that I locked my car up before we left it (it beeped to confirm it). I looked through it and saw nothing missing or disturbed and no obvious damage, so, who knows? Anyway, the drop down the Gab was glorious as usual and there is at least two new downed trees (along with the others) since I was there a few weeks ago. :facepalm: One had a low crossing thick branch that was hidden in overgrowth and I slammed my helmet really hard on it. Fortunately, it did not rip me off my bike. The helmet foam is partially crushed and cracked so that helmet is a goner. :mad:Luckily I have a near new extra helmet that will due for now. Great weather, not too many people around (well, more than I thought there'd be for a weekday), and good times with friends...

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mike said:
Today I drove down to Jacks Valley for some familiar and new. Clear Creek Trail to Spooner Summit TH, plus Tahoe Rim Trail to the Bench and back – on the new singlespeed. One of the best out-backs in the Tahoe area that I know of. So good to be back there...

An ass-kicking 39-mi ride with 19.5 miles of mostly uphill to the Bench. 14.5 miles to Spooner is long but chill; the five miles after that was far harder. It took many stops on that 5-mi TRT segment, but I pedaled all but 150 yards (three sections) of the route up. Add two dabbed switchbacks and two quick nutrition breaks.

Down from the Bench to Spooner is some of the best DH fun I can think of. Fast, big sight lines, perfect tread, epic environment, vistas. A few mild uphills for recovery. Rocky up high but still bliss on a hardtail. The drop from stunning Lake views through pines to high desert is cool and unique. Put this on your list.

Somewhere north of 4k' ascent, total around six hours. A couple handfuls of trail users out. Perfect weather and just two small snow patches up high.


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Not far from the Bench...

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Awesome pic!
 
Cherry Canyon/GSC/Ridge Motorway this morning. I set off at 7am in a nice thick marine layer. Nice and cool and comfy. Climbed in through Cherry and hit the fire roads. I would end up bypassing two of the ST trails that I usually drop in on. I climbed straight to the top/towers and dropped down into GSC where I did my usual loop on that fun trail. I took a breather on the bench next to the fields at the South end of the trailhead and watched pack rats roaming through the bushes collecting plant matter for lunch. From there, I climbed up and out of GSC and forked onto the Ridge Motorway. Rode that to the end/lockout. Saw a 3 foot Striped Whipsnake there. Took in the views. I can see the building where my wife works in downtown Glendale from there. Got back on the bike and headed back the way I came. Crossed paths with another Striped Whipsnake and this one was an easy capture so I held it briefly for some pics. As these snakes always do, it swung it's head around wildly biting my glove repeatedly. I released it and continued the climb out of the area. Got back up to the towers where I saw the phone company installing a series of small cell signal thingamajigs. I guess the signal will be STRONG in Cherry Canyon from this point forward. I shouldn't complain because signals are weak in the Crescenta Valley due to all of the dense tall tree growth here. The sun was just starting to break through and it warmed up quickly. Dropped down into Cherry and took the ST out that I climbed in on. Good times.

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SnakeCharmer said:
Cherry Canyon/GSC/Ridge Motorway this morning. I set off at 7am in a nice thick marine layer. Nice and cool and comfy. Climbed in through Cherry and hit the fire roads. I would end up bypassing two of the ST trails that I usually drop in on. I climbed straight to the top/towers and dropped down into GSC where I did my usual loop on that fun trail. I took a breather on the bench next to the fields at the South end of the trailhead and watched pack rats roaming through the bushes collecting plant matter for lunch. From there, I climbed up and out of GSC and forked onto the Ridge Motorway. Rode that to the end/lockout. Saw a 3 foot Striped Whipsnake there. Took in the views. I can see the building where my wife works in downtown Glendale from there. Got back on the bike and headed back the way I came. Crossed paths with another Striped Whipsnake and this one was an easy capture so I held it briefly for some pics. As these snakes always do, it swung it's head around wildly biting my glove repeatedly. I released it and continued the climb out of the area. Got back up to the towers where I saw the phone company installing a series of small cell signal thingamajigs. I guess the signal will be STRONG in Cherry Canyon from this point forward. I shouldn't complain because signals are weak in the Crescenta Valley due to all of the dense tall tree growth here. The sun was just starting to break through and it warmed up quickly. Dropped down into Cherry and took the ST out that I climbed in on. Good times.

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Cool! I would have pegged that for a Garter snake. How can you tell the difference? And how big do the Whipsnakes get? I ask because I saw what I thought was a huge Garter snake last year at the bottom of Rosewood. Larger than I thought Garter snakes get (probably close to 4ft, and it fled the scene with surprising speed). Wonder if it might have been a Whipsnake instead.
 
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buggravy said:
Cool! I would have pegged that for a Garter snake. How can you tell the difference? And how big do the Whipsnakes get? I ask because I saw what I thought was a huge Garter snake last year at the bottom Rosewood. Larger than I though Garter snakes get (probably close to 4ft, and it fled the scene with surprising speed). Wonder if it might have been a Whipsnake instead.
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Garter snakes are always near water and they are a bit thicker. They also have a slightly broken up pattern with some subtle other colors, like red mixed in. The Striped Whipsnake is as common as the San Diego Gopher snakes we have here. Whipsnakes have super smooth small scales and large heads with large eyes. They are in the Racer family and they are built for speed. Garters have rough almost keeled scales. Whipsnakes are shiny, Garters are dull.
 
SnakeCharmer said:
Garter snakes are always near water and they are a bit thicker. They also have a slightly broken up pattern with some subtle other colors, like red mixed in. The Striped Whipsnake is as common as the San Diego Gopher snakes we have here. Whipsnakes have super smooth small scales and large heads with large eyes. They are in the Racer family and they are built for speed. Garters have rough almost keeled scales. Whipsnakes are shiny, Garters are dull.
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Ahh, so this must have been a Whipsnake that I saw. I didn't get that close to it, but there was a lot of contrast, much like the snake in your pic. And I didn't get close because it moved at noteworthy speed, so that has to have been it. Some good herp factoids for my back pocket. :thumbsup:
 
@pdqmach26 pulled into town last evening so naturally, we had to get out and ride today. On the agenda was Phil's World over in Cortez, an area that neither he or honorary Team AARP member Darren had ever ridden. If you aren't aware, the local Kokopelli Bike Club leases this land so they were able to design the trails for 100% mountain biking. No hikers. No dogs. No motorized vehicles. It's 100% singletrack and 100% directional. It'a very popular place but the one knock is always the lack of extra challenging terrain. They've started to address that with the Poquito Burrito loop. I almost begged off on this one as I've ridden every day this week and have Hermosa Creek tomorrow but I'm glad I went as the breeze kept the temps very reasonable.

I can't get photos to load due to a poor internet connection so watch BKXC instead. He was out here 5 months ago.
 
hill^billy said:
Tom and I rode our bikes today at Chilao, sorry for the double clip!

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Ha hah! Finally got to watch this!
1) Gotta hill^billy my camera on to the head tub. That just plain works!
2) "WTF Dude!" Classic following @Tom the Bomb over the abyss. Great vid of the knife edge rock drop. Never have done it, now inspired to do it next time.

Way to go lads!
Haul that mail!
 
Mikie said:
Ha hah! Finally got to watch this!
1) Gotta hill^billy my camera on to the head tub. That just plain works!
2) "WTF Dude!" Classic following @Tom the Bomb over the abyss. Great vid of the knife edge rock drop. Never have done it, now inspired to do it next time.

Way to go lads!
Haul that mail!
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I skipped the little ridge, but some guy riding in front of me did it twice on a hardtail... just sayin. :p
 
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Tom the Bomb said:
Ya I kicked those rocks outa there. Better next time. One pedal stroke from cleaning the wall. Doug and I both. Pissr.
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You'll get it next time!

You get totally gassed just getting around that switchback, then it gets loose. You can't breathe and the traction is daring you to lift your ass off the seat. Hold it together long enough to get to the exposed roots and you're going to the top.
 
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