mtnbikej
J-Zilla
It was supposed to warm....OK, hot today.
Threw out a ride proposal to y'all to get a good ride in before it warmed up.
The ride plan was Maple Springs-Main Divide-Eagle-Skyline-Blackstar from the Tree Farm.
@Faust29 and I rolled from the Tree Farm @4:56....yeah it was early.....
In fact it was on the chilly side. When I drove past Irvine Lake temps were showing 45*....Brrrrrr, I didn't come prepared for those temps. Good thing it wasn't going to be like that long.
Well we rolled up Silverado Canyon and it was dark, and quiet. Before long we reached the gate at Maple Springs. It was still dark, yet comfortable. Now we have been up Maple Springs a lot since it reopened. I like that I always know where I am....even in the dark. Just before we reached the end of the pavement it was already pretty light. Chatted with a runner/hiker just after we reached the dirt. He would be the only person we would see til we got towards the bottom of Eagle.
The pace up Maple Springs didn't feel fast, but we were consistent.
Made it into the sunlight just before the 2nd big switchback 2/3rd's the way up. The bugs were not a problem.....as long as you kept moving. We hit 4 Corners about 10 mins ahead of schedule. Quick break and we continued on to Main Divide. Different lighting in the morning vs. the late afternoons we have been riding it. Seemed much faster today.
On the big climb after Bedford we saw a large Bobcat running up the road ahead of us. Really cool to see. Tried to chase it, but lost sight of it. The rest of the ride to Motorway went quick.
Lots of this growing out in the Santa Ana's right now....
We made quick work of the ballbuster climb after the Motorway. I think it is getting easier. We rolled right into Eagle Rd. at just before 8:00. I was out front clearing out the spiderwebs. Fun run down...again, felt like it was running fast. Chatted with a couple hikers towards the bottom. The plunge at the bottom was fun as always. We slow rolled it through the boxes of bee hives.
We were still ahead of schedule, even the roadie section back over to Skyline took no time, and we were just cruising.
Normal stop for water at the fountain. It's a good spot for getting water....but I'm learning it is an even better place to see the sights....er, people. Let's just say Ms. Purple Shorts walked by, then stopped to do her stretches before she took off down the trail. We both commented on Ms. Purple Shorts....if you are gonna wear volleyball shorts that short, we are going to look. We would see her again shortly. After that it was just the normal grind up Skyline. Lots of people out. Lots of friendly people out.
Right away it warmed up. It wasn't hot as it felt. We just had sections that were exposed where there was not air moving. We did make a couple of stops to take in the shade. When the breeze was blowing, it was actually pretty nice. As we reached the top, we agreed that Ms. Purple Shorts made the slog up Skyline worth it.
From there, just a quick run down Blackstar. Still a madhouse down there....but we were going through much earlier than usual so it wasn't nearly as bad as it has been. Got back to the Tree Farm at @10:15 or so. I was home and showered before 11:00. Not bad for a 43 mile ride.
Threw out a ride proposal to y'all to get a good ride in before it warmed up.
The ride plan was Maple Springs-Main Divide-Eagle-Skyline-Blackstar from the Tree Farm.
@Faust29 and I rolled from the Tree Farm @4:56....yeah it was early.....
In fact it was on the chilly side. When I drove past Irvine Lake temps were showing 45*....Brrrrrr, I didn't come prepared for those temps. Good thing it wasn't going to be like that long.
Well we rolled up Silverado Canyon and it was dark, and quiet. Before long we reached the gate at Maple Springs. It was still dark, yet comfortable. Now we have been up Maple Springs a lot since it reopened. I like that I always know where I am....even in the dark. Just before we reached the end of the pavement it was already pretty light. Chatted with a runner/hiker just after we reached the dirt. He would be the only person we would see til we got towards the bottom of Eagle.
The pace up Maple Springs didn't feel fast, but we were consistent.
Made it into the sunlight just before the 2nd big switchback 2/3rd's the way up. The bugs were not a problem.....as long as you kept moving. We hit 4 Corners about 10 mins ahead of schedule. Quick break and we continued on to Main Divide. Different lighting in the morning vs. the late afternoons we have been riding it. Seemed much faster today.
On the big climb after Bedford we saw a large Bobcat running up the road ahead of us. Really cool to see. Tried to chase it, but lost sight of it. The rest of the ride to Motorway went quick.
Lots of this growing out in the Santa Ana's right now....
We made quick work of the ballbuster climb after the Motorway. I think it is getting easier. We rolled right into Eagle Rd. at just before 8:00. I was out front clearing out the spiderwebs. Fun run down...again, felt like it was running fast. Chatted with a couple hikers towards the bottom. The plunge at the bottom was fun as always. We slow rolled it through the boxes of bee hives.
We were still ahead of schedule, even the roadie section back over to Skyline took no time, and we were just cruising.
Normal stop for water at the fountain. It's a good spot for getting water....but I'm learning it is an even better place to see the sights....er, people. Let's just say Ms. Purple Shorts walked by, then stopped to do her stretches before she took off down the trail. We both commented on Ms. Purple Shorts....if you are gonna wear volleyball shorts that short, we are going to look. We would see her again shortly. After that it was just the normal grind up Skyline. Lots of people out. Lots of friendly people out.
Right away it warmed up. It wasn't hot as it felt. We just had sections that were exposed where there was not air moving. We did make a couple of stops to take in the shade. When the breeze was blowing, it was actually pretty nice. As we reached the top, we agreed that Ms. Purple Shorts made the slog up Skyline worth it.
From there, just a quick run down Blackstar. Still a madhouse down there....but we were going through much earlier than usual so it wasn't nearly as bad as it has been. Got back to the Tree Farm at @10:15 or so. I was home and showered before 11:00. Not bad for a 43 mile ride.
But I just got home with the bike and its new BB. Yesterday's ride will have to tide me over until next time.
The first part isn't bad, but it gets hairy after the hard left.
-bike. Made it up, rolled through onto Main Divide, and down Black Star... Played "dodge the hiker hordes" on the bottom section, and rolled back to the cars in a little over 5 hours. 
