I Rode My Bike Today...

Team Path Live Oak stormed Yeager Mesa this morning...

Brandon
Dillon
Ian
Jesse
Leslie
mike

Yeager is in even better shape than last week. We made quick work of the climb and got into the goods right away. None of us sacked up for the bridge drop, but otherwise we were all over every steep section and switchback. I positively squirreled out going down the crux dirt chute and awaited the inevitable launching, but somehow I lived through it with a quick dab. Jesse was looking so composed I was envious...until the very end where his bar hit a tree, the overcorrect launching him and bike off the trail and out of sight. Just a good shoulder impact – heal up quickly, bro. No other notables beyond a riotously good time had by all.

Two on the team had never done Yeager, and actually had fun and want to repeat it. If you've wanted to but never have, now is the best possible time. It's pretty much as good as it gets.
 
I cranked out one last out and back on Harding this AM to go over 100,000 calories of cardio for 2016. Not as good as some of you animals, but not too bad for a slow 53 year-old :)

44 degrees at the Nature Sanctuary. Jacket was on. 1.5 miles in... it was 58. What? Jacket came off and stayed off for the rest of the ride. It was actually warmer at higher elevations than down in the valley. Beauty trail conditions... all by myself all the way up and about half way down until just below the Springs. Awesome day.
 
Between the rain and having family in town, I've been off the mountain bike for a week. I have been able to sneak out for a few spandex runs on the roadie at least. Had an opening in the work calendar and the warm sunny temps were too good to pass up. Did a run through Peters Canyon and Santiago Oaks from the house. Felt good to hit dirt again. Short sleeves and it was warm enough that I was sweating! Both parks were pretty sparsely populated. Afternoons like this remind me why we pay so much to live in So Cal.

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San Juan trail yesterday, Blue Jay to lower lot, shuttle with 3 friends. San Juan down always puts a smile on your face... prefer to earn it by climbing, but I suffered on all the little climbs going down, so something not right still. Trail in great shape, just a couple brown puddles.
And Bad to the Bone BBQ afterwards :thumbsup:
 
Got out for a mid afternoon Blackstar ride with my wife. She hasn't been riding much lately dealing with the creepy lung crud.

We cruised in from the Tree Farm. Lots of hiker in the lower canyon.

Once we reached the turnoff for the Falls, I took off ahead up to Hidden Ranch, then rode back down to my wife. From there, she didn't think she was gonna make Beeks, so again I sprinted off to reach the top. I would pick her up on the way back down. My wife was on fire today. The DH from Hidden Ranch back down to the Falls.....turns out she claimed the No. 2 Spot just behind the QOM....nice job.

Temps were nice and warm out there. A little breezy up high, with a bit of a headwind. Great day.
 
Rode monday - Brown, Lowe, Sunset, El Prieto loop with Ben and Greg from OTB

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Rode tuesday night - Stough canyon to the La Tuna tower, met up with OTB

Burbank at night. Mt Lee/Giffith park is the dark spot on the middle left

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Rode today - Last minute ride with David and Scott. Met up at Chantry flats at 9:45 and rode the Mt Zion loop. Luckily we were there early enough to snag the last couple of spots in the always overcrowded parking lots. Because of the holiday break, it felt like a weekend. Hikers galore.
Weather was perfect overall but it gradually got warmer as the day progressed and I was feeling the heat in some of the exposed sections. Luckily most of the trail is under tree canopy.
We did the ride clockwise, upper winter creek to Mt Zion, then back down through the Gabrieleno. Dirt was grippy, creek was flowing, the Zion climb still HURTS.

Water on upper winter creek

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Love the tree canopy on this trail

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Taking a break down at an area called first water

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Ladybug convention at the beginning of the Mt Zion climb

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I agree, bikes are fun. Riding with friends is fun too :thumbsup:
 
I love Zion @Luis , that climb sucks but is SOOO worth it once you hit the downhill goods :thumbsup:! Good stuff.

Today I rode the Van Tassel loop with a some extra credit up to Rincon. Normally this ride is ridden clockwise due to the steep terrain of Van Tassel but since I havent ridden for a while week and have been eating and drinking I figured some pain and suffering was in store so I decided to do it the hard way and climb Van Tassel.

This trail, the main climb gains 2700 in 4 miles w a 12% avg grade! WTF?! It was painful but glad I pulled it off! Total ride came out to 23 and 4300 gain with some killer views of the snowcapped peak of Mt San Antonio "Mt Baldy". Now I can get back to more drinkin and food, cheers!

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I rode Maple - Motorway again, not my best organized, forgot phone, had freak mechanical that cost me 30+ mins, and of course a bee that wouldn't leave me alone while I was working it. That said and by all the previous post, clearly a spectacular day to be out riding in SoCal we are blessed, these are the days / weather I dream about.

So I wanted to say anyone thinking about MS -> Motorway go do it now. The gate is closed so the climb is as nice as it will ever be, the traverse across the Divide is about as good as it gets with great views (sorry no phone no pics), and the easiest way to get to the Motorway. And the Motorway is in phenomenal / fun shape.

Which leads me to thinking about the Motorway. Is it a world class epic trail?...not really... do I love it?...not really in fact when first started riding it a decade ago or so I really didn't like it, but I keep going back, I am drawn to it and I absolutely adreno-enjoy it.

I think I am drawn to it because at speed, it makes me uncomfortable, requires full focus, I have to be OK with that. It has a lot of different things in that ~3 miles. Loose rocks you need to "Ski", some XC - Chunk, some flow the new water bars required full attention at speed, some exposure (not gabe Level), some waist deep ruts inviting you in, and a lot of off camber stuff.

So ladies and gents, if you are thinking about it ... go get it.
 
bvader said:
I rode Maple - Motorway again, not my best organized, forgot phone, had freak mechanical that cost me 30+ mins, and of course a bee that wouldn't leave me alone while I was working it. That said and by all the previous post, clearly a spectacular day to be out riding in SoCal we are blessed, these are the days / weather I dream about.

So I wanted to say anyone thinking about MS -> Motorway go do it now. The gate is closed so the climb is as nice as it will ever be, the traverse across the Divide is about as good as it gets with great views (sorry no phone no pics), and the easiest way to get to the Motorway. And the Motorway is in phenomenal / fun shape.

Which leads me to thinking about the Motorway. Is it a world class epic trail?...not really... do I love it?...not really in fact when first started riding it a decade ago or so I really didn't like it, but I keep going back, I am drawn to it and I absolutely adreno-enjoy it.

I think I am drawn to it because at speed, it makes me uncomfortable, requires full focus, I have to be OK with that. It has a lot of different things in that ~3 miles. Loose rocks you need to "Ski", some XC - Chunk, some flow the new water bars required full attention at speed, some exposure (not gabe Level), some waist deep ruts inviting you in, and a lot of off camber stuff.

So ladies and gents, if you are thinking about it ... go get it.
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I think there are 2 kinds of Motorway riders......

Those that love it....for all the reasons you mentioned.
&
Those that hate it....for all the reasons you mentioned.

I find that there really aren't that many people that just "tolerate" Motorway
 
I parked behind what looked to be a familiar vehicle this morning. Sure enough, at the top of 5-Oaks a voice says "Howdy Stranger." It was this guy:

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@knucklebuster in the flesh. He was accompanied by @sir crashalot who, unfortunately, was on the phone tending to his uncle's health crisis. He got called into duty, so that left me and Dave. Prayers to your uncle and your family Gary!

Dave and I hit 5-Oaks, Cholla, Rock-It and Coyote Run. We parted company there and I headed up Mathis for another run down Rock-It to call it a day. On a side trail that diverted around a mud puddle, I got squirrely and fell straight into the mud. Cartoonish and pretty funny. Too bad I was alone.

Beautiful weather and I cannot express how delighted I was just to see Dave out on a bike again! Keep at it if you can and here's to a better 2017!
 
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herzalot said:
I haven't ridden Motorway since 2001, but I liked it then. Didn't love it, didn't hate it - but definitely enjoyed it. Maybe I'll ride it again some day. Did they install the chairlift yet?
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Hmm.. so you have a "not love/not hate" relationship with the Motorway? Me too. I actually like riding to it (preferably from the Maple Springs side) or up it more than descending it. And the descents along the Main Divide are fun, too, if you like torn-up fire road. Which I do. I especially like the drop-in down the N. Main Divide from 4 Corners. But the Motorway itself? Meh. Kind of interesting from a survival point-of-view, I guess, but the feeling at the bottom, for me, is more of relief than stoke. Wish there was another alternative.

Interesting point is the Forest Service wants it called the Silverado Trail, because it's not for motorized vehicles anymore. But maybe with Ebikes on the horizon, it's not worth redrawing the maps.
 
Good running into Herz today, just as @sir crashalot got called back for family duties. Gary, sure hope things are OK with your uncle.

Felt decent chasing Herz down 5 Oaks, I hadn't been on it since the rains and wouldn't have hit it that fast if I was solo, with potential new ruts and all. Beware if you haven't been on 5 Oaks in awhile, there are allot more concrete pavers, and the rain washed dirt away from the edges of them, so kind of like a curb, very abrupt transition from paver to dirt...

We stopped at the last creek crossing going up the canyon to clear away some debris that storms runoff pushed into the small bridge and eroded the ramp to the bridge. I pull a branch out of the beaver dam and hit my shin... didn't hurt much but the blood was kinda impressive. So it is with cortico-steroid induced paper thin skin. :thumbsdown:

Good time out there, even with suffering from low energy level on Cholla-Rockit loop.:thumbsup: Thanks @herzalot for checking on me and my slowness.
 
kioti said:
Kind of interesting from a survival point-of-view, I guess, but the feeling at the bottom, for me, is more of relief than stoke. Wish there was another alternative.
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I rode the Motorway my first time a couple of months ago. I came away thinking "this could be a great trail - if the people who did trail maintenance on it knew what they were doing". Seriously the sketchiest parts of the trail were where people thought it was a good idea to dig a TRENCH across the trail, accompanied by a downhill berm that would stop most 4WD vehicles. Are they expecting a Russian offensive on the Motorway so they need to dig in tank traps? Otherwise it was fun... from an exposed rock shale techy kind of perspective. I felt like coming back up there on foot with a shovel and carving away the baddy trail work. Jim you need to provide some much-needed coaching there.

Personally I prefer the Trabuco descent - my favorite in the Santa Anas particularly when wet.
 
Hell yeah I rode my bike today!

It's been about three weeks, and it sucked (the three weeks w/out riding, not today's ride)! Serious, I'm going into withdrawals and am not a happy person! And on today's ride, I only did six miles in a couple hours, pushing my bike on plenty of it... way to fall off the wagon!

But wow what a glorious day it was! ABSOLUTELY PERFECT WEATHER, and as you all know, PERFECT soil moisture. What have I been missing out on!!!! I LOVED the singletrack sections where I could slide the back end out and not even have to worry about front wheel traction! It was so incredibly fun. But did I mention the pushing the bike part? Damn climbing sucked! Where's the shuttle!?!!?!?

If you can, get out there and ride some dirt! It is the best riding I can remember, just gorgeous with green popping up, high 60F temps, tacky soil, and nobody out there (well, some equine people, but whatevs)!

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BonsaiNut said:
I rode the Motorway my first time a couple of months ago. I came away thinking "this could be a great trail - if the people who did trail maintenance on it knew what they were doing". Seriously the sketchiest parts of the trail were where people thought it was a good idea to dig a TRENCH across the trail, accompanied by a downhill berm that would stop most 4WD vehicles. Are they expecting a Russian offensive on the Motorway so they need to dig in tank traps? Otherwise it was fun... from an exposed rock shale techy kind of perspective. I felt like coming back up there on foot with a shovel and carving away the baddy trail work. Jim you need to provide some much-needed coaching there.

Personally I prefer the Trabuco descent - my favorite in the Santa Anas particularly when wet.
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I've worked on the Motorway in the past: restoring the trail through a large landslide, clearing and adding drainage on a small slide area, cutting holes through large berms at the top so we could ride the trail, building a refined turn on a new alignment to eliminate a tough, abandoned line through a deeply rutted area; even taking part in a large group event near the bottom that added a bunch of truly annoying waterbars.

Generally speaking, the Warrior's Society has handled most of the maintenance during the 9 or 10 years I've been a trail volunteer. For some reason, the Ranger decided to have a conservation crew (this is my understanding) work on the trail after the most recent fire. It's a shift in management style from the former Ranger, who allowed WS and FS volunteer patrols and trail repairs during fire closures. It was during one of those closure times I restored the Luge, and worked on the Motorway.

I don't know the current situation with the Warrior's Society, and if they have or plan to work on the trail again. I hope so. The waterbars and trenches sound ridiculous, and I'd be very surprised if there wasn't a less hazardous, more organic, solution. Though the Motorway was never maintained the way I would've preferred, it was maintained to a certain standard by WS riders who like the way it was, and it was and is a challenging descent. I'd love to see them get back on it and remove the manmade and apparently hazardous "run-off management" work.

Maybe @mtnbikej can bring us up to speed on Warrior's Society plans. If they're on it, it's in good hands. If not, I'll ask for permission to make some repairs. Trail work that poses a safety hazard to a large percentage of legal users is not proper trail work.

PS: I want to add that every trail has a unique personality. While the layout and condition of the Motorway is a bit primitive/rough for my taste, I've enjoyed and respected it's challenges in the past and wouldn't want to see it change. I would like to see it taken care of properly, which means eliminating unnecessary and manmade hazards, but would otherwise prefer it to stay raw and demand a rider's constant attention.
 
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kioti said:
I've worked on the Motorway in the past: restoring the trail through a large landslide, clearing and adding drainage on a small slide area, cutting holes through large berms at the top so we could ride the trail, building a refined turn on a new alignment to eliminate a tough, abandoned line through a deeply rutted area; even taking part in a large group event near the bottom that added a bunch of truly annoying waterbars.

Generally speaking, the Warrior's Society has handled most of the maintenance during the 9 or 10 years I've been a trail volunteer. For some reason, the Ranger decided to have a conservation crew (this is my understanding) work on the trail after the most recent fire. It's a shift in management style from the former Ranger, who allowed WS and FS volunteer patrols and trail repairs during fire closures. It was during one of those closure times I restored the Luge, and worked on the Motorway.

I don't know the current situation with the Warrior's Society, and if they have or plan to work on the trail again. I hope so. The waterbars and trenches sound ridiculous, and I'd be very surprised if there wasn't a less hazardous, more organic, solution. Though the Motorway was never maintained the way I would've preferred, it was maintained to a certain standard by WS riders who like the way it was, and it was and is a challenging descent. I'd love to see them get back on it and remove the manmade and apparently hazardous "run-off management" work.

Maybe @mtnbikej can bring us up to speed on Warrior's Society plans. If they're on it, it's in good hands. If not, I'll ask for permission to make some repairs. Trail work that poses a safety hazard to a large percentage of legal users is not proper trail work.
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I got nothing.

My understanding is that there is someone new in command in our district....and they really don't know anything about what is really going on out there.

As far as I know, we weren't allowed out there during the closure...just like everyone else. See the statement above. f
 
knucklebuster said:
Good running into Herz today, just as @sir crashalot got called back for family duties. Gary, sure hope things are OK with your uncle.

Felt decent chasing Herz down 5 Oaks, I hadn't been on it since the rains and wouldn't have hit it that fast if I was solo, with potential new ruts and all. Beware if you haven't been on 5 Oaks in awhile, there are allot more concrete pavers, and the rain washed dirt away from the edges of them, so kind of like a curb, very abrupt transition from paver to dirt...

We stopped at the last creek crossing going up the canyon to clear away some debris that storms runoff pushed into the small bridge and eroded the ramp to the bridge. I pull a branch out of the beaver dam and hit my shin... didn't hurt much but the blood was kinda impressive. So it is with cortico-steroid induced paper thin skin. :thumbsdown:

Good time out there, even with suffering from low energy level on Cholla-Rockit loop.:thumbsup: Thanks @herzalot for checking on me and my slowness.

Quote: Herzalot: Knucklebuster in the flesh. He was accompanied by @sir crashalot who, unfortunately, was on the phone tending to his uncle's health crisis. He got called into duty, so that left me and Dave. Prayers to your uncle and your family Gary!
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Thanks guys! good to see ya, glad y'all had a good ride, and keep it going Knuckles!
Not looking good for my uncle. In a coma on a ventilator.
 
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