I Rode My Bike Today...

Good ride this morning with @Faust29, @buggravy, and @Luis. We started with the usual grind up Fern Truck Trail. At the lower saddle, we opted to skip Brown Mtn and continue on toward Millard. Along the way, we detoured off to see the Owen Brown Monument, my first time there. Fun, tight switchbacks coming back off the hill from the Monument. We got back onto Fern TT and continued on through Millard Campground and then jumped onto Lower Sunset trail. Climbed that to Mt Lowe Road. Luis hadn't had enough climbing yet so he pointed his bike uphill and the rest of us joined in. I hate that grind dearly but I was in a groove today so it wasn't so bad. We climbed up to the benches and took a well deserved breather. From there we jumped onto (Upper) Sunset trail (mid way down) and enjoyed some freshly roughed up (from the recent rain) chunk and funk. It was a blast. We popped back out on Mt Lowe Road and rolled down and onto Lower Sunset trail which is a speedfest coming back down. At Millard, we back tracked to El P and dropped in. The trails were a cluster f**k of people today. El P was basically a nightmare. Can't blame them for getting out on a nice day, though. Cool temps, which I find to be perfect for climbing.

16.47 miles
3022' gain
1379 calories
 
I rode with @Luis , @SnakeCharmer and @buggravy . I rolled from home and met the gang at the wall at 8:00. Most of Los Angeles was also there... I shed a layer or two before we even left the parking lot and we headed up Brown. As I was disrobing, I watched some excitement... Cops running around the house, securing the exits. But they were gone 10 minutes later. o_O

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There were a couple groups that we passed on the way to the Fern turnoff, but it wasn't really crowded. The crowds would come later... Nice social pace on the way up. The last section before the saddle was lined with snow and ice. Pretty cool...

At the first saddle, we discussed the route. Up to Ken Burton saddle and down KB? Matt has never done it, so that would have been fun. That idea didn't get much traction, though. @Luis threw out the idea of heading down Fern and up Lower Sunset, and maybe up a little higher for some Sunset proper. I'm in! Hey, wait... I brought the wrong bike and that pavement is SAF. I'm still in... :cautious: :p

We headed down Fern... And passed by El Prieto for now. A slight detour, which was well worth the extra effort.

Poetry in and on the Hood...
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Hence the name Brown Mountain...
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We had a little competition with ourselves getting back down the hiker switchbacks... I think I scored 4.5/6. :Roflmao The half came from track standing while Luis figured out how to maneuver the school bus. :p

Over to Millard and up Lower Sunset... There were a couple other riders and hikers, but everyone was friendly. I finally managed to clean the little steep section on the single speed. The wet dirt made it possible...

The gang popping out of Lower Sunset...
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Up the pavement. I now know it's cleanable if I add 250 mini switchbacks on the single speed... :p Seriously... Now that I know it's cleanable on the single speed, that is going to open up some possibilities. :D

Luis pointing out the sites. I suggested we climb up and see them. That idea was not met with wild applause. :cautious:
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One of these is not like the others...
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Down Sunset, with quite a few stops for hikers... No mechanicals, or drama, and the gang seemed to be moving pretty quickly today. :thumbsup: In between the hiker pauses, anyway. The single speed just felt awesome today, even with the bald tire on the back (Spec Slaughter...). Lower Sunset was a riot with the Enduro in the front to chase. I know Luis isn't going full out, but hanging on gives me a chance to see his lines. Went airborne at least 4 times in the beginning... :eek: :D

Climb out of Millard and over to El Prieto. El Prieto is always fun. But it's a lot more fun without 752 hikers. Some of them had never seen dirt before. Louis Vittons are not hiking gear. :stop: And if you're carrying a drink cup, you are definitely an inside people. Please stay there. :stop:


Absolutely fun ride!

I ended up with 24/3400
 
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Maple springs to Motorway with @Ocpop and a couple of his friends. Bit of a struggle to find a park but we managed to squeeze ours in amongst the others and then headed up the hill. A cool start but warmed up nicely once we got going. Was a pretty relaxed pace today which was just fine by me! Great weather out there and the dirts about perfect at the moment. Three motos caught up with us just past 4 corners on main divide. Then another two pulled up just as we turned onto Motorway. Run down motorway was pretty good, a few groups of hikers to dodge and one dude trying to ride his bike up. So nice to be riding out there when the gates closed.
SUV with 4 flats at the end of the pavement
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4 corners was stunning today
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As mentioned above, I rode my bike today. Somehow I've conned these guys into letting me come on their rides, which usually equates to me hanging on for dear life trying to keep up while they rip around their home turf. I have a love/hate relationship with the San Gabes. It's more love than hate, but they always manage to get a couple jabs in. Some of my favorite days on the bike have been there, but more often, and especially lately, I come away fairly humbled and frustrated. That said, after a ride or two in the Gabes my subsequent rides in familiar territory always feel super strong and fast. Anyway, it was a weird one for me today. Got hot enough on every climb to sweat just enough to freeze my a$$ off on every descent. People everywhere and botched switchback after botched switchback had me feeling way out of the groove. Inexplicably I picked up some Strava prizes on El P, but that really defied explanation. Great crew to be out with as always, and the field trip out to the Owen Brown grave site was a cool diversion. 17.1/2953
 
Faust29 said:
I rode with @Luis , @SnakeCharmer and @buggravy But it's a lot more fun without 752 hikers. Some of them had never seen dirt before. Louis Vittons are not hiking gear. :stop: And if you're carrying a drink cup, you are definitely an inside people. Please stay there. :stop:
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I see them with Patagonia trekking gear, gortex, glacier glasses, poles, the whole 9 yds and wonder wtf are you thinkin'? Go the !@$ home.
 
buggravy said:
As mentioned above, I rode my bike today. Somehow I've conned these guys into letting me come on their rides, which usually equates to me hanging on for dear life trying to keep up while they rip around their home turf. I have a love/hate relationship with the San Gabes. It's more love than hate, but they always manage to get a couple jabs in. Some of my favorite days on the bike have been there, but more often, and especially lately, I come away fairly humbled and frustrated. That said, after a ride or two in the Gabes my subsequent rides in familiar territory always feel super strong and fast. Anyway, it was a weird one for me today. Got hot enough on every climb to sweat just enough to freeze my a$$ off on every descent. People everywhere and botched switchback after botched switchback had me feeling way out of the groove. Inexplicably I picked up some Strava prizes on El P, but that really defied explanation. Great crew to be out with as always, and the field trip out to the Owen Brown grave site was a cool diversion. 17.1/2953
Click to expand...

I love your take on the day! :D

You need the full front range from top to bottom to exorcise the demons. :thumbsup:
 
Faust29 said:
I rode with @Luis , @SnakeCharmer and @buggravy . I rolled from home and met the gang at the wall at 8:00. Most of Los Angeles was also there... I shed a layer or two before we even left the parking lot and we headed up Brown. As I was disrobing, I watched some excitement... Cops running around the house, securing the exits. But they were gone 10 minutes later. o_O

View attachment 72541

There were a couple groups that we passed on the way to the Fern turnoff, but it wasn't really crowded. The crowds would come later... Nice social pace on the way up. The last section before the saddle was lined with snow and ice. Pretty cool...

At the first saddle, we discussed the route. Up to Ken Burton saddle and down KB? Matt has never done it, so that would have been fun. That idea didn't get much traction, though. @Luis threw out the idea of heading down Fern and up Lower Sunset, and maybe up a little higher for some Sunset proper. I'm in! Hey, wait... I brought the wrong bike and that pavement is SAF. I'm still in... :cautious: :p

We headed down Fern... And passed by El Prieto for now. A slight detour, which was well worth the extra effort.

Poetry in and on the Hood...
View attachment 72542

Hence the name Brown Mountain...
View attachment 72544

We had a little competition with ourselves getting back down the hiker switchbacks... I think I scored 4.5/6. :Roflmao The half came from track standing while Luis figured out how to maneuver the school bus. :p

Over to Millard and up Lower Sunset... There were a couple other riders and hikers, but everyone was friendly. I finally managed to clean the little steep section on the single speed. The wet dirt made it possible...

The gang popping out of Lower Sunset...
View attachment 72546

Up the pavement. I now know it's cleanable if I add 250 mini switchbacks on the single speed... :p Seriously... Now that I know it's cleanable on the single speed, that is going to open up some possibilities. :D

Luis pointing out the sites. I suggested we climb up and see them. That idea was not met with wild applause. :cautious:
View attachment 72545

One of these is not like the others...
View attachment 72547

Down Sunset, with quite a few stops for hikers... No mechanicals, or drama, and the gang seemed to be moving pretty quickly today. :thumbsup: In between the hiker pauses, anyway. The single speed just felt awesome today, even with the bald tire on the back (Spec Slaughter...). Lower Sunset was a riot with the Enduro in the front to chase. I know Luis isn't going full out, but hanging on gives me a chance to see his lines. Went airborne at least 4 times in the beginning... :eek: :D

Climb out of Millard and over to El Prieto. El Prieto is always fun. But it's a lot more fun without 752 hikers. Some of them had never seen dirt before. Louis Vittons are not hiking gear. :stop: And if you're carrying a drink cup, you are definitely an inside people. Please stay there. :stop:


Absolutely fun ride!

I ended up with 24/3400
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Bugg looks cold. :eek:
 
Maple Springs-Motorway this morning with @Lost Kiwi and two of my buds, and it was magic! We got the last 3 spots of parking on the gravel patch and it kept getting better from there. The weather was perfect, crisp and cold and sunny. The dirt was prime and not a car or a dust cloud to be seen. Rolling on the crunchy snow was a treat. Even the two ball busting climbs right before Motorway didn’t seem so cruel. I could barely wipe the grin off my face the entire ride

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Ocpop said:
Maple Springs-Motorway this morning with @Lost Kiwi and two of my buds, and it was magic! We got the last 3 spots of parking on the gravel patch and it kept getting better from there. The weather was perfect, crisp and cold and sunny. The dirt was prime and not a car or a dust cloud to be seen. Rolling on the crunchy snow was a treat. Even the two ball busting climbs right before Motorway didn’t seem so cruel. I could barely wipe the grin off my face the entire ride

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Click to expand...

You guys were just starting to roll from your cars when I rode by.
 
Faust29 said:
I rode with @Luis , @SnakeCharmer and @buggravy . I rolled from home and met the gang at the wall at 8:00. Most of Los Angeles was also there... I shed a layer or two before we even left the parking lot and we headed up Brown. As I was disrobing, I watched some excitement... Cops running around the house, securing the exits. But they were gone 10 minutes later. o_O

View attachment 72541

There were a couple groups that we passed on the way to the Fern turnoff, but it wasn't really crowded. The crowds would come later... Nice social pace on the way up. The last section before the saddle was lined with snow and ice. Pretty cool...

At the first saddle, we discussed the route. Up to Ken Burton saddle and down KB? Matt has never done it, so that would have been fun. That idea didn't get much traction, though. @Luis threw out the idea of heading down Fern and up Lower Sunset, and maybe up a little higher for some Sunset proper. I'm in! Hey, wait... I brought the wrong bike and that pavement is SAF. I'm still in... :cautious: :p

We headed down Fern... And passed by El Prieto for now. A slight detour, which was well worth the extra effort.

Poetry in and on the Hood...
View attachment 72542

Hence the name Brown Mountain...
View attachment 72544

We had a little competition with ourselves getting back down the hiker switchbacks... I think I scored 4.5/6. :Roflmao The half came from track standing while Luis figured out how to maneuver the school bus. :p

Over to Millard and up Lower Sunset... There were a couple other riders and hikers, but everyone was friendly. I finally managed to clean the little steep section on the single speed. The wet dirt made it possible...

The gang popping out of Lower Sunset...
View attachment 72546

Up the pavement. I now know it's cleanable if I add 250 mini switchbacks on the single speed... :p Seriously... Now that I know it's cleanable on the single speed, that is going to open up some possibilities. :D

Luis pointing out the sites. I suggested we climb up and see them. That idea was not met with wild applause. :cautious:
View attachment 72545

One of these is not like the others...
View attachment 72547

Down Sunset, with quite a few stops for hikers... No mechanicals, or drama, and the gang seemed to be moving pretty quickly today. :thumbsup: In between the hiker pauses, anyway. The single speed just felt awesome today, even with the bald tire on the back (Spec Slaughter...). Lower Sunset was a riot with the Enduro in the front to chase. I know Luis isn't going full out, but hanging on gives me a chance to see his lines. Went airborne at least 4 times in the beginning... :eek: :D

Climb out of Millard and over to El Prieto. El Prieto is always fun. But it's a lot more fun without 752 hikers. Some of them had never seen dirt before. Louis Vittons are not hiking gear. :stop: And if you're carrying a drink cup, you are definitely an inside people. Please stay there. :stop:


Absolutely fun ride!

I ended up with 24/3400
Click to expand...
Brown grave is on the top of the Little Round Top knob at the end of the pavement. His marker has been gone since 2002, it was found but has never been put back
 
I had so much fun yesterday riding in the storm, I decided to go back again today and enjoy the after storm conditions.

35* when I rolled from the truck. So many cars out there, I had to park a ways down the road.

Was cool but not cold. Just kinda turned the pedals on the pavement. Did pick up the pace when I came upon 2 riders blaring his music....sounded like I was at the Santa Ana Swap Meet....was interfering with my search for peace and quiet.

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Ditched the vest and sun sleeves at the first guardrail. About that point it had warmed up to the high 30's / low 40's. I was hoping to see snow down really low. However the riders I kept seeing come down were pretty clean....so I wasn't optimistic. Sure enough, at Dead Man's Turn where the actual spring is, finally started to see bits of snow.
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About a mile from 4 Corners it would get more consistant. Just under 4 Corners it was covering everything.

The snow was fresh'ish. Soft flaky powder. Not the semi frozen slush that we usually get.

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Rolled through 4 Corners and stopped to put on my jacket....not because of the cold, but to not get wet and muddy on the way over to Motorway. Yeah, at this point you could hear the douchebag motos coming up Maple Springs.....yes, they went around the gate, and no, they weren't supposed to be out there. :bang::bang::mad:

Cleared the snow pretty quick on the way to Motorway.

Yesterday it was 29* at the top of Motorway at 11:30am.....today it was 50*.

Had a nice run going down the upper part of Motorway.....then I ran into village of hikers. They were all friendly....well most of them. Why is it the dog owners who let their dogs off leash on trail always give you the dirtiest looks when they have to control the dogs by grabbing on to them. :cautious:

Anyway awesome day out there. Views weren't as great as they could have been due to the clouds.

18.5 / 3800'
 
mtnbikej said:
Why is it the dog owners who let their dogs off leash on trail always give you the dirtiest looks when they have to control the dogs by grabbing on to them. :cautious:
Click to expand...

I don't understand dog owners, even when I used to work in the business and we spent $ millions on consumer behavior research. On a positive note, I was out walking with my wife and two of our dogs on Saturday (on a hiking only trail). We were approaching two other hikers and I always have my dogs sit off to the side of the trail, and they can't move until I release them. The hikers were like "no it's ok - we know your dogs!" They had seen us before on the trail and recognized us by how well trained our dogs are. They said "your dogs are so well-trained we were telling our friends about them. We have never before seen dogs that will sit and not move even when other dogs pass them on the trail."

What do you say? "It's not that hard - just train your dogs and be consistent with your expectations for them. My dogs know when I tell them to sit and stay that means "sit and stay". It doesn't mean "sit until you decide you don't want to any more" :)

When I run trails I always have my border collie who runs with me wear a red pack with water in it. It makes her both highly visible and highly identifiable. When no one is around she runs in front of me, when I see someone on the trail I have her follow on my heels. I also carry her leash, and if I see something ahead that looks at all questionable, she is on the leash in a heartbeat. That is to protect my dog... and not to protect other people or animals from my dog. For many dog owners, a leash is the only thing between their animal being slightly under control to being a wild thing. If you have to use a leash to physically restrain your animal, you are already doing it wrong.
 
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47 degrees, 25 + mph headwind. Rode out up to the ridge. started my drop into the wind. Something stung my face just below my glasses. Started paying attention; hail is collecting on the sleeves of my sweatshirt. No rain. I slowed my pace to have the hail not strike too many hits on my face. After a mile and a climb it started to rain + hail. Eventually the hail stops and then the head wind dies, calm and windy, still cold.
Happy trails in the long dark winter of 2021
 
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