Happy Holidays - Card 2009 (click to enlarge)

How Not To Hit Your Head On Doorways

First of all, if you do hit your head, pound your fist into the doorjamb. Pound it hard. Pound again. Yell at the doorframe. “Leave my head alone, you big bully.”

Always duck. Bow your head. Pretend the Emperor of Japan is always waiting in the next room, but in general, avoid Asian countries where structures tend to be built for smaller people.

Avoid caves. Avoid castles. Avoid beach houses. Avoid trailer homes. Avoid cozy lofts.

Be vigilant when wearing a cap. The cap won’t protect your head. The bill will impair your vision. The little button atop the cap will tattoo your pate.

Don’t grow so tall. Refuse milk as a child. Avoid hanging from ledges. Live in a cold climate. Malnourish yourself. Tell your parents you want recessive genes.

Don’t wear heels. Even when such shoes are fashionable during disco and glam rock periods, insist on flats. Express your fashion sense with large belt buckles and jade jewelry.

Under no circumstances should you ever let your friends convince you to wear a Mohawk.

Insist on living in Wilt Chamberlain’s house. Vacation in Norway. Walk through archways. Visit marble buildings with enormous entranceways. Visit museums. Visit train stations. Visit monuments.

Stay outdoors.

Bell Ridge

Ron, Chris, Carl and I rode up Trabuco and down Bell Ridge last Sunday. What a day! The climb up Trabuco was tough but doable. My pre-holiday legs just couldn't spin up all the loose sections, so I walked a bit. When we reached the top of Trabuco we made the familiar climbs to Pinos Peak. This is where we geared up for the descent and - oh my gosh - what a descent. Bell Ridge is amazing. Many thanks to those who worked on this trail. It is in such good shape. I can't say enough about this trail. It begins with an out-of-this-world descent through the trees, then climbs and drops along the exposed ridge for several more miles. There was one gut-busting hike-a-bike. Then there were several controlled slide sections, followed by shorter climbs and a couple steep, on the verge of, uncontrolled slide sections. It was truly on out of body experience. We finished on the super steep BGR trail, which is sort of like luge riding on a 30% grade. Wow. I've been buzzing all week about this ride.

After The Rain

Rode the San Juan Trail following the big rain. Actually rode it twice that week. San Juan is the go-to trail when everything else is soaked. This day was perfect - tacky dirt, tight switchbacks and gorgeous scenery to boot.

Photo courtesy of Ron Leland. I'm always pissed when he makes us stop, but it the result is definitely worth it.

Holy Jim to Trabuco

Six of us had been planning a post-Thanksgiving ride, up Holy Jim and down Trabuco. A Twenty-six mile course, if you ride the road in, that carves a nice swath across the southern section of the Santa Anas. When Saturday, ride day, rolled around, weather was passing over SoCal. Ron called me to tell me it was raining in Dana Point. We quickly reconsidered the ride and decided instead on the San Juan trail - decomposed granite holds up in wet conditions. But a little later I had a change of heart. I really wanted to ride Trabuco. It's such a great trail. So I convinced Ron and the others to go for it. It seemed a bit risky, Main Divide always seems to show the brunt of any weather system. I've ridden through crap loads of snow, been pelted in a hail storm and have been battered in mud. However, we figured, that if the conditions were poor, we could just return down Holy Jim. Well, we lucked out, the conditions were magnificent, perhaps a bit cool, but not wet and certainly not windy. I couldn't believe it. Both the Holy Jim and the Trabuco trails benefited nicely from a light dusting of rain. My mantra for the day - "The trails are in great shape, too bad I'm not." Unfortunately, my bike was slightly less than perfect as well. Actually, only the rear wheel. I busted a spoke one mile in to the ride (with twenty-five more to go). Without a spare spoke, I kept going and managed to make it about half way before busting a second spoke on Main Divide. I continued and somehow managed to ride the entire descent on Trabuco without further issues. The descent was perfect. With the absence of dust, we rode in a tight group, smiling and hooting through one beautiful section after another. I think that smile lasted for about 12 hours.

Thanks to Ron Leland for the photos. Not only did the weather cooperate, but so did the light. A beautiful day.

San Juan Trail

Last week I rode the San Juan trail, from the bottom to up to Cocktail Rock and back. Not the whole trail, but enough of a sampling to fill a morning and sate my desire for single track. I hadn't ridden the trail for 11 months, which is a long time. Recently I have been going back to Los Pinos, Holy Jim and Trabuco. That's unfortunate, because the San Juan may be the best trail in OC. Of course I always waver on this point. The downside of the San Juan is that it gets a tremendous amount of use. Weekends are crowded for downhill shuttlers. Nothing wrong with that, I've done it many times myself, but riding uphill against traffic can get tiresome. Last week, on a cool Thursday morning, we had the trail all to ourselves. The trail itself seems in fairly good shape. Some of the switchbacks are a bit rough and I crashed on one rocky step down (unable to see the line on approach), but overall the trail is quite fast. The top section is full of luge-like ruts-cum-concavities that seem to give riders a false sense of confidence. It works though, we ran this section downhill faster than any of the others. There are a few loose and sandy sections that will send your rear wheel sliding toward the cliff's edge, so don't get too overconfident. Falling off the trail is never a good idea. I alway make my San Juan mantra - stay on the trail, stay on the trail. For this reason I love the turns that berm into the cliff. These are my points of confidence, I love rolling hard through those...then I just hope for the best on the outside, cliffside turns. Last there are the switchbacks - carry speed, keep that back wheel going around - they are fun, challenging and plentiful. Resolved: I have to do this trail more often.

Quail Hill

I don't know the ladies in the above photo. I just needed a stock photo of Quail Hill and mountain bikes. Here's why: the Stagecoach trail is now open all the way out Laguna Canyon. This isn't exactly new news but it is good news. The additional trail section makes it possible to ride off-road (legally) from the coast in Laguna to Quail Hill in Irvine. On Sunday I rode out the canyon road (just a bit of pavement), to the Stagecoach trail and took the trail (single-track to the Nix center and fire road the rest of the way) out to where it connects with Serrano Ridge. This point is just about a mile from the Quail Hill market place. From there I followed a route back home on Serrano ridge. Unfortunately the super-fun trails which connect Serrano Ridge to Bommer Canyon are still off limits to all park users. One may legally ride these trails during docent rides and open access days (consult the Irvine Land Reserve website for this info). More disappointing, however, is that the Little Sycamore Canyon Trail (used to be known as Shangri-la) is only open to hikers. Unfortunate because this trail was created and maintained by bikers. This wouldn't have been part of my Sunday ride, but still, having the trail open to all users would allow riders to complete the most obvious loop route from the Nix Center. For my ride, I continued on Serrano under the tollroad and then cruised down Upper Laurel Canyon. Eventually I reached the Lizard Trail, my last ascent of the ride, and followed it up to Bommer Ridge. From Bommer, I crossed into El Morro and rode the Fenceline trails - Okay, a little more climbing, but once you reach the top it's all downhill. The final part of the ride was the flowy drop down BVD and the fun cruise out Emerald Canyon. A perfect Sunday ride, plenty of miles - probably over twenty, but I didn't bring my GPS - lots of nice scenery, no intense climbs (not after Saturday night) and a few fun trail sections.

Reason to be.

I love this photo. As my young friend, Luis Tonkovich, bounds up a trail on Santa Barbara Island, he looks undeniably happy. His course, although on a trail, seems only defined by pure joy. He's not running to anything except blue sky, the ocean and a better vista. Although this photo lacks any evidence of mountain bike activity, it seems to define the central theme of my blog and my core reason for writing about my outdoor experiences. Like Luis, I relish moments of pure joy when the wind is my face, the trail lies ahead and my only motivation is to keep moving. These are the moments when the weight of the world and thoughts of my own mortality seem to disappear into the ether. Perhaps they are the only moments worth living for.

Santa Barbara Island

Over the weekend I cruised out to, and camped on, Santa Barbara Island. We went out with Island Packers, a charter company which carries campers, hikers, whale watchers and divers out to all the landings in the Channel Islands National Park. Santa Barbara Island is not only remote, it is also the smallest of the Channel Islands -one square mile of cliffs and hillsides rising from the Pacific about 50 miles offshore of Santa Monica. There are few amenities at the campground, but the island itself is quite beautiful, easy to circumnavigate - either on foot or by boat - and a haven for sea life and marine mammals. I spent a great part of every day in the water. The diving was magnificent. Curious sea lions seemed to follow my every move as I swam through forests of kelp and along craggy shoreline reefs. Along the sandy bottom there were squadrons of large bat rays and amongst the rocks I spotted Calico Bass, Sheepshead, Perch and a an abundance of Opal Eye. I also came across some of the largest lobster shells I had ever seen. The lobsters are molting and they are ripe for the picking. I really need to come back to this island during lobster season. This time I was, frustratingly, one week early.

Santa Ana River Trail

I stayed up near Angelus Oaks over Labor Day weekend. This can only mean one thing, another opportunity to ride the Santa Ana River Trail. Since I started in the middle of the day, I decided to peddle up Glass Road and Seven Oaks Road to the trailhead near Hwy 38. From there it's 11 miles of rolling single track down to the elegantly named Middle Control Road. The trail continues another two miles out to Angelus Oaks and descends to Mentone. I'll save those sections for when I have the opportunity to ride with friends (who can provide a shuttle car amongst other things). The 11 miles I did ride was fantastic. This is fast, flowy single track with tight turns,berms and a smattering of stream crossings.. Much of the upper trail cascades along a steep hillside; there are plenty of narrow sections with sufficient drop offs to keep one from day dreaming. Almost the entire trail is completely canopied. A few open sections allow for fantastic views of the valley below.

I can't recommend this trail enough. I rode mid-day and didn't see one other rider...for 11 miles! The only people I passed was a family of hikers. Where was everyone? It was Labor Day weekend, Los Angeles was on fire, the entire SoCal basin was blazing with heat and it was perfect in the mountains. It makes one wonder.

Hot Hot Hotter

We rode the Los Pinos trail Saturday. Actually we survived the Los Pinos trail. Don't be fooled by the smiling faces, it was hot. Unfortunately we planned the ride a couple weeks in advance and didn't account for mega-hot weather. Hitting the trail at 7 am was not early enough. Los Pinos has minimal shade and plenty of warm, reflective rocks. I found myself waiting under the sparse shade of manzanita bushes - hardly an elm tree - trying to ration my water till we made it to the safety of the car.

As you might guess, we had the entire trail to ourselves, all eight miles of ruts, rocks and spiny bushes. It wasn't until we reached the final steps, near the seemingly idyllic church camp, that I saw other people. They were young kids in their church best. They blessed me as a rattled by and I nearly warned them of the demons that lie ahead.

I get thirsty just thinking about this one.

Check out my May 4th posting for additional, and greener, photos of Los Pinos.

Free Ride

I thought I'd post this photo of my friend Bryan Botts hitting a nice jump on a free ride course (Thanks to Carl Hyndman). I thought it was a nice photo and, for the record, I would never do this jump. Actually I don't have any problem with the jumping part...It's just the landing. I am quite vulnerable to "compression sickness". It's no fun. The symptoms are broken bones and contusions. Bryan seems fairly immune to this malady. Good for him.

El Morro

Our little community by the sea has been demolished and mostly forgotten. However those of our who spent our formative years there still think of it as home. - like the mothership we always come back to. It's a bond we all share. When I venture back to the sand and to the water (that's all that's really left) I'm always hoping to run into, by chance, some of my old neighbors. When the surf gets large those chances grow greater.

Friday was a classic day for the surf at El Morro. It was also bit of a homecoming for a small group of us. I went out bodysurfing in the evening - over matched and delightfully terrified - and I'm still trying to drain the water out of my ear. Unfortunately my "bar of soap" camera couldn't quite capture the size and strength of the swell. The above photo is of one of the moderate size sets. Not bad and certainly big for any other day.

On Saturday morning I witnessed the other side of the "big swell" equation. I went surfing at Doheny and paddled into a floating mass of humanity. A flotilla of foam and fiberglass. There were perhaps 150 people in the water - one-third of them surfing, two-thirds of them just floating bobbing around like an aquatic obstacle course. Oh to live in Southern California.

BONK!

It's summertime and the temps are rising. Last week in Laguna was pretty warm and humid. Okay, maybe not by Midwest or Gulf Coast standards - Sunday's weather was probably equivalent to a Spring day in Houston - but it's still enough to zap one's energy.

Sunday morning I did a typical ride from my house, climbing up Dartmoor (Boat Road) to the top of Bommer Ridge. I was all sweat and suffering. Of course this happens from time to time, we all have good days and bad days. So I continued on - my normal loop - and I have to say I was nearly dead on my pedals. I wobbled and weaved my way back to Emerald Canyon and then descended the drop like a groggy drunk...happy not to crash. But I made it.

By afternoon - after a dose of liquids and protein - I felt much better and made it to the beach. I told my friend Andy about my experience. He told me he nearly bonked on his own ride and that a mutual friend of ours (a strong rider) had to be helped home after bonking on a Sunday morning group ride. So it's not just me.

I've formulated a few rules for riding in the heat.

1. Liquids. Liquids. Liquids. (duh)
2. Go early or go late.
3. Don't worry about how fast.
4. Stop when there is shade
5. No riding when hungover.

It all seems so obvious. Sometimes though we ignore the obvious, take rules lightly, believe we can do what we shouldn't etc. On my next ride I plan to feel better.

Summer Expedition

I just drove 2,100 miles. My destination was Gold Beach, Oregon. My purpose (okay, purpose may be a bit far reaching) was to windsurf the Oregon coast at Pistol River. If you don't windsurf you probably have never heard of Pistol River, but it is an amazing spot - remote, scenic, and when it is on, intensely windy. Unfortunately, I arrived in Gold Beach/Pistol River to the unwelcome chorus of "You should have been here yesterday." Prior to my arrival the Oregon Coast had witnessed two perfect weeks of wind and, intermittent, large surf. My time there consisted of four life-sucking days in the cold fog. I surfed mushy waves in super cold water, played a commanding game of tennis and beat the socks off a couple wily young teens at basketball. I also watched an odd, and slightly unsettling, fireworks show. The local civic leaders set off their display above the foggy skies of the Gold Beach marina. Each report was followed by an eerie, otherworldly glow in the cloudy sky. Think 1950's scifi effects. The crowd - essentially everyone in town - bundled against the cold, seeming more phlegmatic than patriotic. No one over twelve exhibited any sign holiday exuberance. Happy Birthday America, your tired, cold and blanket-covered masses would rather be in bed.

The upside of my trip to Gold Beach was seeing some old friends and acquaintances. Windsurfing the Southern Oregon Coast is a lifestyle choice for the hearty bunch of misfits who somehow survive there summer after summer. I'm amazed at comforted that this group still exists. Windsurfing a single day at Pistol River would be an over-the-top bucket list experience for just about anyone on the planet - think 40 naught winds and 15-20 foot surf - but this crew manages to do it day in day out year after year - unheralded, unknown and practically unseen. It was a letdown that I missed out on the Pistol River experience but...

After driving down from Oregon I arrived in Santa Cruz to find -trumpets please - wind and waves. Santa Cruz had been dead to windsurfing for two weeks, but this week the wind gods cooperated. I hit Waddell Creek for three consecutive days, with solid white caps and a healthy south swell. I sailed till I was sore, took a few waves on the head and, unfortunately, broke some equipment. Good times. The photos below where taken with my bar of soap-sized point and click, not the greatest but you get the idea. As for Pistol River...there's always next year.

Above The Clouds

A group of us - okay, five burly guys and one wiry Italian - rode up Saddleback last Saturday. We started in Silverado Canyon, spun up Maple Springs to Main Divide Road, hiked over the saddle, descended the Upper and Lower Holy Jim trails and finally rode out Trabuco Canyon Road. If you know this ride, then you know just how great it is. For the uninitiated, well, read on. The ride up Maple Springs is probably the easiest route to Main Divide, but it's still a seven mile grind...albeit a scenic seven mile grind. We began Saturday in the dense clouds which blanketed all of SoCal. I was hoping for sunshine at higher elevations, but I was somewhat skeptical until we neared Main Divide and spotted patches of blue sky. About this time a couple riders blew by our group. Our egos deflation subsided when Tom recognized one of the speedsters as Thomas Frischknecht. Frischi (got that one from Wikipedia) is a Swiss pro rider with a long storied career. I'm pretty sure he's retired now, but he was still pushing a big gear up Maple Springs on Saturday.

When we reached Main Divide, we followed the gravelly dirt road around Modjeska Peak (the lesser of the twin peaks). We had lunch near the radio towers and took in the incredible views. Check out the photos above. In person the clouds below us resembled enormous pillows, lazily stretching to the horizon. Above us was only blue sky and mountain peaks. The top photo shows a not too distance Santiago and in the bottom photo, San Gorgonio is in the hazy distance. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so I believe these are all from Ron's iPhone. Not bad though.

After a short, somewhat stickery, hike-a-bike over the divide, we began our descent. Upper Holy Jim is a hoot: steep, scenic, switchbacky and lightly traveled. This is definitely the more technical of the Holy Jims. Upper Holy Jim is a bit reminiscent of the San Juan Trail. It's cut into a hillside of decomposed granite; small rock gardens are interspersed between tight switchbacks. In comparison, Lower Holy Jim runs smooth and fast. Not too fast though, since there are plenty of hikers heading up the trail on an early summer Saturday morning. It's hard not to have a smile on this trail. The scenery is, again, magnificent. Every time we popped out of the canopy of manzanita we were greeted with blue skies above and views of lush Trabuco Canyon below. After the generous downhill we arrived at the Holy Jim fire station. Crowds of hikers and Jeepsters filled up the parking lot. This is definitely one of the nicest places in Orange County. The only downside is that the long drive in on the dirt road is a drag - all bumps and dust. On a bike though the ride out is fairly easy, we pass the cars, hold our breath through the dust and glide across the stream crossings. It's all good...can't wait to do it again.

Anticipation

My new bike is coming - in a box, in a truck, in a plane, in a train (not sure) - making its way to Laguna Beach. I can't wait. Hopefully, if all goes well, and the gods of shipping and bike mechanics cooperate, I will be riding this beast next week. Certainly this will provide material for many more blog posts. Keep your ears open gentle readers (or rough riding trail lovers as the case may be). My gang of riders - be they fat, old and mangy - has a few big rides in the pipeline. I'll be sure to provide pictures. Yes, the others will be lagging behind. No way they'll be able to keep up with me on my new bike. Not a chance.

Until then...

Jalama

I camped at Jalama last week in north Santa Barbara county. The campground abuts a vast wide-open beachfront just north of Point Conception. It's a beautiful spot that often fills up, except in the springtime when the northwest wind sweeps through the campground like the devil turned sirocco. Which is exactly why I was there.

Jalama beach is a classic California wavesailing spot. For twenty-plus years it has been on the radar of most central and southern California windsurfers. The spot is not for the meek. Not by any stretch of the imagination - the surf can be large, unrelenting and powerful, and the wind can range from fluky to extreme. (I was once told that Jalama means changing winds in some native language. I can't verify it though.) Last week the surf was fairly small, but the wind was fierce, gusting to nearly 50 mph in the late afternoon. Getting out on the water early was the best choice, by 4 p.m our whole group of windsurfers was mostly blown off the water.

The same sundowner winds which created havoc in the Santa Barbara fire of late hit Jalama with full intensity. For four consecutive days last week the wind came up in the early afternoon and just kept building. The northerly cant of the wind made for great side-off wave sailing, but the gusts were unrelenting. At 230 lbs there aren't too many days when I can't hold on to my smallest sail (a 4.2m) - but there I was, having the sail ripped out of my hands, then fin walking across the water and doing everything possible not to catapult out of the footstraps. Whew. What a rush. Before the total chaos there was also some fun sailing sessions - nicely powered and on waist to chest high surf. And the wind was warm!

The top photo was taken at 8 a.m. last Thursday. Already a couple of kiters are out riding small surf drained out by the super low tide. The next two photos are, obviously, from late in the day. I'm not sure if the middle photo captures just how windy it was. There was so much sand blowing that the lens on my digital camera repeatedly seized up...Can't wait to go back.

What Not To Do

Poison oak contains urushiol oil—the sticky, resin-like substance found inside the plant that causes the rash, blisters and itch that make it so well known. More than half the population is allergic to urushiol oil. Found in poison oak, poison ivy and poison sumac, it is said to be the cause of more than 50 million cases of dermatitis in the United States every year.

Urushiol is present throughout the entire plant, including leaves, stems and roots, even after the plant has died. It can also stay active on any surface for up to five years–including on dead plants, yard tools, garden gloves and even animal fur.

The leg is not mine, but I feel a bit responsible. Ron ran into a bad patch on West Horsethief and had a fairly major reaction. I had intended to bring alcohol and alcohol wipes along for the ride - always a good idea when venturing into unknown foliage - but I was remiss. Alcohol works well to remove the oil. Apply ASAP. Poison Oak is like cancer, the quicker you treat it the better. If you can't cleanse with alcohol during your ride, immediately wash with soap and rinse with alcohol when you are finished. If you start to break out, then you might try bleach on the rash. Bleach kills the oil. There are also over the counter products to combat poison oak exposure. I'm not sure if they work better than Alcohol and Bleach ( I believe Technu is alcohol based). You may also want to consider long sleeves and pant legs if you have repeated problems...an obvious solution, but you still have to be careful of your tainted clothing. Be careful, this is nasty stuff, some people are more susceptible than others. If you are sensitive to poison oak, don't always believe your friends when they tell you that the trail is oak free. They may not know and poison oak is often difficult to spot. Avoid the three-leafed plants as a rule. If you do step in it, try not to touch your the area of contact. If you do touch the area of contact, try especially hard not to touch your nether regions. Don't be the poster child for Regret.

If your breakout gets as bad as Ron's, then hopefully there is a walk-in clinic near you.

Los Pinos

This ride began with a crazy notion. While descending Holy Jim two weeks earlier, My buddy Ron and I discussed venturing out on Los Pinos. We had never ridden the trail before, easily the remotest and probably one of the most challenging single-tracks in Orange County. I suggested that we start at Blue Jay campground, ride up South Main Divide and then descend the Trabuco Trail and climb West Horsethief before making the long trip out on Los Pinos...as if Los Pinos wasn't enough.

And that's what we did. Surely, there are more difficult rides. Some riders climb the San Juan Trail to Main Divide and then descend Los Pinos. That's a big loop, with a lot of climbing. I don't know exactly how many riders complete this, but I'm sure they must be a lot younger than I am. Then there is the Ultra Quest, the invite only, more extreme answer to the Vision Quest. The Los Pinos Trail is merely one leg - roughly 25% - of the Ultra Quest. But those riders are super-human, and last time I checked I didn't have any capes in my closet.

So we, mere mortal men, set off Saturday morning from Blue Jay campground. The forecast was for late season rain. This seemed to drive away most of the other traffic. On most Saturday mornings Blue Jay is full of bikes and vehicles - mostly riders shuttling the San Juan trail. The rain never materialized, but the weather was optimally cool and cloudy. The initial "wake up" climb up South Main Divide was every bit the grunt we remembered. After twenty-five minutes of huffing and puffing we reached the top and the fun (read singletrack) began. The first order of business was to charge down the Trabuco Trail. I'm sure it wasn't an all out run for either of us (we had plenty more riding ahead of us), but we weren't lacking for grins. This is such a great trail, beginning in the canopy of pines and then descending to the narrow source canyon for Trabuco creek. After a mile the pines give way to Live Oaks and Manzanita as the trail winds along the rocky edge of the tight canyon. It's perfectly scenic and perfectly fun. The riding is fast and only moderately technical - a great warm up for the main event.

After two miles on Trabuco we turned onto West Horsethief and began our climb. West Horsethief is a steep series of gravelly switchbacks. For most riders, including ourselves, it is primarily a hike-a-bike. The slow pace enabled us to take in the resplendent scenery. West Horsethief is a great vantage point to view the rolling contours of upper Trabuco Canyon. It is also a wonderland for springtime wildflowers. By now, most of the hills in Laguna have lost their spring color , but on the higher elevation hillsides above Trabuco canyon there were still amazing collections of lupines, buttercups and monkeyflower.

After climbing West Horsethief, we continued on Main Divide Road, taking the opportunity to actually ride our bike again. This section of Main Divide offers great views of Lake Elsinore, a body of water that definitely looks better from a distance (good from far but far from good we used to say) than up close and in person. Ron and I also spied the top section of the East Horsethief trail. The trail used to connect the Santa Ana mountains to Elsinore - an old escape route for horse thieves - but it doesn't seem to get much use these days and I'm not sure of the trail's condition.

After our jaunt on Main Divide, we returned to Los Pinos. The Los Pinos Trail begins at the top of the Trabuco Trail, coursing immediately up to Los Pinos Peak. The route to the peak provides the first hike-a-bike opportunity of many along the trail. We stopped at the peak and refueled, knowing the heavy lifting was about to come. As you can see from the photo above, the Los Pinos Trail rollercoasters along a sharp ridge back, dropping and climbing steeply for several miles. It is remote. We didn't see any other riders on this Saturday afternoon, and saw no one else at all save a couple of hikers on the bottom leg of the trail.

The precipitous drops on the trail are loose, rutted, tightly foliated and littered with mounds of bagel-sized rocks (and the occasional bowling ball-sized one for good measure). We found every single section challenging and fun to ride. Of course each downhill section is followed by a steep, rocky hike-a-bike ascent. After several hike-a-bike intervals we had to dig deep to keep pushing on. We named the fourth climb after Los Pinos peak "witch mountain" - a steep incline to a narrow summit. The downhill on the back side of "witch mountain" was incredible - something like 700 feet of elevation loss in a little over half a mile. I've heard the term " bike surf" used before - controlled sliding down steep terrain. This section of Los Pinos may be the Waimea of "bike surf." Overall, the entire trail is a challenge of control, conditioning and bike handling skills.

The trail finally switchbacks down to Lazy W Ranch, just up from San Juan Trail. When we reached our car there we had completed about 17 miles, 4,000 plus feet of climbing and approximately 7,000 feet of descent. Not the Ultra Quest, but still a good days work.

If you like taking the path of greatest resistance, then this trail is a must for you, but be prepared for serious drops and steep climbs, then leave your meek friends at home. Also, wear protection - full-fingered gloves, long sleeves and chin coverings are a must. Give yourself plenty of time to complete the trail and enjoy. It truly is an experience.

Central Coast Magic

Last week I took a trip up to the central coast of California. Specifically I went to Arroyo Laguna (near San Simeon) and Jalama to windsurf. The wind didn't disappoint, if anything it was a bit too windy at Arroyo Laguna...and cold. The water was holding sub 50 degree temps and the wind was clocking up around 40 knots. I camped the first night and it felt like I was bivouacking on a glacier. I couldn't believe how many tourists were there as well - spending their Spring Break to see the scenery and the Elephant Seals - they spent their days getting sandblasted by the brisk wind and nights hunkering down in heavy parkas and knit caps...good times.

At Arroyo, all of the windsurfers were done early in the morning. I went out in the afternoon and shared the break with one kiter. It was really too windy to wavesail, but still fun. I would've stayed out longer, but lacking a hood, I became cold and tired pretty fast.

The last two photos are from Jalama. This is a classic Central Cal windsurfing spot and last Thursday was a classic day. Again, I was the only windsurfer and had the place to myself until a few kiters showed up. I think I'm doing the wrong sport, but then again I enjoy being a relic. Truthfully, I'm just happy I can still get out there and do it. I'm heading back to Jalama the next chance I get.

Mountains to the Sea

Two Saturdays ago, I set out with a few friends to ride the length of the Trabuco corridor. We started out at Blue Jay campground and rode up South Main Divide to the top of the Trabuco Trail. The plan was to ride the Trabuco Trail to Trabuco Canyon Road to the Arroyo Trabuco Trail past I-5 and then make our way (by trail if not by dead reckoning) into Dana Point. Atop the Trabuco Trail we were greeted with stunning views, gazing above the ceiling of clouds westward to the coast and inland to the peaks of the San Bernadinos and the San Gabriels. We decided to do a bit of "extra-curricular" riding and headed up to Los Pinos Peak. Needless to say, the view was worth the extra climbing. From the top of Los Pinos we charged down the Trabuco Trail (as great as any single-track in Orange County) and out to the Holy Jim Fire Station. Unfortunately the most invigorating mountain-biking experience came at the beginning of the ride. But there was plenty more to explore. The Arroyo Trabuco Trail was decked out in full springtime regalia - just as green and lush as could be. After a fun detour on the Water Works Trail - a mile of fun BMX style dips and berms - we headed to Taco Mesa for a well needed lunch break. Unfortunately, by this time , we lost two of our riders: one by injury and one by attrition.

After lunch the remaining four of us headed west. Just past the 5 Freeway I lost my riding partners and was compelled to scramble down silty horse paths and dirty dead end trails until I found a major street. By this time I was happy to ride the last two miles on the road. The others were, perhaps, less fortunate, forced to do a long hike-a-bike to the ridge above Dana Point. By this time they may have been too tired to enjoy the final downhill into town. Not sure, it wasn't there to witness it.