A Ride With All the Trimmings

Visiting the Christmas Tree atop Trabuco

Everyone needs a holiday tradition, and for at least a few OC mountain bikers it is to climb Trabuco and add a few libation-oriented ornaments to the Trabuco Christmas Tree.  If you have never stopped at the tree, it is about a mile below Main Divide Rd. on the Trabuco Trail.  Josh and I rode the trail last Friday, a day with fierce Santa Ana winds.  You may notice the knee pads (please hold the jokes), we were planning on riding Yeager Mesa but opted to return down Trabuco due to the crazy winds.  It was such a great day to ride below the ridgeline, I didn't want to have to hunker down on Los Pinos.  It was gusting hard enough to blow rocks.  I'll save Yeager for another day.  On this day it was nice to do the up and back, and pay our timely respects to the tree.

One more note, because of the crazy winds we were able to go super fast riding out Trabuco Road.  According to Josh's GPS we averaged 37 mph on the last two miles of road.  Happy Holidays indeed.

Black Friday

When Black Friday comes...you should be on your bike.  Forget shopping.  Get outside.  Live.  There is no empowerment through consumerism.  However, that said, this Holiday season you may consider giving your friends, your family, your biking pals the gift that keeps on giving.  Yes, a copy of Mountain Bike! Orange County.  The book is more than just a trail guide, it is a passport to fun.  Inside you'll find a map to the "other" Orange County.  The Orange County that everyone should know.  Buy it now.  Buy it for your friends.  Go out and ride.  You won't be disappointed.

Saddleback in Winter

After glorious summer beach days, now is the winter of disc brakes...or something like that.  It's not winter yet, but the late fall weather seems perfect for riding Saddleback.  This is the time of year - after the summer heat, before the first winter deluge - that the trails and conditions in the Santa Ana mountains seem perfect.  Crisp weather, glorious views, the largest open space in Orange County:  What more could you want?

I intend to be up there every week, weather permitting, until spring.  Last week was the first entree.  I rode up Holy Jim with Josh, Richard and Dan, then descended W. Horsethief.  It was my first time down Horsethief in several years, and what a beautiful descent - fun switchbacks, great views of the Yeager Mesa, perfect conditions.  If you haven't ridden it recently, get out there. 

Speaking of Yeager Mesa, I believe there might be a trip there in the near future.  After a couple light rains, Yeager should be in optimal condition.  Of course that means, for a mere mortal like myself, I will be able to ride most of the trail.  And I'd like to ride Coldwater this year.  So many trails, a whole winter's worth I think.

Tahoe Rim Trail

High above the Truckee River

        

Near Painted Rock, a few stone's throws from Mt. Baxter

      This summer I took my annual trek to Squaw Valley,  not to play so much but to work.  However, I did take a couple afternoons to go riding.  Since I flew up there, I had to rely on a rental.  There are several shops in the North Tahoe area with rental outfits.  My goal was to find a bike that would fit me - I'm tall as far a people go, and very tall for a mountain biker.  After a couple of inquiries I found Olympic Bike in Tahoe City, which had 21" Rumblefish 29er.  Not bad.
       Olympic Bike, near the lake in Tahoe City, is also within riding distance of the Tahoe Rim trail.  I rode a loop route on this trail, pretty much the same ride on two separate days, and was not disappointed.
      TRT is a long single track - 100 miles long - that traverses above Lake Tahoe -  starting where I rode in Tahoe City, and wrapping around the big lake, past some smaller lakes, over a few peaks, all the way to Mt. Rose.  It is multi-use trail, most of which is open to mountain bikers.  On the section near Tahoe City, there seemed to be more MTBers than hikers, but I ran into a few campers and backpackers.
    The route I rode was not steep, but steep enough considering the 7-8k altitude, and not overly technical, but technical enough for a rental bike and a first-time go through.  From the Tahoe City trailhead, the singletrack rises up to the ridgeline, running parallel with the Truckee River  and back towards Squaw Valley.   The views are magnificent - bluer than blue Lake Tahoe, Squaw Peak, Heavenly Peak (if that's what is called) and the Truckee River.  The trail meanders between meadows, small fields of lava rocks, and slight hillsides topped by mounds of boulders and pines.  Most of the route I rode was well shaded by groves of mature trees.

   After about 4 miles, there is an opt out point from the TRT.  The Western States Trail descends directly down to the Truckee River.  I did not ride this route, but I've hiked it, and it would be a fast, fun descent.  On my two rides, I kept going, past Painted Rock and down to a paved road which provided the second opt out point.  After a slight cruise down the paved road, I descended back to Tahoe City on a series of trails.  I have no idea about the trail names - nothing was signed - I just kept riding downhill and toward the lake.   The lake is such a prominent landmark, and it's easy to find one's way home.  The first descent was on a fast and smooth trail with about dozen kicker ramps.  It was fun doing the small jumps on the 29er.  After a few traverses, I found my route home (somehow finding the same small trail on both rides), descending on a narrow trail that meandered between tight strands of trees, following a brook, and ending at the reservoir on Jackpine St. in Tahoe City.  This trail was certainly unmapped, and I was happy to find it - it wasn't overly technical, but had a couple short steep sections, some tight switchbacks and a couple logs to roll over - fun riding with the feeling of complete isolation.
    I'm sure there are plenty of other nice rides on the TRT, and I'm hoping to go back to do more exploration in this great expanse of wilderness.

There Otter be Surf at Arroyo Laguna

Here are some photos from my last trip to the Central Coast. The spot is Arroyo Laguna just north of San Simeon and directly below Heart Castle.
I arrived on a Friday afternoon knowing that a substantial southern-hemisphere swell was rocking the coast. I've always wanted to sail Arroyo Laguna on a good south, and I was not disappointed.
Friday had plenty of overhead sets. It was easy to pick up waves on every reach - but the sets were meaty. At times we had to wait out sets on the beach.
Arroyo has fairly consistent side-off winds which makes it ideal for wave sailing. It is a straight beach break, and not a long wave, but there are outside reefs which make allow for fun turns and ramps.
Over the three days I sailed there, the crowds were never an issue. It seemed the kiters and windsurfers would almost platoon their time on the water. Above, a kiter goes for a thick section of wave. He came out late on Friday as local Brian Caserio went out in the water to film.

Saturday and Sunday the waves were a bit smaller, but there were still plenty of head-high sets. The wind also got stronger as well, picking up both afternoons. I forgot how hard this place can blow. By 4:00 on Saturday it was a steady gale with gusts to 40. A few of us, including pro Kevin McGillvery, stayed out for a survival session. It was during that nukin' afternoon that I had a close call with a sea otter. Really! He was floating along on big chunk of kelp. When I swerved to miss him I stuck my fin and face planted in the same kelp...and when I popped my head out of the water, there he was, floating right by my head. Otters have pretty sharp teeth and I thought he might try to take a chunk out of my face. But he did not flinch, just stayed on his kelp lilly pad and floated away. I'm pretty sure he was laughing at me.

Three Days and Counting

The Ultraquest is on Saturday. Josh and I took our last training ride today. Now I'm thinking about preparations: How much food do I need to eat on the ride; what clothing should I bring, and pads and sun protection; How early do I need to go to sleep (usually I'm a night owl); how much water, electrolytes and gel packs; what I need to do to my bike (don't want mechanical issues). Besides the necessities, I am going to bring a camera - just a bar of soap-sized point and click - to document the event.

Come race day, we will have one more talk about pacing and riding efficiently. And then we are off. Our goal is to finish. I'm hoping for less than 10 hours and I think that is realistic. Till then.

David

Raging Waters

Dan on the river crossing...An impressive Fail.
What we would have faced if we made it across the river. It looks cold up there.


The Ultraquest training continues for Josh and I...somewhat. Yesterday we planned to ride up Chiquito and down Pinos. I liked the route because it covered a decent chunk of the Ultra ride - a chance to see the trail and test our legs. At least it would have. We ran into a problem at the base of the Chiquito Trail. Too much water. The stream seemed like it could be safely crossed (by an able adult), but not without getting soaked. I suppose we could have stripped down and re-dressed on the upper bank, but it was cold. Yes, cold. Cold enough to snow on Pinos Peak. See the bottom photo. If we would have ventured up to Pinos with wet feet and wet legs, we might have ended up like the folks in Lost Horizon - shriveled up and freezing, dreaming about crackling fireplaces and steaming Jacuzzis.

For the record, our buddy Dan donned trash bags and tried to cross the river. He claimed he had done this before. We weren't convince when he pitched the idea, and we still aren't, but we have to give him credit for trying.

After a couple loops on the short San Juan Loop trail - checking out the waterfalls and such - we drove back to the San Juan Hot Springs and then rode up to Cocktail Rock and back. It was 39 degrees at the turnaround spot. It would have been another five to ten degrees colder on Pinos...and snowy. Perhaps we are fortunate that river stopped us.

Ultraquest

I've signed up to do the Ultraquest and only have two more weeks to prepare. Two weeks is not very long since the race a marathon of challenging trail riding. The course: up Chiquito, up to Pinos Peak down the first part of Bell Ridge and then down Yeager Mesa, Up the Trabuco Trail, back to Pinos Peak and then down the Los Pinos Trail, up the San Juan Trail and, finally, down Chiquito. Any one of the climbs seems like a good day's ride. The route is forty miles long, which may or may not sound far, but it is forty miles on the most rugged trail in OC...and a cumulative 10,000 feet of climbing. I obviously have my work cut out for me.


A topo image of the Chiquito Trail. A storied downhill with plenty of ledges and rock problems. The race begins and ends on Chiquito.
A snap of the Yeager Mesa. Still the only trail I have not ridden on the route. Better do it soon.


If all goes well, I'm hoping I can complete the course in about 10 hours. The goal is to eat, eat, eat, hydrate and pace. This weekend, barring rain, Josh and I will hit Chiquito and Los Pinos, skipping Trabuco and Yeager for now. Trabuco will be a bear after climbing Chiquito. Yeager is impossibly steep in sections. I'm hoping, that come race day, the adrenaline factor will overcome the limitations of my legs. Hopefully that adrenaline can carry me for ten hours.

Word From the UK

The folks at Cheap Mountain Bikes featured my blog on their website. Their website is:
cheapmountainbikes.me.uk. Yes, they are a UK outfit. So I'm sending a bit of cheap love across the Atlantic.

Cheers.

PS. While you are at it, see also:

specializedbikes.me.uk.

Apparently, these Brits are desperate for links. I don't endorse Specialized bikes, I ride at GT and they have always been good to me.

After The Deluge

The Damage:

According to the Trabuco Ranger District, the pre-Christmas rains - or should I say mega-rains - were the most damaging storm event in the last fifty years. The Santa Ana range was hit hard - collecting fifteen to eighteen inches of rain at the base of the mountains and at least twenty-five inches of rain on Santiago Peak. The impact was significant: roads slid, trails turned into gulleys, stream beds flooded, and boulders were moved.

After two weeks of dry weather there is still a significant amount of water in the streams. The water just keeps leaking out of the soil.

The Assessment:

Since the rains I have ridden Blackstar, Skinsuit, Maple Springs,the Motorway, San Juan and Los Pinos. These trails were all impacted, but have recovered nicely (trailwork was required in some instances). I would recommend riding any of these trails. In fact, ride them now. Conditions are fantastic.

Last week, Josh, Richard and I decided to make a run down Joplin. Josh and I had ridden Joplin just days before the big storm. That was perhaps my best Joplin run in memory. But the trail took damage. Since the rain, I had read a few reports of big ruts. Here is a photo posted on So Cal Trail Riders:

It is difficult to imagine that this is a trail.

Ruts or no ruts, we were headed to Joplin. The three of us departed from Cook's Corner and made our way up the Harding Truck Trail. I have not ridden Harding in quite some time. It is a grind, long, but not too steep, and with plenty of viewpoints. The last two miles runs fast through sections of shady oaks - a nice payoff. The road ends at Four Corners - the intersection of Main Divide, Harding and Maple Springs. The climb up Main Divide Road from Four Corners is typically loose and rocky, it seemed a bit better on this ride, particularly because we had a nice Santa Ana tailwind. Past Modjeska Peak the road winds downhill to Joplin. On this last section of MD we had such a headwind that I had to pedal to continue downhill.

We were happy to get off the gusty divide and start the real fun: Joplin. The top of the trail switchbacks above the canyon. This is where we saw the most damage. The above photo is probably about .5 miles down from Main Divide. The points where the trail runs straight down the canyon (or parallel to the canyon) are the worst - a big rutty, rocky mess. After the first mile, the impact was less noticeable. The long rock garden section seemed mostly unchanged. At the bottom there was plenty of water, and I had to walk across two stream crossings.


The ride down Santiago Truck Trail was a blast. There are bits of slide damage but, in my opinion, this only makes the trail more engaging and challenging.. STT is a great pedal-as-fast-as-you-can cross country section. The final icing on the ride was the drop down The Luge. This is another trail that took damage. It has been capably repaired thanks to dedicated mountain bikers and currently rides fast, with grippy banked turns . I had fun throwing my bike around some nice, small berms.

The Final Report:

A great day. Three hours to climb to Joplin and one hour to descend to Cook's. No complaints.

Los Pinos -2010 wrap up

Last April I posted my goal for 2010. I wanted to ride every trail I knew in the Santa Ana mountains. I was excluding E. Horsethief because of access issues and the poor quality of the trail. (Since April, I have learned of a few minor trails off of Skyline. I have ridden some of these, but I will save that review for another post).

As of April I had ridden: Skinsuit, Smashface, Silverado Motorway, Coldwater, San Juan, Old San Juan, Upper and Lower Holy Jim, Trabuco, Bell Ridge (and BGR) and Buckthorn. By my calculations then, I still had Yeager, Chiquito, Joplin and Los Pinos.

Well, I definitely got sidetracked and lost a lot of valuable riding time due to other concerns. The good news is that in December I was able to ride Joplin and Los Pinos.

I rode Joplin in mid-December, just before we had the big rain, the big flood and all the slide damage. The trail was in great shape, probably the best I'd ever seen it. Unfortunately, it seems that the trail has since taken some damage. The report I read said there were plenty of big ruts, but no fallen trees or impassible sections. Not catastrophic, but it won't be like it was. I'm hoping to do another descent in the next few weeks. I will give an update then.



Richard on Los Pinos. Looking toward Santiago Peak.

I rode Los Pinos on the last day of the year - a magnificent sendoff for 2010. Richard, Chris and I set off on the San Juan trail mid-morning. The parking lot near the hot springs was packed, as crowded as I have ever seen it. As we climbed toward Cocktail Rock we were beset with riders shuttling the downhill. There was about 20 people at Cocktail waiting to descend. It was hard to find a place to put our bikes. This was only a week after the big rain. All of the "local" OC parks were closed, Trabuco was mostly inaccessible, Blackstar was a mess and the Luge was a slide zone. So, everyone was on San Juan.

The good news is that everyone was concentrated on the new San Juan. We didn't spend much time at Cocktail Rock. We took a left onto the Old San Juan Trail and entered a different world, only passing one rider between the rock and Blue Jay. There were plenty of cars at Blue Jay, but not a single rider on "The Wall" or Pinos. We had the whole trail - all eight miles of Pinos ridgeline - to ourselves. And the trail was magnificent.

I've made the mistake of riding Pinos in the summer. Hot summer days when the sun bakes into the rocks and the manzanita scratches your dry skin like a giant brillo pad. I've cowered under those same shrubs, looking for some respite from the sun. There isn't much shade on Pinos.

Every trail I know took a beating during the big December storm. Pinos only seemed to get better. That's because Los Pinos is not really a trail. Well, sure it is a trail, but not in the conventional sense. Pinos is a ridgeline full of transistor radio-sized rocks. On a cold day in December, all the rocks seemed frozen together...like permafrost. There was ice on all the eastern slopes, but it wasn't slippery. The ice made the trail sturdier, grippier and fun. It was eight miles of ego dirt, but it wasn't really dirt at all.

That's not to say the descents were easy. Pinos is a challenge. More than 5,000 vertical feet of challenging downhill. Almost every downhill section is followed a steep hike-a-bike. There are reasons why we were alone on the trail. While it is an adventure that shouldn't be taken lightly, it is an experience not to be missed. After the climb up Main Divide ("The Wall") there are two short climbs to Pinos Peak. Chris, Richard and I were treated with a panoramic view - the San Bernadino Mountains to the east, San Jacinto Mountain to the south and San Clemente Island to the west. Lake Elsinore is directly below and to the southeast.


New Years Eve on Pinos Peak. Seriously folks!



Past the peak there is a small descent and then a monstrous descent, followed by a long, steep hike-a-bike up a pointy precipice I like to call Witch Mountain. After Witch mountain the trail continues on the ridge line allowing for more descents and about six more hike-a-bikes. Wear comfortable bike shoes on this ride!

This photo was taken from atop the first big climb. If you look carefully you can see the trail cascading down the ridge line. Click on the photo to enlarge.

The last couple miles of the trail contain the most technical downhill sections. After a steep plunge, the route drops into a meadow. From the meadow, one can look up San Juan Canyon toward Long Canyon. On this day, at the top of San Juan Canyon, there was a magnificent waterfall. As Chris said, it looked like something you would see in Hawaii. We were several miles away, but the falls looked to be about thirty-feet wide and fifty-feet tall.

After the meadow, the trail switchbacks down to the canyon. There are few technical rock sections with tight turns and microwave oven-sized boulders. The trail ends at a church camp in San Juan Canyon. The final adventure was crossing the swollen stream (three times!) as we pedaled down the canyon road. I kept thinking about that waterfall as we splashed through the roaring water. When we arrived back at the car, the parking lot was full of riders, but we were the only ones with wet feet.

Happy 2011 to all. I'm still working on my goal for this year.

Riviera Magazine

Mountain Bike! Orange County is listed in this month's Riviera Magazine. Andrew Tonkovich highlights "11 of the best O.C.- connected books of the past 11 years."

Check out the link:

http://media.modernluxury.com/digital.php?e=RVOC