Mountain Bike! Orange County

IMBA Laguna : Building Sustainable Trails

2012-01-28T22:26:00.000-08:00

About six weeks ago I attended an IMBA workshop on building sustainable trails (and creating sustainable mountain bike communities). The purpose of the workshop was twofold 1) to educate local Laguna Wilderness riders about building sustainable trails 2) to create a dialogue between bikers and the land managers. The event was well attended.   Max Borella, the head of the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park (LCWP), was very receptive to our group. Amongst the bikers there was Hans Rey, Brian Lopes and Richie Schley. The SHARE folks were there, joined by some of the RADS, and other active members of our mountain bike community. The meeting went well , if not perfectly well. There are lot of problems in the LCWP that can't be solved overnight, if ever.

Population and available resources are a major issue. We only have so much park space, and a lot of potential users. Like other users the mountain bikers have their own set of demands. The trail system in Laguna generally consists of "fall line" construction, trails which run straight down ridges i.e. they are subject to erosion and are not necessarily sustainable. The other issue with the LCWP is that many of the trails are unofficial or illegal. Many of the illegal trails are very popular, and some of the illegal trails are better constructed than their legal counterparts.

IMBA's objective is to get the land managers and the trail users to work together to create a legal, sustainable and fun trail system. There has long been an impasse between the local mountain bike community and those who manage the land. Of course there are many obstacles. Some of the problems are based on historical issues: much of the trail system was developed when the wilderness areas were still private (and officially off limits). Some park lands, after being made public, were slow to be developed for public use (Some such as the Irvine Ranch Conservancy still have many use restrictions). These historical problems need to be worked through. On the mountain biker side, riders need to be convinced that legal and sustainable trails can also be fun and challenging trails.   Land managers need to recognize mountain bikers as a significant user group, and understand, by and large, that they are a responsible user group. The surrounding cities should also recognize that developing mountain biking-friendly parks can be a boon to the local economies.

There has already been some success in the area of trail development.   2010 saw the Car Wreck trail opened in Aliso Woods.   In 2011 Mentally Sensitive was opened in Aliso Woods. These are both mountain bike-centric trails, fun downhills that are adaptable for intermediate to advanced level riders. Larry's Trail (the western section of Stagecoach) was completed in the LCWP in 2011. A rerouting of the Camarillo Trail is already in the works and should be open in 2012. These are both cross-country oriented trails adaptable for beginner to advanced riders. These trails also enable fun and effective connections between different regions of the LCWP.

What does the future hold in store? As I said there are many obstacles. If we can continue to develop and repair, reconstruct (and when necessary reroute) 2-3 trails per a year, this would be a major success. Ideally we want to create a complete trail system that is both sustainable and mountain-bike friendly (of course it would also have to accommodate other user groups). Realistically, the re-working of the trail system will only probably happen step by step, trail by trail.

What can we do as mountain bikers? Keep riding - easy but important. Respect other user groups. Help maintain the area we ride: Attend trail building events. Help start a local IMBA chapter. Volunteer your time to trail advocacy groups: SHARE is one; the Warrior's Society does great work in the Cleveland National Forest. Talk to others on the trail and spread the word. Let park rangers and park officials know you support sustainable trails.

The most positive thing here is that we have an active community, and many skilled individuals who are willing to give their time. The worst thing riders can do is to forget the value of our public lands and trails. Just because trails exist today, does not mean they will exist tomorrow. We need to value our local resources and make city and county officials understand the value of having a vibrant and active mountain bike community.

Ride Report: Holy Jim to Yeager Mesa

2012-01-18T20:36:00.000-08:00

Yeager Mesa

Adding the distance in and out on Trabuco Road, this ride clocks in at about 28 miles, with roughly 5,400 feet of climbing. I rode with Josh and Dan on a cold, wet and foggy morning. Certainly not beach weather, but I prefer climbing in the cold weather, so the grind up Holy Jim was not too bad. Holy Jim is in fine shape and there isn't much to report there. (If you haven't done the trail, there is plenty of info on this blog and on other sites. )

After a short break atop Holy Jim, we headed through the fog on Main Divide. Brrr. I kept my head down and pushed through the fire road climbs. A long steady climb ensues just after the Indian Truck Trail turnoff, a section that some riders refer to as "The Wall." (But there are several "Walls.") The worst part about this wall, and many of the long climbs on Main Divide, is that, typically, you see it coming, you rue over it, then while you are climbing, you keep looking up at the whole damn incline ahead of you, and rue it more. One benefit of the fog was that none of this was possible. I just kept climbing along, surrounded by my white room until, miraculously, I reached the top. One other note, the section of Main Divide from Indian Truck to W. Horsethief is not as loose and rocky as it was a few years ago, making for easier riding (particularly the climbing sections).

After passing W. Horsethief, we kept rolling across Main Divide to the Los Pinos/ Trabuco turnoff. The climb to the Pinos Peak consists of one long hike-a-bike climb and two smaller climbs, sandwiched around a few short drops. Los Pinos was oddly constructed atop the ridge line, so the whole trail is a series of drops and climbs - steep, fun drops followed steep, mostly hike-a-bike, climbs. For most trails, this type of fall line construction leads to constant erosion problems, and there are some of slight erosion issues on Los Pinos, but the trail benefits from the rocky consistency of its terrain. The ridgeline is littered with small - golf ball to tennis ball-sized - rocks. Riding Los Pinos is akin to rolling over ball bearings. And it's fun. Really fun about now because the Warrior's Society group just brushed and repaired the entire trail. Superb.

To get to Yeager, we turned off of Los Pinos at Pinos Peak and headed down Bell Ridge. The first descent on Bell is one of my favorites, a steep plunge through a canopy of Manzanita, scrub and small trees. After the rain, the ground was and tacky, a bit loose in spots, but heavy enough for traction. After the initial drop there are a few rolling sections on Bell, the trail traverses through larger trees on the north side of the ridge and then makes a couple climbs. The second climb, a pretty steep hike-a-bike, leads to the Yeager Mesa turnoff.

Yeager is one of the most challenging descents in the Santa Ana mountains. It is also one of the most scenic. In tight and steep S-turns, the trail drops down the north facing slope to Trabuco Canyon. The canopy is lush, with mature Pines and ferny undergrowth. The experience is akin to tree skiing on your bike. And it's challenging. I found myself tripodding in spots and walking in some others. A couple spots are very difficult: There is one steep arroyo which used to have a bridge, but now the bridge is gone, so the approach and the escape are ridiculously steep. Past the missing bridge, the trail drops less precipitously to the Mesa itself.

In the past, the trail crossed the mesa and then plunged straight down a rocky escarpment to the creek. There is now (Yay!) a new reroute. A much less sketchy and imminently ride-able reroute, so be sure and take it. The new route still needs to be ridden more and packed in, but the construction seems fairly thoughtful, and I hope the line is sustainable.

At the base of the hill, the new route traverses along the bank of Trabuco Creek till it reaches the terminus of the former route. It was difficult to ride all of the creekside portion of the trail, but I didn't mind dismounting a few times, eying what might be one of the most scenic spots in Orange County (and I'm sure one of the only year-round natural waterways in the region).

At the current water levels (this is certainly a dry year), it is easy to get across the creek. There is plenty of poison oak, so use caution when crossing. There seems to be one optimal spot to cross and climb up the opposing bank. Look for the route that others have taken, however, this is really the least developed portion of the trail. The best place to cross (that I know of) is about 30 feet upstream from end of the old trail, the climb up the opposing bank isn't easy, but if you look around you should be able to find a path away from the poison oak.

(One note from Josh: He and Dan, who descended after I did, kept walking down Trabuco Creek until they reached the Trabuco Trail. Josh says they never crossed the creek or made the difficult climb up the opposing bank. I have to go back and investigate.)

The rest of the ride consists of heading down the remainder of the Trabuco Trail, rocky in its own right, but not nearly as steep or technical as Pinos. The trail runs along the verdant waterway, whipsawing through the trees and, on occasion, coursing across the stream bed, until it reaches Trabuco Road.

The ride out on the dirt road is a fast six miles. Even faster these days after a thorough reconstruction. However, the improvements on Trabuco Road seem to have encouraged more traffic. Watch out for cars and trucks!

This entire route took about 5 hours with breaks.

Trabuco Creek at bottom of the Yeager Mesa Trail.


Single track deluxe

A Ride With All the Trimmings

2011-12-18T22:42:00.000-08:00


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

2011-11-23T09:57:00.001-08:00

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

2011-11-15T08:22:00.001-08:00

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

2011-09-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-09T13:19:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-27T18:57:00.001-08:00

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

2011-02-24T11:47:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-30T16:40:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-13T13:37:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

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

For Whom The Bell Tolls

2010-11-28T20:03:00.000-08:00

Thursday was a day of feasting; Friday was for riding. Richard and I made a noble push along Bell Ridge, negotiating rocky climbs, steep descents, abyss-like ruts and man-grabbing foliage. At ride's end, it was only the lack of sunlight (days are short now) that stopped us from continuing on lap two. I jest. We weren't that strong. In truth, the five hours was well spent but a bit exhausting. I thought I would have enough fuel left over from Turkey day, but that wasn't the case. I found myself bogging down on the final climbs - bonking as it were - losing breath and energy over each small hilltop. Typically downhills are for recovery, but Bell takes it toll descending as well. I found myself at the mercy of gravity and terrain, out of breath and holding on. Next time I will eat more.

The views from Pinos Peak were stunning. This is the highpoint of the route, offering a panoramic view from the snowy San Bernadino Mountains to San Clemente Island. Richard pointed out where the 5 freeway winds over the ridge near Carmel Valley in Del Mar. Beyond that we could see the distant ridge lines of Mexico. Bell Ridge begins just a stone's throw from the peak. The trail requires several more climbs -steep, wearisome hike-a-bike ascents - and plenty of descending - steep descents, loose, rocky descents, and harrowing I-wish-I-wasn't-looking descents. We kept our tire pressure low, our skidding in control, walked some of the can't-see-bottom section (yes, it is that steep) and I even tripoded a bit. Our strategy was successful, we arrived back at the car with smiles of satisfaction. Then we were ready for a well-deserved rest and a helping of leftovers.

2010-10-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

These days I seem to be riding as slow as paint dries in Nova Scotia. Tonight I traversed the old PC Cow Trail and then dropped into Emerald via BVD and rode down what used to be called Pac Man. At the beginning of the ride I was overtaken by the Rads. My buddy Andy didn't want to ride with them. They go fast. As we rode up Poplar, Hans Rey was complaining how they don't wait for anyone anymore. Not even Hans Rey apparently.

Anyhow I ended up at the pit (Andy needed to pick up his new jersey). Amid oohing and aahing at a new Ibis downhill bike, I was force fed a few beers and shots of Tequila. Yes, I was coerced. So much for working tonight. The bikes, the trail, many of the old riders who are still out there playing hard, all inspire me to ride. I'm all in with inspiration. But inspiration only gets you so far up the hill and then all you have left is perspiration.

Pay to Play

2010-08-02T23:24:00.000-07:00

Gentle Riders,

It has come to my attention that the Sheriff Department is writing tickets to rule-breaking mountain bikers in El Morro. Apparently last weekend they cited folks as they exited the bottom of "Nothing Better to Do." It is unclear, but they may have been citing riders at the base of "Better to Do Nothing" as well. There is a discussion of this matter on the SoCal Trail Riders forum (under El Morro). If you are not familiar with the names, both of these trails are near the Ridgepark entrance at Newport Coast NBTD begins about three hundred yards from the entrance and BTDN is on the opposite side of the canyon (running somewhat parallel) and begins between the third and fourth section of fenceline. Both trails wind up in Deer Canyon.

According to missives from officials at CCSP, this is part of a stepped up effort to eliminate the use of non-sanctioned trails. My advice is to avoid these trails, particularly on weekends. In addition, other nearby non-sanctioned trails might be avoided during weekend rides. These would include Marie Callenders, the third and fourth sections of Fenceline and perhaps even The Shredder. There are plenty of other trails - some officially mapped, some gray area, and some under the radar - that may still be ridden. All the drops into Emerald seem to be fair game. Namely, BVD, Erection (mapped as Old Emerald) and the newly reformed Conception. There are two other drops here, Repo Man and another trail I don't know the name of, but these are crazy steep. There are also several fun drops into Laguna Canyon, including T&A (officially mapped as Laguna Ridge and really fun, I just rode it). On the Aliso side, there are several new and rediscovered trails. There are other trails as well, some of these can be easily found, others take a bit more reconnaissance. Remember, all trail knowledge is on a need-to-know basis. Keep trail entrances clean and avoid calling attention to yourself.

Happy riding and keep your eyes open. If the ticks, poison oak, cactus, snakes and barbed wire don't get you, you may just get snagged by good ol' Johnny Law.

dwo

Mo' Betta Moab

2010-07-15T10:50:00.001-07:00

My friend Marshall sent me the link for this event in Moab. It sounds pretty cool, a big mountain bike jamboree in mountain-bike mecca. Fall is definitely the best time to ride Moab and there is plenty of riding to be had - fun challenging riding and out-of-this-word scenery. My advice: Book early, stay longer and get in shape before you go.

Thinking about a new bike?
The world's best bike companies are coming to Moab with their 2011 bikes and you can ride them all. Outerbike is a four-day event September 30-October 3rd. Cost is $150 for all four days, which includes bike demos, lunch, shuttles and schwag. From the event site there are 5 mountain bike loops and a paved road bike path that you can take to either Arches or Canyonlands National Park. Attendance will be capped to make sure there are plenty of bikes.

Beyond the Rides
There will be all kinds of extras like on-site daycare, a free women's skills clinic, movie premieres on Friday night and a pub crawl on Saturday where you could win a Western Spirit trip for 10! And, all the bike companies are bringing their athletes and product designers-- so not only do you get to ride all the bikes you usually just get to read about --you can also meet the people who dreamed them up.

The Bike Companies
Outerbike exhibitors include: Rocky Mountain, Maverick, Santa Cruz, Yeti, Fuji, Breezer, Fox, Pivot, Marin, Ibis, Cannondale, Turner, Trek, Intense, Haro, Kona, Masi, Marzocchi, Specialized, Norco, and GT.

Sign Up
Sign up and learn more about how to get to Moab and where to stay at Outerbike.

Running with the Toads

2010-06-09T16:09:00.000-07:00

2010 Toad Festival

June 5th was the Toad Festival, an annual fun ride put on by the Warrior's Society. The key word is, of course, fun. The Toad Festival features casual rides that lack the competitive intensity and the grueling courses of the other Warrior's Society events - the Vision Quest and the Traverse. The Toad is more about camaraderie, getting outside and having fun. It is not a race, but there are games of chance along the course - dice, cards, horseshoes, darts - allowing riders to vie for a number of great prizes. I think there were prizes for everyone. There were also two courses, a short family friendly ride in Arroyo Trabuco and a longer ride up Holy Jim and down the Trabuco Trail. Both rides start and end in Oneill Park where there was a post-ride picnic.

It was a great event. Personally, it was a bit hot for me and I bonked a bit on Holy Jim. I rested and stopped to eat on Main Divide and then was mostly fine for the rest of the ride. (Although after the heat and exhaustion drama, I was too far behind to catch my riding partner, Josh.)
By the time I reached the top of W. Horsethief, I was feeling almost normal. The nice folks from the Warrior's society were offering Rootbeer floats to go along with the horseshoes at that stop. At the next stop - on the upper end of the Trabuco Trail - there were darts and a spray mister. Way to go guys. The ride down Trabuco was great as always.

I must mention the horseflies, however. They were particularly pesty, swarming and biting. Unless you were going more than 10mph, they were on you like papparazzi to a crotch-flashing starlet. I made the mistake of wearing only a perforated jersey and got bit repeatedly on my back. I should've worn a t-shirt. I should've worn a t-shirt. Two days after the ride my back sported an archipelago of itchy red welts. Yeah, those bugs are nasty. I am generally against Malathion, but I might make an exception in this case. The good news is that the bugs usually go away after a week or so. I don't plan to see them again this year. As for next year, yes I will return to the Toad ride, hoping for cooler temps, packing more food and bringing plenty of DEET.

Limestone Canyon

2010-05-27T17:53:00.001-07:00

Inspired by one of my riding mates, I've been taking part in several of the docent-led rides on the Irvine Ranch Reserve. The rides are spectacular, covering less traveled trammeled trails through some of the most pristine wilderness in the county. The IRLR offers at least one ride per week, beginning and ending in their staging areas which are spread throughout Irvine Ranch. Each ride is led by a nice group of docents. The pace is good, the trails are fun and the scenery is stunning. The other added bonus - less dust, ruts and trail wear - these trails don't see nearly the traffic of the "major" mountain biking areas in the county.

Yesterday's ride began in Agua Chinon Wash and climbed to Limestone Canyon. There was a fun bit of single track that paralleled Santiago Canyon and then a long climb to the ridge line above Limestone and then a fun rolling downhill out of Agua Chinon. The ride was listed as advanced, but mostly for the climbs. The downhills were non-technical, but fun. Sure, fire road climbing grows old after a while but the scenic payoffs seemed worth the pain. No trip to Limestone is complete without a view of "The Sinks" and we viewed the eroded canyon from both perspectives. The ridge above Limestone afforded views of Saddleback and Newport Coast. The rolling landscape of the canyons still clings to spring colors, Yuccas, Lupins, Irises were in brilliant bloom. Many thanks to Roger and Chris for leading another cool ride. I'll be back.

Check out the IRLR website for ride times and sign up info.

Santa Ana Mountains

2010-04-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

An aerial view of the range, looking toward the Southeast. Main Divide Road snakes along the ridge. Maple Springs Road lies mid-frame switchbacking into Silverado Canyon.
A rock outcropping near Santiago Peak.

This year I made a simple goal: to ride every single-track trail I know in the Santa Ana Mountains. I wanted to accomplish the goal as early as possible, perhaps by the end of spring, since the range gets quite hot in the summer. Last summer I almost shriveled up on Los Pinos - too much heat, too little water and no shade. Manzanita's are beautiful plants, but no one mistakes them for elm trees.

As of now I have ridden (from north to south): Skinsuit, Smashface, the Silverado Motorway, the Coldwater Trail, Upper and Lower Holy Jim, West Horsethief (mostly an uphill hike-a-bike), the Trabuco Trail, Bell Ridge and BGR, the San Juan Trail and the Old San Juan. That leaves me with Joplin, Yeager Mesa, Los Pinos and the Chiquito Trail. I won't do E. Horsethief because I don't believe it is maintained and, I believe, the trail ends on private property (the route out of Coldwater is difficult enough).

Here is a report on the trails:

Skinsuit - The trailhead is off of Main Divide about 1 mile south of the golf ball (two climbs before Pleasant's Peak). The trail ends in a wash near the bottom of Skyline Drive. The route follows the ridge -steep and straight - with very little climbing and few turns. This may be the fastest route from Main Divide to the base of the mountain. Chris Garcia and I rode it in January, riding up Blackstar and then returning up Skyline and down Blackstar. It is a fun trail, but it ends quick. There were some rutty sections in January with plenty of alternative lines. I crashed on one of the steep sections, but only because I was going out-of-control fast. The whole trail should be ridable for accomplished downhillers. There are also a few kicker jumps near the top. As I said, fun but short-lived. For the up and over ride, the climb back up Skyline is relatively pain free.

Smashface - The trail begins at Pleasant's Peak and ends on Silverado Canyon Road near the Silverado Cafe. It's a long climb to Pleasant's, but the pay off is pretty good. The top of Smashface is stunning, coursing over rocks, winding through shrubby foliage and running under a canopy of small pine trees. This is true backcountry - you are bound to be alone on this trail. After a couple of miles the trail turns steep, then super steep, cascading into tight canyon (maybe Ladd Canyon). There is a necessary creek at the bottom of the canyon and the trail crosses it three times. I actually rode this trail twice this year. The second time, post rain, there was a lot of water in creek and it was amazingly beautiful. At the base of the canyon, there is a magnificent feeling of contentment and isolation - it's scenic, no one is around, and you've just completed a great section of single track. Then you have to climb out of the canyon... and it's heinous - a long hike-a-bike over three false peaks. This is why a lot of bikers ride Smashface once. After the HAB there is another drop into Silverado. This last section is challenging only due to ruts. It was ridable for me when the ground was still wet and tacky, but I'm not sure how I would do if the ground was dry and silty. Overall, Smashface is a great experience to be experienced once in a great while.

Silverado Motorway - The trail drops from Main Divide (near Bedford Peak) to the base of Maple Springs Road (it is usually ridden downhill). This is a popular hiking and biking trail and gets a lot of use. I rode it just before the Counting Coup and it was in great shape. There is a lot of loose rock on the trail but it definitely isn't steep or scary. Parts of the trail are quite fast and quite loose. Overall, it's pretty fun, not my favorite trail - it kind of hammers you in places - but the views from the trail are quite nice.

Holy Jim - There are two sections. Lower Holy Jim connects Trabuco Canyon to Main Divide. Upper Holy Jim begins on Main Divide about a 1/2 mile from the top of Lower Holy Jim and reconnects to Main Divide about 2 miles below Santiago Peak. This may be the best known trail in the range. On weekends it will be crowded with hikers and bikers, many of them headed to Santiago Peak. Nonetheless, this trail is both a great climb and a worthwhile downhill. The climb is long and challenging, but very makable. There are plenty of switchbacks out of Trabuco canyon and they are all ridable now. I rode up and down the trail a week after the Vision Quest and it was in primo shape. Downhill, the trail runs fast. There are plenty of blind turns though. Riders need to be aware of other trail traffic. The trail is also a scenic masterpiece - sections with great views and sections where the lush vegetation envelops the trail. Beneath the waterfall, the trail crosses the creek a few times. A couple of the crossings are ridable, but a few will require portaging. Upper Holy Jim is more exposed and more technical. The surface is looser, there are a few rock gardens and some tight switchbacks. UHJ is a fun downhill but mostly a hike-a-bike climb.

I have ridden Holy Jim four times this year and I will keep coming back.

Coldwater - This trail, generally a downhill, begins near the top of Upper Holy Jim and ends in the I-15 corridor. Ron, Chris, Carl and I rode this trail in February, climbing up the nearby Indian Truck Trail. Here is part of what I wrote then: It is really a magnificent trail. Many of the upper sections are canopied with gorgeous red-trunked manzanita. The surface of the trail is covered with leaves and decaying vegetation, giving it an almost pillow-like texture. No, I don't want to sleep up there, but it was quite fun to ride. We headed down through tunnels of vegetation coursing along ridgelines and around tight switchbacks.

The last mile of the trail is steep, at times ridiculously steep. The trail ends behind a rock quarry and requires a bit orienteering to get to the nearby roads. I would like to do this trail as an up and over, beginning on Holy Jim and ending on the Trabuco Trail.

West Horsethief - The trail begins midway on the Trabuco Trail and heads up to Main
Divide. It is loose, switchbacky and relatively steep. For some reason it is a more often hike-a-biked uphill than ridden downhill. This might be because nearby Holy Jim and Trabuco offer better downhill payoffs. The trail affords great views of upper Trabuco canyon, Bell Ridge and the Yeager Mesa.

Trabuco - One of my favorite trails in Orange County. This single track offers a bit of everything. Downhilling is fun, fast, and slightly technical in spots. The trail seems to be the perfect length with great views, plenty of canopied sections and a few fun stream crossings. It is also a worthy climb. The fields of transistor radio-sized boulders are a challenge to spin up. Cleaning the entire climb will test the strongest rider's legs, lungs and skills. But don't worry if you can clean it or not - the trail is not to be missed - just go out and do it. The time you are wasting reading this post is time you could be spending on the trail

Bell Ridge - Like doughnuts after midnight, candy for breakfast or Tequila for lunch, this trail is an indulgence, providing plenty of joy to go with a bit of pain. The trail, almost always ridden downhill, veers off the Los Pinos Trail near Pinos Peak. Once you start, be prepared for an out-of -body experience. The route heads straight down through a canopy of trees you won't have time to look at. Keep your eyes on the trail. The first drop is followed by the longest, steepest hike-a-bike. More drops and more climbs ensue. The trail keeps giving and giving (and taking a bit too). Like Los Pinos, the entire trail runs along the ridgeline, affording maximum views and maximum steepness. There are a plenty of technical sections, some steep dirt, a few steep and stony sections and a few rock drops. The biggest and most technical rock drop is fondly referred to as Can't See Bottom. The trail ends near Robinson Ranch. Most folks turn off and head down the BGR trail, a sharp plunge that winds down behind the RC airport on Trabuco Road.

San Juan Trail and Old San Juan - Probably the most popular trail in Orange County. The San Juan Trail is a popular shuttle ride for the instant gratification set and a fairly popular out and back ride for the strong, the wily and those who can't afford the extra gas. The decomposed granite single track has been burrowed down after years of heavy use, but it still looks good - a bit luge-y in sections, rocky in others, but generally well maintained. Everyone knows this trail so I won't write more. Old San Juan provide an alternate route between Cocktail Rock and Blue Jay Campground. Old San Juan is bit more worn, with ruts large enough to swallow a whole family of Hobbits. It is a worthwhile ride though, a fun downhill followed by a scenic ride through one of the area's nicest meadows. When San Juan is packed, Old San Juan may offer a slight respite from crowds of face-guarded banditos.

That's all I have for now. Come back for reviews of Los Pinos, Yeager and Chiquito. The quest goes on.

Mountain Lion Sighting

2010-03-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

Last Friday my friend Ken encountered a mountain lion in El Morro Canyon. This is what he had to say about it:

Never, in all the years I’ve spent riding and exploring El Morro Canyon had I ever before seen what I did last Friday. And that is a lot of years.
I might just be the first person to ever ride a bike in the canyon, beginning as a teenager back in the early 1980’s, when I lived in the trailer park at the base of the canyon and would take my trusty 12-speed road bike back up along the hardened dirt road. Back before mountain bikes were invented. Before the state took ownership of the land from the Irvine Company. Before they inadvertently lost one of the r’s in El Morro. When I’d see no people up there at all, only cows.
On Friday it seemed like a trip back in time as I rode my bike along the canyon road in peace and quiet, far from the weekend crowds. Once I was halfway back I didn’t see another soul. I rode just shy of the rim and turned to come back down, coasting along most of the way.
I passed the steep section, where a sign advises cyclists to dismount, and continued just a bit further along when I came around a corner and saw an animal on the trail about 50 yards ahead. It was about as big as a medium-sized dog, but muscular with short hair and was lumbering along seemingly at ease. The animal hadn’t spotted me as I approached, and my initial instinct was that this actually was somebody’s dog. But where was the owner? And what was this dog doing up here in the canyon?
I hit my brakes and the animal was startled by the noise, looking back at me for the first time. It sized me up and then walked around a bend. At this point I began to suspect that it was something else entirely. I stopped on the trail and waited. Was this a mountain lion? And if so, did I want to continue around this bend? I gave it a few minutes and began to approach the bend tentatively. I was 30 yards away when I saw it coming back toward me. Yes, this was indeed a mountain lion. No mistaking it now. About 60 pounds, three feet long or so, with a two to three foot tail.
The mountain lion climbed ten feet up the hillside beside the road and stopped. It stared at me. I stared at it. Except for the long tail twitching angrily in the air, neither one of us moved for a good 60 seconds. I decided to egress. I slowly walked back another ten yards. It didn’t move. Ten yards more. Still nothing but the twitch of that tail. Finally after another half a minute it slunk off into the brush. I remounted my bike, zipped on past the spot and continued down to report my sighting to the park rangers. I always wondered if there might be mountain lions around in our park, and yep, now I know.

Water

2010-03-09T11:11:00.000-08:00

Diving in...Wading...
Splashing...
Sweating...
If you've trekked or biked through Trabuco Canyon, you know that the lush, verdant landscape does not lack for scenic vistas. The route begins on a dirt road, tracing a fairly broad wash from Live Oak Canyon Road up to the Holy Jim Fire Station. The road narrows to a single track past the fire station, coursing through a dramatic section of the canyon toward the divide. This single-track section winds through a dense canopy of majestic oaks and then climbs along a shale-laden hillside replete with mature manzanita and scrub oak. A healthy patch of pine trees blanket the path as it reaches Main Divide Road.

Sure, there are many beautiful patches of manzanita in the Santa Ana mountains. There are also other pine groves in the range - along the Indian Truck Trail, along Maple Springs Road and near the top of the Holy Jim Trail to name three. However, as far as waterways are concerned, Trabuco is by far the largest in the area. It seems improbable for a stream to flow year round in semi-arid Orange County. The county's largest natural lake, Lake Laguna, seems hardly larger than a duck pond in the summer months. Yet, Trabuco continues to flow even in the hottest days of summer. It does so because it sources from a fairly large watershed, stretching from the canyon to the top of Santiago Peak. For the record, Santiago Peak has recorded 53 inches of precipitation this year. That adds up to a substantial flow in narrow Trabuco Canyon.

On the heels of our relatively wet winter, the canyon seems full of water. It is difficult, for now, to stay dry when traveling the Trabuco Trail. But why would you want to? The water is part of the experience. The sound, the smell and the rush of the creek is always present. It's really what makes this canyon special. The abundance of water also fosters thick and healthy collection of vegetation (including, unfortunately, the devil weed -poison oak). In the coming weeks, expect wild flowers to sprout on the sunny hillsides of the canyon. Healthy winters typically bring a glorious spring. As the buds break, the sun warms and the leaves grow greener, I know exactly where I want to be.

Coldwater Trail

2010-02-22T16:00:00.000-08:00

The head of the Coldwater Trail. Looking back toward Upper Holy Jim, the Saddleback Valley and the Pacific Ocean. You can see the trail running out the ridge. The I-15 corridor and Lake Matthews are in the distance
Happy Birthday to me. On Friday the 19th, one day after I turned 47, Ron, Chris, Carl and I ventured out to the east side of Saddleback. The mission: to ride the Coldwater Trail. That would be one of the few trails I hadn't ridden in the Santa Ana Mountain range. The mission was an overwhelming success. Scratch that one off the to-do list.

We headed out about 10:30. The temperature was cool but manageable. After a couple errant turns, and despite our guide, Chris, we managed to find the Indian Truck Trail. The initial climb switchbacks gradually above a verdant canyon. It's hard to believe this is Corona (although I'm sure it is blazing hot in the summer and fall). We continued to climb, and after 3.5 miles we were afforded panoramic views of the I-15 corridor and beyond.

The Indian Truck Trail is perfectly maintained, there were a couple landslide sections, but the road is generally smooth and not too steep. After four miles, the scrub brush gives way to shady pine trees. This is definitely not Corona.

The sun greeted us when we hit Main Divide. It was fun to look back toward the west, our usual climbing direction on Saddleback. We rode a short distance on Main Divide, then did a short, intense hike-a-bike along Upper Holy Jim. Carl enjoyed the HAB so much that he wanted to do it again. We denied him the pleasure. Carl is only allotted one grueling HAB per ride.

After a short, chilly lunch, just below Santiago Peak, we started down Coldwater. It is really a magnificent trail. Many of the upper sections are canopied with gorgeous red-trunked manzanita. The surface of the trail is covered with leaves and decaying vegetation, giving it an almost pillow-like texture. No, I don't want to sleep up there, but it was quite fun to ride. We headed down through tunnels of vegetation coursing along ridgelines and around tight switchbacks.

I had a slight mechanical - a broken chain - at about the three-mile point on Coldwater. I caught up with the others around four miles and we rode and walked the last section of the trail. Walked parts because Coldwater gets super steep at the end. Too steep to walk almost, it would've have been easier to ride if I could have. But it is difficult to keep the bike under control on the extended steep sections.

The trail ends near a massive rock quarry. I think we took the wrong route out. Ron did an amazing seat-of-his-pants slide down a graded berm. He has the scraped calves to prove it. He survived, but didn't seemed super stoked about trying it again ( I wanted to tell him that YouTube was calling). When we got back to the car, everyone agreed that the ride was epic. We vowed to ride the Coldwater Trail again before spring. I suggested we start on the Holy Jim side and do an up and over - climbing both sides of the range. The other guys quickly changed the subject.

Phantom Limb

2010-02-22T09:26:00.000-08:00

I went on a solo night ride last Wednesday. The air was warm and still. As I reached the the top of Bommer Ridge, I could see lights from Avalon to El Toro. I headed along the ridge, not even thinking about being alone in the dark...and predators. I never worry about predators, but sometimes I think about them. Wednesday was just too perfect for distractions. I kept on to Fenceline and rode the series of rolling single tracks across the back of Crystal Cove State Park. Then I dropped down Lizard Trail, edging into the dark canyon. Lizard follows a serpentine path beneath a canopy of scrub oak and live oak. I whipsawed through the lush and shadowy undergrowth. Lizard is a perfect night trail, completely engrossing, it is easy to lose one's time, one's place and completely succumb to the experience - diving through a sea of dark leaves and branches.

I continued down Laurel Canyon, rolling over rock slides and loose soil. My reservations about riding alone, if I ever had them, seemed distant. I was in my own space, my own time and it seemed impenetrable. It was impenetrable until something from the dark void (that would everything directly outside the beam of my light) protruded into my path. A small, or not so small, branch prodded me. The unseen stick, the phantom limb shoved me off the trail into rocks, boulders, sage and lots of things I couldn't see (ticks?). I wasn't wounded beyond the surface of my skin. I don't like to crash, but I don't stress from scratches. Perhaps I'm in this venture for the scrapes and nicks - my temporary tattoos, reminders of where I've been, what I've seen.

I continued to the flat part of Laurel Canyon, perhaps a bit dispirited, but happy an unseen branch didn't push me into a gully. For now, nature, even unseen, seems to be friendly. Seems? In the lower part of Laurel, I heard large footsteps. Probably deer. This time my mind turned to predators. I kept peddling through the dark, pushing out to the main canyon. I was happy to have some remaining battery, some remaining light, and enough energy to push on home.

Snow on Santiago

2010-02-03T10:18:00.000-08:00

Santiago Peak has been shrouded in snow for the last two weeks. So last Sunday I finally managed a trek to the top. I rode up Maple Springs with Josh and Richard, hiked over the saddle and then rode alone down upper and lower Holy Jim to Trabuco Road. I descended alone because Josh, Richard and I did an odd scramble after we passed Modjeska. It is too tedious to explain here, but I spent plenty of time waiting near the peak. To pass the time, I hiked up to the towers -tromping through the snow. The snow above the saddle was about a 8" deep, cornlike and impossible to ride (uphill). Josh reported some snow along the canopied section of Joplin as well.

Upper Holy Jim took a small hit from the last series of storms, but Lower Holy Jim rides like butter on hot biscuits. There was also plenty of water in Trabuco. I splashed my way through the culverts and arrived at my car wet and happy.

I wish I had my own photos, but my camera has been busted for some time. Josh took the nice Leni Reifenstahl-esque photo of Richard as he stood on a rock below Modjeska Peak (see above). We don't support Leni here on MBOC, but we like pictures with clouds. Shortly after posing for the photo, Richard floated back to his car. Josh and I reconvened at my car after a bit more waiting (by me) and a bit more confusion. Nobody spent the night on the peak. Next time, hopefully, we will manage to stay together.

Introducing Josh Wolff

2010-01-20T14:19:00.001-08:00

Monday through Friday he may be a mild mannered attorney, a hard-working family man with a two-car garage, a Viking BBQ and a fridge stocked with mayo. But come Saturday, Josh roams the hills like a wildcat. He's the weekend warrior's weekend warrior. Nothing can stop this guy. He's been known to ride all day, spend the night on the trail and keep on riding come morning. Give him a couple Power Bars and he's good for the entire weekend. A trooper. A charger. And a pretty nice guy. Josh Wolff.

Happy Holidays - Card 2009 (click to enlarge)

2009-12-24T09:25:00.001-08:00

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.

2009-12-24T09:25:00.000-08:00

Bell Ridge

2009-12-23T13:18:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-23T12:53:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-17T11:45:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-10-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-09T12:55:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-07-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-06T16:06:00.001-07:00

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

2009-05-04T10:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

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.

Night Riding

2009-02-07T11:38:00.000-08:00

The dark days of winter are upon us. Okay, it's hard to call the weather conditions in Southern California "wintery." Warm Santa Ana-style high pressure kept our weather dry and warm for most of January and February. Many of the warm sunny days were followed by cloudless and temperate nights. If you can't get out during the day, these are ideal conditions for exploring trails at night. Yes, the weeks before the return of daylight savings are the perfect time for night rides or twilight/night rides. Invest in a light and rediscover your favorite trails. Night riding allows a whole new perspective - ride under the moon and the stars and take in everything the nocturnal world has to offer.
I particularly like riding narrow, canopied and confined trails with plenty of turns and surprises. The Lizard Trail is a great example. On trails like this, it's easy to get lost in the darkness and desolation. Even if you have ridden the trail countless times before, you tend to lose your bearings. As the cellular memory and the cognitive map gets lost in the darkness, the experience becomes completely immediate and absolutely sensory. For a few moments you forget where you are and forget where you are going. You just keep riding through the dark...and going along by dead reckoning.

Silverado Snow and Sun

2009-01-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, while fog blanketed much of Orange County, I basked in the sun atop the ridges of the Cleveland National Forest. Yes sun! The thick cloud line hovered at a mere 2,000 feet so almost all of my ride was under blue skies. Perfect riding conditions - cool weather and warm sunlight. When I reached the top of Maple Springs road I was greeted with views of snow-capped Baldy and Big Bear. There was even a bit of snow in the Santa Anas. The roadways near Four Corners (just below Silverado Peak) still had patches of snow and ice, remnants from the pre-Christmas storm.

Past Four Corners Main Divide Road was almost completely dry. It was also in great condition, with only a few rocky and rutted sections. Since I hadn't completed the Silverado Loop since before the fire (which resulted in a twelve-month closure of Maple Springs Road), I was happy to get on it again. The downhill on the Silverado Trail was also magnificent. One rider complained that the trail was too loose, but perhaps that's like saying a lemon is too tangy - it's the nature of the beast. Definitely sections of the trail would be difficult to climb, but the downhill was pure fun- with small berms, fist-sized rocks and wide sweeping switchbacks. I'm grateful for the Warrior's Society and the volunteers who spent the time to remake this trail after it was demolished during the fire. I'm not waiting a year to ride it again.

Merry Christmas To All

2008-12-24T08:47:00.000-08:00

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-20T10:19:00.000-08:00

Snow in Orange County comes around about as often as a fresh fruit cake. But here it is...and just in time for Christmas. This week's storm gave a proper dusting to the peaks of the Santa Ana range. These photos are taken from the San Juan Trail, just above Cocktail Rock. Yesterday I rode the bottom half of the trail with two friends. It was great - clear skies, crisp air and snow capped peaks. Wow.

For those of you not in the know, the San Juan is great for post-rainy day sessions. The surface is mostly decomposed granite, so mud isn't a factor. Yesterday the trail was almost perfect, perhaps slightly slick in places, but grippy enough for a hair-raising descent.

2008-11-24T09:47:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I broke my bike frame...again. Faced with a sad month of not riding and consequently falling out of shape, I was saved by my friend Mark. He loaned me his extra bike - a single-speed Bianchi. At first this seemed like a mixed blessing. I had always claimed (thought, assumed) I was too big (6’8": 225) to ride a bike without gears. Plus, the hills around Laguna are steep. Most of my rides start with steep climbs. I thought it was going to be hard...too hard. I was right, but only partially. Single speeding is a great workout and great fun. First of all, thanks to Mark for the bike. The Bianchi W.U.S.S. rides really well (Bianchi cheekily says, "the double-you stands for white." No further explanation. I assume the "S.S." stands for single speed and can only guess on the "U". Ugly came to mind the first time I made a substantial climb). Overall I learned to climb fairly well on the single speed. I learned to pace myself on long climbs and sprint up short sections. You view the climbs differently on a single speed - it's all about sections. You have to know when to sprint, when to rest and when to grind. (If I was cleverer I could put that to the tune of The Gambler.) Surprisingly I found myself able to keep up with my riding group. The single speed did not make me ride slower; it just made me ride differently. The bike was also a blast downhill. I'd forgotten how much coast you get out of hard tail and when you're on a single speed every bit of coasting matters. I've been riding full suspension for quite a while and it was fun to go back to the solid feel of the hard tail...not permanently, but for a while. This week I will get my main ride back. Happily so. But I won't rule out more days on the single speed. In fact I'm looking forward to it.

Note: There are photos of the W.U.S.S. available online. Unfortunately none of the photos were downloadable.

MORE MOAB

2008-10-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd post a few more shots of Moab. These are all taken near the Sovereign Trail. We found an enormous flat slab of rock -perhaps five square miles - and took a bit of detour. It is hard to judge the scale of the landscape and rockscape from these photos, but I do think they give an idea of the impressive array of colors and textures that greet the eye in greater Moab. The top two photos feature Carl Hyndman, sussing out and then riding through a rock chute. In the third photo, Charles and Chris guard our bikes against possible predators. And the fourth photo depicts the rockscape. From the nearby hillside this rock slab looked like a big pan of biscuits. I guess I may have been hungry.

MOAB

2008-10-22T13:44:00.000-07:00

I spent last week in southern Utah, mountain biking with five friends in the fat-tire Mecca. Yes...Moab. It was my first time riding in the area and I'm happy to say that all my expectations were met, if not surpassed. First of all, I had forgotten how utterly breathtaking the landscape is in southern Utah - the colors, the scale, the rock formations and the amazing textures of sand and sandstone. The overall effect is surreal, otherworldly and, perhaps, psychadelic. Then there was the riding. We rode five routes in five days. Three of the trails - Porcupine Rim (part of The Whole Enchilada ride), Slick Rock and the Amassa Back - were as good as any I have ever ridden. The stoke level in our group ranged from extreme to supernatural. Everyone found at least one memorable section or vista in every ride. The Whole Enchilada ride and the Amassa Back both offered plenty moderately technical dropoffs and climbs. And when I say plenty, I mean hundreds. The Amassa Back is a 10-mile out and back up a ledgy, rock-strewn jeep road. The end point offers an amazing birds-eye view of the Colorado River. On paper the riding may seem a bit a pedestrian, but it is far from it. After a challenging, technical climb, complete with knee-high slick-rock steps, we were treated a white knuckle, pick-your-line-and-hope for the best, fast and raucous downhill. The Whole Enchilada is a shuttle ride that combines two sections of single-track in the La Sal mountains with the spectacular Porcupine Rim Trail. The twenty-mile plus route descends more than five thousand feet from snow capped mountains to the dusty Colorado. This descent was truly an experience. I can't imagine there are many rides equal or better to this in the mountain-bike universe. Although the top section was a bit dicey due to high winds and cold air, we quickly descended to the UPS and LPS trails - tight tree-lined single tracks, with fun slick-rock chutes and makable rock drops. The LPS trail led to Porcupine Rim. The somewhat famous trail, at first, skirts the edge of a precipitous cliff then descends down a fast, rocky jeep trail. The latter section is an adrenaline junky's dream. It's fast, challenging and goes on and on and on. Everyone had a smile while riding this section (perhaps until they crashed). Porcupine Rim becomes a narrow single track and courses along the cliff side to the bank of the Colorado River. Just this single-track section alone would stand up to any trail in Orange County and yet it is only about 15% of the Whole Enchilada experience. Talk about scale. Finally, I should mention the Slick Rock Trail. I didn't have great expectations for this ride but was pleasantly surprised. The route follows a white line of paint that has been sketched across an enormous rock wilderness The trail rollercoasters up, around and between bulbous rock mounds. Fat tire enthusiasts are treated to some of the best gripping surface their tires will ever encounter. The downside is that is there is no excuse to walk. The rockscape gives riders a chance to test their leg strength and their will as steeper and steeper climbs are encountered. Each climb is rewarded with great views of the Colorado River basin and the La Sal Mountains. I've included a few photos taken with my small Point and Click camera. The photos don't do the landscape justice. You really have to experience this place for yourself.
(The 3rd photo is courtesy of Ron Leland. The 5th photo is courtesy of Carl Hyndman.)

Irvine Open Space

2008-09-17T22:23:00.000-07:00

I rode today in the Irvine Open Space portion of the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve. Currently, the IRLR conducts docent-led rides, beginning at the Quail Hill staging area, every second Wednesday morning. Today's ride was relatively fast, fairly challenging and entirely fun. The trails seem well designed - made by mountain bikers for mountain bikers - and cover a variety of terrain in a very pristine and scenic wilderness. This morning’s twelve-mile loop (designated as intermediate) contained some moderately technical singletrack. We coursed through loose rocks, off-camber traverses, tight switchbacks and a few rock drops. The last downhill even had a signed warning, something to the effect of Big Rock Drop Off Ahead. For the risk aversive, there was a bypass on this particular section. The rock, although sizable, was not too daunting. I rode it, and believe me, no one confuses me with Hans Rey.

Unfortunately I didn't have much time to take photos. These two shots don't do the ride justice. I will try to take more in the future.

Don't be deterred by the idea of a docent ride. All one has to do is sign up online and show up. There are also advanced rides for those who want to be pushed and beginner rides for...well beginners. What's more they have docent-free open access days, the next coming on September 27th. Sign up at Bommer Canyon and gain a day's free pass into this virtually unused open space. You won't be disappointed. If you like to ride fun trails, away from crowds, this is your ticket. Hopefully the Irvine Company and the City of Irvine will see fit to increase the number of open access days. This open space is too great a resource to have under lock and key. If you live in Irvine consider talking with your Park and Recs person. Tell them you want greater access to the Irvine Open Space. I've talked to people at the IRLR and they would be amenable to increasing the access as long as the City of Irvine approves. As mountain bikers we should let our voices be heard. The wilderness is there, the trails are there, we just need someone to unlock the gate.

Santa Ana River Trail

2008-09-02T12:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from my weekend ride on the Santa Ana River Trail (SART). SART is a classic SoCal mountain-bike trail, running from Big Bear to Mentone. Most riders bike the single-track section near Angelus Oaks. (Beginning or ending at the Middle Control Road just outside of town. Sixteen miles of pristine single-track lead to the South Fork Campgound near Seven Oaks road).
SART is a fantastic summer riding destination with abundant shade and cool stream crossings. Parts of the trail remind one of OC's San Juan Trail - albeit shadier, less technical and larger scaled. The single-track carves along tree-lined slopes and rocky washes. There aren't any extended steep hills, just a series of short rollercoasterish drops and climbs. The ridgelines are awash in Manzanita and offer postcard perfect views of the San Bernadino range.
The riding is fun, relatively fast and only moderately technical. Many sections of the trail are strewn with toaster-sized rocks - rugged enough to keep you focused - but there are no boulder crossings or rock drop offs. Look for fun berms on many of the turns as the trail winds in out of small ravines. There are also plenty of stream crossings, most of which are makable. Downed trees were a problem after last winter, but the Forest Service has done a good job of clearing and cutting the obstacles. As a tall rider I encountered plenty of low bridges, but I only had to portage twice in seven miles. There is a definite advantage to riding late in the season.

25th Rad Challenge

2008-08-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday night saw the 25th annual Rad Challenge. The race, as always, began at the big bend in Laguna Canyon and ended, nearby, at the bottom of Telonics. After the mass start, the riders sprinted along Laguna Canyon Road and then rode and hike-a-biked up Stairsteps. At the ridgeline, they headed west and climbed all the way to Alta Laguna. The race concluded with a hair-raising plunge down Telonics - 1000 feet of elevation loss in less than one mile.
The rider's challenge: to be able to finesse a line down the tricky sections of Telonics after using all their energy during the gut-busting climb to Alta Laguna. Forty-two riders started and finished the race, with the majority of the riders finishing under thirty minutes. Except for the start image, all these photos were taken from Telonics, standing near the big drop known as Volkswagen Rock. The recently groomed trail is in great shape. Riders, exhausted as they were, definitely were able to charge down the trail.

After the event, there was a nice community event, with food, awards, photos from past events and a bit of Tequila. It was great to see the old photos. Do the math, the event began in 1983, predating the term Mountain Bike. The early bikes were a mishmash of converted BMX and beefed up cruiser bikes - no one even considered suspension back in those days, they were just hoping to stop.

Surviving the Heat

2008-08-13T11:56:00.000-07:00

As the summer sun bakes Orange County many of our mountain-bike trails become less attractive. Heat and dust are the bane of summertime riders. Verdant canyons which may be attractively cool and green in the winter and spring, often swelter in the summer months. Direct sun creates temperature spikes below the ridge line. This is particularly true when riding near the coastline. Ocean breezes which fan the ridges don't flow into box canyons. Often the climbs out of these canyons are steep and exposed. Be prepared for a bit of sweat and sizzle.

If you can't stand the heat you may look for rides that offer plenty of tree cover. The Fullerton Loop has a great deal of shade and short climbing sections. It also passes through several city parks, so, if you get overheated, you can rest on the grass and recuperate. The Arroyo Trabuco and the Tijeras Creek trails are great hot day destinations as well - offering some of the shadiest riding in Orange County and stream crossings to boot. You will get wet on these rides, but who cares it's summer.

Book Signing

2008-06-24T14:31:00.000-07:00

I will have a book signing at the Huntington Beach REI, Thursday, June 26th at 7:00 p.m. The event is free. So come down if you have any questions about Orange County trails (and hopefully I can answer them).

The Huntington Beach REI is located on Edinger just west of the 405 freeway.

7777 Edinger Avenue Ste 138
Huntington Beach, CA 92647

Questions? Contact REI customer service at 714-379-1938.