Black Friday

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

Saddleback in Winter

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

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

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

Tahoe Rim Trail

High above the Truckee River

        

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

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

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

There Otter be Surf at Arroyo Laguna

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

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

Three Days and Counting

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

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

David

Raging Waters

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


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

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

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

Ultraquest

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


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


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