12 Hours @ Night Mountain Bike Race - Prescott

12 Hour Endurance Night Race
Start Time 8pm
End Time 8am
Team One Cog - Jon, Kyle and Andy

This year marked the 2nd annual 12 Hours @ Night Mountain Bike Race.  This is an endurance event in the dead of night here in Prescott.  To aid in this event, one must be equipped with multiple lighting systems.  A couple months ago my friend Jon Milliken called me up and asked if I wanted to do the race in team form.  I told him I would think about it, but the seed was planted.  A couple more phone calls by Jon, and it was sure thing.

The plan is to do a 3 man single speed team for the event.   With Jon and I already in, the search for a 3rd rider begins.  I asked some friends we usually ride with but they were either out of town or had other plans for time of this event(read chicken).  This is where Brooke comes in, she offered to be the 3rd "wo-man" for our team if no one else "sacked up." With Brooke in, that makes 3,  we register and Team One Cog is formed.

With about 6 days till the event, we take care of the little details.  Lights, starting order, nutrition and sleeping arrangements.  Monday the 12th.......Kyle, a regular at SUBWAY and also a fellow mountain biker, comes in for lunch and Brooke happens to mention that we are doing the race and asks if he is participating.  Kyle responds with," No,  I would like to do it, but I would have to do it on a team and not solo."  Brooke's eyes light up with excitement.  She then asks if he wants to take her place on Team One Cog.  Without a blink of an eye, he says yes.  Totally surprised,  Brooke is overwhelmed with joy, now knowing she doesn't have to compete.  Not that she isn't a competitor, but that she was just a "last resort" if you will, to fill the 3rd spot.

Race Day July 17-18, 2010

With the order set.   Jon,  myself and Kyle 3rd, we had a good plan.  Two laps per rider minimum with the option for more if feeling good and strong.  With only one other team competing in the 3 man single speed division, it was first place or last place.....plain and simple.  As our competition rolled into the parking lot, we sized them up.  They looked pretty serious.  The came from Phoenix and were not going home empty handed.  We had nicknames for them just like the movie Reservoir Dogs.  Let's start with Mr. Tuxedo, he had a tuxedo jersey on.   Mr. Mohawk, he had an acrylic Mohawk that was illuminated from within on the top of his helmet, and Mr. Orange......only because he had an orange jersey on.

My mom showed up to cheer us on and support  #125 - Team One Cog which was nice.  As the darkness drew near the pressure was on.  Adrenaline pumping, bikes at the the start for the "Le Mans" style start,  Jon laid down a furious pace as best he could as rigid clip less shoes would allow. With about a "guestimate" of 40 minutes between each lap, Brooke had us on schedule like a Marines drill instructor.  She should've had fatigues on with a side arm and whistle.

Jon coming into the pits after lap 1

Jon checked in after his first lap with a time of 41min,  he gives us the OK and he took off for his second lap.   I go back to camp to get ready.  For teams there is an exchange of a "Live Strong (LSB)" bracelet to aid in control of who is on the course.   I check in at the time table and put my steed in the holding pen and await for Jon return.

Rider change

Jon comes in off his second lap with a time  of 45min,  dismounts and walks toward me and hands off the LSB for me to start my laps.  With 10 1/2 hours to go, no need to hustle.....wrong,  I set out on a furious pace.  I had that 20t cog whipping around like nobody's business.  I had to remind myself to take it easy and don't blow up.  As I spun around the 8 mile course, I could see many lights blazing up the trail in front of me.  This was going to be a fun, but a long 12 hours of fierce riding.  In my rush I forgot to grab my gloves from the chair and was riding bare handed. No good.

As I pull into the pit area, I'm greeted with the most "awe inspired" looks one can imagine from Brooke and Kyle.   Kyle, now fully dressed in his riding gear, was looking at me in total amazement, and me.....well, I'm puzzled.  I can't figure out why Kyle is dressed already and waiting for me. " Was I that slow that they are pulling me off already?"  Both looking at me in total confusion.....then I hear from Kyle...."Are you going out for your 3rd or what, you feeling Ok?"........3rd?  I think to myself?  What?  Brooke says, "Yeah, you did two 25 minute laps.......What the hell!!!  I was stunned too, because all I remember doing is one.

Now it's all coming together for me.......the looks were of total astonishment that I could pull off such a feat.  That would be great if I could, but I didn't.  Somehow, the lap times were mixed up between a couple of teams and I set a new course record, twice!  At first, everyone thought, " no way, no way could he pull that off."  With the pros coming in @ 32 min, it was hard to believe, but then when I rolled in from the "second lap", it was exactly 25 minutes from the first lap that was mis-marked.

 Totally plausible since it was dead nuts from the first.  As I rolled away, I was laughing at the whole situation, especially the looks that were thrown my way,  you would've though I walked on water.  With my first  actual lap time of 44min, I was off for my second, Brooke had spotted my gloves and had them waiting for me.  Still chuckling, especially from Kyles' look, he's a mountain bike racer from Michigan, he's very fast and capable on his bikes.  He was just" dumbstruck" if you will,  I must of been a "sleeper" in his eyes and his look of
"how in the hell did he do that fast of a lap" was priceless.

My second lap,  45min.  With the hand off to Kyle, he was out of there on a hurry.  Not to be out done by my 25 minute lap times, he burned up the trail.  His first lap was 35min and his second 38min.   He was quick, quick enough to put us up 8 minutes ahead of the other team.  Kyle was our anchor if you will.  He was obviously the quickest out of the 3 and for good reason, he was young and a seasoned racer.

With Jon on his second set of laps I head back to camp for some R and R.  But none was to be had.  With the race promoters stereo pumping out the jams to keep everyone fired up, it was hard to get any rest.   Just eat, drink and lay down till you're #'s up again.  Jon pulls another consistent set of laps @ 44min.  I hop back on my SS and pedal away.  This time, relaxed and not in such a hurry.  Maybe too relaxed,  I cooled down too much and had a hard time firing up the "ol'stems" to get them going again.  I felt good once I warmed up  until I hit the hill known as "widow maker."  Steep and short,  I felt my legs starting to ache from the grunt of the climb in single speed form.   I pedaled through it and began to head for the switchbacks at the end of the course.  With only a couple of turns to go till the tunnel, I suddenly find myself on the ground in darkness.  My helmet light went dark after I was tossed off my bike and the battery became unplugged.

 Back to my feet and plugged the light back in, only to find out that someone else had gone off the trail and kicked a grape fruit sized rock onto the trail.  As I made a hard right  I hit the rock and it rolled out from under my tire.  I can feel the blood running down my right arm and leg.  Sunnofabitch!  That blows.  I pull into the pit area,  Brooke's there cheering me on,  I show her my battle wounds.  Immediately, the "mommy gene" kicks in.  Oh my gosh!  Are you OK? You're bleeding...blah blah blah.  I'm OK.  With a fresh bottle of water and weary eyes, I tell Brooke that this is going to be a tough lap and it's going to hurt.  One thing about biking at 2:30 in the morning, you don't know how your body is going to react.  Mine was confused and wanted to go back to bed.

I set out for lap #4 after my 3rd lap of 45min.......and that includes a crash,  I was surprised at my lap time.  I felt weak and slow, but still had one more to do.  Out near the edge of the flats, I passed a couple of riders, they must have felt worse than I did.  Now headed for Heartbreak Ridge, I could see more riders struggling to make it up.  I pedaled past them and was thinking ahead towards Widow Maker,  I wondered if my legs could withstand the blunt steepness at the onset on this part of the course.  With momentum as your friend on a SS, I tried to keep spinning my pedals with my legs on the "fierce setting," but it was too late.  My legs were begging for a break.  I wasn't too familiar with the sensation of cramps that I had received courtesy of the Whiskey on "Cramp Hill".  I was worried my legs would do the same again, but not now! I don't have time for that and didn't want it to happen again, I hopped off and walked up the remaining 25 feet of the steepness,  jumped back on to pedal if out.   I looked back and saw another rider starting to make his way up the same stretch.

Oddly enough,  except for this lap, I really hadn't encountered many riders on the trail for much of the race.  This was about to change.  As the space behind me was lit up by lights,  I only wonder who's coming up from behind.  By looking at the number plates as they passed, 3 riders all on gears were contenders for the solo geared division.  They passed with some speed and then darkness set in.  Further down the trail and almost back to the pits, there was more light coming from behind.  Who was this? Another single speeder,  he passed me on the left.  Then his number plate lit by my helmet light.......... #124.  Our other competition.   It was Mr. Orange.   He managed to make up some time due to my "tinkling on the flowers" and partial walk up Widow Maker.  He was all business,  he was also spinning a 32-18, just a bit harder gear and more ground covered per pedal stroke, he was able to catch up and pass me.

Now towards the end of the course, I kept him in sight and knew I was not far behind.  We both sped to the pit area to make the rider swap.  Second lap time 47min.  Only 2 minutes behind them and only 4 1/2 hours to go......this is going to be more of a race than I thought.  Both teams equally vying for a chance to be the winner.  The lead would go back and forth throughout the night.   Kyle is pedals out into darkness, now we wait.

Unlike us, the other team was rotating every lap with a new rider.  Was this strategy going to pay off or be their downfall?   While I was out riding, it was decided that after Kyle gets done with his 2 laps, we would go to just 1 lap each, until the 12 hour time limit was up.  After the way I felt on this last lap, I agreed.  I headed for the Subie to get some food to replenish and hopefully get some sleep.

I awoke a short time later,  I had fallen asleep for about 45 minutes.  A recharge if you will.  What a difference,  I saw Kyle making his way to his chair to relax, he just came in off his second lap and Jon was now out on the course for a single.  With daylight approaching, I decided to shed a few pounds worth of batteries and lights,  refilled my water bottle and headed for the pits.  Brooke was doing her best to keep tabs on the other team.  Jon came in and I was off.  The trail barely visible by the faint rays of sunlight peeking over the horizon.  The end was near.  That bit of shut eye really did wonders.   I knocked out Heartbreak and took on Widow Maker like I had a fresh pair of legs.

The sun now breaking over Mingus Mountain,  I finished up the last of 5 laps and came into the pits hand the LSB to Kyle.  But he was nowhere to be found.   As I rolled into the pit area,   all I received was another strange look from Brooke.  A "what are you doing here so early look."  I was so taken by her look that I forgot to dismount and rolled all the way up to the time desk and was threatened with a 5 minute penalty for not dismounting my bike.  I apologized to the staff as Brooke ran off towards our base camp to get Kyle.  With in a couple of minutes Kyle mounted up and he was off.  I asked," what had happened and why he wasn't ready to go?"  The response.  "Because you were doing 44 minute lap times and you showed up too early, you're not supposed to be here for another 8 minutes"..........my lap time was 37 minutes.  Gee, thanks.  Apparently a lot had transpired while I was asleep and on my last lap.  We were now 21 minutes up on the other team.  Mr. Mohawk had a horrendous lap as did Mr. Tuxedo.  They must have finally "bonked" or hit the wall.

Mr. Orange looked on as I came into the pits.  We tallied the times as Kyle headed out at 6:01am to tear it wide open.  Mr. Orange, in street clothes, looked on with head down and spirit broken.  Victory was surely ours.  I hung around in the pits to strategize with Brooke.  With a 7:30 cut off time lurking in the distance, no other riders could venture out to do a lap with the race ending at 8:00 am.  Mr. Tuxedo heads out for another lap at about 6:22am.  With encouraging words from his fellow teammates. He heads out to hopefully catch Kyle.  But looking at the time sheets, this was not to be done,  his lap times were progressively slower, from 44 to 46 to 48 and now down to 52 minutes, no way.  With Kyle's lap times around 38 minutes, victory was ours.  Kyle pulls in, we inform him that the other team is still mashing the gears, he decides to go out again for an " insurance lap."  Icing on the cake if you will.

Kyle coming in off final lap

 It was a good thing too.  Kyle now out on lap #16 for Team One Cog,  Mr. Tuxedo comes in at 7:26am for their 15th lap.  Surprisingly Mr. Orange suited up again for a last hurrah and blazes out of the pits.  Mr. Orange is a strong rider,  he was turning 38 minutes lap times just like Kyle.  Could he pull this off?  Can he do a 33:59 minute lap to come in under the 8:00am cutoff.  I head out to meet Kyle at a trail junction not too far from camp and tell him that Mr. Orange is headed out and not to take it "too easy."  With a 21 minute lead time, Kyle wasn't worried.  I head back to wait for the results.  Kyle pulls in a short time later.  The wait is on.  Can Mr. Orange pull this off?  The race promoters get the crowd involved and let them know what's happening.  With just a couple of minutes till the cut off time, he appears over the ridge.  His orange jersey easily visible, back and forth as he weaves his way down the hillside.  The crowd cheering and chanting........here he comes.......he crosses the finish line.  The time..........8:01am.  Times up!   He did pull a last lap of 35 minutes, but it was a minute too late.  Even if he did finish that lap in time, we still had a faster "overall time" for the same amount of laps.

There was a pretty good size article in the local paper about the race as well.  Story can be found here.

The Final Results:

12 Hours of Mountain Biking
Total Lap Count: 16
Jon - 5 laps
Andy - 5 laps
Kyle - 5 +1 "insurance lap"

Winners:  Team ONE COG  on the left:  L to R -  Jon, Andy and Kyle
Second place : R to L - Mr. Mohawk, Mr. Orange and Mr. Tuxedo
   - kudos to them for being nice guys and great mountain bikers.

Good times, Good Race....AWESOME TEAM.......Now, the only thing we have to do is come back next year and see if we can hold on to the title.  Thanks to Jon, Kyle and Brooke.  Brooke did a great job of keeping us on track and ready to go.

Arizona Wildlife......

The other day Brooke and I purchased some new flowering shrubs for the yard.  Yesterday I planted and watered them.  This will be the ritual for the next week or two, so that they may get enough water to root.  I make my rounds out front, come into the backyard and begin to do the same.  My trusty companion Rylee, always at my side, is keeping me company.  She follows me from plant to plant.  I begin to fill one of the wells up with water and I notice that the emitter is off of the sprinkler lines for the automatic sprinklers.  I set the bucket down and sit on the rocks to the right of the shrub and begin to clean it off and attach it back to the drip line.

That's when Rylee springs into the air about a good foot off of the rocks.  She immediately gets into "attack mode"or a "what the hell is that thing?" mode.  I look over just a foot away from to where she just  was..........and then I see it.   Bands of black and white, wrapped around a 24-30" body.  

Do you see it?   Oh yeah!   A King snake.   I almost sat on the damn thing.   After Rylee jumped and pointed at it, she started to go after it again.  It coiled itself up against the tree and started hissing and making a "rattling" noise with it's head.  I've never seen that happen before.  I restrained Rylee and checked her for any bite marks.

There are many poisonous and non-poisonous snakes here in Arizona, but I forgot what the colors and marking are,  I called my neighbors "up-stairs" to find out which ones are which, while I kept the girls at bay.  Luckily,  it's only a King snake which are non-poisonous and are great to have around the yard.  They kill rodents,  small creatures and other snakes. They are part of the Constrictor family of snakes and are immune to the venom of Rattlesnakes and will often eat them as well.

Once I had the girls safely inside, I tried to wrangled the reptile.  It was hiding under some weed fabric and rip-rap rocks.  I emptied the bucket of water into the shrub and used that to transport it into the front yard.  It was very quick, it was dodging and weaving in and out of the rocks.  After a couple of failed attempts,  I got it to stay in the bucket as I walked it out front for the realease.

And there it goes.   It was trying to figure out it's surroundings and which way to go.  I kind of directed it over to the rocks and shrubs in the front for some protection from the owls and coyotes that wander through the neighborhood.

It's a good thing that Brooke was NOT here.  You've heard of  "the shot heard around the world" right.  Well, it would've been "the scream heard around the world" instead.

My Lucky Day

Well what do you know, it's my lucky day.

A little background first.  We go to Olsen's Grain to pick up our dog food for the girls.  Emma and Rylee get Canidae Lamb and Rice,  Jessi gets Natural Balance Lamb and Rice Limited Ingredient because of her allergies.  Back in May we went to Olsen's to pick up a couple of bags of each, when the clerk asked me if I wanted to enter a raffle.  No purchase necessary, but we did anyways before we were asked.  I usually pass on these things but, what the hell.  So I filled out my entry form and put it in the box.  Knowing full well I won't have a shot in hell of winning and thinking to myself," nobody ever really wins these things, or at least you never hear of anyone winning."

Fast forward to July 1st.  Out of the blue, I get a message on the answering machine from Olsen's saying that they need to talk to me.  I give them a call back..... I talk to Manny, he informs me that I had won the raffle and to come down to pick up my prize.  Sa-weeet!!

Rewind, back in May, Olsens was sponsoring a local PET DAY here in the Quad City area and the special guest was Tillman, the skateboarding Bulldog that weekend.  This was to be Tillmans last gig and was going to "retire" from doing any shows or appearances.  We never made it out, probably should have, not often you get to see a skateboarding Bulldog.  It turns out he is also the "spokesdog" for Natural Balance Dog Food.

Fast forward to today.  I went down to Olsen's and picked up a couple more bags of food, the clerk asked me if there was anything else that I needed?  I replied," well,  I guess I need to talk to Manny about a skateboard?"  The girls face light's up and she blurted out-

"Congratulations!!!  That is so cool!"

I said' thank you."  I pulled out my speech I had written down hours earlier and began to thank The Academy and everyone for their support......no,  not really.  The grin is for dramatic effect only.

The proud winner.....and the lucky recipient below.....

As you can tell, she is overwhelmed with enthusiasm.  She doesn't know what to do.  Jessi asks herself, "Should I  lick it?  Should I play with it?  Should I chew on it, those wheels look pretty tasty."   As she sat puzzled by this......."thing"............Brooke and I were talking out in the backyard, not really paying to much attention to her and then............ this happened.......

All by herself.  It's gotta be the food.  Or maybe the fact that she's German and those Germans are known to be pretty darn smart.  I think it's the latter.  I tried to get her to do some tricks on it, but it was her first day and I didn't want to rush things.   Maybe in a few weeks we will revisit this crazy dog and see what she is up to.  ;)

Jessi says "Raroooo!"

Northern California Trip

Destination: Lake Tahoe, Downieville, Auburn and  Mammoth


Travel day
Chino Valley to Lake Tahoe California
Travel Time - Forever and a day - no really read it!

Thursday morning, June 17th, 10am,  the Forrester was packed and ready to go.  We are going to meet up with our our trusty biking companions Steve and Micki, aka "Sticki." They left at 7am from Phoenix and we're going to catch up to them later on down the road since we are 2 hours north of them.  Shortly after we get on the road, we get a text from Sticki.  The right trailer tire had blown and tore up the underside of the pop-up.   After limping their way to a tire shop and a home improvement store, they were back on their way. The damage: 1 tire, 1 fender liner gone, propane gas line and fixture torn apart, electrical wiring frayed and misc. camping supplies located in the area of said fender are missing/damaged/unaccounted for, but everyone was OK.

We happened to meet up in the "town" of Four Corners, California within 5 minutes of pulling in......is that timing or what? After getting a quick bite to eat and fueling up we headed towards Bishop on the eastern side of Mt. Whitney. On the way we get a text from Micki asking if we see anything weird with the back end of the trailer since they felt some vibrations in the Highlander.   At first we said no, but after pulling up on them, we saw that the other tire was "out of round" and was bouncing around inside the other fender well. We pulled over to inspect and something caught my eye. A rather large STOP sign, upside down,  laying there in the dirt,  blown off by the wind-SCORE!!!!!   This will be hung in the garage for sure.   We began calling tire dealers in the area of Bishop/Lone Pine to see if they had any tires in stock. Come to find out, the tires on the Sticki Hilton are on the endangered species list. With no other option,  we pulled over again to change the bunk tire out with the spare.

Now safely rolling on nice round tires, we proceed to Lake Tahoe. We decide we are hungry an need to get a bite to eat at a restaurant further down the road, but to our dismay, these sleepy little towns close up shop early. With each town came a glimmer of hope and then that hope was dashed by CLOSED signs. From Bridgeport to Topaz, it was the same story, over and over again. We had such a long day, we just want a bite to eat, is that so hard? Yes, yes it is. As we got closer to the Nevada border we see a casino. YESSSSSS! Casino's = buffet's and food and drinks galore. We can eat till were stuffed.

We pull into the parking lot with eyes wide open, mouths watering at the sheer prospect of picking over such a bounty of food that this fine place has to offer........wait a minute............what the........looking at the clock on the dashboard. 9:07pm.   Now looking at the hours of operation and the flashing marque sign that reads:

STEAK DINNER from 5pm till 9pm

......and looking back at the clock,  back at the sign,  back at the clock and back to the sign. What is going on here, an episode of The Twilight Zone. The song "Ironic" by Alanis Morrisette playing in the back of my mind. We wanted to go on a rampage, but instead we pulled into the parking lot of the Roadhouse Cantina just down the street,  broke out the picnic table, coolers and began to make some grub. The service was horrible! No ambiance! The food was cold, but really good........ and it was free. We tipped big though.....as in......stay open til 10pm,  because you missed out on some business.

We arrive in South Tahoe to find and settle into our first campsite.  On directions given to Sticki via a friend, he told them to camp in a certain area for dispersed camping.   The only problem was,  we could not find this "area" of which was spoken of.  EVER!!!  We drove around, up and down, scouring the roads for this "holy grail" of camp spots for over an hour.  Now 12:30am, we stopped and asked a CHP  officer if he knew of any sites.  He explained that there are NO dispersed camping sites anymore due to fire dangers.  Only camping at designated hosted campgrounds is allowed.  In weeks prior, we had discussed this with Sticki, the rates for these sites were anywhere from $45-78 a night, and requires a 4-5 day advanced reservation!!  At that price, you might as well get a hotel room.   So, we went rogue and camped off the grid near a "day use only" area.  Who's going to know right?  

PSA:  Maps in/of California are vague,  be prepared to yell and scream and pump your fist to the sky in pure frustration!

Lake Tahoe is massive.  We really had know idea how big it was.  Facts:  With 73 miles of shoreline, it is the second biggest lake on Earth at this altitude.  Lake Titicaca is the biggest, but the water is not suitable for consumption.  There is enough water in Lake Tahoe to cover the whole state of California in 1 foot of water.   The road around Lake Tahoe is 77 miles long and takes 2-3 hours to complete.   

Day 3

Ride: Cedar to Sidewinder to Armstrong to Corral

Distance: 13 miles

Time:  3 hours

After the previous days mishaps, we would like to get on the trails and get some single track time in and blow off some steam and do what we came here to do.  A couple of phone calls later, we now know that most of the higher up trails still have snow on them and require some hike-a-bike. With another change of plans and with our secret decoder rings on, we decipher some California area maps of trail networks.    

The ride of the day was to be Mr. Toads Wild Ride.  Until snow happened.  When we here in Arizona were getting pounded by rain and snow, it looks like Tahoe had their fair share as well.  This was taken lake side looking west.

Since snow happened, we decided to link a couple different trails together and make our own ride.  Ironically, the same place that we had camped just days before was the same place we were headed today.   Out of the car and gearing up, we noticed few people actually starting to ride from the parking lot.  Instead they were doing shuttles with multiple cars.  More on this later.  We head up a fire road towards Cedar Trail which was no joke, it was steep and loose.  We saw several people coming down that way, but not up.  Once to the trail head Brooke wasn't feeling so good.  That fire road was like a shot to the gut.  We waited for the weakness to leave the body and continued on.   This section was likened to Prescott and Colorado.  Nice and "flowy," winding around the granite boulders and making its way up the mountain.  Soon we made it to the junction of Sidewinder and Corral.  We opted to take Sidewinder after getting some info from some local riders on the trail.  This was the "preferred" route to go up since everyone liked to come down Corral.  Meaning, a possible collision or stopping and starting because of traffic and messing with "the flow of the ride."  So up sidewinder we go, a little ways up, a nice 30-40' log ride, sweet!   This one was fairly easy, with the top side flattened out by a chainsaw or ax, it had a nice broad surface to roll on.  However, this was a big log, a drop to either side could mean disaster.....

On up came the reason why it was called sidewinder.  The trail just wound up the mountain, just like the snake.  There must have been about 60-75 switchbacks not more than 20 feet long.  Although it traverse a long ways, it was made simple by the way it was built.  Every time you made a turn, it was angled back down the hill just enough to get a little speed up to do the next set and so on.  It was like doing multiple hill rolls, you have your speed and momentum and just as you think you're about to stop, gravity pulls you back down around for the next one.  I wish we would've gotten some video of this but it was an "in the moment" kinds of happenings.

After Sidewinder came the Armstrong Trail.  This had climbing, technical and great views to boot.  This is near the top of Armstrong.  We were the only ones making our way up these trails as mentioned earlier.  Just shortly after this picture was taken, we encountered 5 riders coming down and the first one was awestruck.  He said reluctantly "you guys are going up this?"  I replied " you gotta go up before you can come down!"  Duh!!  Not the "sissy" way out where you get dropped off (shuttled) at the top and just ride down hill.  No way.  You gotta put in the hard work before the pay off.  

Near the end the trail flattens out a bit and winds through hillside.  What do you know, more log rides to conquer.  These were a little less refined than the first one.  These were still round and had the stubs of branches still attached.  We all took shots at these.  Brooke chose a smaller log to practice on, since she wasn't comfortable with the height of these.  

At the top of Armstrong came a junction of trail and fire road.  One rider was coming back down from the upper part of Armstrong and said there was snow no too far from where we were.  Not knowing how much snow was still there we turned our thoughts to Sidewinder.  We headed back down the mountain fiercely.  On the way up was a nice slab of granite begging to be ridden down, so...we did.  The angle of the video doesn't do it justice, it is way steeper than it shows.  

Shortly after this, it was time to make a decision.  Take Sidewinder back down or try Corral? Corral was a technical descent with and the one people were shuttling.   It was a tough call, but we decided  Sidewinder was to be the chosen one.  Since it was so much fun going up, it had to be a blast going back down.  It was!  Besides a close call with a shoulder check hockey style into a tree about 10' around, it was kick ass.  It flowed even better, but you definitely had to be top notch with all those corners coming at you even faster and more repetitive.  We all looked at each other in amazement.  That was a damn fun ride.  We need to duplicate that here in Prescott for sure.  

Now time to try Corral.  The trail split again.  We hit the last half of Corral.  It was fun and had some nice jumps and some granite tech areas.  Super fast on the last half with a choice of jumps that would launch you 5-20' if you wanted.   Down at the the bottom we headed back to the car, loaded up and stopped by a local "wholesome" eatery and had some lunch.  

Ride: Flume Trail

Distance: 14 miles 

Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

We looked at the clock and decided to make the 5pm  shuttle to the start of The Flume Trail.  This is one of those "gotta do it" local rides with great views and a bit of history tied together.  One way to do this ride is from Spooner Lake to Turner Circle, a one way 14 mile trip.  Since we had already ridden earlier, this was the preferred route.  With a 1000' climb in the first 4 miles, it was not an easy way to start.  Mostly fire road, winding it's way up to the saddle.   Earlier the Park Ranger said it was easy til the last half mile then it gets steep, she wasn't kidding.  At the top, we make the descent down to Marlette Lake and continue to take the fire road around it until we hit this....

.......with all the rain and snow, the lake is probably higher than normal.  Just behind Steve you can see the fire road.  A little portage never hurts.  Shortly after this it turns to single track.  The right there on the edge single track.  Nothing technical about it, just awesome, on the edge views.

At the end there a super long downhill fire road to the bottom.   There are several signs telling you to control your speed and stay under 20 mph, but we pretender not to notice them.  Since it was late in the day and nobody else was on the trail we decided to let'er rip.  All of us were haulin' some butt.  I top speed was clocked at 32.8 mph while Brooke registered 28.6 mph....still pretty quick.   After doing 2 rides for the day we didn't feel like going back to camp and start cooking.  A pizza Brooke and calzone for me was to fill this order.  We found a local pizza shop and got a to go order and chowed down....and then bedtime.    

Day 4

Ride:  Northstar @ Lake Tahoe

Distance:  All downhill

Time: All day

Today was to be the " downhill day" at Tahoe.  Since Sticki already have stout downhill sleds, Brooke and I were needing to rent some big travel bikes for the day.  Once rented and lift tickets were purchased, we were now $300 lighter.  WTF!!!!.    We both opted for the GIANT Faith 7" travel bikes.  Downhill rigs usually weigh a lot more because they are built to take a beating, these topped out at about 40lbs.  

Next up was to be properly padded to minimized body damage.  Here is STORM TROOPER Brooke in full get up....strike a pose!!!!

Darth Vader would be proud.  We did a myriad of runs on various trail.  Everything from blue to double black diamonds as seen here.   With lots of drops and mostly jumps, it was fun day. It would've been better if more runs were open.  The problem...snow happened.  There was major snow further up the mountain closing all but one lift....the Zephyr Express.   This left us with few choices, but we were able to make due.  there was also a downhill race going on at the same time.  This blocked off one of the best courses for half the day as well.  Here are some shots...

We had fun, but really not "our gig" if you will......this was my second time doing chairs, but this time I had a more capable bike, kind of.  At the tent where you pick up your bike, they find your size, give you some gloves and a helmet and that's it.  You would think that if you spent $300 for a day of riding, they would at the very least, help you set it up for your height and weight etc.  Nothing!  Steve had to go back in tent and ask them to let air out of Brooke fork as it was way over the required psi.  They were confused, "uh what?" was the reply.  The bikes were not properly set up, just pumped up with air and it's all you got.   Enough of this, back to "real mountain biking" please.

Steve agrees.......Once at camp, he decides he didn't get enough riding in today.  He opts for a night ride....on the Flume Trail.  He must have really like that ride more than he let on.  I though he was kidding, but, off he went, GPS and all.  Although this time he went reverse.  Looking at his GPS and his tale of the Flume the next day, we were smart to ride it the way we did.  Enough said.

Day 5 

Travel Day

From Lake Tahoe to Downieville California

Nothing to exciting here, just a day of travel.  Until it's S'mores time.  We sit around the campfire and Micki breaks out the makings for S'mores.  Yum!!  You don't have to ask me twice.  We all load our mallows on to the skewers and start browning them.  The coals aren't exactly right, but it will do.  Everyone is taking their time to get that " just right" golden brown color.  I take some time, letting the flame caress my mallow.  Oh yeah.  The fire licking it ever so gently and then it happens.......the fire tries to burn my mallow.  Oh hell no!!!  I jerk it back quickly in defiance.  Maybe to quickly, it gets propelled backwards.  Now a flaming hot goo of mallow is headed right for my head.  I have no time to react, it hits me in my left eye and beanie then lands on my shoulder.  Totally shocked and trying to figure out what had just happened, the mallow is still smoldering and on fire,  burning while it sits on my shoulder.  I look at it in disbelief.  Everyone else just sits there in with that look.  You know, the " did that just happen" look.  Maybe Stay Puf't's little brother?.  We all got a good laugh out of that one. 

PSA #2 In California there are poorly marked trails and trail heads

Day 6

Ride: Bullard's Bar Reservoir 

Distance: 23 miles

Time: 3 hours

This was the surprise ride of the trip in our opinion.  It was suggested to us by SARAD.  Since they're from California and come up to the area to ride when they get the chance and said this would be a good "mellow ride" with great views.  Well, this ride did not disappoint.  We parked at the Sunset Vista Point trail head and rode the route counter clockwise.  8 Ball Trail starts out in a wooded area on not too far from the lake and travels along side Marysville Road for part of the way and then crosses over and back again.  Once you hit Old Camptonville road, you start a subtle climb on a fire road for 2-3 miles.  Going on directions given by SARAD, we were looking for a trail head on the left side of the road, once again, only in California, poorly marked trails reared it's ugly head.  After searching for about 20 minutes and an extra mile or so of searching, we all headed out into the forest to try and locate this mysterious trail head.  A couple of minutes later,  Steve shouts," it's over here!"  Finally!   We all hop onto the trail and make our way down lakeside with a "fierce" two mile downhill section.  It was fast with high speed sweeping curves, large jumps all under a canopied forest.......and then you get a glimpse of the lake......was that the.....?   What?  That's not right, is that it?

Totally surreal.  It's even more stunning in person.  Vibrant blue's and greens, it felt like we were biking on a Caribbean island.  It was insane.  The water's that color because of "glacier flour."  With all the local mining in the area going on since 1849, the Yuba River feeds into Bullards and deposits tailing and minerals on the bottom and that gives it that unique glow.  

The trail hovered right next to the shoreline, but this was no ordinary shoreline.  It was "edgy" granite cliffs for much of the it as it wound it's way around.  Both sides of the trail were covered in thick foliage, giant ferns, pines and yes, Poison Oak.  But luckily, nobody got hit with that. 

Unfortunately, this was Brooke's "bad" side.  You can tell by the look on her face that she's trying hard not to go off the edge.  Depending on where you were, it could either be a 10' drop into the water or and nice 50-60' tumble into the water.  With a near vertical drop into the water, it's more like bounce once.....or twice, then into the water.  The trail flowed nicely.  It just maneuvered its way along the side, up hills that would give you a burner , but then, reward you with a nice section of flowy lazy downhill.  For most of the trail, pedaling was effortless,  it must of been the lure of the water.  A comforting distraction.   I stopped on the side of the trail, to take a moment to enjoy nature......just beautiful, and then...I saw it!  The  much seen, but rarely photographed....... Sasquatch Steve.  Here he is seen below on the green machine.  This picture must be worth a thousand.............. words.

Near the end of the ride there was a very "Zen" like area.  Very "Hawaii-esqe" if you will.  It was a moss covered bench tucked away in a little canopy of Modrone trees, ferns,and grass.  I was going to take a picture, but didn't want to disturb the trail gods.  Next time.  And before you knew it, the trail opened up to an old broken up asphalt road that led back up to the parking area, and just like that, the Bullards Bar ride was over......we thought about going back and doing it again the next day, but with little time and lots of great trails in the area still left to do, we passed, but with regret.  Maybe a reason to go back?  A truly awesome ride.  Everyone decided that it "must" be in the TOP 5 list of all time rides.  That's how good it was.  

Later that day, Micki and Brooke decide to take a nap.  I take Mousse for a hike to the Yuba River and get her nice and tired, and Steve......well Steve decides he need to go for another ride.  The guy just isn't happy unless he's clocked 50 hard bike miles a day or something.....He really makes the rest of us look bad.  So stop that Steve.   He goes out on what he describes as a "hell ride."  He was gone for 4 hours I think and we were getting a little worried.  He came back and basically said it had stunning views and downhills, but was a "&#@%$$-#%^#&%" of a ride.  Tales of gravelly loose trail, 45 degree climbs and a lot of hike-a-bike.  Damn, glad I missed it.  If you look at his GPS it looks like an EKG machine with a guy going into cardiac arrest.  Extreme ups and downs.  Maybe tomorrow?  Careful what you wish for.......

Day 7 

Ride: The Divide Trails 1 - 2 and 3

Distance: 14 miles  -  1800' of climbing

Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

Rider: Sticki, Andy

This time around Brooke opted to stay at camp and get some rest.  That left the 3 of us to journey out to the "Divide" trails in Downieville.  When we first pulled into town we  stopped at a bike shop to ask someone local about the best trails and how to get to them.  Another California "snafu."  The only guy there was still wet behind the ears and knew close to nothing, but pointed at a huge map on the wall like a cave man.  Uh, uh, ugh.  He did point out some trails that were highlighted, but knew nothing else.  Hmmm.  Along with that, the store hours were most peculiar.  Nothing happens in Downieville except on the weekends and major holidays I guess.

After talking to the young chap that day, we try to find The Divide trails on our rough idea and crude map that turns out to be last printed in 1995!!!!  A time warp of sorts.  With no current map to go off of and bad directions from everyone in town the adventure begins.  All we know is that the trail starts off Lavezzola Road.  With only a couple streets to choose from, drive through this quaint little town hoping to run into Lavezzola.  We find it, but, as we travel down the road, it starts to splinter off to the left and to the right.  With no street signage to mark the street names we are left to give it our best guess.  Guess #1 wrong....we end up going up a steep wooded  road with a dead end sign, which is totally plausible, since we're mountain biking, only to find out about 500 yards later the road is a private drive.  WTF!  Couldn't mark that at the start huh?  Back down to guess #2.  And Walla.  We see a brown trail sign hiding behind a couple of poles that indicate Lavezzola Road and the Divide Trails. 

 Finally at the trail head, we offload the gear and mount up.  We have a trail that shoots off to the left, but is steep and has traction blocks to aid the climbing or a mellow fire road to the next junction with a nice warm up.  We opt for the fire road.  Steve pulls off to the side to swap out GPS batteries and Micki and I keep on a truckin'.   That's when we spot this little guy making on the road right in front of us.  It's a good thing Brooke wasn't with us or she would've called it a day right there on the spot.  She DOES NOT LIKE SNAKES-AT ALL!!!

Micki and I come to a the junction of the fire road and Divide #1.  Steve's back with us and we debate on what to do.  We hear some voices in the distance, and then the roar of bikes coming off the trail.  About 4 guys were coming off the trail that were shuttled( remember what I said earlier) to the top and were just gravity droppin' it.  We asked them which way to go.  They suggested to stay on the fire road to the top and then come down the same way they did.  WHAT?????   Sucka's!!!  They departed, we continue on the road, Steve is up front about 10', then me, then Micki.  Micki starts talking about her knees and such...blah, blah, blah......and then I see something black out of the left side of my peripheral and it disappears behind Steve and then pops out again.  From Micki, all I hear is my knees are.....THAT MEANS MOMMY........THAT MEANS MOMMY.  I'm reacting with a "what the hell was that" and the yelling from Micki's  lungs.  It all happened pretty quick.  A little Black Bear crossed right in front of us and then went down the side of the embankment.  With a baby bear around, that automatically means that momma bear is not far away.  The makings for an episode of " I survived- A Black Bear Attack" on the Discovery Channel.  We came to a screeching halt from 10mph to 0 in a nanosecond.  We listened closely for any noise from where the bear came from............listening................listening.................listening.............Micki now scoots in behind Steve for protection.  Good move..........what about me?  Awe crap.............listening..............and.............nothing.  Thank the lucky stars.  The momma bear must have been in front and the little one in tow.   First close bear encounter........check.  Nothing in my drawers.......check.  No, it wasn't that scary, now if the momma bear had popped out, that would be a different story.  Now that there is no threat from an attack, we carry on.  What do ya know...a trail sign.

Now at home on single track, we get to work.  These sections of trail were very nice, although there was a lot of climbing, it flowed well.  Here is Steve taking care of business.

Very edge on this trail as well.  Brooke's bad side again, good thing she didn't come.  Snakes and edginess=no good.  You could hear the sound of rushing water from the raging creek that feeds the Yuba river throughout the ride.

Come on Micki....almost...there.......Did I mention that there was A LOT of climbing?  There were a couple of recovery sections but damn, there was a constant grind going up hill.  

LOOK.....another trail sign......I can't believe it.  Actually, this was one of the better marked trails once you were on it.  We chose to climb up to the top of Third Divide.  This section had some technical thrown in just for fun and is also a part of the Downieville Classic Bike Race. 

With dense forest all around,  I kept my eyes out for any "wild life" that we might stumble upon.  After all, besides us, it was pretty quiet in here.  Already a climb from the get go, there was a massive switchback before the top.  Steve went first, he was pedalling his SS up the mountainside with gusto.  It looked as if the trail were to keep going up and disappear into the canopy of trees. " Dang, that's steep," I though to myself.  I turned away and looked back at Steve as he yells "switchback."  Sweet!  I clip in and start grinding away.  It was more like an escalator to heaven.  Slow,monotonous and steep.  Climb, climb, climb.  Lungs burning and legs ready to explode, the blue sky was peaking through the trees.  I was almost to the top.  Hell yeah!!!  I cleaned it along with Micki.  Gasping for air and glad we were finally at the top, the only thing was to clip in and hang on for the bomber down hill down Divide #3 for the return trip.

This was a mad down hill.  Smooth sweeping turns and super fast single track, we were haulin' ass.  A couple blind corners with rock gardens thrown in the mix to keep you alert and make sure you weren't  lolly-gagging around.   With nearly 7 miles of downhill to go, this was going to be a rippin' downer.  We finished up Divide #3 and popped out on the fire road.  Looking for the single track to get us home, we pass by a rather nice mountain estate with it's own private helicopter pad.  Hmmm. That would be nice.  We asked a gentle man that was parked on the side of the road as to where the trail starts again.   Just up a ways and there it was,  Divide #1.  Boo-ya.  Another awesome section.  We cross the fire road again at the junction where we met the riders coming down earlier.  Just flowing real nice, rolling hills all the way down back to the Subie.  Awesome ride. 

 With orders from Brooke to pick up a burger for her after we we done, we made it so.  With dinner in hand for all three of us we head back to camp for some much needed R/R, after all, this is a vacation.  

Day 8

Destination:  Auburn California

Trail: Connector to Forest Hills Loop Divide Trail

Distance:  24 miles

Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

Coming Soon....check back

The Fruita/Moab Ride

Trip:  Fruita Colorado 

Riders: 4 Steve, Micki, Brooke and Andy

Trails: Mary's Loop, Horsethief Bench, Moore's Fun, Mack Ridge, Lions Loop and Steve's Handcuffs

On Wednesday evening we headed out to meet up up with Sticki in Moab.  Our area was under a high wind advisory for the next few days.  No worries, we were headed out of town to go ride in Colorado and Utah.  On our travels we had to pass though the Navajo Indian Reservation in the NE corner of Arizona.  The wind was packing a punch.  Can you say "dust storm?"  At times you couldn't see the road in front of you.  ADOT even brought out the snow plows to clear the roads form all the accumulated sand and dust.

10:30pm Wednesday night - we pull into the RV camp grounds that Sticki laid claim to.  It was great, everything was set up for us when we arrived.  Sticki claimed perfect timing on our part.  We agreed of course, but not planned.  All we had to do was hop into bed and get some shut eye.  Early Thursday morning we were all awoke by the thunderous revving of rock crawlers @6am.  Not the best way to start the day on a trip.  I came outside to see what the heck all the commotion was.  To my amazement, it was a gathering of hillbillies straight from Idaho.  Pocatello no less.  I was familiar with these kinds, heck, I grew up just 40 miles north in Idaho Falls.  They were finishing up their 5 days of rock climbing and were packing up and heading out.  The only thing missing was the breaking of beer bottles and gun shots into the air.

We broke down camp and headed into town to get a bite to eat at the Jailhouse Cafe.  The weather was partly cloudy,  a little breezy, we'll see if it holds.   We called a shuttle service to take us up to the top of LPS-Porcupine Rim. While on the phone we asked what the weather and conditions are like.  The driver said it had just snowed up top and was cold at the LPS trail head.  As we ate, the weather started to take a turn for the worst.  We paid our bill and headed to a local bike shop to kill some time to see if it would clear up.  It did not so we bailed on Moab and headed for better conditions in Fruita.

We made a pit stop at the local convenience store to use the restroom and get an energy drink.  A" Rockstar Recovery Drink" to be more specific.  While purchasing this certain beverage, the clerk offered me a rather large ROCKSTAR sticker.  Knowing that this is Steve's drink of choice, I ran up to his vehicle showing him what I just had scored like a hunter coming back from a kill.  Not to be out done....Steve opened his door and ran inside to get his Rockstar and sticker.  But, something was wrong.  The clerk wasn't sure if he had another one to hand out.  He was digging frantically looking for and extra one to give Steve.  But there was none.  Steve's brow was now sweaty with anticipation of such a prize.  Could he handle the suspense?  Was he going to walk out of there a winner? His eyes eager....his palms sweaty......his mouth watering, waiting to savor the most desired of all beverages known to "Stevekind."  Seconds then minutes passed.  And finally, the clerk finds one last sticker.  You could almost hear the breath of air being let out of Steve's lungs.  A sigh of relief if you will.  Now happily walking out of the AmPm with a certain "swagger." A Rockstar in one hand and a sticker in the other......he has come back from the "hunt" successfully.  At least that's the picture in my mind of how things went down in the AmPm.

Once in Fruita, it looked more promising.  We got to our campsite, set up and looked for an opportunity to go ride before the sun sets.   Now,  I had lived in Fort Collins Colorado for a little over 4 years , so strange weather was nothing new.  But this was ridiculous.   Every 30-40 minutes was something different.  Sunny and windy, then it would rain, then snow, then clear up again.......global warming, more like global whining.  

We decided to make a run for and hit the Kokopelli Area next to the Colorado River.  We pulled into the parking lot and it was snowing.........sideways.  Out of the Subie and gearing up, riders were coming off of the road that leads to the trail head.  Brooke asks them what its like?  They respond with " it's cold and blustery!"  You could see the horror in her eyes.  She's looking at us like we're crazy.  Well, we are........ Nothing was going to stop this ride, well, except for Brooke's fear of the word "blustery."  "Did you hear them! they said blustery.  That means it's cold"  Brooke was contemplating on going on this perilous adventure.  Alas, she decide to go.  A quick pedal up and over a bluff and the weather had changed.  It was still overcast, but the snow had stopped and was starting to warm up a little.

We took Mary's Loop to the Horsetheif Bench junction.  It's a rocky descent down to the start of Horsethief.  Steve and Micki rode it about half way.  I only made it down about 1/4 of the way.  I didn't want to be out of commission on the first day for the rest of the trip.  

Here's Brooke coming off a slab of slick rock on "the Bench."   

Steve on his rigid single speed tackling a tech section.  The loop was short and fun, about 10 miles in all.  This was just enough for today and to see what Fruita had to offer.  We headed back to camp for some snacks and something warm to drink while enjoying the warmth and celebrated his birthday.  

We gave him a Subway meatballs box and in it was a fine plethora of cards and gifts.  With a puzzled look on his face, he dove right in.  One of the cards had a picture of the helmet we bought for Steve, unfortunately it didn't arrive in time for the trip.

Looks great Steve!  We told him he could just tape it to the front of his current helmet and know one one would really notice because it's so stylin'.  But wait.......there was one stand out gift....The shirt that would top them all.   This is Steve's new moniker.  Only because rules apply to mountain bike riders, "except" for Steve, and because he's the punisher on rides.  Happy Birthday Man.

Friday, the weather  looked some what promising, but you guessed it,  it turned out to be a repeat of yesterday.  With the Fat Tire Festival going on in Fruita,  we made a quick stop at one of the local bike shops to pick up a copy of " Fruita Fat Tire Guidebook."  It was most helpful determining what trails we could do weather permitting.  We also hit the Pivot tent so Micki could find out what the scoop was with some local trails that her co-workers may have done.  It seems that the "Bookcliffs" area was on the list today, out on 18 Road.  Kevin, a co-worker decided to meet us at the trailhead at the base of the Bookcliffs.  The parking lot was jammed full, it turns out, everyone else decide to do this section too.  

With other storm fronts on the horizon, we head out on Prime Cut rather than take the road like everyone else.  We came to ride single track, not the road, sheesh.  Once on Prime Cut, the wind started to blow "fiercely."  Then right on cue, the snow was falling.  I was thinking to myself," I hope that the weather clears up, because it will suck if it stays like this."   Proof!

We rode on the trail for a little ways and we all ducked behind a fairly large Juniper tree to brush ourselves off and put on jackets and weather gear.  The snow was building up on our helmets and handlebars rather quickly.   Peddling again, we hit the junction of Chutes and Ladders and just like that,  Mother Nature turned off the snow and let the sun shine down on us.  At the upper parking lot,  other riders said that they had ridden some of these trails earlier in the week and gave us a few options.  We discussed which trail to take next as we pulled off the layers of clothes that we just put on 15 minutes earlier.  Joe's Ridge, since some other riders had started up another section called Frontside, but turned around because it was too muddy.

Joe's ridge was a nicely groomed, fast rolling single track with a little climb up a the back side of the ridge and then an exposed trail down the front side.  This was a fun trail, fast and flowy, it was over in a matter of minutes.  Joe's ridge intersected Kessel Run as it makes it's way back to 18 Road.  It was over way too quickly for us so we headed back to the upper parking lot so we could start off on Kessel Run.  This was also fast and flowy, but more mellow than Joe's ridge.   The weather started moving in again and it was decision time.  Brooke and Kevin were headed back to the cars and Sticki and I headed back up hit Joe's Ridge again and then finish it with the bottom section of Kessel Run that would take us back to the parking lot.  This is the video from halfway down of Steve on Joe's Ridge.  Nice

  After consulting the area trail book and with the help of Steve's trail scouting the day before, we were able to map out our course for the day.  It is to be an Epic ride for sure.  Moore Fun to Mack Ridge to Lion's Loop to Steve's Handcuffs to Mary's Loop.  A 20 mile ride in all, with every possible trail element you could think of.

The beginning of Moore Fun, which was a steep technical ascent with an awesome views at the top and some really great single track on the way down.  To the top we go.......... I'll let the pictures do the talking.....

Brooke rolling through the boulder field on Moore Fun

Brooke showing off on top of Mack Ridge....look how close to the edge...spooky.

This is Steve's Handcuffs, you can see it in the "view picture" above from on top of Mack Ridge.  Riding along the rims of the cliffs was really neat.  It almost felt like riding in a cave so to speak.  Looking up was sheer cliff walls and looking the other way was down into caverns of rock carved from the mighty Colorado River.  This day was most perfect weather wise, we finally got a break from Mother Nature on this end of Fruita.  While on the top of Mack Ridge looking North, The Bookcliffs were getting hammered by storm after storm.  We definitely  chose the right area to ride in today.  Not to cool and not to warm with a little breeze made it just right.  This ride truly was an Epic.  With 20 miles on the clock, it had everything.  Black diamond technical climbs and descents,  fun flowy downhills, peddling through the cliffs and mesa's with stunning views of the area.  And of course great friends to share the experience with.  

MAOB

Location: Moab, Utah

Trails: LPS, Porcupine Rim 

Riders: 6

Steve, Micki, Brooke, Andy, Mitch and Andrea (Dre)

With 3 days spent in Fruita, it was time to pack up and start to make our way back toward home.  Since our first attempt in Moab was thwarted by the weather, we decided to hit it on the way home.  We packed up camp at about 7am that morning and made our way down the highway to what some would say is the mountain biking "holy grail."  We've tried many times to plan trips to come here, but to no avail.  So that first day when we arrived and the weather was bad and we left, I was bummed.  It was almost like "deja vu."  Here we are and we can't ride.  aahhhh!!!  

After the trek into Moab, we pull into a City Market grocery store.  Sticki pulls up and says that some friends from back in the day would to join us for the Porcupine run.  Not a minute later,  Mitch and Dre walk up to Sticki and ask where we are?  Standing right next to our Subie which is right next to Sticki, Brooke and I looked at each other with confusion.  I said"right here."  With a surprised look on Mitchs' face he introduces themselves and we proceed into the market to get some lunch.  With the somewhat "shady" responses we got from the previous shuttle guy we were referred, we decided to opt for another way up to LPS. Well what do you know, Moab Cyclery just happened to be in the same parking lot.  Steve walks in aasks what time the shuttle leaves?  The reply......15minutes.  Dang, we all start to throw our gear on get our bikes ready for the journey down Porcupine.  

 Now it's sunny and about 55 degrees and feeling pretty nice.  Loaded up in the van, we start to make our way up to the top of LPS.   We roll past the famous "Lions Back".  I'm in back with Mitch and Dre, we talk about what we do and ride.  The preside in California but used to live in PHX.  We pass several riders grunting it the fire road on the way.  As we get closer, the clouds start to move in and we can see snow developing in the mountains above.

As we unload the bikes from the roof of the van.  It is apparent that I am "outshocked."  The bikes that everyone else has brought, will have at least 5 or more inches of travel front and rear.  Except for the "Exception."  He is currently boycotting rear suspension because he deems it "unnecessary."  If he could, he would roll his rigid 29er out here.  Mitch and Dre's are dual crown fork monsters with loads of travel and Micki is on her beloved Pivot Firebird.

The greater percentage of riders usually get dropped at Porcupine.  We however, are leaving from LPS which is higher up and more of a technical of a descent down to Porcupine Rim.  We roll out and hit the trail.  It was just like Fruita with the dirt trails and slick rock drops.  To tell you the truth, I was a bit worried.  I was doing fine, but was worried about Brooke.  Now she can throw down some mean mountain biking.  But this is a whole new game.  A wrong move, a wrong line, a tough landing off a drop could spell disaster. On the way down we ask if she's having fun? She reply," I'm having fun, I love this stuff." We all look at each other, because clearly, this was the exact opposite of what we were expecting to hear. With that in mind, there was no need to worry about her on this trail. Although we were far from being done, she had cleared some of the harder sections.

This was one of the steepest downhills I'd ever seen.  I didn't even ride most of it.  I think Steve, Micki and Mitch rode most of it, but the rest of us took turns walking/riding down it and handing each others bike's off .  If you were rock climbing, it would be a 5.6.  Here are some other riders opting to do the same.  

Looking across the valley floor from the first stop and regroup area on LPS.  Now that we are all back together, and Brooke is okay,  I feel more comfortable in Brooke's ability to ride this trail.   But then Mitch makes the comment,"whoa, I didn't know you brought your cross country rig out here!"  I look at him and state the fact that it may be a "cross country rig" but I don't ride it like one, that's for sure.  He looks on me in amazement and wonders to himself, how is Andy going to get down off this trail without it snapping his bike in two pieces?  Hmmm?

From L to R:  Micki - Steve - Brooke - Mitch in the Darth Vader get up.

Brooke below giving the thumbs up cause she's digging it.

About half way down Porcupine Rim we stop and take in the view.  Take some pics, have some snacks and pull some stunts.  Steve and Mitch successfully completed a 4-5' drop on that very same rock where we stand.  Most impressive.  I would have done it, but needed my bike to be in one piece for the rest of the journey.  At this point, I started to consider purchasing another bike that is more capable of such hits as these.  Hmmm, we'll see.  Everybody is making it down without incident and is stepping up their game and getting more "ballsy" shall we say.  Now there are several lines to be taken at certain obstacles.  1) take the "big hit" and go for it.  2) Take the "easier hit" or 3) You play it safe and take the nice and smooth trail......Here is some of what we were doing that day. One way is correct, the other not so much. It happens, you get the courage and at the last second, you decide to bail. Once you're committed, you're committed. The first is proper as shown by Micki...the second is Dre having second thoughts.






OUCH!!!! At first, we all shit ourselves. She really took a hit to the face and neck area. Luckily she had on the full face helmet. After she hit, she said she broke her nose and hurt her neck and jaw and was going to pass out. She really couldn't move and Micki held her head as to not inflict any more damage. We kept telling her to stay with us. It was 10 minutes of WTF is going to happen. All these thoughts running through our heads. Is she hurt badly? Internal injuries? Are we going to have to call for help? Should we just leave her there and keep riding? No!!! Not really!!

After regaining her senses, she was going to be alright. She said she had a headache and her neck was sore. But OK. We all took a deep breath and said,"thank God." Taking a little time to collect ourselves and to make sure she was able to get down the rest of the way on her own power, we finished up this otherwise perfect day. Here are some of the pictures on the way down towards the bottom.






















At the end of the trailhead, we were left to either hitch a ride or just ride our steeds to our cars on pavement. Although Mitch had flagged down a car to get a ride back, we all decided to ride, after all, that is why we are here. Back at the vehicles about 20 minutes later, we say our goodbye's and head our separate ways. Steve and Micki back to Scottsdale, Mitch and Dre back to California, and us back to Chino Valley. Another good day of riding in the books.