For some shots that don't really capture the day, see:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=258930

Kahona rolls up to the happy hacienda, 7:15am, but I'm ready. No way
am I missing a ride while the hills are frozen, and with the wife out
early, I'm not giving up a better offer indoors..

Load the Rev on his rack, and he's bringing a new guy, Justin, a young
roadie who moved here from the People's Republic of Seattle, we book
it over to Flip and Barbie's house, it's still cold and we're still
grinning.

Flip, who has the tough job (but somebody's gotta do it) of being a
young, retired guy who gets to teach mountainbiking and travel the
country riding the good stuff, says he has a heapin helpin of new
trails and good times to serve up. And with all the barney groups I've
been running, it's exciting to fall in with a gaggle of goofballs that
I know will push me, spank me and make me cry for mamma. Bring it on,
baby!

Flip hops on his blue Yeti, joined by Rock-n-Roll-Barbie on her silver
Yeti, and we mangos from the SW hinterlands fall in behind, as Flip
takes us out of town and into the hidden little trails that are steep,
narrrow and just the way we like'em. He had to blindfold us first so
we couldn't spoil the trails with too much traffic, but that just made
them funner to ride...

He shows us a new way into the Military Reserve area, that finishes
with a devil's slide descent with the ole hiner hung out over the back
tire to keep from moving to endoville. Cross the dirt road, take the
meandering pitch along the stream, and get ready to climb. But before
that, we watch the Kahona pull a JD on a big rock. Pictures on mtbr.

Up the hill, and we're rockin, go up Bucktail, a twisty gentle climb of
a couple miles, then as its starting to snow harder, Flip takes us up
Shane's loop, in the clockwise direction, but I personally prefer it
the other way. I just did a huge ride yesterday, so I'm praying,
"Legs, don't fail me now!"

At one point I'm hurtin in my gut to keep up with these A-Teamers,
sweating, wheezing, grinding it out along this narrow ridge, snow
stinging me in the face, legs and brain no longer on speaking terms,
the whole danged valley to my right, and I think for a second, "dang!
this hurts!" Then I laugh out loud and shout, "I LOVE IT!!" Kahona
hears the echoes and thinks I'm bailing, so he yells up, "Dingo! you
alright?!" How we get these nicknames, I'll never know, but once
conferred, no escaping the mean little dog.

Roll onto the top, take some pictures, head back out the loop when the
new guy's standing & grinding up a piece and [BING!] breaks his chain,
flying off into the sage brush and takes a major snow sample with his
face. You'll see the pics of Flip fixing the chain. What a guy.

We're laughing, joking the whole way, and it's one of those days where
it's all hitting just right, you're out on great [new] trails with good
friends and super-fun conditions with the ground frozen and the snow
coming down like it's Christmas morning.

Flip leads us down the switchbacks, and I've never taken them so fast.
Ladies and gents, I'm sorry, but I'm just groovin today. Lose a
little traction on the new snow, but them fat Kendas have kept me alive
so far... along a tricky, rocky ridge that my bike knows so well, I
close my eyes and catch a nap. Then into the black forest, and as I
round this corner where I go into my signature tail-whip to snap around
this fallen tree and big-a$$ rock without slowing down, Barbie yells,
[as I fall] "watch out for the ice...!" Too late, I fall hard on my
left, my upper thigh catching a log and giving me a dandy souvenir as I
lay there laughing, assuring my fans that yes, I'm ok, and no, I'm not
smart enough to slow down when I oughta.

Out of the forest, into the drainage culvert, back up into the M/R
area, when we get deluged by about 50 grinning runners out in the snow
with us. Biggest group of two-legged types on snow I'd ever seen
outside a ski hill. No kidding, it must have been a training run for
the half marathon coming up. Flip takes us up yet another new trail,
and I'm just really digging the fact that its still snowing, 2hours+
into the ride and we're all warmed up, the trails are newfangled and
interesting, and the kids are out playing. My toes are starting to
feel it, but I can still feel them, so keep riding Brown, and stop yer
whinin.

Work our way back to the Flip & Barbie haciendado where we load the
bikes and congratulate each other all the way home....

To where I cook up a truly dandy Mexi-feast of eggs, hot peppers,
onions and chorizo, with a couple early brews to chase that pile of
food down the hatch. [To ease the pain from my new owwie, of course.]

It's hard to describe, but this had to be one of my top 10 rides in
these foothills, ever, what with the combo of great folks, cool
conditions, and new trails...

Adios, flamingos.

CDB