RR another year....

I've had a tradition of putting some sort of ride together the weekend of my
birthday. I'm usually up on Mt Spokane any way for the ski patrol refresher,
but after a whole Saturday of helping to update registrations and a database
of 140 people, Sunday is for fun.

Previous years we've done shuttle runs, but this year some of the gang
really wanted to do an easy XC ride out to the Mystic Rocks overlook. Sure
why not
I'm up for anything, the more XC the better. The day started chilly with a
fog blanket hugging the ridge, and golden sun filtering through. By the
time Tuffgrrl, Eric and Steve show up it's looking just lovely out. Tuffgrrl
is moving a little slow due to a cold, but we get rolling... about 4.5 miles
through the cross country ski area, which is mainly double track and some
roads, climbing up to the Quartz Mountain Lookout. It's uphill all the way,
of course. The road has been worked on since last year they tell me, last
year it was a classic rocky nasty rutted jeep road, this year to everyone's
surprise it's a
freeway. The look out is at the top, just out of the pic.
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...Photo--87w.jpg

they moved and rebuilt the old fire lookout, but the stairs were closed off.
Looking south:
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...Photo--88w.jpg

Looking east across the Idaho Panhandle
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...eb/quartz6.jpg

Right below the lookout, the single track cuts off to the east, yay
singletrack!! We have a rooty descent through a multicolor forest. It is
slippery from the previous days rain, and I'm the only one that manages an
slo-mo endo dropping off a 4" log. "Wet log" they say. Then we come out
into a slight trail across the
ridge.
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...eb/quartz3.jpg


http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...Photo--94w.jpg

The destination is Horseshoe Rocks, aka Mystic Rocks aka Spirit Rocks, what
a great lunch spot. We are lucky that the chill wind has quit, too. Nothing

like rock scrambling in cleats, LOL.

http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...eb/quartz7.jpg

Then it's downhill all the way back. Steve knows some slightly overgrown
single track that parallels the road, it's like a jungle run avoiding the
vegetation. I guess it's left over from the NORBA races 5 or so years ago.
Once we get back to the ski area, we alter the rest of the days plan. We'd
kicked around the idea of maybe doing a down hill run afterwards, but the
time thing wasn't going to work out to add onto the day. So, to finish
thing off, we mess around at the parking lot. Yes, I did learn how to jump
this year. Little jumps, but I feel like a kid when I can do this. Slacker,
and Mike Dart, this one's for you:
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...Photo--99w.jpg
heh, happy birthday to me.

Penny

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you...
(sorry, I can't sing)

Kraig.


--
ireman_1

I am NOT as good of a rider as I think I am, but I can outride my mom!

On Mon, 11 Oct 2004 19:54:04 -0700, small change
wrote:

Little jumps, but I feel like a kid when I can do this. Slacker,
and Mike Dart, this one's for you:
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...Photo--99w.jpg


Hey now, careful without a fullface!

Pretty pix.
















Oh yeah... And H A P P Y B-Day :-) !
--
Slacker

On Mon, 11 Oct 2004 19:54:04 -0700, small change wrote:

I've had a tradition of putting some sort of ride together the weekend of my
birthday. I'm usually up on Mt Spokane any way for the ski patrol refresher,
but after a whole Saturday of helping to update registrations and a database
of 140 people, Sunday is for fun.

Oh yeah, HB! Sorry I didn't say something sooner, I was on the ass end of
my first 13-hour workday in a few weeks. :P

http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...Photo--88w.jpg

Who are those crazy cats?

Glad you had a good time!
gabrielle

gabrielle wrote:
On Mon, 11 Oct 2004 19:54:04 -0700, small change wrote:

I've had a tradition of putting some sort of ride together the
weekend of my birthday. I'm usually up on Mt Spokane any way for the
ski patrol refresher, but after a whole Saturday of helping to
update registrations and a database of 140 people, Sunday is for fun.

Oh yeah, HB! Sorry I didn't say something sooner, I was on the ass
end of my first 13-hour workday in a few weeks. :P

http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...Photo--88w.jpg

Who are those crazy cats?


that's tuffgrrl; Eric her SO is behind the camera, and the guy with the bike
is crazy steve. So what if they are on fr bikes and wear armor - I love
these crazy guys, I can always count on them when it comes to a ride and no
one ever complains about a climb, even a 4 mile one.
I don't know where I was. Behind a bush? Oh, wait, I went to go get my bike
so we could do this:

http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...Photo--90w.jpg
nice light, eh?

penny

small change wrote:
I've had a tradition of putting some sort of ride together the weekend of my
birthday. I'm usually up on Mt Spokane any way for the ski patrol refresher,
but after a whole Saturday of helping to update registrations and a database
of 140 people, Sunday is for fun.

Previous years we've done shuttle runs, but this year some of the gang
really wanted to do an easy XC ride out to the Mystic Rocks overlook. Sure
why not
Clip overly good RR

Beautiful country! I'm going to take a look at MSH on Thursday. I hope
it's as nice a day as you had, even without the biking.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

small change wrote:
I've had a tradition of putting some sort of ride together the
weekend of my birthday. I'm usually up on Mt Spokane any way for the
ski patrol refresher, but after a whole Saturday of helping to update
registrations and a database of 140 people, Sunday is for fun.

Previous years we've done shuttle runs, but this year some of the gang
really wanted to do an easy XC ride out to the Mystic Rocks overlook.
Sure why not
I'm up for anything, the more XC the better. The day started chilly
with a fog blanket hugging the ridge, and golden sun filtering
through. By the time Tuffgrrl, Eric and Steve show up it's looking
just lovely out. Tuffgrrl is moving a little slow due to a cold, but
we get rolling... about 4.5 miles through the cross country ski area,
which is mainly double track and some roads, climbing up to the
Quartz Mountain Lookout. It's uphill all the way, of course. The
road has been worked on since last year they tell me, last year it
was a classic rocky nasty rutted jeep road, this year to everyone's
surprise it's a
freeway. The look out is at the top, just out of the pic.
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...Photo--87w.jpg

they moved and rebuilt the old fire lookout, but the stairs were
closed off. Looking south:
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...Photo--88w.jpg

Looking east across the Idaho Panhandle
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...eb/quartz6.jpg

Right below the lookout, the single track cuts off to the east, yay
singletrack!! We have a rooty descent through a multicolor forest.
It is slippery from the previous days rain, and I'm the only one that
manages an slo-mo endo dropping off a 4" log. "Wet log" they say.
Then we come out into a slight trail across the
ridge.
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...eb/quartz3.jpg


http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...Photo--94w.jpg

The destination is Horseshoe Rocks, aka Mystic Rocks aka Spirit
Rocks, what a great lunch spot. We are lucky that the chill wind has
quit, too. Nothing

like rock scrambling in cleats, LOL.

http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...eb/quartz7.jpg

Then it's downhill all the way back. Steve knows some slightly
overgrown single track that parallels the road, it's like a jungle
run avoiding the vegetation. I guess it's left over from the NORBA
races 5 or so years ago. Once we get back to the ski area, we alter
the rest of the days plan. We'd kicked around the idea of maybe doing
a down hill run afterwards, but the time thing wasn't going to work
out to add onto the day. So, to finish thing off, we mess around at
the parking lot. Yes, I did learn how to jump this year. Little
jumps, but I feel like a kid when I can do this. Slacker, and Mike
Dart, this one's for you:
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/ima...Photo--99w.jpg
heh, happy birthday to me.

Penny

Incredible views!

--
- Zilla
Cary, NC
(Remove XSPAM)

On Tue, 12 Oct 2004 13:12:11 +1000, ireman_1 wrote:

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you...
(sorry, I can't sing)

No kidding; I couldn't detect a tune at all! ;-)

Happy birthday, Penny!

--
-BB-
To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail address, at least)

small change wrote:
snip cool report + photos

Very nice. Happy birthday!

Matt

"small change" wrote in message ...
I've had a tradition of putting some sort of ride together the weekend of my
birthday.

snip

Happy belated Birthday, vieja.

JD viejo