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RR: First snow ride
The Boise valley had it's first snow fall last Saturday, however since
I had a cyclocross race to put on Sunday and was way too busy I did not get out. The snow was gone from the valley by Saturday afternoon; Bummer! As luck would have it we were blessed with another snow shower yesterday (Tuesday) and this snow is going to stick around for a few days. My riding partner Brad and I have been doing Tuesday night rides since early November, so the snow was an added bonus/challenge for last night. We met at Camelsback Park at 5:30pm, the temperature was in the upper 20's. The parking lot had a thin layer of ice and I nearly fell on my butt while getting the bike ready so I was feeling a little paranoid about what to expect on the trails. It only took 10 minutes to get started, but both of us had really cold hands already and we were thinking that this might be a stupid idea, so we decided to just ride a short loop. We headed around Camelsback and over to Chickadee ridge, Brad spinning and me mashing to try and generate enough heat to warm the hands but not over heat the body. We have both endured fast descents in the cold after sweating a little too much on other rides and it is not real fun. The traction is really good so far and it is starting to lightly snow again. From Chickadee we decide to head up Hulls Gulch just to extend the warm up period. No one else is out so we cruise along enjoying the scenery and I decide this was not a stupid idea after all. Traction is still really good except on the larger rocks and the wood water bars. They are slick and force us to walk one short section or risk a fall into the creek. About 2/3 of the way up Hulls and my hands are toasty but my feet are getting real cold. This however is a common occurrence that we suffer through and we both keep trying new ways to insulate our toes without having to spend a bundle of money. Maybe Santa will bring us those Lake winter mtb boots... When we get to the intersection of Hulls, the Freeway and Trail #1, we are both jazzed. Brad suggests that we head up #1 to the motorcycle parking lot and decide where to go from there. Due to the snow and ruts, it takes a couple of tries to cleanly ride the beginning of trail #1, but from there it is smooth sailing and great traction. Boise looks pretty cool through the snowfall which is getting a little heavier. When we get to the top we turn right around and head back down because we want to ride up Trail #4 and get on Sidewinder. Just after we get to the bottom and cross the foot bridge across Hulls Gulch we see lights coming up Hulls Gulch. We continue on down the Freeway heading for Trail 4 giving salutations to the 3 riders coming up Hulls across from us. It is good to know that there are other nuts out here. Trail 4, like Trail 1 is open to motorcycle traffic and can get big ruts right down the middle. It is a challenge to ride this trail up or down even when the ground is dry, so the snow is going to be tough. You have to keep your line as straight as possible to keep from slipping into the ruts or from falling off the downhill side of the trail. I have lucked out and have the right tire pressure to ride all but one short steep section near the top. Brad is having traction and shifting problems but still rides most of it. When I get to the top I am roasting, well except for my toes which feel like rocks. Also, my beard has frozen from all the moisture; yeah winter is fun. The snow is really coming down now and since neither of us were smart enough to wear our glasses, the ride down Sidewinder is both pleasure and pain. We zip down this trail as fast as visibility will allow. Snow is stinging our faces and eyes. Face muscles are tired of squinting. Traction is not a problem and we never slide out, this is great! We pop out onto the Freeway sooner than I had expected, it seemed like we missed a whole section of trail, but it was only the lack of visibility that caused the confusion. As we head down the Freeway Brad suggests doing the Redcliffs trail, but I think that we might be pushing our traction luck too far so we ride down the Connector and back over to Chickadee and Camelsback. That had to be one of the best rides I have done all year. Just under 2 hours riding time which is also about how long it took for my toes to thaw once I got home, but it was worth it. Mike |
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#2
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On Wed, 1 Dec 2004 12:50:55 -0700, "Mike Kennedy"
wrote: The Boise valley had it's first snow fall last Saturday, however since I had a cyclocross race to put on Sunday and was way too busy I did not get out. The snow was gone from the valley by Saturday afternoon; Bummer! As luck would have it we were blessed with another snow shower yesterday (Tuesday) and this snow is going to stick around for a few days. My riding partner Brad and I have been doing Tuesday night rides since early November, so the snow was an added bonus/challenge for last night. We met at Camelsback Park at 5:30pm, the temperature was in the upper 20's. The parking lot had a thin layer of ice and I nearly fell on my butt while getting the bike ready so I was feeling a little paranoid about what to expect on the trails. It only took 10 minutes to get started, but both of us had really cold hands already and we were thinking that this might be a stupid idea, so we decided to just ride a short loop. We headed around Camelsback and over to Chickadee ridge, Brad spinning and me mashing to try and generate enough heat to warm the hands but not over heat the body. We have both endured fast descents in the cold after sweating a little too much on other rides and it is not real fun. The traction is really good so far and it is starting to lightly snow again. From Chickadee we decide to head up Hulls Gulch just to extend the warm up period. No one else is out so we cruise along enjoying the scenery and I decide this was not a stupid idea after all. Traction is still really good except on the larger rocks and the wood water bars. They are slick and force us to walk one short section or risk a fall into the creek. About 2/3 of the way up Hulls and my hands are toasty but my feet are getting real cold. This however is a common occurrence that we suffer through and we both keep trying new ways to insulate our toes without having to spend a bundle of money. Maybe Santa will bring us those Lake winter mtb boots... When we get to the intersection of Hulls, the Freeway and Trail #1, we are both jazzed. Brad suggests that we head up #1 to the motorcycle parking lot and decide where to go from there. Due to the snow and ruts, it takes a couple of tries to cleanly ride the beginning of trail #1, but from there it is smooth sailing and great traction. Boise looks pretty cool through the snowfall which is getting a little heavier. When we get to the top we turn right around and head back down because we want to ride up Trail #4 and get on Sidewinder. Just after we get to the bottom and cross the foot bridge across Hulls Gulch we see lights coming up Hulls Gulch. We continue on down the Freeway heading for Trail 4 giving salutations to the 3 riders coming up Hulls across from us. It is good to know that there are other nuts out here. Trail 4, like Trail 1 is open to motorcycle traffic and can get big ruts right down the middle. It is a challenge to ride this trail up or down even when the ground is dry, so the snow is going to be tough. You have to keep your line as straight as possible to keep from slipping into the ruts or from falling off the downhill side of the trail. I have lucked out and have the right tire pressure to ride all but one short steep section near the top. Brad is having traction and shifting problems but still rides most of it. When I get to the top I am roasting, well except for my toes which feel like rocks. Also, my beard has frozen from all the moisture; yeah winter is fun. The snow is really coming down now and since neither of us were smart enough to wear our glasses, the ride down Sidewinder is both pleasure and pain. We zip down this trail as fast as visibility will allow. Snow is stinging our faces and eyes. Face muscles are tired of squinting. Traction is not a problem and we never slide out, this is great! We pop out onto the Freeway sooner than I had expected, it seemed like we missed a whole section of trail, but it was only the lack of visibility that caused the confusion. As we head down the Freeway Brad suggests doing the Redcliffs trail, but I think that we might be pushing our traction luck too far so we ride down the Connector and back over to Chickadee and Camelsback. That had to be one of the best rides I have done all year. Just under 2 hours riding time which is also about how long it took for my toes to thaw once I got home, but it was worth it. Mike Nice! Bill The First law, Inertia: Unless acted upon by an outside force, a body at rest tends to stay at rest, and a body in motion tends to stay in motion. Sir Isaac Newton |
#3
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Bill Wheeler wrote:
On Wed, 1 Dec 2004 12:50:55 -0700, "Mike Kennedy" wrote: The Boise valley had it's first snow fall last Saturday, however since I had a cyclocross race to put on Sunday and was way too busy I did not get out. The snow was gone from the valley by Saturday afternoon; Bummer! As luck would have it we were blessed with another snow shower yesterday (Tuesday) and this snow is going to stick around for a few days. My riding partner Brad and I have been doing Tuesday night rides since early November, so the snow was an added bonus/challenge for last night. We met at Camelsback Park at 5:30pm, the temperature was in the upper 20's. The parking lot had a thin layer of ice and I nearly fell on my butt while getting the bike ready so I was feeling a little paranoid about what to expect on the trails. It only took 10 minutes to get started, but both of us had really cold hands already and we were thinking that this might be a stupid idea, so we decided to just ride a short loop. We headed around Camelsback and over to Chickadee ridge, Brad spinning and me mashing to try and generate enough heat to warm the hands but not over heat the body. We have both endured fast descents in the cold after sweating a little too much on other rides and it is not real fun. The traction is really good so far and it is starting to lightly snow again. From Chickadee we decide to head up Hulls Gulch just to extend the warm up period. No one else is out so we cruise along enjoying the scenery and I decide this was not a stupid idea after all. Traction is still really good except on the larger rocks and the wood water bars. They are slick and force us to walk one short section or risk a fall into the creek. About 2/3 of the way up Hulls and my hands are toasty but my feet are getting real cold. This however is a common occurrence that we suffer through and we both keep trying new ways to insulate our toes without having to spend a bundle of money. Maybe Santa will bring us those Lake winter mtb boots... When we get to the intersection of Hulls, the Freeway and Trail #1, we are both jazzed. Brad suggests that we head up #1 to the motorcycle parking lot and decide where to go from there. Due to the snow and ruts, it takes a couple of tries to cleanly ride the beginning of trail #1, but from there it is smooth sailing and great traction. Boise looks pretty cool through the snowfall which is getting a little heavier. When we get to the top we turn right around and head back down because we want to ride up Trail #4 and get on Sidewinder. Just after we get to the bottom and cross the foot bridge across Hulls Gulch we see lights coming up Hulls Gulch. We continue on down the Freeway heading for Trail 4 giving salutations to the 3 riders coming up Hulls across from us. It is good to know that there are other nuts out here. Trail 4, like Trail 1 is open to motorcycle traffic and can get big ruts right down the middle. It is a challenge to ride this trail up or down even when the ground is dry, so the snow is going to be tough. You have to keep your line as straight as possible to keep from slipping into the ruts or from falling off the downhill side of the trail. I have lucked out and have the right tire pressure to ride all but one short steep section near the top. Brad is having traction and shifting problems but still rides most of it. When I get to the top I am roasting, well except for my toes which feel like rocks. Also, my beard has frozen from all the moisture; yeah winter is fun. The snow is really coming down now and since neither of us were smart enough to wear our glasses, the ride down Sidewinder is both pleasure and pain. We zip down this trail as fast as visibility will allow. Snow is stinging our faces and eyes. Face muscles are tired of squinting. Traction is not a problem and we never slide out, this is great! We pop out onto the Freeway sooner than I had expected, it seemed like we missed a whole section of trail, but it was only the lack of visibility that caused the confusion. As we head down the Freeway Brad suggests doing the Redcliffs trail, but I think that we might be pushing our traction luck too far so we ride down the Connector and back over to Chickadee and Camelsback. That had to be one of the best rides I have done all year. Just under 2 hours riding time which is also about how long it took for my toes to thaw once I got home, but it was worth it. Mike Nice! Bill The First law, Inertia: Unless acted upon by an outside force, a body at rest tends to stay at rest, and a body in motion tends to stay in motion. Sir Isaac Newton Nope, Galileo! |
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