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#1
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RR: Last Ride of 2006
Carrie had The Plan for the last ride of 2006 and it was most
excellent. Earlier in the week she had suggested riding the 31st, including which trail we should ride. There was absolutely no argument from me, only enthusiastic agreement. The Sun was shining and there was nary a cloud in the sky when I picked Carrie up and we headed to the trailhead. It was indeed, a beautiful day. She suggested we grab a coffee on the way, still batting 1000 for the day and we had just barely started. It was nice to get a little hopped up on caffiene for me because of the weird hours I keep on the weekends. The drive wasn't too bad, especially since the area we were headed to was generally in sight the last half of it. The skies had remained clear adn the temperature was holding steady around what was predicted for te day. Pulling into the parking lot revealed quite a few vehicles, but I didn't see bike racks on any of them. Things were still looking way up. Readying ourselves didn't take too long and within ten minutes, we were rolling. The route starts with a pretty significant climb that can sneak up on you. That is until you turn around and look back down the trail to see just how much you have climbed. That didn't happen though because of the cool terrain features in sight to the side. There was a pause to shed a layer to keep from overheating, but that was only needed once throughout the entire ride. With the initial climb finished, it was time for some great undulating bench cut singletrackin'. My weapon of choice for the day was my rigid Team Marin and it was definitely the right tool for the job. The track was hardpacked and fast from recent precipitation, making it much less daunting for Carrie and super fast when it needed to be. I led at Carrie's insistence ad kept her within hearing distance if not in sight at all times. We rode at a nice cruising pace, stopping at overlooks to check out the views and natural features of the area. There were also a couple of blown-out and exposed sections of the bench cut that we walked because the last ride of the year did not need to be the "last ride". The out and back nature of the route Carrie had chosen had me in "memory" mode, watching the trail intently as to remember as much as possible for the return trip. The last bit of out was a varied surface drop to a lookout. It started smooth and hardpacked, turned to a bit sandy, then to a bit rocky with loose rocks, and finally to a little stteper and somewhat rutted. I tried keeping Carrie really close, but she apparently had a little difficulty on the rocky part that I missed hearing or seeing. She was still in earshot when I negotiated the last rut at the bottom, which was comforting. I walked back up a little and watched her finish the bottom section. At the end, we walked out to the lookout and checked out the view. There was a pretty good panorama and I made sure to play the "interpretive guide" and point out a few known features. The trail did continue past the viewpoint and we could see where it climbed out of the next canyon over. The ride back was a lot easier, except for the initial climb. We split the climb up by riding some and walking some. I immediately noticed that Carrie's tracks from her descent were almost always right on top of mine. She is a fast learner! Before the end of the climb out, there was a false "summit" that had a couple of sequential root drops in it. I demoed them, talking my way down them and explaining what I was doing while riding the obstacles. Carrie followed and rode them identically. Yup, a fast learner. The return trip was a little faster, even with a stop at the highest point of the route on another lookout we had missed on the out portion of the ride. Carrie had professed to her legs being a bit tired, so we stayed in cruise mode. Even so, Carrie led the last climbing bit and burned up to the last apex before the final descent back to the parking lot. The descent went really quickly, with me leading and Carrie hot on my heels. There was one final stop right before the parking lot to enjoy the view and check out some rock climbers. What a nice finish to a great trail on a wonderful day to close out 2006. Still batting 1000, Carrie suggested stopping at In N Out Burger on the way back to her place. How could anyone do better? The closeout ride for 2006 turned out to be a memorable one, as predicted right from its inception. A great route with a fantastic woman is definitely an unbeatable combination. In writing this over two weeks after the fact, I've had some time to reflect on this ride and 2006 as a whole. It was an excellent year, highlighted with some great riding on many different bikes, many different places and with many different people. Capping 2006 off by spending the day riding with Carrie made perfect sense to me because we had met earlier in the year. It's indelible. JD |
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#2
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Last Ride of 2006
"JD" wrote in message ups.com... Carrie had The Plan for the last ride of 2006 and it was most excellent. Earlier in the week she had suggested riding the 31st, including which trail we should ride. There was absolutely no argument from me, only enthusiastic agreement. The Sun was shining and there was nary a cloud in the sky when I picked Carrie up and we headed to the trailhead. It was indeed, a beautiful day. She suggested we grab a coffee on the way, still batting 1000 for the day and we had just barely started. It was nice to get a little hopped up on caffiene for me because of the weird hours I keep on the weekends. The drive wasn't too bad, especially since the area we were headed to was generally in sight the last half of it. The skies had remained clear adn the temperature was holding steady around what was predicted for te day. Pulling into the parking lot revealed quite a few vehicles, but I didn't see bike racks on any of them. Things were still looking way up. Readying ourselves didn't take too long and within ten minutes, we were rolling. The route starts with a pretty significant climb that can sneak up on you. That is until you turn around and look back down the trail to see just how much you have climbed. That didn't happen though because of the cool terrain features in sight to the side. There was a pause to shed a layer to keep from overheating, but that was only needed once throughout the entire ride. With the initial climb finished, it was time for some great undulating bench cut singletrackin'. My weapon of choice for the day was my rigid Team Marin and it was definitely the right tool for the job. The track was hardpacked and fast from recent precipitation, making it much less daunting for Carrie and super fast when it needed to be. I led at Carrie's insistence ad kept her within hearing distance if not in sight at all times. We rode at a nice cruising pace, stopping at overlooks to check out the views and natural features of the area. There were also a couple of blown-out and exposed sections of the bench cut that we walked because the last ride of the year did not need to be the "last ride". The out and back nature of the route Carrie had chosen had me in "memory" mode, watching the trail intently as to remember as much as possible for the return trip. The last bit of out was a varied surface drop to a lookout. It started smooth and hardpacked, turned to a bit sandy, then to a bit rocky with loose rocks, and finally to a little stteper and somewhat rutted. I tried keeping Carrie really close, but she apparently had a little difficulty on the rocky part that I missed hearing or seeing. She was still in earshot when I negotiated the last rut at the bottom, which was comforting. I walked back up a little and watched her finish the bottom section. At the end, we walked out to the lookout and checked out the view. There was a pretty good panorama and I made sure to play the "interpretive guide" and point out a few known features. The trail did continue past the viewpoint and we could see where it climbed out of the next canyon over. The ride back was a lot easier, except for the initial climb. We split the climb up by riding some and walking some. I immediately noticed that Carrie's tracks from her descent were almost always right on top of mine. She is a fast learner! Before the end of the climb out, there was a false "summit" that had a couple of sequential root drops in it. I demoed them, talking my way down them and explaining what I was doing while riding the obstacles. Carrie followed and rode them identically. Yup, a fast learner. The return trip was a little faster, even with a stop at the highest point of the route on another lookout we had missed on the out portion of the ride. Carrie had professed to her legs being a bit tired, so we stayed in cruise mode. Even so, Carrie led the last climbing bit and burned up to the last apex before the final descent back to the parking lot. The descent went really quickly, with me leading and Carrie hot on my heels. There was one final stop right before the parking lot to enjoy the view and check out some rock climbers. What a nice finish to a great trail on a wonderful day to close out 2006. Still batting 1000, Carrie suggested stopping at In N Out Burger on the way back to her place. How could anyone do better? The closeout ride for 2006 turned out to be a memorable one, as predicted right from its inception. A great route with a fantastic woman is definitely an unbeatable combination. In writing this over two weeks after the fact, I've had some time to reflect on this ride and 2006 as a whole. It was an excellent year, highlighted with some great riding on many different bikes, many different places and with many different people. Capping 2006 off by spending the day riding with Carrie made perfect sense to me because we had met earlier in the year. It's indelible. JD Good stuff. 2006 was my "road to recovery" year with ott7 hoping to be riddled with way more rides, hoping to get my skill level up a notch or two and riding with a larger assortment of riders and skill levels. Sounds like you got a keeper so keep her! Gary (the oaked arrogant ******* is splendid, thanks) |
#3
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RR: Last Ride of 2006
JD wrote: In writing this over two weeks after the fact, I've had some time to reflect on this ride and 2006 as a whole. It was an excellent year, highlighted with some great riding on many different bikes, many different places and with many different people. Capping 2006 off by spending the day riding with Carrie made perfect sense to me because we had met earlier in the year. It's indelible. JD Glad your last ride of 2006 wasn't your "last ride." Good writeups are worth reading, that's my motto. '06 stretched me in 2 directions. Leading a weekly begintermediate group ride, and exploring tougher, new trails with hotdog riders. '07's looking even better. CDB |
#4
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Last Ride of 2006
"JD" wrote in message ups.com... Carrie had The Plan Nuff said. Excellent reading JD. Thanks. Have a great '07. Marty |
#5
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Last Ride of 2006
Marty wrote: "JD" wrote in message ups.com... Carrie had The Plan Nuff said. Excellent reading JD. Thanks. Have a great '07. Marty Y tu, amigo. JD |
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