RR: SoCal Riding - LONG!

This ride report is for two different areas. I was in town for some
business and took my ride with me. After going over some trail maps and
discussing with some native MTBers, I decided I would ride Aliso-Woods
(http://www.socalmtb.com/socal/trails/maps/aliso.htm) on Saturday for a warm
up and then try the San Juan Trail
(http://www.socalmtb.com/socal/trails/maps/hotsprin.htm) on Sunday, which
was classified as "advanced". By the time I reached Aliso-Woods on Saturday
morning, the skies opened up and the park was being closed. So back to the
hotel to wait for Sunday. I'm always one who tries to get their money's
worth. So having lugged my bike from NJ, I wasn't about to do just one
trail.

Sunday morning I headed out to Aliso-Woods. When I got their the Ranger
said the park was closed and probably wouldn't be open until Tuesday. I
thought that was strange and as you'll see later, I'm glad I thought that.
So, I headed south to San Juan Capastrano and the San Juan Trail.

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0879.jpg

There were a few cars in the parking lot, but no physical beings. I knew
this was a tough trail and I sure hoped there would be people along the way,
just in case. I found the trail and then started to head up. I was
immediately presented with the mother of all switchbacks (at least 10 of
them in a row).

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0838.jpg
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0889.jpg

Here is a look back at the switchbacks once I reached the top of them:

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0881.jpg

I am a more confident rider when I am with a group. Alone, I get scared.
Especially when riding on the side of a cliff!

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0882.jpg

Here is what I had accomplished thus far:

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0885.jpg
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0886.jpg

My confidence level would go up and down with each motion of my feet.
Looking down would stop me dead in my tracks. I was scared sh*t for most of
this ride. We don't have cliffside riding in PA/NJ.

Not only was this trail narrow, it was deeply rutted and washed out in
places. None-the-less, I trodded on upwards from the 800' starting point to
3200' six miles later. As I got closer to the peak, the trail became even
more narrow and rockier. A fall here would have been fatal.

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0887.jpg

It was at this point that I put the camera away because there was nolonger a
place to stop. I continued up until I was about 1 mile from the top.

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0884.jpg

It was here that I had a dose of reality. I had to go back down this steep,
rutted, narrow, rock strewn trail. I didn't want my kids to grow up without
a father. I turned my bike around leaning on the wall of the ridge as rocks
and dirt came loose. I did not go very fast on the way down fearing the
switchbacks. Occassionally, I had to hunker on the side as DH'ers would
bomb down the trail. More power to them, I'll take my slow pace.

Back at the car, I was a little disappointed that I didn't go to the top.
At least I live for another day to try again with other people around me.

Having not had enough riding for the day, I decided to go back to
Aliso-Woods on whim that conditions have changed. At the park, the ranger
was just opening the gates. He said that it had dried out pretty fast and
he was opening the park. No cliffside riding here, but some great views and
interesting trails.

My first goal was to reach top of the world. I head up the fire road toward
Cholla trail.

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0890.jpg
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0893.jpg
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0896.jpg

I reached the Cholla trail and decided to take it up instead of the fire
road. This trail rises 225 feet in 1/4 of a mile. I knew it would be a
nice climb and It certainly had some different flower and fawna.

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0900.jpg
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0901.jpg

Looking down from a switchback:
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0902.jpg

Looking up from the switchback (that dirt road in the distance is where I
was heading):
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0905.jpg

More climbing:
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0906.jpg

At the top I took the fire road to top of the world. The last climb was a
doosy!

Looking up:
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0907.jpg

Looking down:
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0908.jpg

The view from the top of the world:
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0911.jpg
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0914.jpg

I then bombed down the Mathis trail (no pics, it was too much fun to stop)
onto the main fire road and back out to the car. It was an incredible end
to an incredible day. So much so that I treated myself to a Mickey Bar (I
used to eat three of these in a row) at Disneyland that evening.

SJT was way too advanced for me, but Aliso-Woods proved to be a good choice.
I'm sure there are other nice trails in the area, but I did not go away
unhappy. I shot some video of both trails which I will edit and post next
weeked.

Thanks for reading!

Ride-A-Lot
www.schnauzers.ws

This ride report is for two different areas. I was in town for some
business and took my ride with me. {Major Snippage, at your service}

Nice pics and write-up -- sounds like you got a good taste of So Cal riding
(rocks, ruts and cliffs, oh my!

Only been to Aliso once, I think, but ridden SJT many times. If you're at
all afraid of heights, San Juan Trail is an adventure, to say the least!
(The upper half doesn't have the vertical "exposure" of the lower portion,
but is much more technical in places.) Need to be careful on way down, as
fatigue can make one sloppy (IOW, dead!)...

Bill "thanks for the RR" S.

San Juan can be spooky, it's true. If you are at all afraid of heights
it may not be the best choice.
As far as fatality possibilities go, last year a guy fell off the trail
and died, and nobody found him for a few days... sometimes it sucks to
ride alone. That said, SJT is one of my favorite solo rides.

Here's photo:
http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/dscn0061(1).jpg

Here's another:

http://gallery.consumerreview.com/we...witchBacks.jpg

miles

"S o r n i" wrote in message
...
This ride report is for two different areas. I was in town for some
business and took my ride with me. {Major Snippage, at your service}

Nice pics and write-up -- sounds like you got a good taste of So Cal
riding
(rocks, ruts and cliffs, oh my!

Only been to Aliso once, I think, but ridden SJT many times. If you're at
all afraid of heights, San Juan Trail is an adventure, to say the least!
(The upper half doesn't have the vertical "exposure" of the lower portion,
but is much more technical in places.) Need to be careful on way down, as
fatigue can make one sloppy (IOW, dead!)...

Bill "thanks for the RR" S.




I don't think it was so much the height as being alone. I'm still at the
point in my riding where I need occassional words of encouragement from
others. It takes my mind off of the danger. I didn't have that on SJT.
My two biggest fears are falling off a cliff with no one there to recover my
body and getting lost.

Ride-A-Lot Mitchell@ wrote:

[snip cool RR]

Cool pics, I've been wanting to ride SJT for a long time. That might
just be the incentive I needed. Looks nice.

-Bruce

"Bruce Edge" wrote in message
...
Ride-A-Lot Mitchell@ wrote:

[snip cool RR]

Cool pics, I've been wanting to ride SJT for a long time. That might
just be the incentive I needed. Looks nice.

-Bruce

Good luck and stay safe!

Ride-A-Lot Mitchell@ wrote:
This ride report is for two different areas. I was in town for some
business and took my ride with me. After going over some trail maps and
discussing with some native MTBers, I decided I would ride Aliso-Woods
(http://www.socalmtb.com/socal/trails/maps/aliso.htm) on Saturday for a warm
up and then try the San Juan Trail
(http://www.socalmtb.com/socal/trails/maps/hotsprin.htm) on Sunday, which
was classified as "advanced". By the time I reached Aliso-Woods on Saturday
morning, the skies opened up and the park was being closed. So back to the
hotel to wait for Sunday. I'm always one who tries to get their money's
worth. So having lugged my bike from NJ, I wasn't about to do just one
trail.

snip great RR

Thanks for reading!

Ride-A-Lot
www.schnauzers.ws


Man, you're stoked, you got to hit both of them! SJT isn't too advanced
for you. If you made that 6 mile climb, you're doing very good... you
just need a ride buddy next time to keep you company. It does get spooky
there by yourself.

Sheesh, and you rode down Mathias... dang, I've only had the unfortunate
displeasure of climbing it, and never cleanly.

Great pix too... thanks! Look forward to the video.
--
Slacker

"Slacker" wrote in message
...
Ride-A-Lot Mitchell@ wrote:
This ride report is for two different areas. I was in town for some
business and took my ride with me. After going over some trail maps and
discussing with some native MTBers, I decided I would ride Aliso-Woods
(http://www.socalmtb.com/socal/trails/maps/aliso.htm) on Saturday for a
warm
up and then try the San Juan Trail
(http://www.socalmtb.com/socal/trails/maps/hotsprin.htm) on Sunday,
which
was classified as "advanced". By the time I reached Aliso-Woods on
Saturday
morning, the skies opened up and the park was being closed. So back to
the
hotel to wait for Sunday. I'm always one who tries to get their money's
worth. So having lugged my bike from NJ, I wasn't about to do just one
trail.

snip great RR

Thanks for reading!

Ride-A-Lot
www.schnauzers.ws


Man, you're stoked, you got to hit both of them! SJT isn't too advanced
for you. If you made that 6 mile climb, you're doing very good... you
just need a ride buddy next time to keep you company. It does get spooky
there by yourself.

Like I said, I was going to make it worth bringing the bike and flying
America West,

I'll be back late next March for a pre-con. I'll stay the weekend then too.
Maybe we can meet up for a ride or two.


Sheesh, and you rode down Mathias... dang, I've only had the unfortunate
displeasure of climbing it, and never cleanly.


Well, Cholla wasn't exactly a pleasure to go up either. If I had my body
armor with me, I would have been a little faster on Mathias. It was
exciting and I am still feeling the euthoria of the riding today.

Ride-A-Lot Mitchell@ wrote:

I'll be back late next March for a pre-con. I'll stay the weekend then too.
Maybe we can meet up for a ride or two.


Sounds like a plan... I'm in!
--
Slacker

Great report, it is good to get someone's impression of our trails from
outside of our area. I do ride San Juan alone but only after having done it
with friends a few times first...and only during the weekdays with the
shuttle monkeys aren't as prevalent...sorry Slacker.

Aliso is fun but I also stay away on weekends...way to many people. I can
now climb Cholla without dabbing or stopping...it took numerous attempts and
about 1 year of riding to get strong enough. Next time try coming off West
Ridge on Rocket or Lynx...both single tracks and more fun than the fireroad
decent.

On the West slope of West Ridge did you see any of the downhill single
tracks dropping into Laguna Canyon Road? IE: Dog Patch, Direct Dial,
Telonics, or Steps. If you though SJT was treacherous.

Dean Stepper
Laguna Beach, CA


"Ride-A-Lot schnauzers.ws" Mitchell@NOSPAM wrote in message
...
This ride report is for two different areas. I was in town for some
business and took my ride with me. After going over some trail maps and
discussing with some native MTBers, I decided I would ride Aliso-Woods
(http://www.socalmtb.com/socal/trails/maps/aliso.htm) on Saturday for a
warm
up and then try the San Juan Trail
(http://www.socalmtb.com/socal/trails/maps/hotsprin.htm) on Sunday, which
was classified as "advanced". By the time I reached Aliso-Woods on
Saturday
morning, the skies opened up and the park was being closed. So back to
the
hotel to wait for Sunday. I'm always one who tries to get their money's
worth. So having lugged my bike from NJ, I wasn't about to do just one
trail.

Sunday morning I headed out to Aliso-Woods. When I got their the Ranger
said the park was closed and probably wouldn't be open until Tuesday. I
thought that was strange and as you'll see later, I'm glad I thought that.
So, I headed south to San Juan Capastrano and the San Juan Trail.

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0879.jpg

There were a few cars in the parking lot, but no physical beings. I knew
this was a tough trail and I sure hoped there would be people along the
way,
just in case. I found the trail and then started to head up. I was
immediately presented with the mother of all switchbacks (at least 10 of
them in a row).

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0838.jpg
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0889.jpg

Here is a look back at the switchbacks once I reached the top of them:

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0881.jpg

I am a more confident rider when I am with a group. Alone, I get scared.
Especially when riding on the side of a cliff!

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0882.jpg

Here is what I had accomplished thus far:

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0885.jpg
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0886.jpg

My confidence level would go up and down with each motion of my feet.
Looking down would stop me dead in my tracks. I was scared sh*t for most
of
this ride. We don't have cliffside riding in PA/NJ.

Not only was this trail narrow, it was deeply rutted and washed out in
places. None-the-less, I trodded on upwards from the 800' starting point
to
3200' six miles later. As I got closer to the peak, the trail became even
more narrow and rockier. A fall here would have been fatal.

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0887.jpg

It was at this point that I put the camera away because there was nolonger
a
place to stop. I continued up until I was about 1 mile from the top.

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0884.jpg

It was here that I had a dose of reality. I had to go back down this
steep,
rutted, narrow, rock strewn trail. I didn't want my kids to grow up
without
a father. I turned my bike around leaning on the wall of the ridge as
rocks
and dirt came loose. I did not go very fast on the way down fearing the
switchbacks. Occassionally, I had to hunker on the side as DH'ers would
bomb down the trail. More power to them, I'll take my slow pace.

Back at the car, I was a little disappointed that I didn't go to the top.
At least I live for another day to try again with other people around me.

Having not had enough riding for the day, I decided to go back to
Aliso-Woods on whim that conditions have changed. At the park, the ranger
was just opening the gates. He said that it had dried out pretty fast and
he was opening the park. No cliffside riding here, but some great views
and
interesting trails.

My first goal was to reach top of the world. I head up the fire road
toward
Cholla trail.

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0890.jpg
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0893.jpg
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0896.jpg

I reached the Cholla trail and decided to take it up instead of the fire
road. This trail rises 225 feet in 1/4 of a mile. I knew it would be a
nice climb and It certainly had some different flower and fawna.

www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0900.jpg
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0901.jpg

Looking down from a switchback:
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0902.jpg

Looking up from the switchback (that dirt road in the distance is where I
was heading):
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0905.jpg

More climbing:
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0906.jpg

At the top I took the fire road to top of the world. The last climb was a
doosy!

Looking up:
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0907.jpg

Looking down:
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0908.jpg

The view from the top of the world:
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0911.jpg
www.pchospital.net/cali/img_0914.jpg

I then bombed down the Mathis trail (no pics, it was too much fun to stop)
onto the main fire road and back out to the car. It was an incredible end
to an incredible day. So much so that I treated myself to a Mickey Bar (I
used to eat three of these in a row) at Disneyland that evening.

SJT was way too advanced for me, but Aliso-Woods proved to be a good
choice.
I'm sure there are other nice trails in the area, but I did not go away
unhappy. I shot some video of both trails which I will edit and post next
weeked.

Thanks for reading!

Ride-A-Lot
www.schnauzers.ws