Well, no one but me showed up for my "women's mtb ride...,
all abilities welcome. 10 am, Aubrey White trail head ( off
government way) Rain or shine.Exact route to be determined
by ability and interest of riders. No dogs, please."
So, not going to waste a good day, off I go on the Ti
Mongoose loaner. I'm a little sad, because Mr. Adventure has
asked to come last night and I told him no. Not too sad,
last thing I saw him this a.m. he was still snoozing, he
does like his extended naps on the weekend mornings.
I sure am having fun on the loaner Ti HT. Last time I rode a
HT much at all it had been my steel tank pre bike camp. This
bike I felt like I was dancing with on the technical stuff.
I am sure it has a whole lot to do with the growth in the
rider over the last few years.
It's the usual route.. .down the hill, along the river, back
up and across the bike path..along the bluff and through the
forest. OK, try a new way. There's so many old abandoned
roads around here,and voila! New bits of singletrack!! Must
ride them. Short, connectors.. but hey ... single track.
Mostly when I ride out here it's for fitness, it's easy to
knock of 10-12 mile on single track and double track, with
lots of climbs mixed in with the flats as you go up and down
the historic river terraces. ( geomorph 101, anyone?).
I finally tried a new off shoot that Tuffgirl and I have
been eyeing. This year, the park has finally decided to put
numbered markers at all the junctions. We've been eyeing
where #25 turns off on the way down form Devils Down. Where
does that go anyway? Looks like up, but we've always not
had the time or inclination to explore it. Today's the
day... kind of steep at the beginning, but rideable, sort
of. Up to a rise, it sort of flattens out and looks like it
will start paralleling the basalt bluff through the forest.
It climb gradually now, damp and narrow, rooty, through
long grass.. not used much! Then it's [censored]... a little
steep hike a bike to the next level. More rolling trail and
then up again. I get the sneaky feeling I should be riding
this the other way. Every time I think this thing is going
to traverse the bluff... it goes up again. Finally, it
dumps me out on a level old abandoned railway ballast just
below the basalt cliff. [censored]. I ride 50' down it, wondering
if there's any trail left. My idea had been to follow this
spur trail all the way to it's beginning (end?) but at the
sight of the ballast, no way. Time to turn around and ride
this down! Fun and swoopy but narrow, nothing like brushing
through a little hidden devils' club on the way down. And
then.. spit out where I began, to finish out the ride the
route I always do.
Back to the car, then home to change into "piano
recital mom"
Penny