I brought the singlespeed to the pre-Barney ride I do before leading
the group at 6pm. Cool, clear, a day after some rain, and the trails
are slightly tacky. You can do no wrong tonight.
Meet up with the Kahona, who brings his Yakuza beefed up jumping
hardtail, and head into the woods. Along the narrow sidehill, that can
be tricky, but the laser precision of the rigid SS, coupled with dozens
of practice runs, I can practically do it in my sleep.
Wind through the electric digital paradise, where yellow leaves have
covered everything, coasting to a stop near the back of the box canyon.
Take a swig and adjust the seats for the coming climb. My legs are
feeling iffy, since I worked out at the Y early this a.m., but find
there's nothing like real riding to bring out the best in you. So up
we go, about 2 miles of these big, meandering switchbacks to the top of
Central Ridge.
Over to Bucktail, a twisty banked couple of miles that is generally
downhill, so hitting cruising speed and altitude is a hoot'n n holler'n
proposition.
Down the face, where Kahona takes the usual route where he can jump
the Yakuza, and I take a detour requiring a bit more finesse. come out
at the forest, into the forest, whip around like a fallen power line,
up through the cement culvert, and find Kahona waiting.
Hustle it over to the parking lot as my precious barneys begin arriving
for the begintermediate ride I'm spozed to lead in 10 minutes.
Then we refill the water, check the rig, and repeat, adding some
easier pitches and taking an easier climb to the top.
By now we're amazed at the sunset over the valley, but to keep a long
story short,
that's all for now...
paladin