2nd Race

Last night was Charlie's first race on the new bike. What a big difference! He didn't transfer to the main, but was in the pack this time. He was leading one kid in the first heat, but then got crooked in the whoop section. The kid ended up passing him near the end. It's just going to take some more practice and time on the bike. Charlie was having a blast regardless. He even went home with a trophy...a new participant trophy that he was supposed to receive last week (we didn't stick around till the end last time).

Charlie had a cheering section too! My mom and her boyfriend, Marcus, Jeff and Amy P. were down trackside giving Charlie encouragement. This seemed to pump him up! I had a hard time getting him to watch the gate, as he was always looking over at the crowd to see who was watching him!

We gave Charlie a bit of Hammer Gel before the race to boost his energy, but it seemed to backfire. He ended up getting a bit of a stomach ache instead. Oops. Just one of the many things we have to learn... We're also excited to try a Sunday morning race. Charlie has a lot more energy first thing in the morning. I think we all do.

We saw a lot of parents racing last night too. Most race in the cruiser class, i.e. the bike has a 24 inch or greater sized wheel. The cruiser class isn't broken down into skill levels, just age group. It just so happens that we have a Redline 24 inch cruiser in the garage. Kristy and I plan to take it to the next practice and see how it goes. If it works out (no broken bones), we may have to enter some races. Just riding each week in practice would be fun too though.

Ready to Race

Charlie's race bike arrived today, and I picked it up from Bicycle Authority after work. It's a "Mini Ripper" from SE Racing. Anyone remember the "PK Ripper" from the 70's and 80's BMX days? The Mini Ripper is the mini version of the legendary bike.

After dinner we took it out for a test ride, followed by a parade around the neighborhood to show it off. He was telling people we didn't even know about his new race bike.

Then of course he wanted to race mom and dad. I was a little alarmed at how fast he could get that 16 lb bike with 40x16 gearing going! The track is full of ups and downs that will rob some speed though. He should be ok! We may even have to play with the gearing for more acceleration out of turns. Tomorrow's race will be a good test.

I have his freestyle bike next to the race bike for comparison. The little bike on the left is 7-8 lbs heavier! The wheels are 16" vs. the 20" wheels on the new bike. The 20 inch wheels are narrow and fast with 65 psi tires.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's race!

Angora Fire

Here's a picture from May of the area that the Angora Fire (the fire currently burning near Lake Tahoe) has already burned. As you can see, there was plenty of fuel for the fire. I'm glad Jeff F. showed us these trails, and that we had a chance to ride them before they were gone. It's funny to think back to May when we were discussing the homeowners vs. the mountain bikers. New homes were encroaching into the existing trails. Mother Nature settled this argument.

This is the fire perimeter map as of last night.

This google maps link shows more detail (although I'm not sure how long the link will work...).

More pictures of the area before the fire HERE.

Some random pictures from Flickr people HERE and HERE.

Slow Rollers Poker Run 2007

Sunday was the 3rd Annual Slow Rollers Poker Run up at Lake Tahoe. Once again, the ride started at the Horizon Casino in Nevada, but quickly crossed into California, following the South Shore bike path.

The first stop on the route was the Tahoe Hemp Company, or THC. Kind of clever if you ask me... They had some cool hemp clothing and accessories, and I'd like to go back for a second look when I have more time and money. I'd like to replace my leather wallet with a hemp wallet.

The second stop was the Turn 3 Peanut Bar. The bar has a NASCAR theme with more TVs than you could possibly look at, all with live NASCAR coverage. Not my thing, but they had a great beer selection. We had the Mirror Pond Pale Ale from the Deschutes Brewery, and the new offering from New Belguim Brewing Company, Mothership Wit, an Organic Wheat beer.

As we were preparing to depart the Turn 3, we noticed that a fire was breaking out to the south of us. The otherwise sunny day was quickly turning dark. By now, the news of this fire is national. The fire has spread and destroyed over 200 homes. Many homes in this area are valued at over $1M dollars.

Stop number three was at the Tudor Pub. This was my favorite stop along the way. The pub was off the main road a bit, and had a bit more class to it. The lawn had plenty of great outdoor seating to enjoy our brews. We even had umbrellas to keep most of the ash out of our beer. The $3 Fat Tire line was frozen apparently, so the special was transferred to the Mirror Pond Pale Ale. That was fine with me...I've been on a Pale Ale kick lately.

The fourth stop was the Hot Gossip Espresso Bar and Lounge. They had great coffee (welcome after two bars), and plenty of free cakes and cookies.

We sat inside during this stop. The smoke was starting to block out the sun at this point, and it was actually starting to get chilly out. Firetrucks and police cars were pouring in from neighboring cities to help with the fire. It's time like this that it feels good to be on a bicycle, and not trapped in the car traffic.

We ended up back where we started, the Horizon Casino. Following a BBQ, a cruiser bike was awarded to the highest poker hand, 3 Queens. Beat my pair of 3's. They also raffled off a beautiful New Belgium Cruiser. No luck on that one either. They were having a hard time giving away the other raffle prizes, since many people weren't present at this time. They decided to give away the final prize with a Slow Drag...last one across the finish line wins.

I had already loaded my bike, so someone told me to jump on Sandie's Hello Kitty cruiser and enter the contest. So I did. I was on the outside lane and not very aware of how the rest of the field was doing. At one point, Sandie told me that I'd better slow down, so I started track standing for a while. The next thing I know, somebody told me I won! I got a cool set of Dyno Cruiser tires with flame tread. I never win anything, so this was pretty cool. Apparently the guy that should've won, Dan the LBS owner, thought he had won and just rode across the finish line!

The full photo collection of the event can be found on our Flickr Page. Sandie and Brent covered the ride on their blog too.

Tales of a Mt. Bike Junkie....

I will begin this story with a refresher- on one of the lunch rides a few weeks ago, I broke my swing arm on my Mt. Bike at the bottom of Jack Rabbit. This instigated a complete overhaul of my bike, including a new drive train, shifters, brake pads, shock service etc. Unfortunately, during the rebuild of the bike, it fell off my el Cheapo stand right on the brand new rear deraileur! Snapping my brand new deraileur hanger like peanut brittle. I used my old deraileur hanger from the broken swing arm and pushed forward.
I was proud to annouce the arrival of my new baby on Tuesays lunch ride. It was all put together and parking lot tested. Unfortuantely, about 200 yards into the ride it started creaking and popping like crazy. The shifting was far from smooth and the bike was a MoFo to pedal. I made the best of it and listened while Jeff M. continued to use these noises to sway me towards the purchase of a single speed bike. After going at least 100% over budget on the current rebuild, the idea of having a new bike for me is not on the horizon. But, just in case hell does freeze over, you will find me at the bike shop with my wallet out. Riding Jeffs single speed while my bike was down was a total blast.
Anyway, not to get off subject. That evening, after the lunch ride I did my best to get my bike dialed in. I adjusted about 90% of the brake drag out, and re-routed a shifter cable that I routed wrong the first time. Then I met Jeff P. and Jeff Moser for the Thursday afternoon ride in Ash Canyon. What a blast! We started at Jeff P.'s and climbed timberline. Then dropped into Baldy Green. This is where I really noticed that I had not solved my shifting problems. It was horrible. KA-Chunk! Chunkchunk! the bike was on autoshift. Anticipating the exact opposite of which way I would actually like to shift. I tried adjusting the cable lenght but nothing helped. No time to worry though. Just made the best of it and pedaled down the new trail that Jeff P. cut into the canyon. Sweet! Thanks Jeff! I will be recieving many hours of enjoyment from your hard work! We had a great time talking about the future of Mt. Biking in CC. With trails like that it won't be long until Carson City becomes a destination for Mt. Bikers.

When I got home that night. I was too exausted to put anymore time in my bike. I had done all I could. So Friday afternoon I took it to Bike Habitat, where Dennis, the owner used the drop down straightening tool to gingerly straighten my badly bent deraileur hanger. He also fixed the drag on my brakes and installed my new seat post. What a guy. He only charged me $15.00 and must have spent a half hour on it. Thanks Dennis. I also must mention that the Bike Habitat is totally stocked now, compared to when it first opened. There is lots of good stuff there...

Needless to say, It was Friday night. I have to work Saturday. Sunday is my 12Th Wedding anniversary. When will I be able to really ride my beautiful new bike.... This calls for a rock star energy drink and a night ride! So the kids hit the rack. I kiss them goodnight. I go to the map software on the computer. Print out the trail that goes from the top of spooner to "The Bench" scribble a note on it for my wife to read in case I dont come home. Prep and pack everything. Kiss the wiferoony goodby and hit the road. I was on the trail at 10PM. Headphones on and my 2 nightrider headlamps blazing through the woods. I climbed and climbed. 5 miles to the bench. The bike was shifting and handeling like a dream. I stopped at the bench on this warm evening and took in the half moon over Lake Tahoe view for a good 45 Mins.
According to my calculations, If I rotate the light burn times, I should have at least another 2 hrs and 45 minutes of light left. I was totally pumped up for 3 reasons.. The energy drink, The Rim Trail, and my bike was dialed in bigtime. I decided to pedal towards the top of Kingsbury for another 45 minutes. So I pedaled and pedaled, getting into the tunes. It was now almost 1:30 AM. Well, I thought, I better turn around because if I get home too late I will be way to tired for my Saturday duties and the wifey might worry.. So I did. Then, within about 5 minutes, my main light that has a burn time of 4 hrs stopped working at 3:15! ag! I charged it up! The way I calculated it, I only had about 40 minutes left on my back up light. So I kept on moving. 10 minutes later that one went out too... Hmmm. Lucky its a warm night... So I grabbed my final trick, which was an LED light and tried to ride with that. After nearly going over the bars I figured that was a bad idea. I will begin to walk. I have 8 miles to go with my little head light. It is now 2 am. So I made a note of the milage on the cycle computer.. I covered just over 2 miles in an hr. Time to turn this adventure into a camping trip! I opened my camelback, took out my leggings and put them on. Found a nice soft spot under a tree right next to the trail and fell asleep quickly. I awakened at 4:30 to find a bear about to have his way with me... - Just kidding. I awakend at 4:30 am and the trail was just lighting up from the morning twilight. I tightened my shoes. ( I still had my headphones and helment on to help keep me warm) and jumped on the bike. Whooo Hoo! The Tahoe Rim Trail RIPS. Perfect down hill roller slope for 6 miles to the car. It was a great way to start the day. I got home at 5:45 and my wife opened one eye to look at me.... "Where were you?" Well, the mt. bike ride turned into a camping trip.. Chalk up another big adventure for the history books!

First Race

Last night was Charlie's first race. Like most first races, it's more of a learning experience than a race. Thankfully everyone was very helpful, so navigating the signups and moto sheets wasn't too hard. Charlie was between age groups in the mix of kids, so he raced with the seven year olds (he's six). One thing became immediately apparent even before the racing started...he would need a race bike to be competitive. All the other bikes were 7-8 lbs lighter, and had skinny 20 inch wheels and tires. Charlie's heavy steel bike with 16 inch wheels was outgunned. Still, he could keep up with the pack down the 1st straightaway. I think it'd be like entering an XC race with an All Mountain trail bike. You could hang for a bit, but would be quickly dropped. Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt!

So it looks like a new race bike will be bought sooner than later! Charlie didn't transfer to the main, but he had a great attitude and tried his best to the end. Both kids and parents were supportive of all the racers no matter where they placed. Charlie was recognized for his first race and hard efforts with a medallion. Lets just say that receiving this medallion to him, would be the same as me winning $1,000. He talked about his prize all night, and wore it in the restaurant after the race. When we got home he hid his medallion in the grandfather clock to thwart any would be thieves.

Charlie is exited about racing again, and plans to practice hard all week. With any luck, he'll have a new bike by next race!

Carson City BMX

Last night we went down to the Carson City BMX track for practice night which occurs every Wednesday during the BMX season. This was my son Charlie's first time on a BMX track. I was a little worried before we got there, because like most sports, BMX has gotten more "extreme" since I used to race back in the early 80's. I was afraid the track might have big steep jumps and terrain too difficult for the younger riders. I was pleasantly surprised though! The track is easily ridden by the novice rider, but still provides good challenges for the advanced rider. It is designed really well.

The kids and parents were real supportive too. One kid escorted my son around the track his first time around. There was another time when Charlie didn't make one of the climbs, rolled back and fell over. Quite a few kids came to his assistance and got him going again. The parents were friendly and helpful too.

Charlie woke up this morning pumped up for more BMX. He and Kristy rode to the Gardnerville Skate Park to work on his skills, and said he wants to go back down there after swimming lessons. He wants to try his first race tomorrow night.

One thing we noticed right away, is that he's going to need better gear. He's going to get a full faced helmet before his first race. A race jersey would be nice too. I remember being a kid racing, and felt like a real racer once I had a jersey. He's also currently riding a freestyle BMX bike. They're heavy/overbuilt steel bikes, designed for the torture that kids administer to them. Many of the kids had aluminum race bikes, a whole 10 lbs lighter than the freestyle bikes! The good thing is that compared to mountain bike parts, the entire bike isn't that expensive. A 14-16 lb race bike is in the $300-600 price range. Charlie plans to use his current bike for a while to make sure he's into it, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a new Redline in his near future...

More Playing on the Tahoe Rim Trail.

Amy and I spent another day exploring the Tahoe Rim Trail last Wednesday. It was Charlie's last full day of school so we had one last full play day before summer break. We got an early start and headed up to Spooner Lake. We rode up to Marlette Lake and then made our way to the TRT trail. I got this great picture from the top. Talk about views, this is one of my favorites! We followed the TRT down around Twin Lakes, then to the Flume and back to the car. It was a perfect day for this epic ride!

This section had lots of big boulders that were challenging to maneuver around. In fact I remember an older hiker nipping at my heals, as I hauled my butt and my bike up some of the tougher sections. I sure had fun though, I really enjoyed trying to find the best way through each technical section. It sure feels good when you can get through a spot that seems impossible.

Check out some more pictures taken that day. They are mixed in with our TRT ride, South Camp Loop, from the following week.

Watering the Garden

Watering the Garden
Originally uploaded by Facility Bike Club.

I haven't posted a whole lot lately. Summer is here, and there are lots of other things to do. I really love bicycles, but sometimes you have to take a step back and focus on other activities. Our garden is in, and I've really enjoyed helping take care of it. Gardening is a great way to help take your mind of things. I mean, you can't think about bicycles all the time, right?

I spent the last two nights under that tree in the picture. My son and I set up the tent and slept outside. I'm looking forward to my bed tonight!

Exploring the Tahoe Rim Trail.

Last Sunday Amy and I rode the South Camp loop, up at Lake Tahoe. We parked at the Tahoe Rim Trail trail head on Hwy 50, just before the turn off to 28 going towards Spooner Lake. We didn't start at the TRT though, instead we mounted the bikes, rode past the turn off and then crossed the road. We actually started on a dirt road just past the Ranger storage area on the left. That's when the climbing began and it didn't really let up until we reached the bench. The road was mostly dirt and gravel but seemed to be paved in some of the steepest sections, which made it somewhat pleasant.

I was surprised to see over a dozen ATV and Motorcycle riders zooming past us on the road. It was a bummer, we only saw 3 bicyclists all day! At about 2 miles up we made a right turn and then a left turn after another 2.5 miles. We turned left onto the TRT at about 8 miles and headed up to the peak. That was already 8 miles of climbing, I'm not even going to say what our average speed for the day was. Once on the TRT we enjoyed a nice and easy single track climb with some mild rocky technical spots, but not too bad. I only had to walk the bike through a couple of sections.

It was quiet too, no motorcycles or ATV's are allowed on the TRT, so we were able to enjoy the rest of the ride in peace. This is weird, just a couple of years ago, Jeff and I rode quads and dirt bikes. Now here I am complaining about how noisy they are. How differently we see things these days, more simply and pure. We still enjoy riding single track and seeing beautiful places. Now we can take in the peaceful serenity of natures sounds too. It is amazing how we change and head down different paths, but the beauty is we can choose, as we grow.
At the top we enjoyed the views huddled behind a couple of large boulders, it was too windy to sit on the bench. What a cool spot! I have never viewed our area from up there before, it is amazing to think we climbed all that way, wow! Once refreshed we continued on the TRT back to Hwy 50. Total mileage for the ride was 15 miles.

Three words come to mind to sum up this ride... beautiful, climbing, fun... with emphasis on climbing!

Click on the Tahoe Rim Trail website and pull up the, Spooner Summit to Kingsbury North, map for more details on the route we took.

To view more pictures taken that day, click here. There are some new pictures mixed in as we did another TRT loop yesterday. I got some amazing shots of Marlette Lake with Lake Tahoe in the background. Stay tuned for a post on that ride soon. Plus the girls, Amy, Kathy and I are headed to Lake Almanor tomorrow to ride in the Mile High Century this weekend. Maybe we will break 100 this time! Stay tuned!

2007 Slow Rollers Poker Run

Bikes at the Lake
Originally uploaded by Facility Bike Club.

Coming up soon is the 2007 Slow Rollers Poker Run and Show and Shine. It looks like they decided to do the Show and Shine first this year on Saturday June 23rd.

The Poker Run will be on the 24th, and will begin at 1:00 PM at the Horizon Casino. Get there around noon to get registered, enter the raffles, and hang out with the other riders. If following the previous year's format, the route will be 8-10 miles, and stop at Tahoe businesses along the way. Last year there were three beverage stops along the way...two bars and a coffee shop.

Kristy and I have three extra cruisers available (one is an old 3 speed bike stuck in 3rd gear), so if you're interested in using one for the day, let us know! While most of the bikes on the route are beach cruiser style bikes, it's not uncommon to see a few mountain bikes or single speeds. The less technologically advanced your bike is the better though. Leave the spandex at home! Your chance of winning the poker hand is the same no matter which bike you ride. The prize is usually a new cruiser bike, and last year they raffled off a New Belgium Brewing bike too.

Hope to see you there! More info can be found HERE.

Snow and Bridges

We're at that time of year when the weather can fluctuate between winter and summer. I had already stowed my winter gear for the season, but had to pull it out again for yesterday's ride. We surfed the edge of the storm as we traveled through the foothills at lunch. The snow never made it to town, but was clearly visible not too far from us. It had rained the previous night, and the dirt conditions were reminiscent of early spring. Traction in the deep sand and slippery corners was awesome.

The weather after work was actually more pleasant. The cold wind was gone, and riding well into the evening was quite enjoyable. We did a couple loops on the new trail and I got to use the bridges for the first time. Bridges are a funny thing when riding across them. While not a technical challenge really, they can be visually challenging. The sight of the rushing creek below the bridge psyched me out. It might as well have been liquid hot magma down there. The guys smoothed out the transition from trail to bridge, and I was able to get the nerve to go for it. As expected it was quite easy. Looking across the bridge to the other side where you want to go is very important too. Focusing on the bridge itself or the rushing water below will surely drag you to where you are looking!

Cap'n Sausage Lives to Ride

Tuesday was a rather warm but windy day. I sifted through my bike bag to pick out my attire. My choices were the Jersey I wore yesterday, that was rather smelly, or this wife beater shirt that was a size too small 4 years ago when my friend Jessy gave it to me. Hmmmm It did smell springtime fresh, so I put it on.... feels pretty tight but I'm outta here... On top of that, Sandie had bailed at the last minute because it was a little too windy. Since I broke my frame AND my Seat post in all in the last month, Sandie has been referring to me as a " Lard Ass ". Since she wasn't coming, I figured I was safe from being heckled. Just suck in the gut when I hit get to the stop signs.

We met at SC and Jeff, Todd, Scott and I began our ascent to Ash Canyon. Since I broke my frame, Jeff was generous enough to let me borrow his single speed. This would be my second ride on it. As we pedaled up the street and hooked up with Jon at the usual meeting spot, I was getting more and more tuned in to the single speed. We climbed up the " fastway". Riding the single speed was awesome. It is amazing how much feel you lose on a full suspension. I was really using body english and concentrating on keeping smooth line to keep my pedaling efficient. When we got to the top of the postal route, Jeff started snapping pictures of me. It wasn't until I saw the pic on flickr that I had to laugh at how ludicrous I looked! No wonder my wife has been trying to throw this Jersey away for the last three years!
WoooHooo! Skynnaaarrd! I think I am going to keep this shirt on and go watch some Nascar! Anyway, Just as Michael Bolton doesn't let the fact that he is a terrible singer with a bad hairdo stop HIM from making the big bucks and having all the Ho's on his jock, I wasn't going to let my bad fashion choice stop me from having a fabulous ride! Cap'n Sausage Rides Again!
So we pedaled up Deer Run, regrouped as usual and hit the downhill. What a blast! My Sleek Sausage Casing Attire made me cut through the wind and feel great. The single speed felt great underneath me. The speed was slower than my full suspension, but the fun was just as good or better. We made our way down the postal route. Jeff took off first and was really pouring it on. He was outta sight when I caught up to him he had hit a soft berm and was jettisoned off the trail. He didn't fall (yet) and I passed him by. I was getting my groove on, pushing the bike through the turns, singing in my head Michael Bolton's " When a maaaahn luvs a woooman!" We regrouped and took Jackrabbit down. Jeff started in the lead again and pulled over to take some nice pics. Another fun time on the trail!




Todd and I were waiting at the bottom of Jackrabbit when Jeff decided to " Boost Out" of the final whoopdee at the end of the trail. The same whoopdee I broke my swing arm on. As I was watching his take off, the front tire washed out and Jeff full on whiped out! His arms straight out as he landed in the sand and the dust was flying. It was great. I started laughing immediately, and Jeff quickly recovered. He got up and rode to us to give us the play by play. He was smiling a great big dirt smile. His teeth and face were covered! Jeff's explanation was that on the 29er, the wind caught the front tire like a sail, and knocked him off balance... Well, my only advice is to follow my lead and wear some skin tight clothing. Back it up with 2 orders of Bacon Cheddar Potato wedges and a cheeseburger to chase it down. Don't forget to add " Sour Cream" to the wedges. Delicious.


Chalk up another great ride for the FBC. Always rich in Excitement and Fashion!

Random Thoughts on Monday

We've had a good turnout on the lunch time rides lately. A few months ago I was lamenting the pitiful turnout on the rides, and was wondering if an era had come to an end. Fortunately through completely random turns of events, the ranks are replenished and there is almost always somebody to ride with. Each new rider brings fresh dynamics to the group. New bikes, personalities, riding styles, and senses of fashion keep the same old trails fresh. The group today in no way resembles the group from five years ago. It makes me smile to think of all the neat people I've gotten to know through the lunch time rides.

It's also funny to think about the amount of time I've spent in bathroom stalls performing the perfunctory change of clothes for the bicycle rides. I'm quite the expert at standing on one foot. There is a small restroom in the basement where I work that only changes one. There are two of us that ride from this building, so one of us sometimes has to go upstairs to the lobby restroom. The lobby restroom has toilets with automatic flush systems. The kind that sense movement. When you stand in the stall and change, all the contortions you put your body through cause the toilet to flush no less than three times. Four flushes are not uncommon. I often wonder if I'm known upstairs as "Mr. Four Flusher".

There isn't much I'd rather do with my lunch hour. It far surpasses hunting Fred in my opinion.

Whites Creek

Last weekend Kristy and I joined Barbara and Eric for a ride at Whites Creek. Whites Creek parallels the Mount Rose Highway, and can be accessed at many points. We started at the beginning of the trail, which is right in Barbara and Eric's neighborhood. You could tell that this trail was familiar with Barbara and Eric. They took off pretty fast right from the beginning.

The beginning of the trail was tight and technical. There were lots of turns that had quick uphills with rim twisting rocks right in your line. The creek also divides the property lines at this elevation. It felt like you were riding through people's back yard at times. The views were still great though. In the distance, you could see Mount Rose standing tall at over 10,000 feet. The lower trail was covered in the typical lower timberline bushes, sagebrush, bitter brush, etc. Up ahead though, you could see the pine trees in the canyon we were headed to.

Once we hit timberline, the trail took on a whole new feel. The forest is quite healthy and well preserved with many enormous trees. Whites Creek is never far from the trail either. I really enjoy hearing the sound of rushing water while riding. It is also possible to access the trail by road at this elevation. This may be more desirable in the hot summer months, since you would be in the shade from the very beginning. Many hikers also enjoy the trail due to the multiple access points. Visibility is pretty good though, so you don't have to worry about surprise encounters. Still, I think a bell might be a good idea to alert hikers that you are coming. There is a whole network of trails up there with other canyons and creeks to explore, so many options are available.

This was my first time riding with somebody on a cyclocross bike. Eric blew me away with the speed he could carry on that bike. I was riding my fast hardtail, and it was strange to see what looked to be a road bike speeding away in front of me. Eric even powered through the sandy spots with those narrow tires. I couldn't keep up with him on the climb. He was even fairly close to me on the descent. Although I could tell he was suffering a bit on the way back. The skinny tires and stiff front end were jackhammering Eric's upper body. Eric also used his cyclocross racing skills on some of the unrideable bridge crossings. He'd dismount, run across the bridge, remount the bike, and be pedaling again while I was still braking and unclipping before the bridge.

Here's some info on getting there, and some of the other trails in the area HERE.

The rest of the Whites Creek pictures are HERE.