Feb. 28
31 Miles of Trogs Ride
While Erich was out primping himself a bunch of us hit the trails in Auburn. Nine of us were at the trailhead, some I'd never met, Bill, David, Curtis, and Al and some I've known for a while, Fred, Bob, Jim, and, Colette. Rumor has it that the Ogre showed but I didn't see him anywhere. Our route took us down Manzanita, up Stagecoach, Across Upper Stagecoach, Down Flood, Along Mossy Rock, up a fireroad to Foresthill Bridge, Across the bridge to a slimy creek/ uphill that leads to the top of the Culvert Loop, about 4 miles down the connector trail, 11 miles around Foresthill Divide Trail, back along the Connector trail, down the Culvert Trail (Awesome!!) and then the Confluence Trail (SWEEEET!), and Finally Up Stagecoach to the cars. This was the longest Auburn Ride I've ever done, and it kicked our collective butts. Dave and Bill did much better than the rest of us but they spent half their time with one of their bikes upside down on the side of the trail which was the only reason we were able to keep up with them. About half way down Flood I felt my front brakes fade completely so I stopped. After pumping them a few times they came back. Turns out when I replaced my disc brake pads I had forgotten to bend the end of the cotter pin that held the pads in place. The pin had come out and one of my brake pads went shortly after. Oops! That's what I get for self wrenching. The brakes worked for now but they made a hideous grinding sound... bad news. So no front brakes for me. The Foresthill bridge is something to experience, it is really awesome just to stand on it and gawk at the confluence area below (730' Below). You get a great view of the bottom of Stagecoach and the Clementine Lake trail. Bob cruised by and opted out of the view because he is so fond of having dirt under his feet. About half way around on the north side of the Foresthill Loop Dave and Bill had their first mechanical. All of our chains were pretty sloppy around then and I think one of them had chain suck. They were so far ahead of us for most of the day that after making certain they had it under control we kept riding (They passed me on the first climb after that). Shortly after Bills breakdown Impy decided to go for a swim. There is a creek crossing with a nasty steep rooted climb right after it. Looked to me like Impy dropped her bike on the roots and jumped into the water. It was at this point in time that we were around 20 miles into the ride that folks started to show the first signs of bonkage. I tried to fight the inevitable tide of bonkage with a small cache of cookies I had stashed in my hydrapack. It seemed effective for a while. Dave and Bill snuck ahead of us for a while but we caught them right before the halfway mark on Foresthill when Bill's bike choked again. When we were most of the way through Foresthill Bob started faltering and choked on his bagel. I think his dry bagel is what did him in. I offered up a trail bar I had forgotten I had and he scarfed it down like a stray dog goes for a double chili cheese burger with onions. Our pace on the return trip down the Connector was at Bobspace. We were all pretty wiped out by now and all of the calories from the trail munchies were a distant memory. We had already done 25 miles and a ton of climbing. The Culvert descent was as sweet as ever (Hey no front brakes for me AHHHH!!) unfortunately Bob had a 'biological breakdown' which I though meant he wet himself. Apparently this is Bobspeak for crash and burn. He briefly tried signaling a circling helicopter but gave up and joined us at the bottom. Sometime along the Confluence (major grin factor) Trail Curtis got a pinch flat on his TUBED tire. I think it must have taken Bob, Curtis, and Impy 20 minutes to change that damned tube. Later I found out it was mostly due to a bad replacement tube and a three stoogesesque tire changing crew. Mostly I think their brains had simply shut down due to lack of available resources (BONK). The final climb up Stagecoach was a death march at it's finest. Dave and Bill had long since abandoned us (hope you guys had fun) and the rest of us were trashed (except Al). Al was so far ahead of us that he had changed, had his first beer, moved his car and showered by the time we got to the top. Curtis and Fred made a valiant effort and cleanly whooped the rest of us stragglers up the hill. 31 miles, 9 trogs, 1 missing brakepad, about 4 mechanicals, 3500' or so of climbing, 3 bonked riders. What a killer day, thanks for coming out guys this was an awesome ride. -- Dennis
Upcoming Event
Trogs To Do
March 6,7
In honor of a convergence of celestial events, the full moon night ride, and the Iron Angel MTB race, we're going to have a to do.
First, Saturday's Full Moon night ride with a campout at the Glory Hole Rec. Area.
Second, a BBQ at the Iron Angel MTB Race at the same Glory Hole Rec. Area.
Even if you're not racing, show up to cheer and eat. If you want to BBQ, bring something to throw on the grill. The king will bring the first case of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. After that you're on your own.
More details to follow.
Feb. 22, 04
Colette Rides Mount Tam (pictures)
Glory Hole Rec. Area (pictures)
Action Needed... Help out and Write a letter....
Subject: IMBA CA: Please Write to Save Lake Oroville Trails Today! California Mountain Bicyclists: Please Write to Save Trails at Lake Oroville -- Public Comment Ends Feb. 29, 2004 IMBA Action Alert For Immediate Release 2-17-04
Contact: Jenn Dice, IMBA government affairs director jenn@imba.com
Jim Haagen-Smit, IMBA CA representative jimwhs1-imba@yahoo.com
California mountain bicyclists need to write the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) immediately to save mountain bike trail access at Lake Oroville. Public comment ends Feb. 29.
In spring 2002, California State Parks opened 17 miles of trail at Lake Oroville to mountain bicycling. Lake Oroville is located about 80 miles north of Sacramento in the Sierra foothills. Since then, hikers, cyclists and equestrians have shared the trail system with no significant user conflicts.
Unfortunately, a few vocal equestrians have petitioned the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to overrule California State Parks' shared-use trail management policy at Lake Oroville. The power-producing dam and the land at Lake Oroville are under FERC's jurisdiction, giving them authority on trail regulation.
Despite a clear, two-year record of successful shared-use, FERC has recommended that bicycles be banned. The reasoning behind the recommendation is flawed, and reflects little understanding of the needs or impacts of cyclists. If it is accepted, the trails will be closed to bicycle use and a bad precedent will be set, encouraging agencies to respond to individual complaints, rather than adhere to sound management principles.
It is critical that California mountain bicyclists write letters to challenge FERC's recommendation and support the efforts of California State Parks to provide great riding opportunities. A proper trail management decision at Oroville will protect trail access in other California state parks. This is an issue that affects everyone who rides in California.
Please write to:
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street, NE Washington, D.C. 20426
You're letter should reference: "Feather River Project, FERC Project No. 2100-119"
Points to make in your letter:
* There is solid science, recreation and management literature to justify shared-use trails at Lake Oroville.
* California State Parks has a long, successful history of managing trail recreation (including mountain biking).
* California State Parks uses well-crafted policies and guidelines to help them make decisions regarding trail use. State Parks followed these policies and guidelines to determine that trails should be multiple use.
* At Lake Oroville, State Parks initiated a public process where hikers, equestrians, bicyclists and other stakeholders could participate in decision-making.
* The vocal objections of a few critics do not justify rejecting the decisions that were made.
* The California Recreational Trails Committee (comprising of various trail leaders appointed by the governor and representing the California trails community) unanimously supported the decision to make trails at Lake Oroville multi-use.
* FERC's Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA) revealed few instances of actual trail conflict. Other than some vague complaints from one disgruntled equestrian, the EA relied upon a general statement in a bicycle guidebook that many hikers and equestrians "assert" that bikes speed and that riders can't share trails. That statement had no relevance to the trails in question.
* Professional agencies favor shared use. Supporting letters were provided by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the California Department of Water Resources, the National Park Service and the California Recreational Trails Committee. The process involved substantial involvement of stakeholders
* Neither trail impact nor water quality is at issue. FERC's assessment itself states there would be "little or no environmental effects on geology and soils, terrestrial, or cultural resources" caused by bicycle use.
* The trails in question have been open to bikes without incident for more than two years. This was the result of an extensive public review process. * There is no evidence of safety problems. There were no accidents involving bicycles on the trails during the relevant period of time.
Public comment ends Feb. 29, 2004.
For more background information on the history of the decision visit: http://www.imba.com
Please send your letter today! -- Long live long rides. Are YOU an IMBA member? www.imba.com
February 15
Henry W. Coe Ride Report and (pictures)
I hooked up with Mark and John P at John's house and we
took the North
way around to Coe Headquarters. Right when we were getting off of 101
in Morgan Hill we saw George and crew in his white minivan in the lane
next to us, Perfect timing. We followed George up to Coe HQ and after
the 45 minute pre-ride dressing ritual we started on the trail.
In the interest of keeping this brief this is the abridged version. We
went to Frog Lake. Sweet ST suitable for all. Then we turned uphill
for a while. Then we hit a long section of fun downhill. Rutted
Steep, fun.
Then we turned uphill again. Not for too long though, we still had
quite a bit of elevation (thanks to parking at 2700'). Then we hit a
long long technical switchback filled major pucker factor downhill.
This was an incredibly fun downhill with major grin factor. Eventually
it finished at Coyote Creek. We crossed Coyote Creek 3 times and by the
time we were done everyone's socks and shoes were soaked. We were at one
of the lowest points in the park at this point so guess what....
We climbed, and climbed, and climbed. And then we went descended about
10' before we hit an even steeper hill. Then we cruised around on the
ridge for a little while, spotted some coyotes (I got a few pics).
Climbed a little more then went down some fireroad (ack what a crime !!
they shouldn't put fireroad on downhills!!).
When we reached the bottom we were at a creek crossing. We followed
some super narrow/ fun singletrack for a few miles and for about 8 creek
crossings and then we did a bit more climbing up some poison oak laced
singletrack. The climb was followed by and incredibly fun downhill
which deposited us back at coyote creek. Woo Hoo!
We had about 7 miles left of the ride and since Coyote Creek is one of
the lowest points in the park almost every one of those final 7 miles
was uphill. It was a great climb, really fun singletrack, incredible
views. Plenty of switchbacks to keep us entertained. Leg cramps,
exhaustion, bonkitis... you get the point.
Eventually we made it back to the car where we had our post ride
grooming rituals. Johns altimiter said we did 3800' of climbing. I
plugged the route into my Topo software at home and it said 5400'. I
don't know which is right but I do know that this was a truly brutal
day.
-- Dennis (The Ogre)
February 9
China Camp Panoramas
Mark R. puts in a really nice ride report for Henry W. Coe SP.
|
I saw Ron Renwick's
posting in BAAR announcing the informal training event at Henry Coe Park
and figured it'd be a great early season workout. I decided to take a
friend, Larry, with very little AR experience with me. He'd entered one 24
hour race and and not finished and had completed a couple of HiTec sprints
at Folsom Lake. He has a goal of finishing a one day race this season so I
figured this would be an excellent tool to guide him in his preparation. We arrived around 9:15. It was raining lightly and there were only a couple other vehicles. As more people arrived the rain increased. People who came from San Francisco reported that it was a downpour in the city when they left. We introduced ourselves to Ron and several others who I will never recognize because it was dark. Ron made the maps available in the back of his explorer. He even had B&W copies for those w/o their own maps. We had an informal pre-race meeting and people without teammates were asked to hook up with someone so there would be no solo competitors on the course. I saw Stephen price was there alone and invited him to join us. He asked if we were going to be going out fast, I could only answer that if we needed we could always do some towing. Larry just said, "We'll see." Stephen ended up joining up with us. Ron mentioned that the trail junction to CP1 was obscured and swore that the full moon was actually up there behind the clouds somewhere. There must have been about 30 people lined up at the start. We started by running up Hunting Hollow Road about 2 miles, trying not to step on the plentiful toads and newts on the road. We must have crossed the creek at least five times, glad I wore my Sealskins. We managed to be the first people to find the trail to CP1. The trail quickly went from about 1000ft. to 1800ft.then gradually to the Summit of Bill's Hill at 1988ft. where we were the first to arrive. Larry was struggling to keep up early on the hill so we hooked him to Stephen for a tow. I pulled on a knot in the tow line to take some of the load off of Stephen. We saw only three other teams on Bill's Hill. As we left Bill's Hill the sky cleared and stayed crystal clear the rest of the night...and it got COLD. Start to CP1 1100 foot elevation gain in 3.4 miles. When we came off of the hill we saw another team still looking for the trail. We continued a little ways up Hunting Hollow and turned left and followed a steep ridge line up Redfern Trail. We used the same towing arrangement as on Bill's Hill. Near the bottom we could see the lights of a team close behind but as we neared the summit they were nowhere in sight. Redfern trail went from about 1000ft. to over 2200ft. before dropping down to CP2, an outhouse. CP1 - CP2 1235 feet elevation gain in 3.4 miles. The course to CP3 was where we first ran into some minor navigation problems. We hiked down from a ridge to a valley at about 1500ft. then up a road parallel to another ridge. This time I towed. The map showed a trail to the right between 1700ft. and 1750ft. that crossed the dam of a pond. The map showed only one pond to the right. I didn't see a trail to the right but saw a pond. My aaltimeterwatch was reading "Err" so I asked Stephen what our elevation was and he said 1760. We thought we'd missed the trail or that it was obscured and began to cross country over the thickest ankle grabbing grass I've ever walked through. We continued in bushwhacking mode but when we got to the ccreek lineit was obvious that we needed to head farther up the hill before crossing, the brush was virtually impassable. We hiked more and Stephen found the actual trail first. We got on the ttrail andjust ahead of a co-ed two person team that passed us a few minutes later. Stephen went ahead with them as I towed Larry up to Vasquez Peak. We all met just past the peak and I located the Checkpoint which was a zip-lock bag under a rock. CP2 - CP3 900ft in 3 miles. We walked downhill off of the peak to just under 1900 feet. Stephen asked how strong Larry was on the bike and I replied that he was probably a better runner. He said he had to be in his car and on his way home by 6:30. The other team was about 100 yards ahead of us so I told Stephen that he should see if they'd let him race with them. He asked if I minded and I said to go. He went back 50 yards to tell Larry, then he took off up to the other team. We'd walked up hill about 350 feet and came to a four way junction. As we approached I saw Stephen and his new team walking up what i was sure was the wrong road. I decided that following the trail along the ridge would be easier on Larry than taking the other trail that traversed a steep hillside. We chose to walk along Steer Ridge Road to Middle Steer Ridge Trail. From the start of Middle Steer Ridge Trail it was almost all down hill to CP4 and on back to the TA. We crossed the junction of the trail that traversed and headed off of the trail and down to where CP4 was supposed to be. We saw another group of three racers on that trail. I'd hoped to get the CP and be back on our way before the other team where we found it. We found the spring where there was supposed to have been a zip-lock bag marking the CP. We'd been looking all around for about 5 minutes when the other team caught up to us, it was Stephen and the other two. We all looked for another five minutes before deciding to move on. CP3-CP4 (our route) 875 feet in 3.9 miles. The trail was a very steep downhill along a ridge line that took us back to Hunting Hollow Road, and to the TA/CP5. CP4 to CP5 was 1.8 miles, almost all down hill. Larry and I arrived back at the TA a few minutes after the Stephen's group. There seemed to be fewer cars in the lot than at the start of the event. Several people were opting not to go out on their bikes. I went to my truck to open the door and it was stuck...the rain had frozen and I had to give it a hell of a pull to get it to open. Larry and I quickly changed into dry clothes and began repacking our packs for the bike leg. Stephen realized that his helmet was in a car that had left already and was trying to borrow a helmet. Larry asked him if I wanted to ride with Stephen instead but I declined. I came here to do the event with him and wanted him to be able to do as much of the course as possible. As I refilled my water bladder I started getting really cold and was shivering. Larry sat in the truck while I studied the map. I finally got in and started the engine. Stephen came by to say he was leaving. I looked more at the map and tried to get warm. I went to tell Larry he could close the door, I didn't need it opened to have interior light, but he was asleep. I decided to go with it and set the alarm on my watch for 0545. We got out and actually hit the trail at 0600. There was even fewer vehicles left in the parking lot. It was 32F according to my truck's thermometer. There was frozen rain on all my bike equipment. Our transition time, about an hour. I knew that there was no way Larry was going to be able to hike-a-bike up one of the ridges we'd done earlier so I decided to choose the route with the most gradual ascent. We rolled all the way out the valley on Hunting Hollow Road then turned left up Wagon Trail. I was rode up the valley as slowly as I could but when I looked back Larry would be out of sight behind me. I knew he was completely blown and expected him to quit at the next steep hill. Once we were on Wagon Trail we began to gain significant elevation. Larry needed to walk up all but the easiest grades. I offered to push his bike up the hill a couple of times but he just said, "I'll take it at my own pace." I wouldn't have accepted that answer in a real race but I figured it would be a good learning experience for him. I spent the rest of the ride ahead of him stopping and waiting when he was out of view. We averaged about 3.2 miles per hour on the way to CP6. I spent extra time looking at the map and planning alternative routes to use depending on how far Larry would go. It was nearly 0900 when we reached CP6 and we wanted to get back around 1000. We hiked up to Steer Ridge and rode it all the way back to the start, stopping once to repair a flat tire. There was only one car from the event left in the lot besides my truck, which was unlocked with the keys on the floor. CP5 - CP6 1850 feet in 8.7 miles. CP6 - End 700 feet in 12.5 miles. Summary: I accomplished what I set out to do; get some practice, get a good workout, and get Larry more exposure to AR so he has a realistic idea of what a longer race will require. I'd have liked to have ha the freedom to head out and finish the bike course but that conflicted with my stated goals and the "team" concept. I learned not to put too much faith into altimeter watches, especially my Timex Helix. Not all the ponds with dams are on the map. Trail elevations are approximate. My new Hayes Hydraulic brakes rock! I could have packed way lighter but wanted to simulate race conditions so I brought more of the "standard" required equipment than I needed. There's an incorrect contour elevation marking near N4106800, E639750 on the park map (1750 should read 2250). Trek total 4200ft in 15.9 miles. Bike total 2550feet in 21.2 miles. THANKS RON! |
February 8
Trips for Kids Benefit, San Rafael
February 5
Pacheco Panorama
Click on photo to see full picture. It will be wider than your screen, IE automatically shrinks the photo so make sure
click on the bottom right of the pic to see the full image.
January 31
Trogs Trail Work Day (pictures)
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