San Diego – Page 18 – The Ramblings of MTBBill

Snooping around near Santee

Yesterday, I met some of the usual and some of the not-so usual suspects for a bit of riding and exploring around the Santee countryside.

We certainly got in some tough climbs.

We also got in some skinny singletrack

The Santee hillsides are mighty green this time of year.

We got to watch a coyote stroll along the far side of a hillside we were on.

He was a healthy looking fellow.

Later on in the ride we came across a fairly large red-tail hawk that allowed me to get surpisingly close.

After the bird encounter the rest of the ride was a series of steep up and down fireroads before calling it a day. It was a good day to be on a bike.

New Year’s Day in Pamo Valley and Black Mountain

I decided to start the New Year off with a solo ride through the Black Mountain area near Ramona. There is something about the combination of a ride with lots of climbing, great vistas and solitude to help get things straight in your head. I done the 30 mile loop I had planned a couple of times before, but I decided to do the loop in the opposite direction today (clockwise). I parked at the corner Pile St and Black Canyon Rd and took Pile St west over to Pamo Road as a brisk 48 degrees with a slight breeze that a had a bit of bite to it.

The descent down into Pamo Valley was very zippy which is typically super fun but on this morning the self-induced wind chill factor wiped a nearly frozen smile off my face.

At the Santa Ysabel Creek brige there was quite a bit water flowing which had me wondering what the crossing I would have to further upstream later in the day was going to be like.

As I proceeded up Pamo Road (now dirt) I was astounded by the amount water that was in and the earlier flood water level of Temescal Creek. Mother Nature has been done some landscaping in this area as of late.

Pamo Valley was green as I expected at this time of year but the rains had added a little extra pop to the colors. As I worked my way up the Santa Ysabel Truck Trail (FS 12S07) the views of the valley below kept opening up and trend continued after I switched over to the Black Mountain Truck Trail (FS 12S04) to continue the climb up the mountain.

This entire area was burned during the 2007 wildfires but it making a fairly swift recovery. Throughout the climb there were many spots where the recent rains sent some boulders down onto the truck trail. In the past the truck trails were open to vehicles but both the truck trails are closed due to “soft roadbeds”. Bummer for the four-wheelers but it is nice to not have to worry about vehicles on the descents.

I was quite happy to see that most the oak trees along the route had survived the fires and with the exception of some charred bark they seem not too worse for wear. The shade of these oaks were quite a welcome treat last time I was here during a summer month.

While the sun climbed as my ride went on, so was I and the temps gradually got a little cooler and the breeze made things a little more nipplely. Thanks goodness for quality techncial apparel as I stayed comfortable for the most part with some minor adjustments here and there.

The views at the Black Mountain summit (4,051 feet) were exceptional. Oakazanita, Cuyamaca and other peaks to the west were clearly seen and amazingly the Coronado Islands as well as Catalina Island could be seen to the east. Not a bad spot for contemplation and and reflection at all.

After all the work to get to the summit, I was quite content to think about taking a nap before heading back down. The breeze ultimately changed my mind for me and after some additionally layering an exceptional fireroad descent was had. It was one of those descent were you are not completely hammering and forcing the speed. It was more of a case of flowing smoothly and the speed naturally flowed. It was quite blissful and I was giggled out loud on no less than half a dozen times. My stoke meter was in the happy zone by the time I was back down to the Santa Ysabel Truck Truck.

I continued on the Santa Ysabel Truck Truck to the East-Southeast to work around to the south flank of the Black Mountain. There is an exceptional Oak Grove in this area that I was really happy to see had survived the the 2007 fires. At this point I had be fiddle farting through most of this route and I decided I had to get a bit more serious about finishing off this ride so the photos came to end.

This was a ride that was good for the body as well as good for the soul. I’m ready to take on 2011 at full speed.

Give the Trails some time!

Okay, it is that time again lots of rain and we all want to go for a ride.

Take a look at Wet Trail Rating Page here.

Want to get in the conversation? Check out this thread that comes up every year about this time.

BOTTOM LINE – Give the trails some time to dry out, going out to soon will screw our trails up.

Sycamore Canyon

Last Sunday I got in a ride out at Sycamore Canyon out in Santee. The IMBA Trail Care Crewwas out in San Diego the week leading up to Sunday doing good stuff. Steve and Morgan are one of two teams of trail experts that travel year-round throughout NorthAmerica and beyond, leading trail work sessions, meeting with land managers and working with IMBA-affiliated clubs and the communities they serve to improve mountain biking opportunities. This was there last even for the year and I think they said it was their 34th event. They certainly get around. Today was just a bit of MTB fun before they hit the road to head back home to Colorado for Christmas. So some of the usual SDMBA suspects met at Crib-Del-Gardner’s before heading out.

Minette on the first climb

Morgan heading down into Sycamore Canyon

Steve on Martha’s Grove

Gardner on Martha’s Grove

Andy zipping some singletrack.

It was really fun ride and the weather was absolutely awesome. We are so spoiled here in SoCal and I was fully reminded of that fact the following day when I flew to Philadelphia for a week of work in real winter weather. It was 20 something with a 10 mph when I stepped off the plane. Yeah SoCal!

If you would like to learn more about the IMBA Trail Care Crews take a look at their website. Don’t forget the links on the right-hand side of the page. Also don’t forget to show some love for the local advocacy folks as well, The San Diego Mountain Biking Association (SDMBA).

Alpine Action Again

Man did I have good bit of mid-week stoke in Alpine on Wednesday. With temps in the mid-70s and sunny skys in December, a MTBer’s life in San Diego does not have to suck at all. The pleasant temp made for a really low sufferage climb that was one of the best I have had in quite some time.

I forgot to take pictures, but views were fantastic from the top. Point Loma and Coronado Islands were all easily seen. After chilling at the top it was time to play. I have not been riding rocky technical bits of this size and style for a while so I was keeping the bike on the ground for the most part. I was feeling pretty good on the whole “Mojo” front as well as having some “Monkey Motion” going with the various rock moves.

Steve on “The Fatty”

Steve playing on a spine in an area we call “Little Moab”.

Brian did not have the luxury of an early start like Steve and I had so he caught up to us later in the ride. After some more sessioning in the rocks it was time to start thinking about the how much time was left in the day. After catching a couple pictures with the evening light, we released the hounds and had a good run to the bottom. Afterwards it was time for some tasty refreshments at the Alpine Beer Company. Good times.

Black Mountain Shakedown Ride

So I finished building up my carbon hardtail project and it was time to give it a shake down ride.

I decided to build it up as a geared bike vice a singlespeed. The frame came from a China company that makes frames for other bike companies including some of the US bike brands. I have not dug around to figure out what branded frame this is. I got the frame shipped directly from China for just a little over $300. I did not go particularly weight weenie on the components and a sizable portion of these came off my Intense Spider, which I stripped down to do some maintenance on it.

Unbranded Carbon Hardtail frame from Hongfu-Bikes in China
Spinergy Xyclone Disk wheelset
Intense System 2 .25 tire in rear and WTB 2.4 Muntano on the front (both with 2.2-2.5 sized tubes)
Fox 100RLC (Pushed) Fork
XT Crankset, Front Derailuer, Shifters and Cassette
XTR Rear Derailuer (Old School) and disc brakes
Thompson Seatpost and Stem
Salsa Seatpost Clamp
Easton Monkeylite XC carbon handlebars
Sette Saddle
Shimano MD620 SPD Pedals
Ohhh, had to through on the totally unncessary bling bling carbon fiber bottlecage.

So not exactly a full on weight-weenied rig, this bike is 24 lbs dead even. Time to hit the trail.

One of my kids wanted me to take him and some his buds to the PQ skate park so I opted to hit up Black Mountain while they skated. Black Mountain has a pretty good mix of enough stuff that would let me get a good feel for this setup. I started with a climb up the service/fire road and as a expected a 24lb hardtail climbs well. What I really like was how stiff the bike felt when I got out of the saddle and stomped on the pedals. At the same time the bike seemed to take the edge off some of the rocky trail chatter. I have not figured out yet wither there is some vertical compliance going on or wither it is carbon’s vibration damping properties at work I have been hearing about. Either way the rig is a killer climbing machine that is also pretty comfortable.

On the fireroad climb, I came across this little rattler. It is mighty late in the year for rattlers to be out, but I’m guessing the record heat earlier in the week had this little guy (about 18″) all confused. After posing for his closeup, I steered him off the fireroad for his own benefit as you never know what level of dumbassness the next person to come by is going to have.

Back on the climb, things went well, and after a few minor adjustments things the bike was good and dialed.

Once up on top it was a very clear day with downtown San Diego and the Coronado Islands easily seen to the south.

It has been quite a long time since I had ridden over on the East Ridge area so from the peak I headed over that way. There is a rather steep and rocky descent to get over there and I was quite pleased with how the bike handled through that area. It is not full-suspension bike but it was precise in its steering and and felt solid when I pressed to play “chess” through some chunk. There has been some trailwork going out here as well as some new signage. I was really looking forward to checking out the Nighthawk trail which provides a link between the Miners Ridge Loop and the rest of the trails on the mountain. After messing around on the east ridge, I grabbed a trail that took me down to Carmel Mountain Road. After I that I got a chance to test the technical climbing aspects of the bike and the reduced weight certainly helped here. The weight distribution also seemed to help keep the front end down. The trails here can get pretty freaking steep so there was some hike-a-bike bits as well.

Once back up onto the East Ridge, I made my way over the Nighthawk trail. This is a nicely built trail with plenty of rocky character to it. Once over to Miner’s Ridge Loop, I decided to go clockwise since I could not remember the last time I went that way. I finished off the dirt action wtih the Lilac Canyon trail and then did a pavement connect up the ball park were I started the ride. Another good outting on a bike, made even better by playing on a new bike. Incase you are wondering, this is not a replacement for my stolen 6.6, there is a big squishy bike in the works.

The Return of Alpine Action

So after a summer hiatus from the Wednesday stoke rides in Alpine, it time to play in the rocks again. It still is amazing how after spending sometime away from this place, the rocks and moves look much bigger and intimidating than the I last time I rode them. It was good and hot but I have certainly ridden in must nastier heat so overall it was not bad.

On the climb up we took a break and help Steve figure out some of the features on his new camera, a pretty trick little Canon S95 (I think).

Steve, was out on his latest Clown Bike. Steve thought it would be cool to climb a good portion of the trail we normally only come down on. While it was interesting it was large Cup of Pain.

This Jones rig has a massive 3.8 tire up front mounted to a mega-wide 26″ rim. Paired in the rear is a 29er wheel with what looks like a “punnie” 2.6 tire. The normal tired 29er with the clown tire 26er makes for pretty much equal ground to axle heights front and rear.

We swapped bikes a couple time during the ride and you can’t help but laugh out loud within 10 seconds pedaling this thing. Surprisingly this is a good riding bike, and you feel like you are steering a monster truck around when you look down at the massive front end. Steve was airing the thing which he made look easy and giving me a good chance to find some new perspective to some of the features with my still pretty new ultra wide angle lens.

Jeff Jones has recommended to land nose first with this bike and Steve proved that to be sound. I never got a landing shot but that tire has something like 10psi in the front and you can see and hear the tire squishing on the landing.

More Steve Air Time. After the ride it was time for some Mananas grub and a Cervaza

Rare shot of of Aqua sans helmet. On the way back from Alpine an old high school buddy that I had not seen in over 20 years was in town for the night so we hooked up for a couple brews and some long overdue catching up. It was good day both on and off the bike.

Lake Calvera with Jake

With all of the competing interests pulling at my boys’ time such as friends, hockey practice, hockey games, etc…It was really cool that Jake wanted to join me on a ride at Lake Calvera this morning.

I took him on a different group of trails than what I have typically done in the past. Some of it was due to some of the trails being closed by the City of Carlsbad as they have started actively managing thier slice of the Calvera “Area”. Another reason for the trail change up is tha Jake has gotten strong and better on the bike so I thought it was time to take him on some of the more technical bits.

Jake did quite well on the technical bits. I was surprised that the squeeze type rock moves gave him more troubles than having to go up and over rocks.

Which he seemed to find easy to just pop up onto and roll off of. Makes me wish I had started riding a mountain bike when I was a little grommet.

This trail feature should have a sign “You can be no taller than this to got on this ride”. It would have been a face smasher if I would have tried it. All together we did about 12 miles or so.

On our pedal back to the house we started thinking about tasty brown cold beverages for post ride refreshments.

Ahh, Coke Slurpees!

San Marcos – Its not a F$%)ing Trail!

Tripe (noun)

Lining of the stomach of a ruminant (especially a bovine) used as food.
A slang term synonymous with rubbish, in the sense of something of little value, or nonsense.
(see also San Elijo Trails)

Definition #2 particularlythe “something of little value” is the theme of this rant.

So for the last week or so I have been investigating some of trails not to far from my hood. The San Elijo Hills area. I was not expecting much and I was quite underwhelmed. More than just underwhelmed, I was pissed at what the developer was allowed to get away with calling trails.

The Gardens View Tripe – Are you f$%^ing kidding me! When two trucks can pass one another on it, it is not a trail. It is a dirt road.

I laughed out loud at this sign. “Give Life A Chance”. What the sign from the San Elijo Hills Development Company should say is “YOU need to give life a chance, because WE have already bulldozed all the habitat in this area”

Take a look at the crap they have on their website. 18 miles of trails. There is less than one mile of trail in this development. There are over 17 miles of Dirt Sidewalk Pathway Tripe throughout this development. Try a little truth in advertising.

The Double Peak Tripe. The “trail” is the dirt sidewalk on the side of the pavement and then starts up the hill. Where is the natural outdoor experience here? You have either pavement or a cement gutter on one side and a wooden rail fence to keep from even contacting nature on the other. Most of this climb is compacted and absolutely smooth decomposed granite. It is a nearly sterile outdoor experience where you never escape development. I have been on treadmills that were only slightly less interesting. If you can drive a Ferrari or a Prius on it, it is not a trail, it is TRIPE!

Do I even need to say it, “It is not a F$%^ing Trail! TRIPE, TRIPE, TRIPE! This is part of the 18 miles that San Elijo is selling as an attraction.

The Lake San Marcos Tripe. PAVED! I will not buy any blabage about American Disabilites Act Access with this “trail”. What this picture does not show is how stupidly steep this thing is. There is no Rascal, Humaround or any other battery powered mobility chair that is going to get up this thing. The city has a formula for how many miles of trail the community should have for its size and population. The mileage of this tripe counts towards meeting that trail requirement. What does that mean? It could mean less funding for real trails in the future because the city already has its mileage.

This is part of the “Make A Wish Trail”. I sure did make a wish. I wish there were more trails like this in the area. This IS a trail. Part of it looks to be pre-developement but portions of it are obviously newer.

This is the “Secret Trail” aka Trail 90. While it is fairly short this is good stuff that not only offers a high quality outdoor experience it is substainually less impacting on existing habitat. This is the best legal and sanctioned trail out here. It is also a legacy trail from before the develeopment started.

Okay so maybe I’m being rash and a trail snob but this is some of the worst stuff I have seen in an urban area interfacing to open space in San Diego County yet. The dirt pathways have their place down between the homes, but running this crap all the way up into the open space is just dumb. It does not meet the needs of the users who would venture up that far and it needlessly destroyed even more habitat by making the “trails” three to five times wider than they need to be. Arrrrrrrgh, What a nearly complete failure on the part of those charged with the oversight of this development. I’m not sure if this failure is due to incompetence, ignorance, or just a simple lack of caring but it certainly did occur.

You can download a map of all this Tripe here and go see for yourself. While it is a good workout it is not a high quality outdoor experience. If you disagree, you need to start looking for some new places to ride as you are missing out on the good stuff elsewhere in the county.

Two Peaks and Two Canyons

For the mid-week ride this week, it ended up being a doozie. The plan was to met up with some folks for a ride through Spring and Oak Canyon at 5pm. I was able to finish off the day’s work early and figured I had enough time to get some mileage before the scheduled ride.

I parked at the trailhead for the Spring and Oak Canyon ride (Bushy Hills at MTRP campground) and did some street riding over to the Mesa singletrack for a climb up Cowles Mountain. It was a beater as usual but love trying to clear the waterbars at their highest points but by the time I got up to the fireroad I was contend to get up the trails. The fireroad up to the top was as always brutal.

At the top of Cowles I was still looking really good on time so I decided to do the out and back to Pyles Peak. Plenty of waterbars here as well which made the down section pretty fun.

I was at the turnaround spot on Pyles Peak before I knew it and it was time for return climb back up to Cowles. I was still feeling pretty good when I got back to the summit and was all smiles on the way down the Big Rock trail. I got back to the campground just a couple of minutes before the first person showed up for the 5 pm ride. I could have been happy with a beer and some dinner at this point, but yeah I already said I was going to do the ride.

Spring and Oak Canyon was a good ride, but I had to dig into the energy reserves pretty deep to stay on pace with the fresh legged crew. I was good and pooped when we finished up and shortly thereafter we made our way over to the MTRP visitor center for the monthly SDMBA advocacy meeting. I slept well that night.