Trail Wanderlust
I had a great time yesterday with Sean McNew and Bill O’Neil checking out the goods around Wrightwood. Sean was a tour guide extraordinaire! My prior experience in this area has predominantly been the Blue Ridge D route. Sean has spent a large deal of time working in the high desert not far from here and he has the good on this area figured out. I’m already ready for a return visit!
Got a in a dawn patrol ride out at Lake Hodges with my sweetie this morning to beat the heat. 
Looking East
My rock perch for a break on this afternoon’s ride in the San Marcos area.
Some shots of the after-work ride on Thursday up in the Laguna Mountains with Steve. The toes are still a bit of distraction but things are better than last week. The weather was pretty freaking awesome with low-mid 70’s and a nice breeze.
The toe bone is connected to your leg bone. Your legbone is connected to your hip bone… After gimping around for a week and being mighty gentle with my stride for a couple more weeks on a work trip, I got on the bike this morning. It was good to be back on a trail but man could I tell I have been slacking. My left toes were doing okay until I got into sections that required some mashing on the pedals. In the techincal bits I was surprised how just about any body english move made me unpleasantly aware that my toes play a role in executing that. I think I will need to be a bit more selective about where I ride for the next couple of weeks. But yeah its good to be riding!
So I have been meaning to bolt down the vise in my workshop for weeks as I did not like the idea of accidently knocking it off the bench. So of course while lining up the jaws to edge of the bench to bolt it down I accidently tip it off the bench and onto my foot. While the hemo-techicolor action has not kicked in yet I am sure I have at least one broken toe maybe two.
For now its time for some motrin, bourbon and ice.
Time for some more Big Laguna Trail fun.
It is monsoon season in the deserts well to the east but the Laguna Mountains gets in on some of that action as well.
I have had the pleasure in the past of starting a ride here with not a cloud in the sky and watch huge clouds form in no time at all.
Today the clouds were already in the sky and made for a picturesque backdrop to the day.
We spun around the meadow, Los Gatos, Chico and few other select trsils in the area. Such a great day out on s bike.
Took a co-worker who is a pretty badass dirt-moto guy out for his first MTB action today out in the Weedpatch aka The San Clemente Singletracks.
I am such a fan of the Laguna Mountains. There is a good variety trails and routes to choose from. Steve and I refer to our time our here as Soul Rides paying homage to wildly popular book “Chicken Soup for the Soul”
After another work trip to Bahrain, it was time to shake off some jet lag.
Local goodness.
Yes I stopped to smell the flowers
I was still dragging from jetlag but decided to get my butt on the bike anyway for what should have been a mild to moderate loop. I have been off the bike for six weeks and man did I feel it. The trail pretty much kicked my ass 31 ways from Sunday. It was quite a pathetic showing on my part. I’m glad it was a solo event. It was miserably great. It was a good reminder that I would rather suffer outdoors than thrive inside.