yesterday I went with my roommate who has never ridden a bike on a trail before out to a local one to pound around for a while. He did fine and says he wants to get his own bike to go ride more often so that's pretty sweet. We did about 5 miles of riding and about an hour of goofing around at the local skatepark afterward.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...9/DSC03871.jpg
found this tepee along the trail
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...9/DSC03872.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...9/DSC03876.jpg
the never ending cacti
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...9/DSC03880.jpg
we don't get snow down here so here is a dead grass angel
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...9/DSC03884.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...9/DSC03914.jpg
and the San Marcos skatepark

it was cold. mid 40's and drizzly.

That park as a couple'o'cool lines:thumb:

ya pretty cool place and that is only about half of it and then more construction happening.

I rode Trail of Tears for the first time today, what a great place.
Shot some video too.

If I tried to ride that skate park, either my bike or I'd leave broken.

Went and rode yesterday, it was a great ride right up until the end where I saw a line I had never seen before and I had to do it of course. First attempt was slow because its a steep downhill with rock garden and roots covered in leaves before dropping off into a creek. I had no issues with it moving at a slower pace and picking the line I wanted but when I tried it at speed all hell broke loose. I came off one rock like I wanted to but when I landed my front tire got set on a different track by a hiding rock in the leaves and I was going right towards the tree line in a hurry. At this point I got a little puckered and got on the brakes a bit and tried to find a new line but instead went into a bit of a skid so I bailed off kinda sideways and back wards and of course slipped in the leaves. Ribs are pretty tender since I landed on my back in the rock garden arm is a bit scrapped up and both legs are pretty scraped and bruised plus the bike going tumbling broke my camera that was in my seat bag. Was able to dust myself off and ride out of the trail and will have to attempt that again when I can move freely again.

^ Ouch. Sucks about your camera.

Looks like a fun park. What bike are you riding there? The SE you posted up before?

no that is the Jamis I have, we were on our way back from the trail and made a pit stop.

Yeah I hate that the camera ate it but oh well Im more happy that my bike made it. Im gonna try to get out for a short road ride in the morn to loosen up. I felt pretty good after I got moving today but this morning I felt like I was in a car wreck lol

65 miles on the road today.

BTW Ed, this was my 11,256th account.

Spent the morning riding around the 7 Mile area at Riverside.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...r/IM000259.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...r/IM000263.jpg

Foo's got you by the fingers and won't let go!

The 11,262 posts are from 7.2 years of posting.

Remember posts in Foo don't contribute to the post counts.

If I wasn't hooked before...
 

I rode my first "real" trail on Saturday, a tight maze of roller-coaster up and down single track on a woody hillside with lots of roots, logs, narrow sections between trees, mud, berms, skinnys, and ditch crossings. All I can say is WOW! Mountain biking rocks.

I had so much fun pushing and testing my limits and learning new things. I feel really good about how I did. About the only thing that could have made it better is if I was riding in a group instead of solo, preferably with riders experienced enough to give me good feedback on how to improve my riding, or maybe a pat or two on the back.

Also, perhaps I've been a bit hard on my bike, because it performed beautifully. Ya, the shifts weren't very smooth or fast, but they were reliable, and I never dropped the chain. I could hear and feel the grit from the mud on the pads of my v-brakes, but they still slowed and stopped the bike effectively. Overall, a great time, and I'm ready to get back.

Just watch out for them big frozen puddle-ponds under the snow :D.

I was the only nut case on the trail that day and it started raining at the beginning of the ride. Surprisingly the puddles were frozen solid to the ground. A few days before the snow fall I was riding along the edge of the ORV park and a large Chevy 4x4 was hitting all the lake size frozen puddles and not breaking through. But yeah that happened a few times last year when your riding along in the snow and you hear that familiar crack then your bike sinks down in about six inches of cold water. That's when you can get off the bike and it stays upright on it's own.

1. Trail, Laurel Hill
2. Bike, 34t x 16t Single speed access
3. Miles, 14.7
4. Time, 1:37
5. Temperature, Cold (it was 8:00 am)
6. Need shoe covers or winter riding shoes because the gigantic toe vent just lets in the cold air and water
7. Off the bike for 10 days, get on this morning and feel all fat and lazy. There was a guy out there on a Jake the Snake CX bike who lapped me.
8. Ordered a Redline Monocog Flight 29er to change it up. Super psyched.

Yesterday the roommates and I went out for a ride. I didn't tell them it was over 8 miles of rock gardens and rough singletrak. Josh (in the orange) was on a mongoose most of the time and it was his second time on trails ever, the guy was killing it! Jonathan (the bigger one) was cynical and bailed like 3 miles in. Anyways here is some of what happened.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...9/DSC03935.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...9/DSC03938.jpg
built a teepee with some downed trees.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...9/DSC03941.jpg
Josh getting loose on the goose.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...9/DSC03944.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...9/DSC03950.jpg
the mile six break.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...9/DSC03953.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...9/DSC03955.jpg
Canyon Lake.

the end

12.2 miles and did a nice endo. Tried a new section and lost it on some loose dirt and gravel. It was all slow motion so I got to pick the direction of my fall and roll. It was kinda fun.

Glad you're alright.

1. Trail, Wakefield Park
2. Bike, 34t x 18t Single speed access (changed to a 18t to get that magic gearing where the climbs are smooth and still manage to get enough for the flats)
3. Miles, couldn't say, left the Garmin at home, maybe 9-10 miles
4. Time, 1:12
5. Temperature, Cold according to the radio in the teens with windchill, was riding at 8:45 pm, cytomax on the bottle cage became a slurpee after 35 minutes or so
6. Maxxis Crossmarks do not grip at all on the frozen ground, slid like mug, thinking of getting ignitors eventually or going back to nevegals
7. Tange Prestige fork is incredible out here, take a ton of the vibration out and rides low so it climbs wonderfully

1. Trail, cut through neighborhoods and woods behind my house to the nature trail that runs along the Occoquan, in the snow!
2. Bikes, my brother and I took the SS 26ers all lit up
3. Miles, who knows
4. Time, 11:30 pm or so to about 1:00 am???
5. Temperature, warmer than last night, no wind chill tonight
6. Ride was impromptu and we were not geared up as best as possible, and it has been snowing since 9 pm
7. Definitely the most fun I've had riding in a while

Rode Duxbury this morning, one last ride before the blizzard hits tonight. Nice hard trails, good for speed. I even cleaned the teeter for the first time- woohoo! After today we'll officially be in winter mode with snow on the ground and ice spikers.

BIG SURPRISE TODAY! Topping a ridge on a morning ride and 6 Big Horns jumped up and exited to the right. By the time I got ran over to where they disappeared they were on the next mountain and 1/2 a mile away. But they were parallel to the trail I was returning on. I had seen some "strange crap" on the trail. Had never seen Mountain Sheep scat. 16.7 miles. What a rush.