Had the day off and after catching up on expense reports, etc. I headed off to the west to ride the race loop at White Tanks. I was in a hurry and forgot my camera. I am really sorry I did, it's such a beautiful place. With so much wet weather lately there was an abundance of purple and yellow flowers. The sunset over the mountains was just astounding. I know it's cliche but I wanted a pic of it just the same. I was pretty cooked from riding SoMo all weekend but wanted to get in a spin and not waste a day off. My friends back home are relegated to riding fireroads due to all the wet crappy winter weather VA has been getting.
The course started on a rough widetrack climb. Things got better on the tech loop where the trail narrowed to a skinny single track twisting through the cactus. I had to pull off some fancy body english in a couple spots to keep from getting skewered! Dropped off the tech loop onto the main trail where I saw a switchback climb coming up. Some reddish brown animal crossed the trail ahead of me, could've been a deer but I didn't see it again. Up the switch backs (Ow! My legs!!), over the saddle and down. Whoo Hoo!!! Then came the rock. I'd seen endo pics of it and hesitated on it. I could've hucked off it (a two foot drop) but decided to try down to the right. Dammit! I wound up in a tangled heap in an ungainly dismount, another kitten dead! Should've gone for the huck but I was all alone out there and didn't want to risk serious injury. A fast fun cruise back to the parking lot and done. I hung out in the absolute quiet of the Sonoran desert and took in the sunset. Beautiful.
"Up the switchbacks, over the saddle and down..." to Grandmother's house we go! LOL
Great times indeed, dude. I remember I went with my girlfriend on a short loop at Cathedral Pines and low and behold a ten point buck just stood there and watched us pass him by from 20 feet away. It was like he was waiting for a bus, his eyes just stayed with us until we were out of sight. I love nature and the animals. It can be a surreal experience at times.
Had the day off and after catching up on expense reports, etc. I headed off to the west to ride the race loop at White Tanks. I was in a hurry and forgot my camera. I am really sorry I did, it's such a beautiful place. With so much wet weather lately there was an abundance of purple and yellow flowers. The sunset over the mountains was just astounding. I know it's cliche but I wanted a pic of it just the same. I was pretty cooked from riding SoMo all weekend but wanted to get in a spin and not waste a day off. My friends back home are relegated to riding fireroads due to all the wet crappy winter weather VA has been getting.
The course started on a rough widetrack climb. Things got better on the tech loop where the trail narrowed to a skinny single track twisting through the cactus. I had to pull off some fancy body english in a couple spots to keep from getting skewered! Dropped off the tech loop onto the main trail where I saw a switchback climb coming up. Some reddish brown animal crossed the trail ahead of me, could've been a deer but I didn't see it again. Up the switch backs (Ow! My legs!!), over the saddle and down. Whoo Hoo!!! Then came the rock. I'd seen endo pics of it and hesitated on it. I could've hucked off it (a two foot drop) but decided to try down to the right. Dammit! I wound up in a tangled heap in an ungainly dismount, another kitten dead! Should've gone for the huck but I was all alone out there and didn't want to risk serious injury. A fast fun cruise back to the parking lot and done. I hung out in the absolute quiet of the Sonoran desert and took in the sunset. Beautiful.
