A First for Summer First - Burlingame State Park - Rhode Island

- Trailhead: King's Factory Road
- Riders: OMMB and Jesse
- Miles: 6.25
- Weather: Summer day!
- Temp: 80
- Trail Conditions: Single track, boulders, slick rock, short ups and downs, bridges
- Technical Level: Intermediate (at least on the portion of trails I rode)
- Wildlife: just a toad
- Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: a bit clumsy from the heat, one little flop while stopped

Notes: It was upper 80's inland, so we decided to head closer to the ocean for a cooler ride.  I've had this place on my list for quite a while and was happy to get here for the first time.  Although not as cool as I would have hoped, it was a very challenging and fun place to ride!  Lot's of fun boulder climbs and slick rock.  Awesome man-made bridges ala Bradbury were excellent.  There is a "famous" 12-mile loop here, but a portion of it uses the road...so not good when riding with four legged fur face.  I chose a remote trailhead and stuck to the inner woods loop...some of which was not on the map.  The ride pretty much kicked my ass!  Long drive to get here, but I would definitely attempt other areas of the park when up for a challenge.



Tidbits: this place could just as well be called "Bouldergame"

Happy Trails,
OMMB

Turtle Turtle - Village Park - Swansea, MA

Me and Jesse for almost five... nice quick ride, nice weather (even for turtles).

Happy Trails,
OMMB

Subie-doo - Circle X - Malibu, CA

Another very entertaining Vander Blog...

We did a ride Thursday afternoon. Hector apparently didn't ask for permission on Wednesday...so I'm thinking his misses shot it down on Thursday b/c he was a no-show. Did I mention riding w/o Hector is bad for Tim? Tim has troubles pacing himself whereas Hector ALWAYS climbs at a nice steady pace. In addition, Hector is good at 'splaining' where the trailhead is even though he still has troubles underestimating ride distances. So, Tim relied on Scott to get him to the Encinal Canyon start point of Circle X. No joy for Tim. So Tim meets up with Ron and Scott at the Decker Canyon start of Circle X and then proceeds to climb it like a mo-fo. Tim waits a couple minutes and Ron/Scott arrive. Ron is lamenting his lunch choice at this point. Note to Ron - ALWAYS a bad idea to eat a late and heavy lunch before a mtn bike ride. The real climbing begins on the fire road and more mo-fo climbing outa Tim. Note to Tim - DO figure out whatever you ate for lunch cause that sheet was working? The fire road turns into more fun, long, easy singletrack climbing. Tim hangs at the end and Ron/Scott show up shortly afterward. After a little snack session and 'wat the f@ck is going on at work' bitch session we proceed to head back. The return on this one is ALWAYS better because you are mostly descending the singletrack. One word of caution, you can really ride it fast...of course, there's that fine line of riding too fast right of the track and down the mountainside. Note to Tim - Take more air outa your front tire on the way down. There's not too much to say about the descent except for the final 2-3 miles. Its smooth, flat with berms on many turns. Very fun, very fast and relatively easy except for those times when you make a hard/fast right bermed turn into a flat left turn and just about fly off the track. All in all - a good time w/ Scott and Ron. Did I mention doing some weird post-ride maneuver in the Subie which high-sided left rear wheel and ground the right rear wheel into the wheel well. My car was momentarily stuck and spinning a wheel or two. I'm thinking 'wat?' until I smelled something burning. Had to roll the car back off the embankment to get out...poor Subie having me for an owner.

Ride: Circle X, Malibu Mountains
Time: ~2 hrs
Length: ~16 miles
Temp: Low 70s and June Gloom overcast
Tech Rating: Easy, Fun, whatever

Tim V.

...awesome! Thanks Tim!

Annual Set Your Baby Frogs and Teenagers Free Day - Big River, RI

- Trailhead: Hopkins Hill
- Riders: OMMB and JD
- Miles: 6.2
- Weather: clear
- Temp: 87
- Trail Conditions: dry
- Wildlife: little bitty frogs

Notes: After a few days off, we were back on the trail.  Both of us seemed sluggish and winded.  Mostly Jesse.  Hot day for part Husky, lots of panting.  Idea was to ride some single track (where we found the bitty frogs) then head for the lake to cool off.  Thing is, every access to the lake for swimming was occupied.  Was this Senior Bunk Day or just kids jumping into Summer vacation?  Strange to find such a "crowd" on a weekday afternoon.  Anyway, we found a little nook for Jesse. 

Tidbits:  Yaaaaaaaaaaayyy Beeeeeees!  Stanley Cup Champs!



Jesse's Cool Pool





Classic Foot and Mouth

Happy Trails,
OMMB

Rocky Flowery Side - Big River - RI

- Trailhead: Rt 7 Freaky Parking Lot
- Riders: OMMB
- Miles: 9+
- Weather: humid
- Temp: 82
- Trail Conditions: nice
- Technical Level: rocky, some hills

Notes: Looped more of the technically challenging stuff on the East Side. Good ride. Real warm/humid day, so took a break to jump in the crystal clear lake...nice!  (but I think my truck seat is STILL wet)

Tidbits: I may avoid the exit 7 lot in the future...some "odd" dudes hanging around there. Maybe it was a Friday afternoon thing.

Happy Trails,
OMMB

Standard Swansea - Village Park

- Trailhead: Library

- Riders: OMMB, Jesse 

- Miles: 4.25

- Trail Conditions: getting dryer, hardpacked and faster

Notes: Just a quick jaunt around Village Park.  Weather was a bit humid so Jesse was huffin and puffin from the start.  He was rewarded with a dip in the pond.



  Gotta wonder...

...is this from a horse?  And if so, would a dog owner just leave this shit on a bridge?  I think not...needs to be a market for horse pooper scoopers! WTF

Tidbits: Got home to find this thing near our outdoor shower!  I thought it was a Garder Snake but turned out to be an Eastern Milk Snake...equally as harmless.  Cool looking snake.

Happy Trails,
OMMB

Return of The Cousin of Mud Dog - Big River, RI



Jesse and I hit some trails on the tougher side of Big River.  The 8 plus miles completed felt more like 15. The weather was nice, cool and dry, 62 degrees at the trailhead (Hopkins Hill Parking Lot).  Seems to be more and more people visiting Big River.  Quite a few hikers and fishermen around the lake.  Lots of cars at every trailhead...but the area is so big you rarely see anyone on the single track. 

Jesse, like Bella, is crazy for the mud!  Luckily I got him to swim in the lake to clean off.



If I saw this thing on a trail, I'd be high tailing outta there!





Not sure what happened to poor dear Oreo.  Maybe a milk mishap?

Happy Trails,
OMMB

PS-sometimes I think Jesse looks a little too much like Joe Walsh, my favorite 70's guitarist...

 

Toe Jam (aka Purple Haze Mangled Toe Hobbit Foot) - Big River, RI

- Trailhead: Burnt Sawmill Rd
- Riders: OMMB
- Miles: 13.5-ish
- Weather: nice...clear and cool
- Temp: 74

Notes: Burned some of my comp time to ride for an extended distance at Big River.  Once again, found singletrack new to me which seemed to be never ending, albeit a little chewed up by dirt bikes.  Felt a little ragged at first, and just when I got into a nice groove...wham! Something jammed into my right foot about 5 miles in.  I rode it out but the occasional sharp pain made me think it was a bit more than a typical scrape.   Finished the ride and took off my shoe...sure enough...damage was clear.  Damn hit had smashed my toe!  Cute.

My actual foot; not a Hobbit stand in!



Freaky old dump...random.



Tidbits: How about steel (or aluminum) toe riding shoes???

Happy Trails,
OMMB

Annual Let Your Baby Chipmunks Run Memorial Day Event - Big River, RI

Jesus Wolf

- Trailhead: Hopkins Hill Lot - Riders: OMMB and JD
- Miles: six
- Weather: Hazy Hot Humid (Tornados in MA)
- Wildlife: 300 chipmunk families
- Lowlife: some drunk looser polluting the lake shoreline, real friendly dude...nice rodent like demeanor

Notes: Nice ride but damn humid.  Lucky for Jesse Dog the lake was perfectly clear (aside from the misplaced bum) for a swim.  Jesse wore himself out trying to catch each and every baby chipmunk along the trail!  I'm glad he was with me because there were soooo many of them I may have been a little freaked out if riding alone. You know how those chipmunks get during an eating frenzy! 




Hey where the hell did the dog go???


 

HA! There he is!  See him?





Duck eggs.  Next time bring the bacon!



Tidbits: If you don't have a dog, carry some spare acorns to divert the chipmunks for a clean getaway.


Happy Trails,
OMMB



Man's Best Friend? - Village Park - Swansea, MA

Did six point six miles with Jesse.  About the only thing I remember about this ride is we crossed paths with Al and Greg along the way and were invited to join them.  But as usual, they rode way faster than me.  Jesse being Jesse just HAD to be the leader of the pack...so he left my sorry ass behind in order to run up with single speed speedster Greg.  Got my ass kicked AND got ditched by a so-called "man's best friend"...riiiight.

Happy Trails,
OMMB

Green is the New Brown - Village Park - Swansea, MA

I'm way behind on my trail posts, so I must say I don't remember too much about this particular ride, other than everything that was brown before I left for California is now a lush green.  I did four and a quarter miles with Jesse Dog...oh wait...I remember now...this was the ride where we came out from the woods along the edge of a field.  In the middle of the field of two foot high grass, was standing a pretty large deer.  It was staring at us as I attempted to reach for the camera in my camelback before Jesse was clued in.  Too late.  He dashed across the field bounding over the grass, pretty much just as the deer did.  He chased it into the woods, then joined up with me in a few minutes further down the trail.  The look on his face was..."man that was a HUGE squirrel!!!"  Had to laugh.
Happy Trails,
OMMB

Oh Hi Oh Hot - Gridley Trail - Ojai (oh hi), CA

- Trailhead: Gridley

- Riders: Hector, OMMB

- Miles: bout 6

- Weather: hot and dry

- Temp: 80's

- Trail Conditions: typically gnarly trailhead, then up up up the mountain

- Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: a yikes by Hector...while hike biking down the gnarly trail, his bike decided to launch itself down the hill onto rocks (hmmmm).

Notes: Well...last time I attempted Gridley I did make it to the top of the rideable trail.  That was my second attempt.  On this, the third attempt, I did even worse than the first time up here.  I'll attribute the "fail" to the heat and the fact that I had a bunch of miles in already this week.  Ojai is much further inland from the 60-70 degree coastal air.  The air is HOT and dry here and coming off a season of riding in 20 degree weather didn't sit well with me.  I was kicked very early.  Come to think of it, I do have a third excuse...the pedals on the rental bike were road pedals (one sided SPD) which made it almost impossible to clip back in when I needed to take a break from climbing.

Tidbits: bringing my own pedals with me next time!



Hector made it, but his trip computer did not!



Hitting Ojai Pizza to "rehydrate" with Fat Tire Ale and carb back up was definitely a Ojai-light!!

Happy Trails,
OMMB

Six out, a half dozen back - Sycamore Canyon, CA

Day 2 on the West Coast... today an enjoyable out and back through the canyon with RoFo.  It's a slight incline out so the sprint back is always a great time!  Nice cool and dry weather on the coast. As usual, Ron was prepared with apre munchies and beer...loves it!



End of a great day...



Happy Trails,

OMMB