"Medium regular with extra sugar" - 10/23/10 - Village Park - Swansea, MA

- Miles: 4

- Weather: clear & windy

Notes: Woke up to a chilly 40 degree fall morning, so threw on my favorite "skinny pants" and headed to Swansea.  Did the normal loop with a little extra at the end.  Cool air in my lungs was no fun, almost as if I hadn't been riding in weeks.  Lots of yellow leaf coverage on the trail but no mishaps.  Took it easy and stopped for a couple of breaks.  Not a creature was stirring...they must know it's hunting season!

Tidbits:  Ever wonder what a bulldog looks like on a cold Fall morning?  Well here's your answer...

Lucy the Punk Bulldog!

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Once bitten, twice shy" - 10/19/10 - Freetown Fall River State Forest - Freetown, MA

"Once bitten, twice shy"

- Trailhead: Copicut Rd, cross railroad tracks and enter at gate

- Riders: OMMB

- Distance: 4.6 miles

- Temp: 60 and dropping

- Weather: partly cloudy

- Trail Conditions: aggravating, D-

- Technical Level: borderline impossible on a MTB

Notes: Patrick and I previously tried FFSP earlier this year and we weren't too impressed with the level of effort needed to traverse this place; it's as if these trails do NOT want to be ridden.  So after this attempt, I'm now "twice bitten".  Right from the start, I was spinning in sand and loose rock...not like gravel rock but fist sized rock.  It was very clear that the trails are well worn from dirt bikes. 35 years ago, I was one of the dirt bike riders on these same trails.  I never thought I'd say this, but I think the DCR needs to close most of the trails here to allow them to recover. Or route around them with new trails and let the forest reclaim the old ones.  For 90% of the ride I was fighting to keep momentum and balance...just too much effort.  I did make it to "The Ledge" where the overlook provides a nice view above the treeline. Click on the map and you should be able to find it in the bottom left quadrant.  Always amazes me that they haven't roped off the area, it would be very easy to ride right off the edge if you were not aware of it!    All in all, a frustrating ride.  Leave this place to the dirt bikes, hunters, and hikers.

Tidbits: Found a new feature on Google Earth that allows you to see the vertical/speed profile of your GPS track.  I loaded the Mt Pinos ride into GE and had a look.  Here's the screen shot...

Happy Trails,
OMMB



"Hello old friend" - 10/14/10 - Rocky Woods - Taunton, MA

- Trailhead: Range Ave (next to bowling alley), trailhead is where Range Ave takes sharp left turn, next to house on right

- Riders: OMMB

- Distance: 5.42 miles

- Temp: 60

- Weather: clear

- Trail Conditions: Sticky Woody Rutty Rocky Woods

- Technical Level: some finesse involved due to lots of flotsam and jetsam

- Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: clean ride...the way it should be when riding solo

Notes: OMMB decided to visit an old friend...Rocky Woods.  Spent many early (7 am) Saturday mornings here with Bob and the Bikeworks gang.  Mostly during the cold ass Winter.  Still have the jacket Bob gave me and the nice over shoe booties needed on cold wet trails.  Mark and I also had some great night rides here...first night rides for us. Hard to believe we managed with the limited lighting we had.  Also participated in my first race here...came in fourth in my class (home court advantage).

I entered the woods from a location I wasn't familiar with...followed the notes and map on the NEMBA site.  It turned out to be a dry, high ground, well worn area (unlike the North Walker Str and Curly's Pub trailheads).  Well worn only because it seemed plenty of quads and dirt bikes have kept the main trails clear.  Venturing off onto single track was a different story...many fallen trees, sticks, and old ruts.  Given how many winding single tracks are here, I'm surprised the place isn't ridden more.  In any event, if you can deal with log hops and rutty trails, it's well worth doing some loops here.

 

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Approaching hunting season..." - 10/13/10 - Village Park - Swansea, MA

"...we're not alone here"

- Trailhead: library

- Riders: T, OMMB

- Distance: 3.5 miles

- Temp: 62

- Weather: clear and cool

- Trail Conditions: sticks & leaves

- Wildlife: one deer, three hunters scouting (no guns yet)... ("Drizzle, Drazzle, Drozzle, Drome, Time for this deer to go home")

- Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: 
T whoops: Nearly an endo by T...rear wheel up, slid forward off the seat and got her feet safely on the ground!  Only problem, her seat punched her in the butt!  Bruise point (no cameras please).
OMMB whoops:  slid out on the infamous slanted roots trail, flop with bike and all on the left side.

Notes: Nice ride...a little rushed for daylight, so we flipped on the lights towards the end of the ride.

Tidbits: Time to wear the latest in florescent orange attire!

"Here Fluffy!"





"I'm not fluffy, you ass"



Happy Trails,

OMMB

"Mud dog madness" - 10/11/10 - Hike - Ravenswood Park - Gloucester, MA

- Trailhead: Route 127

- Hikers: Sadie, Teri, Greg, Bella, OMMB

- Distance: about 3 miles
- Temp: 62
- Weather: nice Fall day

Notes: After an awesome full belly lunch of fresh seafood at The Causeway in Gloucester, we headed to Ravenswood, one of many parks in the area.  Trails were real nice through glacial rock deposits that Bella the rock climbing, faster than deer, mud hopping pooch took a real liking to.  Biking is allowed through most of the park and it seemed very manageable.  Some nice long log bridges in several portions of trail...must be real wet during rainy seasons.   And yes, that mud hopping stuff that Bella liked...she took TOO much of a liking to that!  She leaped into a mud hole, burying her head when her front legs sunk in.  Mud point for Bella.


Bella before mud hopping...








...Bella after!  We had a good laugh!



aaaa...Cujo stay back!!

Tidbits: There's five more seafood dishes at The Causeway that I must return to have!  The place was GREAT, huge portions of very fresh seafood.  Greg and Sadie finally got us there and it was all as good as advertised.  Be prepared to wait for a table everyday of the week...it's very popular!  And damn...the ice cream at Cherry Hill in Beverly was the best yet!

Happy Trails,
OMMB

Love it when a hermit gets his own monument!

Watch out for dragon trees (we were close to Salem)



I think I may have done something bad...





...oh gees I did,  it was the mud thing wasn't it?



The video...Bella Treks Ravenswood

"Medium regular" - ten/nine/ten - Village Park - Swansea, MA

Hit the regular time trial loop at a medium pace, 30 minutes.  Rode clean except for a flop going up the first small hill, lost balance and leaned on a tree.  Apparently said tree didn't like me much, I proceeded to slowly spiral down the trunk and onto the ground.  Weird thing is my handlebars sort of locked around the tree and took me a few seconds to get it undone.

Typical Fall day, 62 and dry, lots of fallen sticks on the trail made for a few hitchhikers.

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Esruoc lairt emit" - 10/6/10 - Village Park - Swansea, MA

- Trailhead: library

- Riders: T, OMMB

- Distance:  3.5 miles

- Temp: 67

- Weather: clear and dry

- Trail Conditions: mostly dry

- Wildlife: oh dear two deer

- Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets:  a whoops by T.  She flopped over when hung up on a rock crossing, all good.

Notes: This bright thing formed in the sky, so after work we couldn't resist going for a ride!  We decided, for the fun of it, to run the time trial course in reverse.  This always results in a very different trail look, we had a good time!

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"My early Halloween" - ten/five/ten - Village Park - Swansea, MA

- Trailhead: library

- Riders: OMMB
- Distance: 3.5 miles
- Temp: six to the oh degrees
- Weather: really? the picture says it all
- Trail Conditions: again... really?
- Technical Level: really? oh it was just a piece of cake
- Wildlife: all hiding from the weather, all smarter than OMMB
- Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: one yikes, many whoops

Notes: It felt like it had been raining for a week...it was three days.  I felt like I needed to go for a ride...I did.  It seemed okay to head out at night in the rain...it wasn't.  A rainy, foggy, windy, dark night...just typical Fall conditions in New England, seemed feasible to go for a trail ride, right?  Well here's a few things I neglected to consider...
1) wet roots - I haven't ridden in wet conditions since....ah....hell I don't remember!  Damn roots are slippery. Especially when riding a front tire on the rear (ask me why sometime),
2) it's Fall - leaves have already managed to cover what was once clearly seen single track, 
3) it IS raining - the leaves are also wet (soaked),
4) wet rocks - hidden under the wet leaves,
5) it IS dark at 7:30pm in Oct - difficult to see the wet rocks and wet roots under the wet leaves at night (even with 2 sets of light gear on high),
6) momentum - you can't move along through the rough stuff like you would on a dry sunny day,
7) balance - equilibrium is a little off when following your light beam through winding trails with darkness all around.

Neglections number 5, 6, and 7 were my down "fall"...with emphasis on #6.  I made it through most of the course with some scary rear slides outs and missed turns.  I followed the freakishly bright orange trail markers with thoughts of the haunted path we used to set up in a patch of woods for the kids on Halloween.  Thankfully the path I was on didn't have spooky music, lanterns, ghosts in trees, ghouls, nor a grand finale featuring a chainsaw massacre (with real, fired up chainsaw wielded by Freaky Jason in a mask).  Spotting the orange marks in the lights with darkness all around was spooky enough.  Things got really nerve racking after the climb on loop 2.  Once on top, there's a slight downhill.  Go to the right and it's a 4 foot drop off.  To the left is manageable, unless of course you combine with #4, #5, and #6.  And let's add #8, stay off the BACK of your seat when riding in these conditions.  Half way down the decent, feeling like I may survive, something takes my bike out from under me!  Does Superman fly in the woods at night?  Yep, until he hits the ground head first and somersaults to a dizzying stop!  Luckily ended up with only a gnarly lump on my right hand and a sore neck...after all I played it safe by wearing my full helmet (ya, so smart).   So I had to wonder, what the hell did I hit?  Protruding out of the leaves was a four inch high, two inch wide, foot long sliver of a rock that chances would lead to 1 out of 100 direct hits. Of all nights, my front wheel gets lucky on these 1% odds.

Tidbits:  Bikeworks Facebook page suggests letting air out of your tires when riding in wet conditions. Thanks...#9.

Happy Trails,
OMMB

Trail Report - 9/29/10 - Village Park - Swansea. MA

- Distance: 3.5 miles
- Temp: 75
- Weather: a bit humid

Notes: Started to feel a little stagnant today, so since the sun was shining after work, I blasted over to Swansea before dinner.  I scooped up the Kona since the GF has a flat front tire.  Didn't really try to ride the course full blast, but still clocked a pretty decent time, 29 minutes. 

Tidbits: I have NO idea how you people ride hard tails on East coast trails...just way to rough and wild a ride for me!!!

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"New stuff" - 9/24/10 - Crane Wildlife Management Area - Falmouth, MA

- Trailhead: Route 28 and 151, small dirt parking lot east side of 28.

- Rider: OMMB

- Distance: 3.6 miles 

- Temp: 65

- Weather: clear

- Trail Conditions: real nice, smooth, fast single track

- Technical Level: good mix of beginner to intermediate

Notes: While down the Cape for a wedding, OMMB got a chance to investigate an area found on the NEMBA site.  About 4 miles from the house we stayed in was an area known as Crane Wildlife Management Area which borders the Otis Air Force Base.  There are trails marked on the AFB land but I did not venture over the border.  I encountered PLENTY of single track riddled throughout the area.  Some real cool boulder climbs and a fun "Sidewinder" type trail (high banked switchbacks).  I circled most of "Crane West" but there are so many more trails to check out (along with Crane East).  Soooo......I hope to get back here soon. 

Tidbits: A morning ride with lunch in Falmouth Village would be something to consider...only one hour from home!

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Trail Report - 9/22/10 - Village Park - Swansea, MA

So it's the last day of a NICE dry summer in New England.  What better way to celebrate the "last hoorah" than a quick ride in the morning?  Did about 3 miles on the typical loop in Swansea with a few variations.  Temp was 65 degrees. Just me and the squirrels.... goodbye Summer, hello Fall!!   

Other than my "lovely assistant" T, I had trouble finding riding partners this Summer...are you all waiting for Winter?  Well then call me when you're ready to ride!  ;)  

- OMMB

Trail Report - 9/20/10 - Village Forest - Swansea, MA

Weather was a nice 67 degrees so T and I went to the typical Swansea Library loop to run the Time Trials course.  I was hell bent on trying the course on the HiFi, hoping that after the epic rides out west, I would have some steam to match my time on the Kona.  T just felt like going for a ride...so I started on the course first, with her close behind.  I had recommended that she skip loop 1 and head to loop 2 in order to synchronize our finish.  The theory would have worked but some jamoke had moved a boulder, with orange arrow, in the wrong direction.  T, not knowing exactly where the course leads, got sidetracked.  I flew by her while yelling "this way!".

I came in at the same time as previously clocked on the Kona, 26 minutes.  Time could be a little skewed due to running into some horse's ass (three in fact) along the trail. What the hell is this, national ride a horse week?  Anyway, I watched the clock while waiting for the horses to clear the trail and decremented 2 minutes from my total time.  Surprisingly I matched the Kona 29er, since I know it's a faster bike.  Go HiFi! 

Good little ride, 3.5 miles for me, 3 miles for T.

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Woulda Coulda Shoulda" - Vander-Blog - 9/17/10 - Mt Pinos, Los Padres National Forest, CA

Trail: McGill/Mt Pinos

Riders: Hector, Ron, Scott, Steve, Tim

Length: ~16 miles

Time: 3.5 hrs plus 30 mins of "breaks"

Temp: mid-70s

Humidity: less than 1%

Rating: A-

So Hector had this great idea to drag the crew up to Frazier Park and ride Mt Pinos. We all agreed and the stars aligned on 17 Sep 2010. No easy feat as it's a 1.5 hour ride to the trail head...a relatively unknown trailhead to all of us. We all managed to arrive via three separate cars at the trailhead around 1000..and after properly icing down post-ride beverages we headed up the trail. "Up" being the operative word since this trail is essentially a singletrack trail to the top of a rather tall mountain. The ride starts off nice and pleasant with a limited gradient, yet after 1/2 a mile Tim thinks he feels almost out of breath. Hey Tim, look at all those Pine trees...you're not on the coast anymore, but rather at around 6000 feet. It's also bone dry necessitating use of a camelbak. Fortunately, Hector or Ron keep a pleasant pace so Tim (and Steve) don't blow themselves up.

Eventually, Tim is following Hector and almost follows him right off the trail and onto the ground. Turns out Hector has no rear brakes? At least that's the excuse provided. Apparently this is something he knew about before the ride...but decided that since this was only a 15-18 mile alpine ride well away from civilization...it didn't warrant correction the night before? At this point Tim decides to lead the group (or at least get in front of Hector) until reaching this campground at around 7800 ft for a much needed water and food break.



Funny thing is that it not obvious where the trail continues...so Tim asks ONLY person in campground. Tim makes comment to person about having campground to himself and person responds by saying "yah, I kinda like it that way". Note to Tim - No more questions for "loner man". So the crew makes a judgement call to take the trail to the left. Judgement being severely influenced by exceedingly mild gradient of trail. This turns out to be wrong trail as it dead ends in a descent after 1 mile.



After more trail floundering Steve blows his rear tire and Hector decides to fix his brakes. How many engineers does it take to fix a flat tire? Apparently that answer is three engineers with one loggy wandering about aimlessly. How many Engineers does it take to swap brake pads...Hector would like you all to know that its just one.

After riding back to the campground, the crew takes the steep trail leading to the road and finds the trail on the other side. After another missed trail the final ascent looms...and it turns out to be fairly brutal. One section either due to elevation (~8000 ft or so) and/or gradient is just a killer...but then it's a pleasant ride to a parking lot with a building indicating you've reached the Mt Pinos Nordic Center @ 8300 ft.



For some strange reason Tim (of questionable cardio shape as of late) kills this final ascent and reaches the top first followed by Hector who makes a bee-line for the porta-potty. The crew is very thankful for said porta-potty because the elevation has been causing havoc with Hector's insides all day.

After many photo ops, the crew hits the descent.



Group shot...after 3 tries with the timer!



The elevation becomes immediately apparent to Tim as his suspension does not feel as "plush" as usual...and he knows from 1st hand experience (Hector) NEVER to attempt letting air out of your fork or shock manually. The first part of the descent is fun but then it gets really good after the 7800 campground due to the many "hits" and jumps. Scott has taken an apparent liking to all things jump related and Tim now wonders why he didn't go for "the jump" last week?

Sadly, the descent is over in about 20 minutes. Kinda shocking when one considers it was a 2.5 hour climb plus 30 minutes of trail floundering. There are a few pucker factor moments on the way down...one of those apparently took out Ron who (by the way) is still ailing from his experience with "the jump" from the previous week. Also, sadly, Tim notices upon consulting an Atlas at home that Mt Pinos summit is 8800. This is later confirmed by Steve's GPS which will drive the crew to schedule another attempt.

Happily, everyone has grub at the car. Scott, proving to be a resourceful southern gentleman, has an awesome portable grill, Ron has burgers/buns, Steve has something but I can't remember (OMMB editorial note: Steve brought plenty of ice and some Newcastle (aka "real beer") for those who didn't have to pick up their kids today), Hector has dogs, all the "fixins" and Tim has the uber-iced "bolus o beer"...aka - the Coors Light fridge keg (OMMB editorial note: not "real beer" but very refreshing!).

All in all a fabulous ride that gets an A+ but has been decremented by our poor trail finding skills and lack of making the summit.

- Tim V.



   

yaaa..."missed it by that much"







More pix from RoFo (Click On)

More pix from OMMB (Click On)

 

Happy Trails,

OMMB and the Left Coast Crew



"Smells like crap" - 9/16/10 - El Nido Preserve - Ojai (oh hi!), CA

- Trailhead: Chaparral Crest Loop

- Riders: Hector, OMMB

- Distance: 7 miles

- Temp: 87 at trailhead, much cooler in the woods

- Weather: dry, hot, clear

- Trail Conditions: dry, dusty, some ruts, huge dry river crossing with boulders, nice shaded areas, some hike-a-bike hills
- Wildlife: no spiders, no snakes, no scorpions, two horses

Notes:  First off, finding the river crossing soon after entering the trailhead was the trickiest part.  Well only tricky if you don't stay on the main trail and jump down into a HUGE dry river bed too early.  Hike-a-bike was required for about 50 yards (or more).  I'm thinking, based on the creature I saw yesterday, and knowing what other creatures lurk under rocks and brush out here, what the frick are we doing?  Nevertheless, we made it across without any scorpion or rattlesnake encounters which were my biggest worry (that and wondering what else Hector the Tour Guide of Terror had in store for me).

The actual trails on the other side of the riverbed were great.  My first reaction when entering the wooded area was "what the heck is that?"...by far the smelliest trail I've ridden. After the first real sandy hike-a-bike climb my question was answered.  Horseshit, no bullshit.  Apparently the area is popular for horseback riding.  Well we met the source of this crap and turned out to be a very friendly horse (two actually, being walked by cowgirls, or is it more PC to call them cowpeople?).  He/she (I didn't bother to check) was out of the corral for the first time (must have been nervous, happens to me too).

We did an up and around loop and returned through a valley.  Plenty of climbing but a nice smooth downhill.  Good ride, good change of scenery.   

Tidbits: Hector is actually human....see him hike a bike!

Up a hill...

down a dry riverbank...




...and across the dry riverbed!

  
Happy Trails,

OMMB