Sycamore Canyon

• Place: Pt Mugu State Park
• Trailhead: Sycamore Campground Pacific Coast Highway
• Riders: Hector, Ron, Tim, OMMB (although we had trouble in coordinating the ride all together, "who's on first, what's on second, I don't know's on third")
• Miles: 13
• Weather: slightly humid for this area, rain forecast for tomorrow
• Temp: 60's
• Trail Conditions: dry, hard pack  
• GPS Track: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/pcGa4RoNQew

26 vs 29

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Folly on Foster's

• Place: Big River
• Trailhead: Division Rd/New London Turnpike
• Riders: Jeff, OMMB
• Miles: 8.5
• Weather: clear
• Temp: 75
• Trail Conditions: dry 
• Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: A whoops from Jeff, knocking his chain off.  A Yikes from OMMB, hitting the Foster's Folly teeter into a drop for the first time. Cleared the teeter just fine, but coming off the thing throws you down into a hole very quickly...at a tree!  A sharp right turn to avoid the tree caused a front wheel slide out and rib crushing slam down.  "I'm okay...just can't breath (thinking...it will pass right?)".  Fun?  (ah nothing a little G&T by the water won't fix!) 
• GPS Track:

Notes: First time for Jeff at Big River, so I wanted to show him some of the newer, better condition stuff.  Although it felt a lot hotter than the temp indicated, we had a good ride.  I was dragging from the heat, hopefully my slow pace didn't discourage future riding with Jeff! 

Tidbits: Some of the trail props are missing... the scary manikin on Halloween and the Hoover on Hoover...so sad.



Gotta love Jeff's post ride refreshment!!



Happy Trails,

OMMB

Tracking a Time Trial

• Place: Village Park
• Trailhead: behind Case Jr High, start of Ridge Loop
• Riders: Al, Bob, Jeff, Jesse, OMMB
• Miles: 6+ (although my app clocked less than 6...gees)
• Weather: clear
• Temp: 50
• Trail Conditions: great... dry 
• GPS Track:

Notes: Bob wanted to track a potential time trial course (ala Chip) that should be 7 miles without repeating or crossing a trail in the park.  It's a good course....with some trails ridden in reverse making them just a little tougher.  I clocked 5.8, Bob clocked 6.3.  Starting/ending at the alternate parking behind Case may have gotten us closer to 7.

Tidbits: Jesse looks funny...hahahahaha

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Back on Home Turf

• Place: Village Park, Swansea MA
• Trailhead: Library
• Riders: Jesse, OMMB 
• Miles: approaching 5
• Weather: clear, dry
• Temp: mid 70's
• Trail Conditions: dry, really dry, California dry 
• Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: none
• GPS Track: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/1620700

Notes: Felt like I had too many days off... too hot, too tired, too f*in old!  ...had to cut the ride short. Yet there's good news...the trails are sooooo dry.  No mud, no toxic puddles, no streams.   Hopefully this drought will keep the bug population down, although the frogs will not be happy.

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Weebles Wobble...

...and they fall down.   Had a very wobbly ride for some unknown reason...late start due to traffic, GPS not tracking half the ride, sliding all over the place due to rain before I started, and a general wiped-out feeling (okay maybe from a recent cold and the 34 trail miles I've logged in the last 7 days).  Nevertheless got in about 7 (mostly miserable) miles.  I didn't actually fall down, but had numerous close calls, one of which pinned my ankle against a sharp boulder (ya that hurt).  Looking forward to better rides ahead...

Oh and found a new trail friend...

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Massacre-soit

Statue of Massasoit in Plymouth, MA

• Place: Massasoit State Park, East Taunton, MA
• Riders: Aaron, Al, Bob, Matt, OMMB
• Miles: 15
• Weather: clear 
• Temp: 50s
• Trail Conditions: dry, dusty
• Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets:  none
• GPS Track: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/hDOmxwCBOSk

Notes: Boys from Bikeworks are gearing up for yet another race...The Massasoit Lung Opener.  So "somehow" I get roped into one of their "training runs" on my usual Tuesday ride with them.  One (and 3/4) loop on the course and my ass was kicked! Not only was I dropped (like Great Sachem Massasoit), I kept getting lost on various forks (until Bob informs me that the course is marked, duh). Generally a really fast course, with some challenging hills (especially unfriendly near the end of the course).  That didn't slow down Matt on his Kona Big Unit Single Speed...cool looking bike.  It was also GREAT to see Al back on his mountain bike after a long recovery from his injury.

Tidbits: OMMB doesn't really like what happened to the Wampanoag...just sayin

Happy Trails,

OMMB

In Search Of (Part 2)...

... Elephant, Azorian Driveway, and Alan's Ave.

• Place: Big River
• Trailhead: New London Turnpike near Gun Club Entrance
• Riders: OMMB
• Miles: 7
• Weather: clear 
• Temp: 55-60
• Trail Conditions: perfect
• Technical Level: Intermediate 
• GPS Track: Not posted out of respect for the land owner

Notes: Yep...finally found the rest of the hidden trails (at least the one's I know about!).  Searching for these trails with very little details was fun, and the real fun came when I found them. NICE area! Lots of variety and challenges. The high point, literally, of this ride was when I found the well stocked "Candy Mailbox" at the top of an awesome overlook...Adirondack chairs and all!  I actually thought I had passed out and woke up in Maine somewhere.  The very generous owner of this land, Alan, stocks the mailbox with candy and dog biscuits.  He owns this overlook of Big River that can't be matched, and the fact that he shares this with us riders is very admirable.


Mamma Elephant




Baby Elephant



Not quite sure what this is all about.



Features on Alan's Ave...



Gotta love it!  (note: ride down only, up = hike)

Azorian Driveway

Best seats in town...

...with a great view...



...AND candy!!!



Even for the dogs!

THANK YOU ALAN!

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Hunger Games

• Place: Big River
• Trailhead: Rte 3 Parking Lot
• Riders: Jeremy, Dan, OMMB
• Miles: 14
• Weather: perfect 
• Temp: 50 or so
• Trail Conditions: dry, very dry (don't even light a match dry) 
• Wildlife: nope
• Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: Several Whoops on the technical stuff by all, but a nice Yikes to start the day by OMMB. Literally 5 minutes into the ride I clipped a boulder the same size as the one that took out my '67 Mustang GT Fastback when I was a teenager (story for another day).  Never saw it hiding right on the edge of the trail masked by a bush. I went flyyyyying off the bike. All good. 
• GPS Track:

Notes: Awesome inaugural ride with my new friends from Connecticut. Good quick riders. It was nice to have others joining me for the extra miles, because I get lazy on my own.  Did a solid 14 miles on predominately technical single track...ya the good stuff!  We "Saw Dead People" which lead to a maze of hidden single track that begs to be visited again.  Real nice variety of terrain which pretty much kicked my ass. If you've read The Hunger Games, I pretty much ended up feeling like that kid hiding half dead in the mud.  Once I finally got some food in me, after 1:00, I started to feel almost human again....ready for another kick-ass ride!

Don't know if this is to be taken seriously yet...will find out.

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Back on Two

• Place: Big River
• Trailhead: Burnt Sawmill Rd
• Riders: OMMB and Jesse Dog
• Miles: 12
• Weather: too nice to stay inside 
• Temp: 55-61
• Trail Conditions: some freshly chewed areas (dirt bikes) 
• Wildlife: a few turkeys...two that flew, one four-legged turkey that chased them (I love when he does that)
• Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: just a whoops flop over going up a rocky climb...backward momentum down the hill made it worse than it should have been
• GPS Track: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/p1L-7MF3xlU

Notes: After a week away, where I was forced to use my two feet to jog on Waikiki Beach, I'm back on two wheels.  Wanted to make the best of the nice weather so extended a ride to 12 miles on lots of single track at the River. Unfortunately a lot of this single track was shared with dirt bikes, but for the most part, still ride-able. Kind of wore out Jesse at the end, but he loved the turkey chase.

Hey remember me!

 Happy Trails,

OMMB

YAY Superman!

• Place: Village Park
• Trailhead: Library
• Riders: Jesse and OMMB
• Miles: 5.5
• Weather: overcast
• Temp: 56
• Trail Conditions: dry, fast  
• GPS Track: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/rcleZYLuphc

Notes: Blasted out for a ride with the "I need to run constantly" Australian Husky Shepard.  So I actually rode fast, for me anyway, and wore him down.  He's still playing in the yard, not tired.  Gees, I guess I took too many breaks!   I did manage to hit all but one of the elf-made features today AND did Superman for the first time.  THAT was fun, not sure why I had a mental block about it.  The last feature I need to do is the jump on Ridge Trail.

Tidbits: "Superman never made any money..."

Happy Trails,

OMMB

PS - just realized I'm not sure how Jesse went down Superman, that had to be funny.

Every Picture Tells a Story Donit...

• Place: Big River, RI
• Trailhead: Division Str, New London Turnpike
• Riders: T, OMMB
• Miles: 6
• Weather: clear, warm breeze 
• Temp: 78 (kind of hot for this old guy)
• Trail Conditions: perfect
• Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: a Whoops by T, lost her bike somewhere when riding between two trees!  Luckily got that out of the way early in the ride. 
• GPS Track:  Zoom in and Click On camera icon to scroll through pictures!!

Tidbits: Taking your best friend for a ride can be lots of fun!

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Just a little cycling...doggy style

• Place: East Bay Bike Path
• Riders: T, Jesse, OMMB
• Miles: 8
• GPS Track: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/kgFIYsxJnBQ

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Good Luck Speed Racers and Happy Spring!

• Place: Burlingame State Park
• Trailhead: Sanctuary Road Parking Lot (a mile to the race start)
• Riders: Bob, Matt, Manny, OMMB
• Miles: 11
• Weather: a bit foggy/hazy, but nice
• Temp: 65
• Trail Conditions: some gnarly sections, lots of quick, steep ups and downs, log hops, bridges, great variety  
• Technical Level: for the most part, the route we took was advanced
• Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets:
• nice Oh Sheet endo by Manny, too fast over a log hop
• a literal "Oh Sheet" by Bob into some water
• a Whoops by Matt on a hellacious root infested up hill grade
• a Whoops by OMMB when hooking a tree and flop to the side (push up save)
• GPS Track:

Notes: I joined the guys in a pre-ride of the 8 mile course they will race at Burlingame this Sunday. It's a technical route, especially the first few miles, but there's plenty of flat and downhill areas to get your pace up again.  Although a bone masher, I enjoyed the loop, more so than someone did (I won't mention any names Bob, whoops).  Honestly, I would not want to ride this as fast as possible, there'd be hell to pay (and medical bills).  Good luck guys!  

Tidbits: Nice campground at the race finish line, may want to stay there sometime; maybe "watch" a bike race!

Ride Stats: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/lvUYVv8eg80

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Scoping out the Southside (aka Whoops, I did it again)

• Place: Big River
• Trailhead: Congdon Mill Rd, South end of Sweet Sawmill Rd
• Riders: OMMB
• Miles: 7
• Weather:  nice, for Summer in March
• Temp: 78 Newport, 74 at trailhead
• Trail Conditions: good, some trees down on the remote trails
• Technical Level: some rocky hill climbs
• Wildlife: a bluejay, that's it
• GPS Track: (click on the camera)

Notes: Well I wanted to just ride, and not investigate, but curiosity got the best of me and I entered the area from a different trailhead.  The freakishly hot weather limited my ride since I was on some pretty rough stuff.  Managed to get myself all twisted up again on New London Turnpike, wanting to close a loop back to the trailhead, but instead went off in the wrong direction(s).  Also, in search of hidden stuff, ran into more dead ends; old logging roads that would have closed the loop but were just to overgrown for the time I had.  So last leg back to the truck was on the road.

Tidbits: The area has great potential for expansion, some log bridges and good variety of terrain, but needs more riders and maintenance. 

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Return of Swamp Dog

• Place: Village Park
• Trailhead: Library
• Riders: Jesse Dog, OMMB
• Miles: 5.5
• Weather: cloudy
• Temp: 40
• Trail Conditions: very good 
• GPS Track: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/rmkiv9ttokw

Notes: Jesse's been waiting a while to go!  So we went.  Of course he managed to find some mud, even though there's not much around.  Good thing he went for a dip in the lake afterwards. 



Not sure I mentioned...new medium teeter is now
where previous mega-teeter was (Kennedy Plaza).



Happy Trails,

OMMB

In Search Of...

...I See Dead People, Elephant, Alan's Ave, and The Azorian Driveway.

Does anyone remember that old TV show "In Search Of"?  I think it was hosted by Leonard Nimoy or somebody like that (I'll wiki it to find out).  The show would present different strange and bizarre reports of odd phenomena each week like...  In Search of Ancient Astronauts , In Search of Ancient Mysteries & The Outer Space Connection,  UFOs, Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster.  Okay so I was close; Wiki says that Rod Serling originally hosted the series, then Leonard Nemoy took over after his death. Go to  "In Search Of".

Anyway, I was in search of more hidden trails at Big River.  I was able to confirm that I did find "I See Dead People", but not sure about the others.  Searching around a huge area scouting for trails does have it's issues.  Like riding along on the nice wide trail, which turned into a nice singletrack, which then promptly disappeared.  Scouted around in a circle (see track) looking for the continuation, but got nothin.  I ended up hiking out along the Gun Club land until I found New London Turnpike.  I did feel pretty lucky to find "I See...ah ya know", which snaked in and out and up and down some cool boulder fields and ledges.  Good fun trail.  Saw remnants of a settlement or house, maybe that's where the name came from? 

• Place: Big River
• Trailhead: Burnt Sawmill Rd 
• Riders: OMMB
• Miles: 10
• Weather: nice
• Temp: 50s
• Trail Conditions: excellant 
• GPS Track: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/lMH-9tnIVJU

Tidbits: At the trailhead, luck has it, I ran into Mark, an acquaintance, along with his giant friendly Yellow Lab Retreaver.  In fact, he's the one that reminded me that I needed to find some hidden trails, because I was planning to ride a more familiar route.  Glad I didn't.



Hard to see... but it's ISDP





Old foundation



I was apparantly somewhere near a Nature Preserve.

Well the Gun Club land is VERY well marked... gees

Happy Trails,

OMMB

A nice steady pace...

...to clear cobwebs!  

Although it was cloudy with passing showers, Bob got me out to do some pedaling.  I needed it, due to the Spring Ahead time change, the overheated BR ride, and the late nights of eating and Shiner Bock in Texas.  The pace and # of miles were the perfect solution.  Thank you Bob!

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/p9K60rAv4Qg

Happy Trails,

OMMB

A little teeny tiny bit of Kingdom Trail's Sidewinder right here in RI!

• Place: Big River
• Trailhead: New London Turnpike, Division Rd
• Riders: OMMB (and then Pete G)
• Miles: 8
• Weather: gees nice 
• Temp: 65-70 (yes 70, broke a 110 year old record for this day)
• Trail Conditions: perfect
• GPS Track: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/m9y-ruGKT4M

Notes: Couldn't wait to get back to that good stuff at BR, so when the expected temperature was to hit upper 60's, the expected time at work was shortened and the truck found its way to BR!  I started last week's cool 8 mile loop with a coincidental meet-up with Pete G.  He was up to his usual antics on the Halloween trail...another must-see!  He offered to meet up at the end of Dead Shed to show me some fun stuff.  It was a really cool Sidewinder-like (alright enough hyphens already) trail off the clearing behind the cemetery on Hopkin's Hill Rd.  Definitely a fun little trail!  Pete, riding a beefy Surly today, showed me a shortcut to the hill to Carr Pond, then headed off, since he was short on time. I made my way up to find the beginning of Nuts for JM...after some jogging of the memory, I found it.  After navigating Nuts, and finding out why it's name has multiple meanings (ouch), I headed out.  A bit tired and yes, overheated.  

Tidbits:

A cool video out of BR... Click On

And I finally found this rock... 


Happy Trails,

OMMB

Rebellan Goes for a Ride in the Big State of Texas

• Place: Barton Creek Greenbelt Trail - Austin, TX
• Trailhead: Barton Springs Pool at Zilker Park
• Riders: OMMB
• Miles: 13
• Weather: Overcast, mist, then rain 
• Temp: 70
• Trail Conditions: flat, occasional loose rock, boulders 
• Technical Level: recreational, beginner to intermediate
• Wildlife: a lizard and something that looked like a cross between a squirrel and a groundhog (it dove down a hole so I'll assume it was a gopher of sort)
• Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: One whoops, see notes...
• GPS Track:

Notes: We've been trying to hit this trail for several years, but on this trip, the "we" was me.  Great MTB rentals can be found at Bicycle Sport Shop just off Barton Springs Rd. They'll give you a map and directions to the trailhead which is a short ride away.  So the trail... the trail is a good long recreational ride ...IF done right.  If you don't stay on the main trail, it gets ugly.  Of course Rebellan (Rebello no Magellan), found his way off the main trail more than once, requiring some significant Hike-a-Bike to recover. So take a CLOSE look at the map, especially where the trail crosses the riverbed. The main trail is very easy to ride, as far as MTB trails go, but is not clearly marked in all places.  If you find yourself unable to ride with only one hand on the bars, or have to get off the bike to get over obstacles, you've lost the trail. Turn around and find your way back to the main route! On one of these sidetracks, I slipped on some rocks and didn't unclip in time, sending my face into the local vegetation. Luckily not a cactus but something with long skinny knife like stems...got a good taste of the knife edge across my mouth.  Only dismount required is a portion where the trail hugs the side of a ledge...you need to carry your bike in one hand while clinging to a chain railing attached to the cliff in the other.  Oh wait, there is another dismount, there's a stream crossing that is pretty deep.  It looked as if there may be a way around it upstream, but staying on the main trail means wading thigh high with bike over head (and this after a very dry spell).  The trail along the cliff was slippery to even walk due to the mist, so another rider "guided" me to another route...which caused another sidetrack requiring a ride-able river crossing.  Due to the many delays getting off trail, I was unable to get to the end of the out-and-back loop (8 mile one way).  I reached Twin Falls when dark ominous clouds arrived.  I beat feet back with full intent to stay ON the main trail.  And I STILL got side tracked by one of the many dry riverbed crossings.  Once through those, the trail is fast and fun, even during a downpour (yes, I'm the only one who would go to Texas during a major drought, and get rained on).  All in all a good experience. 

Tidbits: Nice scenery along the ride. Dry river bed and cliffs.  I think it would be even more scenic if the streams and rivers were full. When open, you can go for a cool down swim in Barton Springs (natural) Pool.

Happy Trails,
OMMB

And the award for most entertaining ride is...

..."Put your DNA in a Bottle and hold tight, but Lego if you have a Run In with anyone from the movie Halloween, they may look like a Hoover, but they are Unnamed Right Now, and you could end up beaten like a Dead Shed...  that's no Foster's Folly."  by Pete G. 

Notes: This 8+ mile Big River loop featured some of the most fun and smooth-flowing single track I've ridden!  Right from the start, Lego offered some cool off camber and ridge type trails, with some real live Lego thrown in for good clean fun. Run In and Hoover were no less scenic, with slick rock and boulder crossings.  Nice views of a pond from a ridge above Hoover (you’ll know where the name came from soon enough). Really wished I had my usual camera in the Camelback, but that would have only extended this ride until dark. The namesake props on these “new to me” trails are worth a picture or two; I need to return. Halloween, Dead Shed, and Unnamed Right Now are all quick single tracks with occasional obstacles for optional challenges. A couple of plank bridges here and there too.  On the return route, I made my way over to Foster’s Folly. What a blast, splits off Lower Spider towards Carr Pond, a naturally technical area with a few man-made “Foster’s Lager” inspired features!  A must-see must-ride trail.

If all the trail names are unfamiliar to you, I could pass along the GPX and directions to the routes I followed, but per request of the trail masters, I’ll respect their desire not to publish directions at this time. Big River is still in a “legal” transition. Drop me an email, and I’ll pass along the route (if I like you).

• Place: Big River 
• Trailhead: Exit 7 Park, miscellaneous, and Ride
• Riders: OMMB
• Miles: 8+
• Weather: clear, windy
• Temp: 40, but felt colder
• Trail Conditions: perfect
• Wildlife: just some scraggly woodsman roaming down an old farm road
• GPS Track: will provide upon request

Happy Trails,

OMMB

Quiet and Calm in the Village...and Texas

Notes: Bob and I tracked 8.5 miles of elongated loops through Village Park. Well Bob actually tracked the route with his cool little Garmin 200, since my Endomondo app thought we were riding somewhere in Texas. It was calling out mile laps up to 20 every few mintues. App off please. The woods were eerily quiet, not a sound, no wind, no Jesse Dog and his reindeer bell, no birds, nothin.  Although we had to move quite a few trees and branches, so must have been nasty here over the past couple of days (wind, rain, and snow storm). I felt a bit sluggish but thankfully Bob kept a nice recreational pace, pulling me along for the whole ride with very few stops. The trails had a covering of light snow and were still somewhat hard from the overnight freeze, but there were some areas with puddles and mud.  Tomorrow's rain will tip that to muddy puddles advantage.



Real GPS track

Lame app track in Blue

 



















Tidbits: I inquired about the land off Rte 6, behind the Martin House historical site, but the Chair for the Martin House Farm said that it's posted due to issues with hunters back there.  Good news is, they don't own the land with Margaret's and Devil's Rock.  So I still need to stop by the Town Hall for info....stay tuned.

Happy Trails,

OMMB