St. George, Utah

It's been almost a year since we took this trip. The first day in St. George we drove up to Gooseberry Mesa. That was one unique ride. Just watching these videos reminded me of how beautiful that place is. The second day in St. George we did a short ride at Bearclaw Poppy.

Gooseberry Mesa
I don't think I have the words to really describe this place. Basically, most of the ride is on a sandstone similar to Slickrock. The major difference in this ride is it's relatively flat without any big climbs or descents. It's more of a very gradual climb out and then gradual downhill coming back. There are a few different options of loops you can do. I think we ended up going around 18 miles. The scenery here is just unbelievable though. You have to see the videos and pictures just to get an idea of what it's like.

Bearclaw Poppy
This ride is sort of like a cross between a mt bike trail and a bmx course. There's all kinds of fun stuff out there. It's an up and back that's maybe 4-5 miles each way. The whole way up you're just looking around and salivating at how much fun you're going to have coming back down. Most of the video we have from this ride is at the top, aka - the Three Fingers of Death.

The Videos
Mike and I decided we'd both make a video of this trip, using the same footage, and have a friendly contest on who could make a better video of the trip. It took him a good 3 months to finish his and I just finished mine this week, so neither of us were really on top of things. In what was unplanned, Brian made a video the week we got back using just a couple of short video clips I had emailed him. His is a lot shorter and still encompasses the overall feel of the trip so he gets the top billing here.

Brian's Video


Mike's Video



My Videos

Gooseberry Mesa


Bearclaw Poppy

Cannell Plunge

I finally did it. The Plunge! One of the biggest and best rides in Southern California. After doing the SART earlier this month (from Southfork to Morton Peak and then into Mentone - 35 miles total), this was my 2nd big shuttle in 2 weeks. And just like the first one there was plenty of climbing involved. But also like the first one, there was a whole lot of downhill fun.

- The Facts -
Beginning Elevation - 9200'
Ending Elevation - 2700'
2500' of climbing
A total of 9000' of downhill!!!
All this in 24 miles (although because of a wrong turn I made at the end Geno and I did closer to 28 miles)

- The Ride -
This ride has just about everything.
Fast smooth singletrack
Windy singletrack
Rocky technical singletrack
Narrow cliffside singletrack
Singletrack through meadows
Switchbacks
Steep technical singletrack climbs
Gradual fireroad climbs
A fun rock to play on
Even a stretch that could pass for a trials course
Oh yeah, also a spring about halfway down with fresh cold water

- The Unexpected -
I'd say the only thing I really wasn't ready for were the frozen creek crossing. It's a different feeling to go through a creek, and then realize you're not going through it, but instead you're skimming across the top of it on the ice. Very cool.

This is a great area to ride. Thanks to Geno for setting everything up. I'll be back as soon as I can, which I'm guessing won't be for another 6 months or so due to snow.

The Kona

It's been about a year since I got my Kona. Here's a video of my first ride on it.

Freeride

I'd say I ride my xc hardtail 90% of the time, but I do like to get out and test my amateur freeride skills. Brian and I went out on Saturday and had a little fun.

Palm Springs - The Goat Trails

Previously I thought this was part of the Art Smith trail, but apparently it's not. I've generally followed the geoladders route when I've been, but there are many variations you can make.

With school canceled for the rest of the week and the bad air quality from the fires, it was a perfect time to go down and ride the Art Smith Trail in Palm Springs again. I took the Kona this time. I figured it'd be more fun on the technical section in the last half mile. I can't say it was really worth it on the Kona though. It was over 90 degrees and those steep fireroad climbs got to me pretty quick today. The climbs are tough enough on my hardtail. Don't get me wrong, it was a blast coming down, but for the complete ride experience I think I'll stick to the hardtail for this ride from now on.

Regardless, it was still worth the drive down. If nothing else, I was able to breath clean air and get some exercise at the same time. I also brought the camera so I could get a few pics of the trail this time. Most of these are from the last 1/2 mile section of the ride.


Click on a picture to enlarge it.



Probably the most technical ............................ Nice little drop here. ..........................The last fun section of the ride.......
section of the trail.


This is up a little higher on the ride....................Lots of Rocks!..........................
Notice the steepness of the fireroad to
the left. Also notice the lack of shade.

Hurkey Creek

This past weekend we went to Hurkey Creek. It was everyone's first time camping there. Certainly not a bad place to camp. I had never realized how big of a campground it was, plus there's a whole other campground just a mile down the road at Hemet Lake. Be warned that the Hemet Lake Campground isn't nearly as nice, unless you just have to be near the water.











We did the usual "24 hour" loop. You can check out the full description here. It was pretty overcast, but the trail was in great shape. It had rained a few days before , so the trail was nice and packed.

Palm Springs

I've since been told these are the Goat Trails, although the geoladders route lists it as the Art Smith trail. For pictures you can go here - Goat Trails Pictures.

I finally rode the Art Smith trail in Palm Springs. I never realized how close it was to town. If you're familiar with Palm Springs at all it's not more than a mile or so from the airport. The trail starts right next to a Vons parking lot. This isn't a ride you'd really want to drive far to get to and you certainly wouldn't want to do it in the summer time - there's not a single tree on the whole ride.

I rode it yesterday on my way down to my parents house in La Quinta. It's essentially a very steep fireroad up, with lots of singletrack options coming down. I followed the geoladders route.

I imagine there's many, many other ways you could do this ride. The whole time going up, and coming down, you see all kinds of different singletrack trails that go in all directions. None of them seem to go on for too far, but when pieced together you get a really fun ride down.

The highlight of the ride was the last singletrack option just before the finish. This was the longest one I went on (about 1/2 a mile). It also was the most technical by far. It very much reminded me of Box Springs. I really wish I'd had my camera to get a few shots of some of the rocks and drops. I rode it all, and it was the kind of technical riding where I needed to take a couple of breaks to rest my forearms from all the ground they were absorbing.

If I didn't have a reason to go to this area, this is a ride I probably wouldn't do more than once a year. But now that I've discovered it, I'll keep coming back on a regular basis as long as my parents are still living in nearby.

Crafton Time Trial

I did the Crafton Hills Time Trial today - (trail description) - and went 18:52.

It seemed pretty routine. I worked getting up, but I didn't kill myself. I think if I really pushed it I could get under 18:00 again. This is a great time of year to ride. I went around 6:00pm and it was probably about 70 degrees out.

South Fork - SART

Brian and I rode a section of the SART today. We went from Glass Road, up to South Fork, and then back to Glass Road on the SART - a total of about 12 miles. It was a beautiful afternoon. It was mostly sunny with just a few clouds and probably in the low to mid 50s for most of the ride. Also, as I predicted, we didn't see another rider on the trail.

Obviously this was 9/23/07 (not 08)


For a complete description of rides on the SART check my previous entry -
Santa Ana River Trail

We Have it Good!!!!!

I searched around the internet and found this picture of a race that Mike did in Wisconsin last weekend.

Notice there isn't even an actual trail, the grass is just cut real short where you're supposed to ride.
This is mountain biking?

Let's all take a moment and appreciate the riding we have here in Southern California.

Crafton Hills

The Crafton Hills fireroad starts by the tennis courts at Crafton Hills College. It goes up a few miles and you get some options of some nice singletrack trails which end up either in or near Yucaipa Regional Park. There are many options you have as far as loops go. I'll post more about those some other time.

Today I did the time trial Mike and I would do sometimes. He's since moved to Wisconsin (hope he's at least enjoying his road bike) so I'm on my own with this time trial for now. My fastest times have always come with him starting a couple minutes behind me and trying to catch me.

The ride starts where the gate is, right where the dirt road starts, just past the golf course. It ends about 2.4 miles up the fireroad right where it flattens out for a short stretch.

I went 19:41 today. I don't feel too bad anytime I can get under 21 minutes so today went pretty well. My best time is 17:41. Mike's best is 16:25, which he did trying to chase me down when I rode my 17:41. 16:25 is awfully good when I think about how hard I had to work just to get under 18 minutes.

A Map of the Crafton Trails

Updates
PR = 14:08
7/3/07 - 19:52
7/10/07 - 17:41
9/10/07 - 19:41
9/25/07 - 18:52
11/8/07 - 21:30
1/20/08 - 19:58
6/29/08 - 23:55
7/21/08 - 23:51
8/5/08 - 18:50
9/20/08 - 16:57 (SS) <----First ride on the SingleSpeed
10/4/08 - 18:04 (SS)
10/29/08 - 17:55 (SJ)
12/28/08 - 19:55 (SJ)
2/16/09 - 18:25 (in the rain)
3/16/09 - 14:53 (SJ) <---Destroyed my old record GPS on Motionbased
5/5/09 - 14:08 (SJ)
7/2/09 - 17:41 <----- On the Tandem
7/15/09 - 14:32 (Sp)
12/29/09 - 15:05 (Sp)
1/26/10 - 18:33 (Sp)
5/30/10 - 17:58 (Sp)
7/6/10 - 17:59 (Sp)
9/1/10 - 16:02 (SS)
12/11/10 - 15:44 (CX)

Key
SJ = Stumpjumper
SS = Singlespeed (KHS)
nothing = Fisher Big Sur hardtail
Sp = Intense Spider

Whiting Ranch

I don't get down to Orange County to ride all that often. There is good riding there, but the truth is the crowds really bug me. I did go down this weekend and rode at Whiting Ranch. Whiting is the only spot in OC that I've been to more than just a couple times (probably 10-15 times). There are certainly better spots, but Whiting seems to be the most convenient (just off the 241) and you do get a little of everything in the main loop. At least it wasn't crowded on this day...probably because of the 100 degree weather.

The ride starts right off the Ralph's parking lot. You'll start with a very easy climb of about 1.5 miles. I believe this is the only section of the ride that is one-way. You'll also see quite a few hikers on this part. Most of this is under tree cover and is very pleasant scenery. It's easy to forgot you're not more than just a couple of minutes from a grocery store parking lot.

This trail takes you to Mustard Road where you'll make a right. You can make a left instead for a very short and fun little loop (about 1/3 mile in total length). Mustard Road is the one big climb on this ride. It's really not that big, but it'll make you work. It's maybe 1.5 miles and it gradually gets steeper as you get closer to the top. Once at the top you'll be at the highest point of the ride. As a reference point, you'll be just below the top of the Dreaded Hillclimb (http://www.geoladders.com/show_route.php?route=550).

There are lots of routes you can take down (or up..to the top of Dreaded). You could also continue on, get on the highway for a short stretch, and then get on the Santiago Truck Trail. The most popular way down (also, the most fun) is down Cactus. This is a tight, swerving, mildly technical singletrack with, you guessed it, cactus along the side. The first half of the video below shows this section. You then have a short, but steep climb and you get another downhill. This one a little steeper and more technical. The second half of the video shows this.

You'll then finish on some downhill trails through the trees. These aren't very technical but can be pretty fun. This comes out at the road. Make a right if you need to get back to the Ralph's parking lot.

This video is not from this weekend. It was actually one of the first times I used my helmet cam, so the footage is not great. Unfortunately the quality is not very good either.

Check geoladders for a more detailed description.
http://www.geoladders.com/show_route.php?route=1438

Strawberry Peak

We went and rode the Strawberry Peak loop yesterday. It was just my second time there, and I have to say it may be my favorite ride in Southern California. The SART has it on length and Noble Canyon has it on technical challenge, but for a good challenging ride I think the 16 mile loop at Strawberry Peak has it all.

Essentially you start with a killer climb where you gain about 1600' of elevation over 3 miles. It's a steady climb on a fireroad that doesn't give you many breaks. The picture to the left is just about at the top of the climb. From there you'll hit some tight, rolling singletrack right on a hillside. The penalty for failure is pretty high on most of this. After a couple of miles this starts to descend and you get your first extended downhill on the ride.




You'll then hit the 2nd of the two big climbs. This one is about 800' of climbing over about 2 miles. The grade is extremely steep the first 0.3 miles or so, but it then flattens out to an easy to moderate climb the rest of the way. At the top of this climb you'll come to an intersection. You'll also be at the high point of the ride. You'll want to go straight for the ride and start heading down. There's a trail to the right that goes up about a mile and will take you to Strawberry Peak.


I hiked up about 1/8 mile towards Strawberry Peak. In this picture you can see the start of the downhill. If you look closely you can also see our bikes leaning up against a mileage sign.
(click on the picture to enlarge it)




From this point it's essentially all downhill back to the car. For the first 3 miles you get great views on fun singletrack. You'll then need to cross the highway and pick up the trail again at Redbox (just on the other side of the road). From this point you have about 4 miles left but most of this singletrack is in the trees. It's also a lot more technical with a lot of rocks in spots. It's a very different type of terrain than all the previous ride.

For a more detailed description with Nav Points and Pictures check here.
http://www.geoladders.com/show_route.php?route=74

Bridge Drop

I got the first bridge dropoff I made all setup and in place. It's a 2 foot drop. With the slope of the hill it ends up being 3 - 4 feet.













I have plans to put a few other structures along the ridge. Recently I put a 1 foot drop about halfway down on the right. The bottom of the ridge drops you into a nice little curvy canyon trail that goes back to the parking lot.












This picture shows the singletrack I dug out to get to the ridge with the bridge dropoff.

Idyllwild

I've just been to Idyllwild maybe 6-7 times and in those times there's just 2 rides that I've done. There's Hurkey Creek, and then there's an area called Alvin Meadows.

Hurkey Creek -
This is the site of one of the 24 hour races. I've only done what I think they call the short course, but it's one great ride that gives you a little of everything in only 9-10 miles of riding. Parking's a couple bucks at the Hurkey Creek Campground. From there you'll head out on a singletrack that parallels the highway for a mile or so. This first part is a gradual climb for close to 2 miles. There's then a little downhill and a little more climbing before taking a dirt road briefly. You'll then get the the Exfoilator. This is a fun, fast downhill. Lots twisting turns. You'll make a right when you come out at the dirt road. There's one pretty good climb after that and then you'll get to a short, but extremely fun technical downhill. I think we did this section 4 times the first time I went. At the end of this the ride is more or less done. It's just another mile on an access road back to Hurkey Creek.

Alvin Meadows -
Here's a video of our first trip here



This is just outside the town of Idyllwild. There's tons of short singletrack trails. There really isn't a set way to go and if you don't go with someone who knows where they're going you'll just have to explore. As a general rule, ride up the fireroads and down the singletrack.

Welcome

I guess I should have started with some kind of welcome message. I decided to start this blog to have a record of my favorite rides. Most of the content will be rides in Southern California. But if I branch out and leave SoCal for a ride, you can be sure it'll show up here. This is obviously in the beginning stages so be patient. If you have suggestions I'm happy to listen.

Santa Ana River Trial (SART)

The SART is roughly 30 miles of singletrack. I'm pretty sure I've ridden all of it at different times and there's numerous ways to make different loops.

Option #1 - Post Office
There's one loop in particular that I think of when SART is mentioned. I've ridden it well over 30 times and if you're looking to ride SART and aren't looking for too much mileage it's the way to go.

Directions -
From Redlands: Take Highway 38 about 15 miles. When you get to the town of Angelus Oaks you're there. They'll be a restaurant, general store, and post office on the left side of the road. There's a turnout you can park in about 1/4 mile past the restaurant.

The Ride -
This ride is only about 9 miles. The only bad part about the ride is that it finishes with a 3 mile uphill. The good thing is that it feels like it's 6 miles of downhill to start with only the 3 mile uphill finish. In reality there's bits and pieces of climbs at the beginning, but nothing that would be at all strenous.

Start on the road and head back to the restaurant. Take the dirt road that goes past the Post Office. You'll follow it up about 1/4 of a mile and they'll be a trailhead on your right. You can take it if you want to cut out about 2 miles of good riding. The best way is to continue on the dirt road about another mile. There will then be a turnout on the right to get to the trail. You can go left at the singletrack and get good riding, but for this ride you'll take a right. After about a mile of good winding singletrack you'll see a SART sign. This is where the real fun starts (it's also where the first turnoff that you didn't take meets up with this one). The next 3 miles will be some of the best downhill singletrack you'll find anywhere. After the fun, the singletrack will then climb for about a 1/2 mile and then it'll meet up with Middle Control Road (a dirt road). Take a right on this road and you'll have a solid climb back to your car. The road comes out at the pullout where you parked your car.
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Option #2 - South Fork
This ride is a nice 12 miler. You'll start at Glass Rd. and head up to the South Fork Campground on a dirt road. You'll then come back to Glass Rd. on the SART.

To get there turn off highway 38 onto Glass Rd. Take Glass Rd. down about a mile and you'll see a trail head on the left. There's also a trail head on the right, this is where you'll be finishing. Park anywhere in this area.

Start off riding down Glass Rd. and make a right at the first turn you come to - about 1/4 mile down the road. This road will soon turn to dirt and start heading uphill. You'll have a pretty gradual climb for about 5 miles. This road runs along a stream (possibly the Santa Ana River?) and is among a lot of trees. Just keep an eye out for cars. You won't see many, but you will see some.

This road takes you right to Hwy 38 and the South Fork Campground. From there you'll pick up the SART and take it 7 miles back to the car. The first 3 miles is a mixture of up and down with slightly more down than up. Then the final 4 miles is nearly all downhill on fast fun singletrack with a nice steep drop on your right side.
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Option #3 - Shuttle
It's been awhile since I've shuttled SART and I don't do it very often. If you're looking for mostly downhill there's one good shuttle option.

Start in Angelus Oaks by the Post Office. Head up that dirt road and at the 2nd trailhead make a left. It's a little hard to see that the trail goes left, but it does. If you go right you'll be doing the ride in my first description. From this point on you'll stay on the SART for quite awhile. The first mile from here is a gradual climb, then there's an area that'll be mostly flat. This is the one spot where it gets real sandy and you might have to walk a stretch. After the sand you ride over a hump and then it's all downhill from there. There are a couple times where you cross a dirt road. This is the same dirt road that you started on by the post office, and it's also the dirt road that you'll meet up with at the finish.

This singletrack is different than most of the SART. This section of it is nearly all downhill for quite a ways, plus it's more technical in most places. There will be one point where you drop down on a short, but steep dropoff onto the dirt road. Make sure you look to your right, the singletrack continues on for another mile or so. After this section you'll be on the dirt road for the rest of the way.

There will be one short climb after a long downhill on this road. If you want another fun option, make a right at the top of this climb. There'll be a gate you'll have to go around. You'll have a steep fireroad climb for about 1.5 miles. Once at the top you'll be at the top of Morton Peak (where the fire lookout is). Hop on the singletrack there and it'll take you down a fun 6 miles into Mentone. This section isn't quite as fun as it was 1-2 years ago before the fire, but it's still a good way down.
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Both of these videos are primarily on the South Fork/Glass Road option.