Monday morning Dawg rolls out at the usual 7:30 AM, and I reluctantly get up and start drinking coffee in order to prepare myself for another day of punishment (biking). Nate let me take his front wheel off his bike (he had to clean carpets at Sugarbowl w/ Socko), and borrow his Jeep to rally to Auburn. I swung by the Backcountry and met up w/ Aaron, Stubby, and Daron who were hanging out in the parking lot dialing in their bikes. Daron jumped in w/ me and we rallied down 80 towards Auburn. One cup of coffee later and we're sweating profusely driving down the highway immersed in conversation. We dropped Stubby's rig at the bottom of the Confluence trail and drove all the way up to Forest Hill. We parked the Jeep in the back corner of a grocery parking lot and soaked in some sweet views of the backside of Desolation Wilderness. We jumped on the road for a few minutes, then dropped into the Western States Trail (w/ a no biking sign) that was right next door to a lone house and didn't really seem like a trail at first. But damn was it fun right off the bat!! We dropped over a thousand feet, swooping in and out of creek crossings, while riding a serpentine-like ribbon of dirt. After a while the trail leveled out and the water bar jumps slowed down. Then we ran into the first "headwall" that got us all huffing and puffing. It seemed like the temp rose about 20 degrees on that stretch of painful road climbing. Thankfully the four members of the ride didn't want to make it race pace (for once), and we all stuck together. Then we rode some sidehill that was mega exposed and had views all the way down to the river rushing below (1-2k ft below). The trails just begged you to ride faster, daring you to push through that blind corner harder. While the focus was mostly on the trail, you had to have one eye glimpsing at the poison oak (po-yo) which was dripping w/ oils. We rinsed off a few times throughout the ride to limit our chances of itching for days to come. We climbed the Connector Trail to the Confluence Trail, then onto the Flume trail. I stopped and had a look at the jump that tossed me over-the-bars (OTB) last year and cost me 17 stitches and 3400$. Daron hit them both right in front of me. I probably could have as well, but I was in no shape to try stupid stuff (no health insurance). It's funny....the smaller jumps are usually built like crap and are contrived whereas the larger, big air, high consequence moves are usually designed more thoughtfully. There were a bunch of small doubles scattered throughout the descent, some of which hipped you onto the hillside. We got to the bottom, laughing and grinning from ear to ear. We immediately dove into beers and headed for the beach. The river was flowing strong and one by one we all made the plunge (except Stubby who splashed off w/o full submersion). I am admittedly not a cold water fan, and boy did it take just about all I had to commit to laying down in the frigid water. Being numb from a 32 mile ride and a quick beer helped out tremendously. Stubby and I retrieved the shuttle vehicle and when I got back Chef Greg and Jen were handing over the Subaru Loyale (w/ Cheese) to Daron. They sped away in their "new" 1998 subaru outback, Jen expecting their first child in a month and change. Greg's bachelor party is this weekend in Reno. We'll see if I make it to that (could be trouble!!). Currently it's snowing/slushing here in Truckee. Lily is in Santa Cruz visiting her mama, and I hope she makes it back over the pass before the snow gets too disorderly. We didn't get any chains w/ the Sienna!! Looks like it's going to be a pow day later this afternoon up high and definitely tomorrow!! Then off to Vegas to kick it w/ Bowman!! Wahoo!!!!!
I'd also like to give a big shout out to the best mom in the world......MINE!! She had her birthday yesterday (I won't add a number to please her!!). HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA!!
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