Riding bliss

Rolled into Redding about midnight Friday night/Saturday morning so the early rise and 4:45 a.m. was a bit tough, but when your ride starts like this, you forget about sleep. I met up with Steve for what would turn out to be a nice moderate 48miler with over 7,000 vertical feet climbed. The good company was welcomed.

After the first ascent, we came across this old mine shaft alongside the road to Lewiston. No sign of Yogi or his brother Smokey, so all was good.Once in Lewiston, a stop at the "Plug-n-Jug" store was a must. It must have been in the high 40's down through the canyon, so Steve was the first to go for the hot chocolate and I soon followed. After a short break, we ascended back up the mountain, enjoying the cooler temps that made this second climb almost enjoyable.

Back atop the ridgeline we had more short climbs, faster descents and unfortunately smokey skies. You can usually see Trinity Lake and the Trinity Alps at this point, but not on this day. We did have a visit from some redneck locals that thought it was cool to haul ass passed us on their motorcycles, rocks, dust and all. Once back to the main road, we were treated to a long fast DH of up to speeds of 42 mph. Towards the bottom, I nearly got up close and personal with Bambi's mom...... I love disc brakes! After nearly 5 hours it was over. Though I was a bit worn out, the excitement of being back in Cali. and all this riding kept me feeling good. I headed back out the next day for a couple more hours, another area, and a whole new set of roads/trails to ride.

I'm back in Texas now, reflecting on the past few days, wishing I still had it out my back door like I used to. Fact is, times like this keep me motivated. I won't always be where I am now, but it has given me the opportunity to start a whole new part of my life that I love. Someday, hopefully sooner than later, I'll be back in a place where everyday will be like the ones recently, that left me wanting more...........more you say? OK, here's a couple more pics from Sundays ride.

Mule Mtn Pass. Want another dose? Steve did a helmet cam of the same area earlier the same day. Check it out at http://www.stevetam.blogspot.com .

Another view of the same area. It amazes me that with all this beauty, I only ran into one other rider in the 2 hrs I was out Sunday......good for me, shame on them.