Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014

[WoodsChick]

Eric and I celebrated his birthday and ushered in the new year at Stonyford.
I didn't get too many photos but you can tell the weather was great, even though the trails were mostly dusty.


The last sunrise of 2013...

A zoomed view from the top of Potato Hill...

Putting the new birthday knife to work as 2013 slips away...

All Husky...

All the time...

Waiting impatiently for darkness to fall...

The trusty steeds carried us through 45 miles of the best single track Stonyford has to offer...40, 20, 3, 7. Took M5 down to the southern start of 4 and rode it start to finish. It's a loose rocky mess at the top. 45, 12, 6, 43, 33, 35, 36 and then down icky Potato Hill...

Waiting for Jupiter...

Our friends Dan and Lesley joined us later that night and we celebrated Eric's birthday and the beginning and ending of good years with cake and champagne. No cameras allowed :teeth


A little love to start the year off right...

A little more love...

A tree branch wreaked havoc on Eric's backpack and our orange...

Might as well eat it since we had nowhere to put it...

Still there in the woods after 5 years...

The trails have retained their character, pretty much, but the views are vastly different. This is 15, one of my favorites at Stonyford...

One of the 22's...

Dan dropping down 40 on his 2013 WR450F...

My turn...

I switched bikes with Dan before the singletrack at the bottom...37, I think it is? Dan was impressed with the gnarly grunt of my 165, and I was impressed with the plushness and power of his 450. It eats rocks for breakfast and is very smooth. Would make a nice dualsport for me


We finished the day with 35 miles on the clock. We basically reversed the previous day's route and threw in the entirety of 15 just for fun. A great day riding with 2 of my all-time favorite riding buddies, and a great way to say "So long" to 2013 and "Welcome!" to 2014.




WoodsChick

 

[i_am_the_koi]

Awesome stuff as always :applause

 

[SRAD600]

Looks like Eric got lucky with that tree branch. A few inches one way or the other an it might have gotten him instead of the orange. Looks like you guys had fun as usual.

BTW I thought Dan had the new wr450, did he get a yz also? If so he must be into Yammi's like you and Eric are into Huskys...:ride

 

[KWeezyXB12]

i wish you wouldve made our trip

 

[Corb]

Cool pics. Hopefully this year I get to try out Stonyford too.

 

[WoodsChick]

Awesome stuff as always :applause

Thanks!

Looks like Eric got lucky with that tree branch. A few inches one way or the other an it might have gotten him instead of the orange. Looks like you guys had fun as usual.

BTW I though Dan had the new wr450, did he get a yz also? If so he must be into Yammi's like you and Eric are Huskys...:ride

No, it's a WR. I'm just stoopid :rolleyes I should go back and edit that.
Yeah, crazy how exploded everything was after the encounter with the branch!
His backpack is pretty much useless now. We've been looking at Kriega for a replacement.

i wish you wouldve made our trip

Me, too! It was a rough weekend for me
I'm hoping to make the March trip, though :thumbup

Cool pics. Hopefully this year I get to try out Stonyford too.

Do it! It's tons of fun...even after the fire. I like it better than Middle Creek.




WoodsChick

 

[byke]

Thanks for bringing us along, can't wait to get out there.

 

[rwcfrank]

Looks strange after the fires, been looking to do a day ride up there after (if we) get some rain. Has anyone ever had issues with leaving the truck at the staging are for half a day or more unattended? Love to ride but would hate to come back and find my truck or gear ripped off.

 

[WoodsChick]

Looks strange after the fires, been looking to do a day ride up there after (if we) get some rain. Has anyone ever had issues with leaving the truck at the staging are for half a day or more unattended? Love to ride but would hate to come back and find my truck or gear ripped off.

I've been leaving my vehicles unattended in the staging areas at Stonyford and elsewhere for almost 30 years and have never had an issue. Lock up the tool box in the cab of the truck, hide the laptop/iPhone, and enjoy the ride.




WoodsChick

 

[WoodsChick]

Thanks for bringing us along, can't wait to get out there.

Have you ever ridden Stonyford before, byke?




WoodsChick

 

[SFMCjohn]

Eric and I celebrated his birthday and ushered in the new year at Stonyford.

One of the 22's...

WoodsChick

Happy Birthday to Eric! I'm blazin' a trail for him, ha! :ride

Love this pic ...

see you around the campfire,
-- SFMCjohn

 

[byke]

Have you ever ridden Stonyford before, byke?

I've been there once, it was back in March of 2010. Can't remember where we staged, but I remember the parking area was very small and close to a bathroom. I think there was a big part of the park that we couldn't make it to because of the snow. Can't wait to go back, hope to make it in March.