Koi's Adventure Journal
- Thread starter i_am_the_koi
- Start date
i_am_the_koi
Be Here Now
Decided to sneak in one last ride and am planning a three day adventure.
Day 1... https://goo.gl/maps/TJX81orbMYS2
Day 2... https://goo.gl/maps/9p2F9hF9RL72
Day 3... https://goo.gl/maps/jf9aVswbz1M2
What do you all think? Any advice for day 2? It's a short day which is fine, plenty of breweries in Eureka, but I would like to add another 40-50 miles to the route if possible.
Day 1... https://goo.gl/maps/TJX81orbMYS2
Day 2... https://goo.gl/maps/9p2F9hF9RL72
Day 3... https://goo.gl/maps/jf9aVswbz1M2
What do you all think? Any advice for day 2? It's a short day which is fine, plenty of breweries in Eureka, but I would like to add another 40-50 miles to the route if possible.
i_am_the_koi
Be Here Now
Ok, already changed route for better mileage equality.
Day 2: https://goo.gl/maps/rvYW986eymJ2
Day 3: https://goo.gl/maps/z5VAo6ocwTT2
Day 2: https://goo.gl/maps/rvYW986eymJ2
Day 3: https://goo.gl/maps/z5VAo6ocwTT2
i_am_the_koi
Be Here Now
Day 11 Report:
Seems weird to think that my last plan was back in October of 2017...
My plan was to go for another epic "I have no business doing this" route, however a little fire broke out in the area, which eventually became a big fire, and pretty much burned everything around me.
[/url]22339531_1757290480962027_538317170292009298_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
I didn't go riding, partly because I was worried about my house burning down, and mostly because I couldn't take my cat on the KLR.
I did learn that my cooling neck wrap was more comfortable as a breathing filter than a N65-whatever the fuck you were supposed to wear.
[/url]22424433_1761243177233424_1772614448379007913_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
:laughing
Fast Forward.... holy shit, 3 months
I hadn't gone for any major rides, or minor rides, or really any riding. I escaped on the Connie for a day to the coast.
[/url]27368289_1876737745683966_6203675017425168494_o by Koi , on Flickr[/IMG]
I took the KLR out to survey the damage, but it felt weird to go ride around the destroyed areas, because it could have just as easily been my area destroyed. I could be the one sifting my belongings out of the dirt while people drove past and gawked...
[/url]23783819_1802272363130505_2840746451734578302_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
I even missed out on riding on Thanksgiving, my favorite day of the year to ride.
[/url]23783770_1802272523130489_5839834764201547405_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
I took Brian Bartlow's FLAP Dirt school and it gave me the bug to get dirty. I wanted to see if any of the flat track mentality would benefit me on the trails. I convinced dad to load up and go for a "short ride". I had wanted to do the knoxville loop just to see it. I didn't think it'd be hard, or take very long.
[/url]27788076_1884071334950607_2742993032327964496_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
We stopped at Turtle Rock for some Breakfast Eggrolls and a gear exchange. It was chilly but not cold for being a February morning in California.
[/url]27629286_1884072041617203_3396775617934629811_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
We rolled up through Berryessa and onto the trail. I promptly killed it rolling up the first hill in 2nd and questioned whether I should just turn around and go home. Whatever, I kept going and we rolled up to a fork in the road... I realized I was weofully unprepared for an adventure ride as I had no maps, had done no scouting or google earth exploring, and had no idea where we should go...
[/url]27625515_1884168094940931_2604611082053180910_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
The short Knoxville loop was perfect for the day. Dirty, bumpy, easy, and along a beautiful ridge i had never looked off of before.
[/url]27710188_1884337321590675_8794154736984608852_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
We got back to the paved road and my dad mentioned another road close by that "has always been closed". Rayhouse Road. A road attempted multiple times in the jeep but never completed for one reason or another. A gate. A washed out bridge. Over and over again this road has turned away any attempts to complete it....
[/url]27788846_1884340168257057_5109182774899426575_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
Not this time...
Again, no maps, no plans, no knowledge of what we were rolling through, we went down the trail with the confidence that it was going to lead somewhere.
Up, and down, and up again we wound up way through the canyons and ridge roads.
[/url]28423257_1904738642883876_248885515527445779_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
We came up to a lake... a lake I had never seen before in the middle of an area I grew up at. What was this lake?
[/url]28337097_1904738489550558_2889788808942713592_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
And why the hell did it have a spillway? Where did the spillway go? Has it ever gone over?????
[/url]28424393_1904738609550546_3558569497047927667_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
The road left the lake and wound up a small canyon. I often think of these as stagecoach roads, and this was definitely in that category.
[/url]28336487_1904738679550539_766705125081473573_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
This is where it all went wrong.
[/url]27907875_1884338954923845_1699877508961578194_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
This was our Albuquerque. We stopped to read the sign. We looked around the valley for any sign of life. We saw the area pointing left towards the way we had come... Something lake... ok, not helpful.
When we first entered the trail there was a sign that said the bridge ahead was 11 miles away. We were at 7 miles.
To the right, Bear something, 5 miles... well, maybe 11 was closer to 12... it's at least something, let's go that way.
The other two directions were unmarked. One went across the ridge, the other went down hill.
If you looked at the earth, the bear something and lake something routes were the most recently traveled, it was totally the way we wanted to go....
How wrong we were.
The trail itself wasn't bad... if you were a dirt bike rider. If you were on a KLR, you were never comfortable. Shale rock, ruts and drops. Wash outs and mud. 5 miles of up and down road that was by far, the most difficult thing either of us had attempted on the KLR.
[/url]27747348_1884339518257122_3324059666053806254_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
On one particular downhill, dad went down. Not hard but he took a rut wrong and went over the side of the bike. One thing I learned was to give more space between riders so that when this happens, you don't almost crash yourself and have more room to find a spot to stop and help pick up the bike. I had to roll past a ways to find a spot I could stop and get off the bike because of the hill and ruts.
We got to the bottom of the trail and into a little valley... beautiful spot, campsites and bathrooms and.... no where to go.
The trail just ended in this campground.
Ummmmmmmm
I let dad take a break and went up a side trail hoping to spot some sort of way out. Going up the hill I got my rear tire caught in a rut. I didn't go down but I had to kind of walk the bike up sideways to get it out and keep going. I finally decided that the trail wasn't going anywhere and turned around.
Going down the same spot, I got my rear tire caught in the same rut, and didn't catch it. Threw myself down the hill and through a tree, but no worse for wear. Popped up, got the bike up, and rolled back into the camp.
Dad and I realized at this moment, we were going to have to go back up the 5 miles we just went down... We had no choice. We nervously laughed and caught out breath. We both were thinking the same thing, we didn't want to be stuck out there, and we didn't want to start getting stiff and sore from our crashes and be in a worse position.
5 Miles back up, I have to admit I was worried. My shoulder felt wonky, my dad had gone down, we were both tired and in way over our heads. Dad kept it up through the hardest part of the trail where he had gone down earlier but our fatigue was showing. Things that were easy we were making hard due to mental mistakes or physical ones. Dad went down again but just a simple drop and not really a fall. He was up and going right away, before I could snap a picture.
When in doubt, gas it out.
We made it back up the hell-road and back to the 4 way stop. Somehow. We laughed and chuckled about our short lived victory as we realized, we were now in the same spot we were 2 hours ago, and it was getting later in the day. We decided to lick our wounds and return the way we had come, back pass the lake and to Berryessa.
By the time we reached the lake, my shoulder was bothering me. It hurt to move it, or not move it, or put a glove on, or take a glove off. Luckily no lasting damage but I definitely felt whatever I did. Dad was better, sore, stiff, but nothing broken or ruined.
We had survived, we looked up the map later and realized where we had gone wrong.
But, the gate was open....
Seems weird to think that my last plan was back in October of 2017...
My plan was to go for another epic "I have no business doing this" route, however a little fire broke out in the area, which eventually became a big fire, and pretty much burned everything around me.
I didn't go riding, partly because I was worried about my house burning down, and mostly because I couldn't take my cat on the KLR.
I did learn that my cooling neck wrap was more comfortable as a breathing filter than a N65-whatever the fuck you were supposed to wear.
:laughing
Fast Forward.... holy shit, 3 months
I hadn't gone for any major rides, or minor rides, or really any riding. I escaped on the Connie for a day to the coast.
I took the KLR out to survey the damage, but it felt weird to go ride around the destroyed areas, because it could have just as easily been my area destroyed. I could be the one sifting my belongings out of the dirt while people drove past and gawked...
I even missed out on riding on Thanksgiving, my favorite day of the year to ride.
I took Brian Bartlow's FLAP Dirt school and it gave me the bug to get dirty. I wanted to see if any of the flat track mentality would benefit me on the trails. I convinced dad to load up and go for a "short ride". I had wanted to do the knoxville loop just to see it. I didn't think it'd be hard, or take very long.
We stopped at Turtle Rock for some Breakfast Eggrolls and a gear exchange. It was chilly but not cold for being a February morning in California.
We rolled up through Berryessa and onto the trail. I promptly killed it rolling up the first hill in 2nd and questioned whether I should just turn around and go home. Whatever, I kept going and we rolled up to a fork in the road... I realized I was weofully unprepared for an adventure ride as I had no maps, had done no scouting or google earth exploring, and had no idea where we should go...
The short Knoxville loop was perfect for the day. Dirty, bumpy, easy, and along a beautiful ridge i had never looked off of before.
We got back to the paved road and my dad mentioned another road close by that "has always been closed". Rayhouse Road. A road attempted multiple times in the jeep but never completed for one reason or another. A gate. A washed out bridge. Over and over again this road has turned away any attempts to complete it....
Not this time...
Again, no maps, no plans, no knowledge of what we were rolling through, we went down the trail with the confidence that it was going to lead somewhere.
Up, and down, and up again we wound up way through the canyons and ridge roads.
We came up to a lake... a lake I had never seen before in the middle of an area I grew up at. What was this lake?
And why the hell did it have a spillway? Where did the spillway go? Has it ever gone over?????
The road left the lake and wound up a small canyon. I often think of these as stagecoach roads, and this was definitely in that category.
This is where it all went wrong.
This was our Albuquerque. We stopped to read the sign. We looked around the valley for any sign of life. We saw the area pointing left towards the way we had come... Something lake... ok, not helpful.
When we first entered the trail there was a sign that said the bridge ahead was 11 miles away. We were at 7 miles.
To the right, Bear something, 5 miles... well, maybe 11 was closer to 12... it's at least something, let's go that way.
The other two directions were unmarked. One went across the ridge, the other went down hill.
If you looked at the earth, the bear something and lake something routes were the most recently traveled, it was totally the way we wanted to go....
How wrong we were.
The trail itself wasn't bad... if you were a dirt bike rider. If you were on a KLR, you were never comfortable. Shale rock, ruts and drops. Wash outs and mud. 5 miles of up and down road that was by far, the most difficult thing either of us had attempted on the KLR.
On one particular downhill, dad went down. Not hard but he took a rut wrong and went over the side of the bike. One thing I learned was to give more space between riders so that when this happens, you don't almost crash yourself and have more room to find a spot to stop and help pick up the bike. I had to roll past a ways to find a spot I could stop and get off the bike because of the hill and ruts.
We got to the bottom of the trail and into a little valley... beautiful spot, campsites and bathrooms and.... no where to go.
The trail just ended in this campground.
Ummmmmmmm
I let dad take a break and went up a side trail hoping to spot some sort of way out. Going up the hill I got my rear tire caught in a rut. I didn't go down but I had to kind of walk the bike up sideways to get it out and keep going. I finally decided that the trail wasn't going anywhere and turned around.
Going down the same spot, I got my rear tire caught in the same rut, and didn't catch it. Threw myself down the hill and through a tree, but no worse for wear. Popped up, got the bike up, and rolled back into the camp.
Dad and I realized at this moment, we were going to have to go back up the 5 miles we just went down... We had no choice. We nervously laughed and caught out breath. We both were thinking the same thing, we didn't want to be stuck out there, and we didn't want to start getting stiff and sore from our crashes and be in a worse position.
5 Miles back up, I have to admit I was worried. My shoulder felt wonky, my dad had gone down, we were both tired and in way over our heads. Dad kept it up through the hardest part of the trail where he had gone down earlier but our fatigue was showing. Things that were easy we were making hard due to mental mistakes or physical ones. Dad went down again but just a simple drop and not really a fall. He was up and going right away, before I could snap a picture.
When in doubt, gas it out.
We made it back up the hell-road and back to the 4 way stop. Somehow. We laughed and chuckled about our short lived victory as we realized, we were now in the same spot we were 2 hours ago, and it was getting later in the day. We decided to lick our wounds and return the way we had come, back pass the lake and to Berryessa.
By the time we reached the lake, my shoulder was bothering me. It hurt to move it, or not move it, or put a glove on, or take a glove off. Luckily no lasting damage but I definitely felt whatever I did. Dad was better, sore, stiff, but nothing broken or ruined.
We had survived, we looked up the map later and realized where we had gone wrong.
But, the gate was open....
i_am_the_koi
Be Here Now
Day 12
It bothered me all week that we were so close to finished the fabled road of Rayhouse. I looked at the map 5 different ways. I knew every turn, every tree, every place that I had scared myself.
I knew I had to do it again.
Dad had healed as well and wanted to complete the road so once again, we loaded up and left off for an adventure. Another beautiful day to ride and explore the area...
[/url]28424286_1904738702883870_380064351629234302_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/url]28423632_1904738492883891_1060716318936419992_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
Knowing that the road was passable and the gate was open, we had no fear about anything to the 4 way split. Feeling confident in our abilities and knowing that we weren't going to encounter anything as difficult as the Bear Island road, we flew across the trail, pass the lake, and to the 4 way...
We have nothing to fear... except aliens...
[/url]28337120_1904738486217225_5834552098867874131_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
Just a lovely day, I mean, truly.
[/url]28336588_1904738596217214_6109598281797151449_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
Totally went straight at the 4 way when we got there. Once again, we were on unknown territory. Not knowing what we would come across or how difficult it would be. The road was written about in a Jeep Trail Guide, so it should be passable in a jeep... but we were not on jeeps.
[/url]27912475_1891519364205804_7602797005909119222_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
There were only 2 spots that were slightly sketchy. One was a sharp rise into a narrow spot that was blind on the other side. What were we going to come across. Was there a trail? A cliff? A washout? Will there be a turn or will it go straight? Water? Mud?
Nothing, it was just a rise and fall.
The other spot was a turn with a rise, fall, rise, fall and rather sharp.
[/url]27982641_1891586590865748_1692481458267429605_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
Not as difficult but when you chicken out and pull in the clutch instead of gassing out, you go down...
Not a hard fall but a wound to the pride, considering dad made it through no problem. :laughing
We came across a random, and completely random, mountain biker in the middle of the trail. He looked like he was dying, but just kept pumping up the hill. The terrain started to change, we went from a ridge road to a meadow trail. We left the short scrub for tall oaks.
Soon, we pulled into civilization and cache creek itself. We had survived. We had completed the infamous Rayhouse Road, we were victorious!
[/url]28070941_1891614330862974_4872340795605220155_o by Koi, on Flickr[/IMG]
It bothered me all week that we were so close to finished the fabled road of Rayhouse. I looked at the map 5 different ways. I knew every turn, every tree, every place that I had scared myself.
I knew I had to do it again.
Dad had healed as well and wanted to complete the road so once again, we loaded up and left off for an adventure. Another beautiful day to ride and explore the area...
Knowing that the road was passable and the gate was open, we had no fear about anything to the 4 way split. Feeling confident in our abilities and knowing that we weren't going to encounter anything as difficult as the Bear Island road, we flew across the trail, pass the lake, and to the 4 way...
We have nothing to fear... except aliens...
Just a lovely day, I mean, truly.
Totally went straight at the 4 way when we got there. Once again, we were on unknown territory. Not knowing what we would come across or how difficult it would be. The road was written about in a Jeep Trail Guide, so it should be passable in a jeep... but we were not on jeeps.
There were only 2 spots that were slightly sketchy. One was a sharp rise into a narrow spot that was blind on the other side. What were we going to come across. Was there a trail? A cliff? A washout? Will there be a turn or will it go straight? Water? Mud?
Nothing, it was just a rise and fall.
The other spot was a turn with a rise, fall, rise, fall and rather sharp.
Not as difficult but when you chicken out and pull in the clutch instead of gassing out, you go down...
Not a hard fall but a wound to the pride, considering dad made it through no problem. :laughing
We came across a random, and completely random, mountain biker in the middle of the trail. He looked like he was dying, but just kept pumping up the hill. The terrain started to change, we went from a ridge road to a meadow trail. We left the short scrub for tall oaks.
Soon, we pulled into civilization and cache creek itself. We had survived. We had completed the infamous Rayhouse Road, we were victorious!
i_am_the_koi
Be Here Now
ThumperX
Well-known member
SFMCjohn
13
x2! ...so awesome you get to ride with your father ... :thumbup
:laughing
... one of my Buck Island KLR tip-overs ... :rolleyes
... guess one gets to do a route the first time
only once ... fun writing here ... remember scratching
my head at the intersection ... :ride
(my Buck-tip I was going there on purpose ...
the first time down there I parked the KLR and walked the steep
parts thinking “IDK if I’ll be able to ride back up ...”
arty )(... the spillway was built by the Homestake Mining Co.
in 1984 when Davis Creek Reservoir was built for gold mining by
the McLaughlin Mine ... cool part of the world ...)
Last edited:
i_am_the_koi
Be Here Now
x2! ...so awesome you get to ride with your father ... :thumbup
... one of my Buck Island KLR tip-overs ... :rolleyes
... guess one gets to do a route the first time
only once ... fun writing here ... remember scratching
my head at the intersection ... :ride
(my Buck-tip I was going there on purpose ...
the first time down there I parked the KLR and walked the steep
parts thinking “IDK if I’ll be able to ride back up ...”
(... the spillway was built by the Homestake Mining Co.
in 1984 when Davis Creek Reservoir was built for gold mining by
the McLaughlin Mine ... cool part of the world ...)
:thumbup to all of this.
I did read up on the dam and mining efforts, actually a success story for preventing the original mercury mine from leaking into the ecosystem.
Definitely scratched our heads though at the 4way...
Didn't really ever think about the ability to return up the hill... Because we didn't think it was a one way... :facepalm
Would do it again, on a smaller dirt bike...
SFMCjohn
13
... besides feeling remote, and being close to San Francisco,
Cache Creek is one of the main attractions of
Buck Island, especially in the hot summer ...
... it's actually a pretty good place
for KLR kamping if the road isn’t muddy ... :ride:thumbup
Last edited:
i_am_the_koi
Be Here Now
Day 13
Been dying to ride. Purchased an armored jacket for dirt and been wanting to see how comfortable it was. Planned on going up the M1 to Lake Pilsbury tomorrow but as I had no plans today, I escaped for an impromptu ride.
Cement Creek was a local spot I still hadn't been to in Knoxville area. It was on a trail that ended above a "Mysterious Valley" which contained, Mysterious Valley Airport.....
So, loaded up the KLR and got on the road, no maps, no plans, let's see what kind of trouble I can get in.......
Rough Map of my day: https://goo.gl/maps/ypUnjRaeTBR2
Stupid fire damage repair crews.....
Got up through Berryessa and to the trail quickly. Got to the fork in the road and was ready to do some exploring. Was prepared for mud and wetness from the recent rains and planned on just turning around should I encounter too much of it.
2 miles in and I hit my first water, not the muddy quagmire I expected but enough to wash the boots off.
I hit a split to nowhere and went off to find a tree to mark. I pulled around a turn to find a nice little range in the middle of nowhere. Not to trashed but someone got a deal on Gillette cans as there was a plethora out there leftover to plink with.
A mile later there was a sign saying that there was a gate locked ahead. Fire rehabilitation and no access except for BLM approved vehicles.
I kept going hoping that they were lying...
They were not.
So, mysterious valley shall remain mysterious a bit longer.
I turned around and headed back to the T, instead of going back the way I came I went straight to complete the other loop as I had plenty of time in the day. Easier than I remember the first time, but wetter too. More puddles in ruts and more ponds in corners.
Eventually I came to, lakes. 2 of which I could skirt around but the third one was much larger. I stopped and gauged my options. Turn around. Wheelie for safety. Right, Left, Center. My fear was hitting a hidden rut in the middle and losing it into the pond. Not because I didn't want to get wet, but because I didn't want to get stuck in the middle of nowhere alone.
Not quite a mysterious airport but definitely a mysterious bridge.
Good hill with some mild difficulty thrown in. Keep it throttled and plan your routes. Ride through it, ride through it...... whew.
Eventually you get up to the ridge and above the valleys. Beautiful day for a ride and a nice little breeze at altitude.
As I came down and back into civilization I came across another rider going the other direction. He was casually dressed, slacks, a dress polo and A* boots.... :squid...
I advised him that the trail got hairy and wet up ahead to gauge his reaction. He wasn't sure about that so he decided to follow me out and down Knoxville towards Berryessa. He had never done that road at this time of year so the water crossings were new to him. He had to stop for pictures...
Showing off his wheelie skills...
I gave him my phone to take a picture of me going through the water.... Barf Salute for luck
We split ways at the bridge and I continued towards home. I stopped for a grubbin burrito from the local truck and was already planning Day 14's ride in my head.
I decided also to do some maintenance before Day 14. Top off fluids, tire pressure, clean chain. Change the oil.
I had received new grips for my birthday and decided to put those on too. My old ones had started to get super sticky, like they were melting or had some alien jizz or something spill on them. Rather than save them for any reason I just cut them off. Left side slid on quite easily and if I tapped on the end the air pressure helped pop it on. I then realized my brush guards weren't going to attach unless I cut the ends off the grips so I had to decide whether to cut a hole in center or around the edge. I went with center and it seems to work nicely. The throttle side was harder to get on and with the angle of the bike was hard to get pressure without feeling like I was going to push the bike over. Eventually they both were on and cut and I'll be interested to see how they feel/work on my next ride.
Tomorrow's Plan.
Leg 1: https://goo.gl/maps/7owUz6conQF2
Leg 2: https://goo.gl/maps/3gQXX6yn4N92
Leg 3: https://goo.gl/maps/bG6VsugBQLv
Bear Poop
Been dying to ride. Purchased an armored jacket for dirt and been wanting to see how comfortable it was. Planned on going up the M1 to Lake Pilsbury tomorrow but as I had no plans today, I escaped for an impromptu ride.
Cement Creek was a local spot I still hadn't been to in Knoxville area. It was on a trail that ended above a "Mysterious Valley" which contained, Mysterious Valley Airport.....
So, loaded up the KLR and got on the road, no maps, no plans, let's see what kind of trouble I can get in.......
Rough Map of my day: https://goo.gl/maps/ypUnjRaeTBR2
Stupid fire damage repair crews.....
Got up through Berryessa and to the trail quickly. Got to the fork in the road and was ready to do some exploring. Was prepared for mud and wetness from the recent rains and planned on just turning around should I encounter too much of it.
2 miles in and I hit my first water, not the muddy quagmire I expected but enough to wash the boots off.
I hit a split to nowhere and went off to find a tree to mark. I pulled around a turn to find a nice little range in the middle of nowhere. Not to trashed but someone got a deal on Gillette cans as there was a plethora out there leftover to plink with.
A mile later there was a sign saying that there was a gate locked ahead. Fire rehabilitation and no access except for BLM approved vehicles.
I kept going hoping that they were lying...
They were not.
So, mysterious valley shall remain mysterious a bit longer.
I turned around and headed back to the T, instead of going back the way I came I went straight to complete the other loop as I had plenty of time in the day. Easier than I remember the first time, but wetter too. More puddles in ruts and more ponds in corners.
Eventually I came to, lakes. 2 of which I could skirt around but the third one was much larger. I stopped and gauged my options. Turn around. Wheelie for safety. Right, Left, Center. My fear was hitting a hidden rut in the middle and losing it into the pond. Not because I didn't want to get wet, but because I didn't want to get stuck in the middle of nowhere alone.
Not quite a mysterious airport but definitely a mysterious bridge.
Good hill with some mild difficulty thrown in. Keep it throttled and plan your routes. Ride through it, ride through it...... whew.
Eventually you get up to the ridge and above the valleys. Beautiful day for a ride and a nice little breeze at altitude.
As I came down and back into civilization I came across another rider going the other direction. He was casually dressed, slacks, a dress polo and A* boots.... :squid...
I advised him that the trail got hairy and wet up ahead to gauge his reaction. He wasn't sure about that so he decided to follow me out and down Knoxville towards Berryessa. He had never done that road at this time of year so the water crossings were new to him. He had to stop for pictures...
Showing off his wheelie skills...
I gave him my phone to take a picture of me going through the water.... Barf Salute for luck
We split ways at the bridge and I continued towards home. I stopped for a grubbin burrito from the local truck and was already planning Day 14's ride in my head.
I decided also to do some maintenance before Day 14. Top off fluids, tire pressure, clean chain. Change the oil.
I had received new grips for my birthday and decided to put those on too. My old ones had started to get super sticky, like they were melting or had some alien jizz or something spill on them. Rather than save them for any reason I just cut them off. Left side slid on quite easily and if I tapped on the end the air pressure helped pop it on. I then realized my brush guards weren't going to attach unless I cut the ends off the grips so I had to decide whether to cut a hole in center or around the edge. I went with center and it seems to work nicely. The throttle side was harder to get on and with the angle of the bike was hard to get pressure without feeling like I was going to push the bike over. Eventually they both were on and cut and I'll be interested to see how they feel/work on my next ride.
Tomorrow's Plan.
Leg 1: https://goo.gl/maps/7owUz6conQF2
Leg 2: https://goo.gl/maps/3gQXX6yn4N92
Leg 3: https://goo.gl/maps/bG6VsugBQLv
Bear Poop
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