I rode w00t's loop yesterday for the first time since Thanksgivin' and I got owned.
The North Rim Trail was much longer, steeper and tougher than I remembered. Last year, I eventually got to the point where I could do it without stopping...this time, I figured I'd be doing great if I didn't stop until after the power lines. ha! I stopped twice before the power lines and numerous times thereafter. Ran out of water at B Trail, which was also way tougher than I remembered. I hit up Middle Trail and then down to Bear Hole for a dip, but didn't have the strength to carry my bike down close enough to the water to feel secure enough, so I rolled back up to Middle Trail, hit up the drinkin' fountain at the lake and didn't have the strength to open the lid on my Camel Bak. bleh.
I thought I'd share a cool ride I had this week. I am visiting my inlaws in Chico this week. It has been really hot!!! I have been coming here for the last 15 years and love riding in upper park and also feather falls.
Thurs morning I thought I'd try something new to beat the heat. I started out with lights from the park entrance of upper park at 4:30 am and rode up to the end of North Rim to the look out for sunrise. Then after some breakfast (PB&J) I came back down and took B trail down to the park road. I love B trail. It is tough and since I only ride it once or twice a year there are couple sections that always get me, but I did better this year. I then took the park road to the end, where I took off my shoes and socks and waded across the creek (Nice way to cool off). I then took the gravel/dirt road up and to the right (not sure the name of it) to climb up the other side towards hwy 32. I then caught Guardians back down to South Rim trail. I'd ridden it before but only as a shuttle. Beautiful early in the morning all by myself. I eventually came down near the golf course and took Annie B to go around the golf course dumping out on Centennial avenue. From there back through the park, across the pedestrian bridge and then left on the road, down the single track and back onto the pavement near the park entrance near where I was parked.
This was an awesome ride. My first time riding with lights, first time seeing the sunrise over upper park and my first time riding these trails together in a loop. All in all about 2:30 hours of riding, 1900 feet of climbing and nearly 17 miles... all before it got too hot!!!
go to this link and read it. this is from the blog of the man that saved disc golf. we need to be ready.
Thanks for posting...what a bunch of BS.
Seems the FOB and their cronies are looking for someone else to pick-on since they couldn't shut down disc golf. (I wonder what Ann Schwab's position on this will be tho)
"...there is a lot of mountain biking while the ground is wet, even though there is a Park policy stating that the trials are closed during wet conditions...." - Really? I've been out to the park when it's wet and the trails are closed to just ride up the fire road and I always see a ranger out there. It'd be too easy to get a hefty ticket by going on the trails - I just don't see it happening.
RE: Yahi: " Even when bikes are not visually observed on this trail, bike tracks can be seen." - I'd be willing to bet dollars to doughnuts those tracks are likely from kids (who don't know any better) with their families riding down to the swimmin holes from the day camp - not any regular MTBrs.
I did like the one response on the page tho - not quite sure where she was trying to take it exactly, but funny nonetheless...
"Oh, for crying out loud! They found out my family has lately snubbed the disc in favor of the spoked wheel, and they been riding in Upper Park a couple of times a week.
The stories they tell, the bloody contusions - I'm absolutely certain they are guilty of "irresponsible summer use." Damn them.
It's my fault, I kicked them out of the garden. I mean, you know, MY garden, not THE garden. They were doing jumps over my squash patch, and the dogs were chasing them around - it was like The Wild One. I'm just standing over my cucumber vines, innocent old fat lady, loading my collander full of the magical fruits (cause they make you toot), when this hoarde of unchecked mountain bikers comes blazing through, airboure over the firepit, some kinda hounds from hell slathering at their heels, yap yap yap to wake the Devil.
So I sent them to Bidwell Park. I said, "go wreck public lands and bother strangers, stay the heck out of my yard!" I made them take their dad, which I realized later was a mistake. Dads are probably the worst influence on children. Last three words many children hear from their father: "Hey, watch this!" But they're both old enough to climb a tree to use a cell phone, so I try not to worry. First time they went, the big one got completely smeared, stuck to his bedsheets for days. Now it's not so bad, old hat. I got all the first aid figured out.
Now I try to send them every Sunday so I can have peace and quiet to watch Boston Legal. Maybe I will learn something about the law."
Henrietta Winslow is how I'm called . Accounting is what I do . Playing badminton is the only hobby .
There will always be people who break rules, get over it FoBP. Parts of Middle are eroding because there are people making cheater lines off the beaten path to make the trail easier, not harder and the trail isn't built well enough to handle it. B and Guardians get more aggressive traffic and they hold up fine...ok guardians does have a few spots that need some work.
Equestrians can be equally blamed for wet weather riding, because there are parts of lower and middle that are still chewed up 3 months after the last rain.
I know what part of Yahi trail he's talking about and its right next to a spot were you can swim. Could it be the MTBers eroding the trail or all the people sliding off the trail to swim?
Also why isn't FOBP doing anything to do with the f***ing dog owners who pick up and bag the poop but leave it in the bagged poop in the middle of the trail, I've seen so much of that this summer.
"...there is a lot of mountain biking while the ground is wet, even though there is a Park policy stating that the trials are closed during wet conditions...." - Really? I've been out to the park when it's wet and the trails are closed to just ride up the fire road and I always see a ranger out there. It'd be too easy to get a hefty ticket by going on the trails - I just don't see it happening.
Thats such bs .... 2 years minus summers i lived in chico and if the trails were closed i either hit the road or loaded up and headed to oroville which is all of 15 miles ... even if someone didnt have a car if they were smart they could bus it and make a day out of it
As for the dog owners, i currently do maintenence in city parks where i live now and today we were trimming a tree and there was actually bagged poo in a TREE!!! ... needless to say that branch didnt get cut.
It is to dry to move dirt. Any dirt work will NOT help the trail. Please wait till it rains. Please prun as much as you like.
strongly agreed. At this time of year, the only thing that seems to be holding together the dust that makes up our Upper Park trails is the fact that it is packed and dried. If you start digging around we will just have layers of loose dust that will get blown or carried away
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Originally Posted by scot-tea
