Visiting Skeggs from Auburn and Maryland -xpost

[francois]

Steve aka Bigboulder is here from Auburn. Ricky aka Drevil is on vacation from Maryland. Skeggs they say. I can live with that.

Singlespeed... my long lost friend. I can guess I can take it out. My SS cruiser hasn't seen a lot of action since it's fully rigid and I'm obsessed with the Turner. My fellow SS defector Kyezle is talking some smack though so I can't show up with gears now.

Some Skeggs notes: Skeggs is one of the finest trails in the Norcal Peninsula area. It is very difficult to navigate but is rewarding once mastered. Fall here is absolutely brilliant. Temps are in the 70s, no fog, no oak, no skeeters. Dust is miminal as the trails are constanly maintained by the redwood trees.

It is also one of the most difficult places to photograph. Under the trees, the action is fast and the light is minimal. I was committed though to take some pics for our out-of-towners.

Someone had fun on the drive up here. I wanted to pick up one of these cars used as a 'mountain' car but guess what... they don't depreciate.


Here's my chosen weapon for the day. The tree behind it is called the Methuselah. It is truly massive.


Drevil hasn't ridden gears in about 3 years. Today, his buddy Rene brought him the Bionicon. Adjustable travel and head and seat angles change from 70 degrees to 65 degrees. Old school meets new school.


Kyezle warning folks about the size of his...


Bigboulder, Drevil, Kyezle, Rene on the rocks of Resolution






Riding in the deep forest





continued...

[francois]

This is the bridge near the bottom of North Leaf trail. Not bad with a powerful flash


Here it is with no flash, just panning and getting lucky. You owe me Drevil. I have a 7 megapixel file of this!!


The bottom of the trail (camera shake)


Here's nice little jump before the climb back up.





Bombing down the Manzanita trail





Climbing the technical section of Manzanita. Bigboulder had visions of glory on an SS but he slipped during a power stroke and slammed his arm on a rock. Drevil cleared it easily when most locals don't even come close. Must be the Bionicon.





Railing a turn on the bottom of Manzanita



Finally, here's a log jump on Steam Donkey. Kyezle launched it twice but the camera is too slow to reveal his greatness.



Here's a video sample of the day's adventures. Truly great conditions in a great forest.
http://mtbr.com/author/photos/skeggsricky/pics 109.avi

It was ok...


francois

[dpdsurf]

nice pics Francois. i was there today, great day at skeggs for sure!

[francois]

Originally Posted by dpdsurf

nice pics Francois. i was there today, great day at skeggs for sure!

Yep!

How much does it cost to live in the bay area. Days like that makes it worth it for sure. I saw hundreds of roadies, mtbers, motorbikes and sports cars out for a drive.

The only anomaly was this guy pulling his kid along on a burley... ON SKYLINE BLVD. That was an unsafe situation!

fc

[bigboulder]

That was the hardest crash I ever had while going uphill....torqued myself right off the bike and into the ground.

Wow, that was a great ride yesterday guys. We worked hard but reaped the rewards on resolution, manzanita, crossover (yummy), blue blossom and steam donkey. Singlespeedalicious!

[francois]

Originally Posted by bigboulder

That was the hardest crash I ever had while going uphill....torqued myself right off the bike and into the ground.

Wow, that was a great ride yesterday guys. We worked hard but reaped the rewards on resolution, manzanita, crossover (yummy), blue blossom and steam donkey. Singlespeedalicious!

'Our legs felt like tree stumps at the end of the ride yesterday.'

Today, they might buckle on me going down stairs. Better hang on.

fc

[madzane]

Great report. Very sorry I missed it, the wedding was way more than I bargained for.

[francois]

Originally Posted by madzane

Great report. Very sorry I missed it, the wedding was way more than I bargained for.

You didn't miss nuthin.

We heard you were out drinking and galivanting into the night.

fc