WARNING: I am switching the format of how I post! I am warning you now, as I know I have so many avid readers that this will screw up..
Anyways, as the blog posts are from earliest to latest, I’m going to change so I each post will also follow this timeline, meaning the most recent ride (usually the morning ride) will be written about first, and then the previous ride (normally the afternoon ride). I’m just sayin’...
June 6th (Morning)
This morning’s ride was pretty good, although in the end my total time was pretty slow compared to other days. Strangely enough, my riding time was comparable! Anyways, I was trying to concentrate on spinning this morning, which I think might have helped as I didn’t get the same knee pain going up Hugh Allan. Then again, I also stopped going up Hugh Allan and raised my seat a bit. I think it works it’s way down over the course of a couple of rides? Anyways, whatever did it, my knee felt much better this morning.
Some more fresh bear scat! This time all over... Once on the Juniper trail, another one going up the west side of Peterson’s creek, and yet another one heading out of Peterson’s Creek onto Summit. Crazy! Maybe a Mama and her cubs and they’ve split up? Are they old enough by now for that? What do I know about bears anyways...
The good news I discovered yesterday was that someone has cleaned up the fallen tree at the 2nd valley (going west) of the pipeline section at Rose Hill! Awesome! I was able to let the bike fly down each hill this morning, and made every climb. So that is very nice. I’m not sure who did it, but I need to thank them for sure.
The weather was another great and sunny morning. The ride down into Peterson’s Creek was good, fast and fun again. Going up, I did manage to make the first section through the first two switchbacks and up past the railing. I’ve been struggling there quite a bit lately with the gulley’s, but this morning managed to power through the dumb gulley’s whenever I managed to find myself falling into them. I still had 3 stops going up, and most of it walking. I attempted to ride a portion of the middle, but again lost it in a gulley!
A cool shot from the top of the East side of Peterson's Creek, looking over downtown and north to Westside and Rayleigh. Great views up here!
The final stretch up Springhill and Hugh Allan were pretty good. As I said before, I tried to concentrate on spinning today rather than grinding out a harder gear and my knee felt better. I also noticed that I felt better on the Hugh Allan climb? I think this also has something to do with my seat height too. As I tend to lower it every afternoon for the trail going down into Peterson’s Creek, I am constantly fighting with getting it to the correct height again. Today, I will mark where it is with a marker and see how long that lasts...
June 5th (Morning)
Well, I guess I need to start carrying chain oil in my back pack. I cleaned and oiled the bike last night, but with the wet weeds slapping at me all morning, the chain was void of any oil whatsoever and the joyous “squeak squeak” followed me wherever I went... Yay...
Today was a bit of an eventful ride, actually. First, coming down into Peterson’s Creek, I came across two golden retrievers making their way up the trail. No owner in sight at first! And these two dogs couldn’t have cared less that I was even there. It was right at the first troublesome switchback, so I dismounted anyways and walked the stretch down to the next switchback. The owner did eventually appear, but his dogs were a good 50 feet ahead of him! At least they’re well mannered. So going down was OK, and as I started, I noticed someone hiking up the other side. As I climbed up the other side, I kept noticing him hiking a ways ahead of me. At the sandy switchback, I stopped for a breather and some Saskatoon berries, as well as to just enjoy some shade. The berries weren’t good... Seriously, like I said before, I do not like fresh off-the-bush Saskatoons. I tried to give them a chance again, but no go... Anyways, as I was standing in the shade of the Saskatoon bush, I kept hearing voices. Hmmm... I thought I was too young for this? So I kept riding, and every minute or so I could swear that I could hear someone! I kept looking up, down, ahead and behind but couldn’t see anyone. That’s when I saw the hiker that was hiking ahead of me. At the top of the trail, he was standing right at the edge, up on the railing that is at the top, singing! Yes, singing! Down into the creek valley. I’m not sure what he was singing, I couldn’t quite make it out. Not because he was a bad singer, but just because of the traffic noise on the highway, my squeaking bike and, of course, my huffing and puffing (which is pretty loud up this trail). The entire climb up the trail, he sang away. As I came up behind him, he pulled out a cigarette and lit up just as I passed him. Rather odd pastime, climb to the top of Peterson’s Creek just to sing and smoke? Well, whatever floats your boat I guess! Oh, 3 stops again and good distances on each effort!
Frolek’s land was uneventful other than the usual birds and chipmunks scampering out of the way. And man, those chipmunks are sassy! Every time one of them runs off the trail, they always stop a few feet into the bushes to just turn and around and swear me out. Well, if I could understand chipmunk, I’m sure they’re swearing at me. Whatever they’re saying, it sure isn’t a nice “How do you do?” by any means... :) At the pipeline section at Rose Hill I got a very nice surprise. The tree that was across the trail since last Monday was cleaned up! Not sure who did it, but I’m pretty sure it was a cyclist as all the branches had been cleaned off the trail as well, leaving a nice, clear path through the valley again allowing me to let go of the brakes and make it up the other side! I was in the middle ring up front and 2nd in the back, and it was a grunt and a half to make it but make it I did! Hah! It was nice to clear that hill again, something I haven’t done in probably a month? Well, just so I could keep going without stopping, I decided to head off and around on the bypass trail around the last hill. I haven’t tried this trail in a few weeks, and it was VERY overgrown. To the point where I couldn’t even see the trail under my tires and was simply riding over fallen and sagging weeds. It was fun to ride that trail again in the end. The second half, where it turns and climbs up and over the hill, is a fun stretch. The first half, pushing through weeds and over rocks and gulley’s, not so much. But, it is a nice little change and staying on the bike is always a bonus.
I took the pipeline stretch into Juniper. Fast, fun and a bit crazy with the weeds! Now the weeds are so bad that they actually noticeably slow me down... It’s rather annoying! Where I used to be able to blast down and basically coast with momentum up the next hill my speed is killed by these grabby little demons. The good news? All the mud from this morning’s ride was cleaned off the bike by the time I hit the pavement! Hah! Kind of funny, actually...
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