Today was a pretty fast ride. Not my fastest ever, but still a better than average to be sure. It was a perfect 10°, meaning that I could still wear full gear but I wasn’t too warm at any point. The tree across the trail between Pineview and the trailer park has already been cleared out of the way. And not just cut and rolled off the trail, but the branches were cut up and piled off to the side and then the trunk itself was cut up and either piled somewhere I couldn’t see or it was taken away for firewood. Either way, the trail is clear already, so that’s cool!
I had to dab going over the root just out of Peterson’s Creek, but I did make the climb out and over the east bank. I then made it all the way up to the usual stopping point on the bypass trail. The next section of the bypass trail was a bit sketchy. I was teetering right on the edge of the trail, not able to really get the bike back in the center until I was probably 1/2 way across it. My troubles continued as I hit the rock “wall” a bit off and with not enough speed and couldn’t clear it just right. However, I managed to get things settled down and had a pretty good ride the rest of the way.
I took the first gulley trail down to the single-track which I then followed to the final gulley trail which took me down to Frolek’s lower road. The second trail was really good. At the top, there’s a steep, loose section where I typically drag the rear wheel down the entire way. However, the last couple of times on this stretch I’ve managed enough control that the rear tire has only skidded about a foot at the most, so that’s cool! Maybe a combination of better braking power, rear traction and positioning? Also, the section through the mini “rock garden” 1/2 way down this trail was good. I cleared it with more speed than usual, ensuring that my legs and arms soaked up the hits as best as I could, and I made it through really well. Neat to see some technical progress for sure!
And, for the third time to date, I cleared the final climb at Rose Hill!!! Still a very tough climb, but if both traction and technical ability line up perfectly on the same day, I know I have the strength and energy to do it. Today I knew as soon as I cleared the sand pocket that I was going to make it. I didn’t have any traction issues, and I wasn’t fighting to keep the front wheel straight. So I knew then that it was just a matter of power, so I pushed the pedals and cleared the top! SWEET! 
Going through into Juniper I took the pipeline trail, which was fun. I had to have the light on here, as it was getting darker and this trail winds around in the shadow of the hill and trees making it even darker yet. There’s a lot of rather large, sharp rocks on this section that are a must to avoid, and yet with the dim lighting and the light on the helmet, they were hard to see this time. However, I made it through rubber side down, so that was good!
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