I had a chance to work in a bonus ride this weekend this afternoon, which is always nice. After church and some household chores were done, Rach had some project she wanted to work on and I found myself with a free hour and decided to just do a local ride to get some bonus miles in.
I headed from home over to Black Mountain, intending to just do the Miner's Loop and head back. The trail conditions were absolutely amazing thanks to some light showers we had experienced a few days earlier, and I found myself cleaning sections up the clockwise side of Miner's that I never make. It felt awesome, and I was maintaining a pretty brisk pace through the entire first part of the ride.
I still did have some HAB on Miner's, but it was much, much less than usual. I even cleaned a fun, techy spot with several big rocks in the middle of the climb that I have always fumbled in the past. It also helped that I remembered to lock-out my front fork on most of the climb, which made some the the steep rock-ups much easier.
I bypassed the cut-over and decided to just ride the entire Miner's Loop clockwise. At the top of the loop I ran into a hiker and his three kids, one of whom was in a regular small-wheeled stroller. I said hello as I stopped to let them pass, and laughed as the Dad pushed the stroller up and over several large rocks in the trail.
After they passed, I continued the descent and managed to clean all of the switchbacks at the end of Miner's, something that usually feels more difficult than it was today. The trail conditions were simply amazing.
From the end of Miner's I headed over to Canyon Rim, where I cleaned the whole descent except for one usually easy spot that was not as packed down as I expected. It was right at the apex of a tight turn that looked solid enough as I approached, but when I rode over it and started to turn, the soil beneath my tire shifted and I was forced to dab in order to keep from sliding off the trail into the bush.
From there I headed down the crazy fire road and up the short climb near the pond, then down the hill near the houses and through the 4S trails to home. I noticed at the end of the ride that today's ride was a little longer than yesterday's, but right outside my back door and in an hour less time. The exploration yesterday was worth the drive, but the contrast was amusing considering the very similar mileage and climbing statistics.
It felt good to get in a final ride in November, and heading into the final month of 2008 I'm not sure how much I'll be able to ride, so the bonus miles were nice. Also, my fitness seems to be improving, particularly since I've been hitting the stationary bike for a half hour or so three times per week. It makes a big difference that I can really recognize on days like today.
It was a last minute local ride, and I forgot my camera, so no pictures unfortunately. But I did have the GPS, so here are the stats:
Total Distance: 9.60 miles
Total Time: 1:19:408
Ascent: 1539 feet
Average Speed: 7.3 mph
Top Speed: 35.7 mph
Bike: Intense Spider XVP
Map:
View Larger Map
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
RR: "Lower Noble" and Extra Credit
This morning I elected to do a little exploring with Billy up at Noble Canyon. Rather than ride the regular route, however, Billy wanted to explore some singletrack near the bottom of the trail that he had been eying on previous rides.
We met up at our usual spot in La Mesa and carpooled up to the lower Noble trailhead. The parking lot was pretty full already, though we only saw a few other riders at the bottom.
We headed out of the main parking lot and headed towards the road climb that most people take when doing the full Tour de Noble. Our plan was a little undefined, but the general goal was to explore the lower singletrack and see if there was another route into Noble Canyon itself.
Instead of taking the road climb at first, we rode a section of brushy singletrack that was actually pretty fun. From there it was a short climb, and then we had a fun downhill singletrack section that eventually ended up on the trail that I've used in the past as a bailout point when descending Noble when I didn't want to do Extra Credit at the end. Instead of heading east towards Extra Credit, we headed west and began the road climb.
We climbed for a mile and a half or so, and Billy pointed out several spots where we could have linked up with some singletrack that paralleled the road. Instead, we kept climbing.
About halfway up the paved road climb, we reached a spot where Billy knew of a fire road that linked up with some singletrack trails just east of the road. We started up the fire road but were stopped by a guy in a Bobcat who told us that the fire road was closed to hikers and bikers.
We tried to plead out case, but the guy became really agitated, so we doubled back down the road a short distance to where we had seen a trail that headed east which we figured would meet up with the fire road anyway.
When we arrived back at that trail, we had some doubts. It was steep, rocky, and looked like there would be some HAB. Also, it wasn't clear from the bottom of the trail whether it in fact did intersect the fire road we had been looking for. After some discussion, we decided to give it a shot.
We HAB'ed for about half a mile up the steep hill, and at a couple of points almost turned back when we couldn't see if the trail intersected the fire road. We perservered just a little higher, however, and were rewarded with the junction we were hoping for. Here is a shot of what we climbed:
From the fire road we headed south (heading north would have taken us back to Bobcat guy very quickly) and began looking for another section of singletrack, which we found after a little while riding along the fire road.
The next section was very entertaining, with some techy spots and tight turns that were a blast. We followed the trail as it wound southeast, and eventually ended up at another fire road that split into two directions. One direction headed east into Noble Canyon.
The other direction headed southwest, back down towards the paved road. We were not here to ride Noble today, we wanted to explore lower Noble singletrack, so we took the trail less traveled and sailed down towards the paved road. During the descent, a bee apparently flew into my jersey and stung me right on the chest. I reached inside my jersey and pulled the stinger out, but the sting still hurt like crazy. Annoyed but undaunted, we soldiered on.
We reached the paved road after a short descent, and instead of taking it back down towards the trailhead, we followed a neat singletrack trail south that paralleled the road for a bit.
It proved to be another fun section of narrow singletrack that clearly didn't get much use. Brush was encroaching on all sides, and we were a little scratched and scraped by the time we reached what we thought was a dead end. We were about to double back and though we'd have to just ride the road back toward the trailhead when Billy suggested we hike up a bit from the dead end to see if we could meet up with the road that way. It turned out to be a good call, and we found that where we stopped wasn't really a dead end, just a place where the brush was a little more dense than even before. We plowed through, and found ourselves at the dirt lot that was next to the road where the Noble bailout trail intersected.
From there we headed farther south for just a short bit to ride a fun section of downhill singletrack that was an absolute blast. It was flowy and packed down, allowing me to get up some real speed. At the end of that short section we doubled back on the singletrack we had ridden earlier, and instead of heading west toward the paved road, we headed east toward Extra Credit.
We climbed Extra Credit, and while I was tired, I managed to clean the climb without stopping which was a first for me. We did stop at the top to rest for a minute and prep for the descent, and then we were on our way.
The first part of the Extra Credit downhill is fun and manageable, but it gets much more technical towards the bottom. Back in April I cleaned about 70% of the techy sections on the Enduro, but today I struggled somewhat. I don't think it had anything to do with the Spider itself, which had been a blast to ride all day. Part of my problem was that I was more tentative than usual. I had fallen over earlier on the ride and put a horrible scratch on the lowers of my beautiful new Fox F100 RLC, which had really upset me. As a result, as I navigated the rocky minefield that is lower Extra Credit, I was more worried about falling and scratching up my bike than I was choosing the right line or keeping momentum like I needed to.
Also, the trail conditions were a little damp up at Noble today, and while there wasn't any mud or puddles, dirt kept getting in my pedals and cleats, making clipping and unclipping difficult. On the fall that scratched my fork, I was unable to unclip and put a foot down to stabilize myself because of the dirt in the cleat and pedal. With that memory fresh in my head, I found myself walking portions of Extra Credit that I had cleaned seven months ago, which was a disappointment.
I did stop to session a spot or two, and cleaned the ones I focused on trying to make, which was nice.
At the end of the trail I took my traditional picture next to the trailhead sign, and we visitied for a few minutes with a group of guys who had shuttled down the main Noble Canyon trail for a while before heading home.
It was a fun, low-key ride that fit the bill for today. I wasn't up for an epic Noble ride and didn't want to do any of the same old north county rides that I had been doing, so some fun exploration at an easy pace was perfect. It was quite a drive to make for nine miles of riding, but the exploration aspect was worth it.
Also, doing a big chunk of the road ride was a good trail run for the full Tour de Noble that I hope to do sometime in 2009. The new trails also provide some fun variations to the Noble route that will make for a more interesting trip out there next time.
Here are the stats:
Total Distance: 9.08 miles
Total Time: 2:24:08
Ascent: 1772 feet
Average Speed: 3.8 mph
Top Speed: 21.1 mph
Bike: Intense Spider XVP
Map:
View Larger Map
We met up at our usual spot in La Mesa and carpooled up to the lower Noble trailhead. The parking lot was pretty full already, though we only saw a few other riders at the bottom.
We headed out of the main parking lot and headed towards the road climb that most people take when doing the full Tour de Noble. Our plan was a little undefined, but the general goal was to explore the lower singletrack and see if there was another route into Noble Canyon itself.Instead of taking the road climb at first, we rode a section of brushy singletrack that was actually pretty fun. From there it was a short climb, and then we had a fun downhill singletrack section that eventually ended up on the trail that I've used in the past as a bailout point when descending Noble when I didn't want to do Extra Credit at the end. Instead of heading east towards Extra Credit, we headed west and began the road climb.
We climbed for a mile and a half or so, and Billy pointed out several spots where we could have linked up with some singletrack that paralleled the road. Instead, we kept climbing.
About halfway up the paved road climb, we reached a spot where Billy knew of a fire road that linked up with some singletrack trails just east of the road. We started up the fire road but were stopped by a guy in a Bobcat who told us that the fire road was closed to hikers and bikers.
We tried to plead out case, but the guy became really agitated, so we doubled back down the road a short distance to where we had seen a trail that headed east which we figured would meet up with the fire road anyway.When we arrived back at that trail, we had some doubts. It was steep, rocky, and looked like there would be some HAB. Also, it wasn't clear from the bottom of the trail whether it in fact did intersect the fire road we had been looking for. After some discussion, we decided to give it a shot.
We HAB'ed for about half a mile up the steep hill, and at a couple of points almost turned back when we couldn't see if the trail intersected the fire road. We perservered just a little higher, however, and were rewarded with the junction we were hoping for. Here is a shot of what we climbed:
From the fire road we headed south (heading north would have taken us back to Bobcat guy very quickly) and began looking for another section of singletrack, which we found after a little while riding along the fire road.
The next section was very entertaining, with some techy spots and tight turns that were a blast. We followed the trail as it wound southeast, and eventually ended up at another fire road that split into two directions. One direction headed east into Noble Canyon. 
The other direction headed southwest, back down towards the paved road. We were not here to ride Noble today, we wanted to explore lower Noble singletrack, so we took the trail less traveled and sailed down towards the paved road. During the descent, a bee apparently flew into my jersey and stung me right on the chest. I reached inside my jersey and pulled the stinger out, but the sting still hurt like crazy. Annoyed but undaunted, we soldiered on.We reached the paved road after a short descent, and instead of taking it back down towards the trailhead, we followed a neat singletrack trail south that paralleled the road for a bit.
It proved to be another fun section of narrow singletrack that clearly didn't get much use. Brush was encroaching on all sides, and we were a little scratched and scraped by the time we reached what we thought was a dead end. We were about to double back and though we'd have to just ride the road back toward the trailhead when Billy suggested we hike up a bit from the dead end to see if we could meet up with the road that way. It turned out to be a good call, and we found that where we stopped wasn't really a dead end, just a place where the brush was a little more dense than even before. We plowed through, and found ourselves at the dirt lot that was next to the road where the Noble bailout trail intersected. From there we headed farther south for just a short bit to ride a fun section of downhill singletrack that was an absolute blast. It was flowy and packed down, allowing me to get up some real speed. At the end of that short section we doubled back on the singletrack we had ridden earlier, and instead of heading west toward the paved road, we headed east toward Extra Credit.
We climbed Extra Credit, and while I was tired, I managed to clean the climb without stopping which was a first for me. We did stop at the top to rest for a minute and prep for the descent, and then we were on our way.
The first part of the Extra Credit downhill is fun and manageable, but it gets much more technical towards the bottom. Back in April I cleaned about 70% of the techy sections on the Enduro, but today I struggled somewhat. I don't think it had anything to do with the Spider itself, which had been a blast to ride all day. Part of my problem was that I was more tentative than usual. I had fallen over earlier on the ride and put a horrible scratch on the lowers of my beautiful new Fox F100 RLC, which had really upset me. As a result, as I navigated the rocky minefield that is lower Extra Credit, I was more worried about falling and scratching up my bike than I was choosing the right line or keeping momentum like I needed to. Also, the trail conditions were a little damp up at Noble today, and while there wasn't any mud or puddles, dirt kept getting in my pedals and cleats, making clipping and unclipping difficult. On the fall that scratched my fork, I was unable to unclip and put a foot down to stabilize myself because of the dirt in the cleat and pedal. With that memory fresh in my head, I found myself walking portions of Extra Credit that I had cleaned seven months ago, which was a disappointment.
I did stop to session a spot or two, and cleaned the ones I focused on trying to make, which was nice.
At the end of the trail I took my traditional picture next to the trailhead sign, and we visitied for a few minutes with a group of guys who had shuttled down the main Noble Canyon trail for a while before heading home.
It was a fun, low-key ride that fit the bill for today. I wasn't up for an epic Noble ride and didn't want to do any of the same old north county rides that I had been doing, so some fun exploration at an easy pace was perfect. It was quite a drive to make for nine miles of riding, but the exploration aspect was worth it.Also, doing a big chunk of the road ride was a good trail run for the full Tour de Noble that I hope to do sometime in 2009. The new trails also provide some fun variations to the Noble route that will make for a more interesting trip out there next time.
Here are the stats:
Total Distance: 9.08 miles
Total Time: 2:24:08
Ascent: 1772 feet
Average Speed: 3.8 mph
Top Speed: 21.1 mph
Bike: Intense Spider XVP
Map:
View Larger Map
Saturday, November 22, 2008
RR: La Costa
I wanted to try something new today, and despite not having anyone to ride with, I decided to go check out the popular trail network over at La Costa. Armed with Mountainbike Bill's directions and a printed map, I headed over to the trailhead. Despite how geographically close this trail is to my house, getting there by car was a colossal hassle. I ended up going Camino del Sur to San Dieguito Rd. and driving through Rancho Santa Fe to get there, but there has to be a better way. I could literally almost see my house from the top of the mountain, but it took me about 30 minutes to drive there. Crazy!In any event, I arrived at the street near where the trail was, parked, and headed up the sidewalk to the trailhead.
It was a georgeous day, and I was just glad to be back on the bike after a more than two week hiatus. I was also happy to be trying out my new point and shoot camara, a Canon Powershot SD790 IS. I quickly arrived at the gravel road that led to the trail and headed up.
I was immediately presented with a fork in the road, and was not sure which way to go. My maps and directions were decent, but I quickly wished that I had waited to ride this trail until I could come with someone who knew where they were going. I elected to head toward the right, which ended up being the correct call. I pedaled a short distance and found myself heading up the trail I was looking for, which consisted of a series of switchbacks.The switchback climb started out OK, with a managable grade and some mildly techy parts that were cleanable for me. As a matter of fact I found myself powering through several rocky sections that I would have normally had to walk in the past, so I was feeling pretty good.
After a little while however, fatigue set in and I found myself off the bike, HABing the steeper switchbacks. Maybe it was not riding and behind my desk 12 hours a day for two weeks. Maybe it was the lack of a decent warm-up before the climbing began in earnest. Either way, I was not able to ride the entire first section of the switchback climb, which was disappointing.
I did re-mount fairly quickly and was able to get a good pace going after a while. I stopped at a trail juncture to check my map and make sure I was heading the right direction.
The switchbacks seemed to go on forever, but the top of the hill gradually began getting closer and closer. My plan, based on MTB Bill's recommendation, was to ride the switchback trail up, then go down NASCAR, then climb back up (somehow) and ride down the Vista del Mar trail.I had a difficult time finding the entrance of NASCAR, and after riding around the top of the mountain a bit, doubled back toward the switchbacks and eventually found it. I had heard quite a bit about this section of trail, and had some apprehension. To my surprise, I was able to ride the entire thing without stopping or dabbing, though I didn't launch any of the big jumps. The NASCAR descent was a ton of fun but over far too quickly, and at the bottom I found myself unsure about how to get back up to the top of the mountain. Because I now knew the route, I elected to just ride back up the switchbacks, which was a little repetative and boring. I rode more of the climb this time, but still had a few HAB sections due exclusively to fatigue. I also stopped at the top for a minute to take a picture and enjoy the view.
From there I headed down Vista del Mar, and the descent was an absolute blast. It was flowy, well maintained, and even had a couple of technical spots that I enjoyed. On one of them there was a sign designating the "easy" and "hard" choices for the line. My natural path had taken me toward the easier of the two, but after conquering NASCAR, my confidence was high and I felt good about my chances on the more difficult route. So I hiked back up the trail a little ways and hit the harder portion of the trail with no problem. It felt great.Unlike NASCAR, Vista del Mar wasn't over too quickly, and it was a nice payoff for all the climbing. At the bottom, I briefly considered another trip up to the top so that I could ride down the switchbacks, but it was getting late and I needed to get home. I found a sign near the base of the switchbacks that directed me back toward the trailhead, and I headed that direction.
I was back at the car in no-time, and was glad to have decided to ride La Costa today. This particular trail had not been on my original 2008 Ride List, but after hearing so much about it I had tacked it (and Ted Williams) on to my to-do list during the first quarter of 2008. It was definitely a fun trail, and I was really happy about how I'd handled the technical stuff, especially on the 4" travel Spider. (In fact, when trying to decide between the Spider and an Intense 5.5, one shop owner told me that if I wanted to ride trails like La Costa, the 5.5 was the better choice. And if I was going to be launching the big jumps, he may have been right, but the Spider did everything I needed it to today and more.)One thing I'm not sure about is what the best general route would be if I came back here again. Climbing the switchbacks twice was a little boring, and it would actually be fun to ride down them at some point as well. Climbing Vista del Mar is not appealing to me at all, but may be the way to go if I want some variety next time. I'm sure someone out there has some ideas of what the best route is as far as flow and fun, so hopefully they'll post a suggestion here. No matter what route I take this is not a trail network with a ton of flow and rhythm. You basically climb and climb, then fly downhill, and repeat. I still had a great time, and am grateful to those who spent a ton of time working to make the trails themselves outstanding and in incredible shape.
Here are the stats:
Total Distance: 8.91 miles
Total Time: 1:53:45
Ascent: 1640 feet
Average Speed: 4.7 mph
Top Speed: 20.9 mph
Bike: Intense Spider XVP
Map:
View Larger Map
Monday, November 17, 2008
Drought
I didn't ride at all last week or over the weekend, and things look bleak for this week and weekend as well. Work has been a horror show, and I'm really missing my time on the bike.
I had hoped to match my second-quarter numbers in terms of mileage this quarter, but that's looking doubtful.
Arrgh.
I had hoped to match my second-quarter numbers in terms of mileage this quarter, but that's looking doubtful.
Arrgh.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
RR: Sycamore Canyon w/Martha's and Switchbacks
After last week's Archipelago ride I was looking for an easy local trail to do today that would offer something to shoot for while not taxing me too badly. I realized that I had never gone and cleaned up the final pieces of Martha's Grove that I wanted to clear in order to cross that particular goal off my 2008 list.So I packed up the car and headed over to the Poway trailhead. I had a little trouble finding it again (why can't they just allow you to turn from Scripps-Poway Parkway on to Sycamore Canyon Rd.?) but made it in time to not feel stressed about how long the ride would take.
I planned on riding all of Syacmore, but the real reason for coming was to clean all of Martha's so I decided to run it right off the bat. I took the singletrack up from the trailhead, through the first two steep ups without stopping, and prepared for the first sketchy downhill section.
I cleaned that with little problem, then rode up the next short steep that had given me trouble last time, and then railed the final downhill section with relative ease. It felt great to clean the whole thing without stopping or dabbing, particularly since Martha's is a trail that I refused to even attempt a year and a half ago when I first started riding. I even stopped for a picture of the grove at the end of the downhill in order to reflect on my accomplishment.
From there I rode through the Grove, past the Gooden Ranch Ranger Station, through the gate, and on to the singletrack that headed south through the Canyon. Its always a fun section, with some tight turns and fun rocky sections that are easy but entertaining. 
As I rode through the singletrack toward the Santee side, I decided that I would try to look for the switchbacks that a lot of people ride at Sycamore instead of staying on the lower canyon singletrack. Right before the main powerlines I spotted what I thought was the trail leading to the switchbacks, and headed up.
I think the Archipelago ride was still a factor for me, as I was forced to HAB the final 1/3 of the initial climb. It was pretty steep, but the footing was fine and I should have been able to clean it. Meh, next time.At the top I followed the fire road along the ridgeline and to the west I could see trails that I figured led to Spring and Oak Canyons. Eventually I reached a singletrack off shoot, and took it as it seemed to head back down into Sycamore Canyon.
Before I began the switchback descent I stopped to watch some helicopters practicing takeoffs and landings in the meadow below. As they took off and flew around, they were actually below where I was on the ridgeline.
From there I headed down the switchbacks, which were a ton of fun to descend. The Spider is so nimble and compact that I could take them with a lot more speed than I expected. The descent was over far too quickly (especially considering how hard the climb up was for me today) and soon I found myself back on the canyon floor.
From there it was a relatively easy spin back through the gate, past the Ranger Station, and up the paved climb back to the trailhead. Despite trying hard not to, I was forced to stop and rest for a minute during the paved climb. I've had no problem climbing it in the past, and today's ride was far from a sufferfest, so once again I'll have to chalk up my difficulties to riding 42 miles a week ago. Either way, it felt great to clean all of Martha's for the first time, and I was glad to have at least ridden the switchbacks once to see what all the fuss was about. With Martha's crossed of the 2008 goal list, there really only two goals left: (1) Do a ride in the OC and (2) Improve my fitness. With two months left in 2008, I feel good about getting to the OC, and we'll see where my fitness is at year's end to determine how I did on that one.
Here are today's stats:
Total Distance: 12.17 miles
Total Time: 1:51:39
Ascent: 1343 feet
Average Speed: 6.4 mph
Top Speed: 24.4 mph
Bike: Intense Spider XVP
Map:
View Larger Map
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Archipelago Ride
After more than three and a half months of planning, scouting, pre-riding, and (some) conditioning, this morning was the day of my Archipelago Ride.
By way of some brief history, the name and concept of the ride are not my own, though the route I rode today certainly was. The name and idea for this ride came from San Diego MTB legend Mountainbike Bill, who had hatched the concept of connecting several North San Diego County trails together in a huge loop that he called "The Archipelago Ride." More information on his version, the route, and some exciting future plans he has can be found here.
Since I lived almost directly in the middle of most of the trails included in Bill's ride, I began thinking several months ago about doing my own version. I wanted to start from home and see how many of the nearby trail networks I could link together, Archipelago-style. I began in early July by looking at GPS routes of some of my previous rides at Santa Luz, LPQ, and Lake Hodges on Google Earth. I attempted to locate connector trails that would link those areas together, and even emailed Bill for some suggestions, which he graciously provided.
After mapping out what I thought was a realistic route, a plan began to form. Initially I wanted to connect from my home in 4S Ranch, to South Hodges, to North Hodges, to Santa Luz, to LPQ, to Black Mountain, to home. I decided to pre-ride my suggested loop in at least three sections. This would allow me to scout any problems I was likely to encounter as well and ensure that the connector trails that I thought existed really did.
My first pre-ride was in mid-July, and the ride review can be read here. I started from home and rode through a private (but open) fire road over to South Hodges, to North Hodges, down Del Dios Highway, and through the San Dieguito River Park trails toward Santa Luz. Because this was my first pre-ride, I got lost at one point right before I found the connector from SDRP Trails to Santa Luz, and ended the ride frustrated, discouraged, and exhausted.
That night after my first pre-ride, I got back on google earth with my GPS route plotted and saw where I went wrong. Four days later I rode that same route again, but this time I made the connector. Part I was complete.
Ten days later I found time to pre-ride the second part of my planned Archipelago route. I rode from the Santa Luz/SDRP connector that I had found, through part of the Santa Luz Loop, through a connector to the north side of LPQ, through the LPQ tunnels, up Camino del Sur, and up the Santa Luz singletracks to Black Mountain Community Park. It was a grueling ride, with several nasty climbs, and I was having some serious doubts about whether I would be able to actually do the full ride all together someday.
Life intervened soon after I completed my pre-ride of Part II, and it was more than two and a half months before I found time to attempt Part III of my planned Archipelago route. I had spent some time after Part II looking for a solution to the problem of connecting from Black Mountain Community Park to the top of Black Mountain. The most direct route involved riding a fire road that paralleled Black Mountain Road over to the Laurentian Trailhead, then climbing the main fire road to the summit of Black Mountain and riding down the north side to home. The problem was that the fire road that parallelled Black Mountain Road was an absolute beast, with two massive climbs that I didn't think I could handle after thirty-some miles of riding beforehand.
After mulling over my options for a while, I was struck by a thought: Maybe I could ride the whole route in reverse, starting with Black Mountain and then connecting to the Santa Luz singletracks and riding over to LPQ in that direction, instead of the way I had pre-ridden it. This seemed like an attractive option because I thought I knew of a trail down the west face of Black Mountain that would dump me right next to the entrance to Black Mountain Community Park and the trialhead for the Santa Luz singletracks. The more I thought about it, the more sense that approach made, and I set out in mid October to do Part III of my Archipelago route, the final pre-ride.
It went off without a hitch, and I found that I could ride the Gliderport Trail down the west face of Black Mountain asI had thought. With the pre-riding complete, all I had to do was pick a date for the ride and make it happen.
Normally I would have probably put it off for a least a few weeks to work on my conditioning and try to make everything perfect. But when I heard that the LPQ tunnels were in jeopardy of closing and some changes were being made over at Hodges that could make the connection between the North and South side more difficult, I decided that I needed to suck it up and ride ASAP.
I had also intended initially to ride the whole route solo so that I could go at my own pace and not worry about group ride dynamics, but when Doug mentioned he was looking to be invited on some rides more often, I jumped at the chance to have some company. November 1 worked out for both of us and the date was set.
All of this backstory leads me back to this morning and the review of today's ride itself. Rachel and I were up early, and went and dropped my Tahoe over at what I believed to be the midpoint of the ride. We parked the truck at a trailhead just off San Dieguito Road in the middle of the Santa Luz loop so that we would have provisions during the ride. Doug arrived at my place a little before 8:00 a.m., and after after a few minutes of gearing up we started out from Heritage Park, which is close to my house.
We rode from Heritage over to the 4S trail system which overlooks Lusardi Canyon, heading for Black Mountain.
*
[Some pictures I'm using in this RR are from previous Archipelago pre-rides, and are marked with an asterisk to show they were not taken on today's ride.]
The morning was beautiful and the weather was already warming up a bit, even at 8:30. It sure didn't feel like November.
We left the 4S Ranch trails pretty quickly and headed up Carmel Valley Road for a short road-ride toward the main Black Mountain trailhead.
At the trailhead for Black Mountain we noticed that there were already several people on the trails, though we didn't see any other bikes the whole time we were up there. Beneath us the community of 4S Ranch was just waking up.
We climbed up the main trail towards the Miner's Ridge Loop, and made a left to ride it clockwise. I had ridden this section of trail a couple of times in the past, but was already struggling slightly with the moderately technical climb and rising heat. There was some early HAB for me where there shouldn't have been, but I was hurting and didn't want to spin out and wreck myself this early in the ride.
As we plodded along up Miner's, I began to get concerned that I had missed the singletrack cut-over to the main Black Mountain fire road. I stopped, tried to get my bearings, and became convinced that we had missed it. Doug doubled back a little way and didn't see anything, so I volunteered to ride up a ways and see if it was still ahead. I rode up another few hundred yards and the scenery didn't look familiar, so I doubled back to where Doug was waiting and we started to backtrack. After several hundred yards of backtracking, it became clear that I am an idiot. We hadn't missed the cut-over, I had just gotten jumpy. So we trudged back up the trail for another half mile or so until we found the cut-over, and we were back on track. I sincerely hoped this would not be an omen for the rest of the day.
At the end of the cut-over trail, we did the short HAB section up to the main Black Mountain fire road, and enjoyed an easy spin up to the summit. During that section Doug and I had a really neat time of conversation, and I began to start really enjoying myself.
From the summit of Black Mountain, we rode down the Gorge Trail toward the northwest. The picture below shows the section we rode from the summit, which I have named the Gorge trail because of the massive rut that bisects the bottom. (For some reason the trail does not have an official name, and does not appear on the official Black Mountain Trail Map. So I get to call it whatever I want.)
From there we made our way over to the Gliderport via some fun singletrack. After surveying the scene, we elected to HAB a short distance down the Gliderport trail that descends off the west face of the mountain. It was crazy loose and extremely steep and I wasn't feeling up to giving it a shot this morning. As it was I still had a small fall as I tried to ride down a portion of the top against my better judgment.
At the bottom of the Gliderport trail we crossed Carmel Valley road and rode up into Black Mountain Community Park. We cut through the Park, saw some kids score a goal in their soccer game as we rode by, and then started into the entrance to the Santa Luz singletrack. The major climbing was over for the time being, and I had been looking forward to the Santa Luz singletrack descent for a while. So was Doug, even if he didn't show it.
We railed the fun, mostly downhill singletrack descent and crossed through a portion of the meadow in the middle of Santa Luz. From there we hooked back up briefly with Carmel Valley road, then had a relatively short road ride down Camino del Sur to the trailhead into LPQ. Before entering LPQ, we stopped at the Mobil station and Doug grabbed some additional fluids and filled up his bottles.
We then rode into LPQ via the Camino del Sur trailhead, and elected to take Tunnel 4 over to the main trail.
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We rode through the tunnels pretty quickly, even though it was crazy crowded in there. We hooked up with the main tunnel trail and rode that back up to the mesa, where we headed northwest toward the fire road that would take us out the backside of LPQ. We paused for a minute up on the mesa for Doug to get his seat adjusted, and I had the chance to take a picture of where we were headed.
We rode down the first section of fire road that took us toward the northwest side of LPQ and then had two short, steep fire road climbs that I managed to clean without stopping. At the next mesa I stopped and took another picture, this time of Black Mountain off in the distance.
One neat aspect of this ride was that for much of it, Black Mountain was visible from wherever we were. Being able to see where we had started provided a cool perspective on our progress and also served as a beacon as the ride went on.
We had another fire road climb and descent to finish before we left LPQ and started on the trail that would connect us back over to Santa Luz. This picture is taken looking back the direction we had come from.
We left LPQ and began the ride along the connector. We passed under the 56 freeway and saw a couple of interesting sights along the way:
Eventually we climbed a short distance up to Black Mountain Road, crossed over, and hit another fun section of trail that would provide the final link to Santa Luz. In the picture below, you can see the bridge that is on Camino del Sur in the distance.
We rode the connector until it hit Camino del Sur and made a left. This is another shot back the direction we had come from.
We rode northwest on Camino del Sur for a few hundred yards, and then hooked back up with the official Santa Luz Loop going clockwise.
We rode down the fire road, past the horse park, through the DG trails that run through the neighborhood, and over toward the last difficult section of the first half of our ride: the twin *itches.
The twin *itches are two steep fireroad climbs back-to-back that compose the worst part of the Santa Luz Loop. Doug and I were able to actually ride the entire first one, but halfway up the second it was HAB time for both of us. We slogged to the top and then coasted down the last section to my waiting Tahoe, which was beckoning me like a beacon in the night.
We dove into our sandwiches and Gatorade, and enjoyed an about 15-20 minute break at the car. I warned Doug that the most difficult portion of the ride was yet to come, and I think he believed me. I refilled my 3L Camelback (which I had totally drained during the first half of the ride) and ate as much as I could before I started to feel sick from being full. We had ridden about 19 and a half miles at that point, and while we were feeling pretty good, we knew there was a lot of ride left.
After our rest, we left the Tahoe, crossed San Dieguito Road, and climbed another fire road. From there we descended into Lusardi Canyon, and began a sustained climb up Artesian Road toward the San Dieguito River Park (SDRP) Trails.
The climb up Artesian wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, though it was no picnic. It was paved, which made it easier, and the grade was significant but not brutal. I middle ringed it as long as I could and then spun along until I reached the top. Doug was right behind me, and we rode another short fire road section until we reached the beginning of the SDRP trail.
[This picture is taken facing back the direction we were coming from.]
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From there we descended the series of tight switchbacks that marked the beginning/end of the SDRP trail. They were extremely tight, and the fires had burned up all of the guard rails, so I found myself dabbing at almost every one.
We descended the first set of switchbacks, rode a short but steep singletrack climb, and then descended another series of more manageable switchbacks before hitting level ground.
At that point we began riding the main portion of the SDRP trail which had been badly burned in the October 2007 wildfires. Several beautiful bridges which had been constructed just before the fires hit were destroyed by the flames. For today's ride, that meant dismounting and hiking across each of the six or seven spots where the charred remains of the bridge were all that were left.
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After we negotiated the last of the burned out bridge crossings, we were forced to buswhack through a 100 yard section of trail where weeds and bushes had begun to encroach significantly. From there we continued along the SDRP trail as it headed toward Del Dios Highway.
As we rode along, I noticed this new sign that had been posted, and there were new trail markers as well. That was an encouraging sight.
I experienced my first series of leg cramps along this section at the end of the SDRP trail, and they were rough. My hamstrings and quads both tightened up without warning, and I was forced to hop off the bike and stretch them out. It took a few minutes for me to get both legs to stop cramping, and I ate some Cola Clif Shot Bloks and drank as much water as I could.
I was able to continue fairly quickly, and we rode down a short fire road and over toward the bridge that crossed the gorge next to Del Dios Highway.
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We crossed the bridge and made our way up to the longest stretch of road-riding we would do today. We rode up onto Del Dios Highway and began to make our way toward north Hodges. About a quarter mile in, my legs began to cramp again agonizingly, and I was forced to hop over the guardrail and try to walk them off as traffic whizzed by. They were even worse now than before, and I was hurting. I drank more of my water and tried to stretch, and after several more minutes got back on the bike and began to climb again.
I kept the bike in the middle ring for the most part up Del Dios which I think helped some, but as I continued to ride I began to cramp in not only my hamstrings and quads, but my groin and calves as well. I gritted my teeth and powered through it, and was able to make it to the dam without stopping again.
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Seeing the dam helped me orient myself with respect to how much longer I had to go along Del Dios, and I started feeling a little better. Doug had ridden on ahead (with my blessing) during my first fit of cramps, but I could still see him off in the distance. Eventually the roadie death march was over, and I turned right on Rancho Drive and headed for the singletrack on the north side of Hodges.
As I reached the beginning of the trail, however, I didn't see Doug. Looking around I noticed his Niner sitting outside the entrance to Hernandez Hideaway. He had apparently gone inside for a re-fill of his camelback, and I waited for a few minutes for him before he came out. I was anxious to keep going, largely because I was a wreck and didn't want to stop for too long for fear of not being able to keep going. I did try to do some stretching while I waited, and continued to drink as much as I could.
After about 10 minutes we were back underway, and headed for the trail.
We rode fairly quickly through the singletrack along the northwest side of the lake, and along the trail that paralleled the road to the dock.
The lake looked beautiful off to our right as we rode by.
As we got closer to the dock and boat rental area, I headed toward the fire road that I usually ride along the north side. Doug, however, had other ideas. He suggested that we ride the section of trail up to the ridge and take that route instead. I was not excited about riding the short steep section up to the ridge, and favored the more gradual (but admittedly longer) fire road route. Doug was insistent, and I caved.
Just as we were riding the singletrack toward the climb to the ridge, I had my worst set of leg cramps yet, and was off the bike howling for several minutes. I said some things about Doug, his lineage, and maybe his mother that I regret right now, but at the time I was delerious with pain. More stretching, more water, and a short HAB up the steepest part of the climb to the ridge trail, and I was feeling slightly better.
Here's what we had ridden up:
We rode along the ridge, spinning away and trying to conserve energy for the final section of this epic ride. We eventually re-joined the main Hodges trail, crossed the stream, and rode the trail toward the freeway.
They have been doing some significant construction along that part of Hodges, and the dirt area I had previously ridden underneath the freeway to connect North and South Hodges no longer existed. We stopped for a minute to evaluate our options, and I experienced still more leg cramps. Doug did not.
We decided that the direct route would be best at that point, and elected to ride on the freeway (in the designated bike lane) for a short stretch in order to connect over to South Hodges. Doug was on board, but not pleased.
We rode as fast as our tired legs would go along the freeway and over the bridge, then jumped off at the West Bernardo Drive exit, and rode up the road to the singletrack that runs along the north side of South Hodges. That section of trail is usually one of my favorites because its so scenic, has a few fun rocky sections, and is extremely narrow. Today I was trying to survive it, not enjoy it. I dabbed a few times from leg cramps and fatigue, and stopped once to work out a particularly nasty hamstring knot that paralyzed me. While waiting for the pain to subside, I took this picture:
Doug, who had been hydrating sufficiently and was not suffering from debilitating cramps like some people, rode ahead and waited for me around the bend. I stopped about three times in a quarter-mile to stretch and work out the constant cramping in my legs, and even walked the bike a bit as I tried to get my legs loose. I reached where Doug was waiting and we rested a bit. If nothing else, our views were pretty.
We dragged ourselves to our feet and rode on along the south side singletrack. As we crested a small hill, Doug pulled away and I coasted down the other side. Suddenly, both of my legs seized up, and my left leg actually locked in the extended position. I threw myself off the bike, desparately trying to bend my leg as the cramps seized it. I had to physically grab my foot and push on the back of my knee to get myleg to bend, and I sat there on the trail writhing in agony.
Doug was far enough ahead that he couldnt see me, and for the first time I wondered if I was going to be able to finish. I was out of water at this point, and couldn't really even pedal with any force because when I did my legs cramped. After several minutes I got up, tested my legs, and coasted down the rest of the small hill with my right foot clipped in and my left leg stretched straight out.
At the bottom of the hill Doug was waiting, and I told him as I coasted by that I was heading for the area near the dog park where I knew there was water. He followed me over, and I refilled my camelback and stretched for a few minutes. Doug also gave me his last Uncrustable, which had a healthy dose of sodium, and we got back underway.
We rode the bypass over to the other section of the south side of Hodges by riding past the dog park, down West Bernardo Road, and picking up the trail as it wound behind the houses. Eventually the trail contined past the closed bridge and we headed toward the waterfall. As we approached the climb near the waterfall, I had yet another bout with cramps, and walked the switchbacks up to the top. This portion of my ride was strangely reminicent of my Tour de Hodges ride back in May. Doug cleaned all of the switchbacks like a hero.
I took a break at the top to snap a photo:
From there we rode past the trail to the Poblado trailhead and up a short fire road to an SDG&E access road that would take us over the last section of the ride to home. Here is a picture of where we turned, taken during one of the pre-rides:
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From there we began the spin along the fire road toward home. I continued to battle some leg cramps, and even had to stop once to work them out along that stretch. While I was sitting there in the middle of the trail, trying to work out the cramps, I noticed a windmill standing just off the trail. It helped take my mind off the cramps and made me happy for a minute. I love windmills.
I dragged myself up and and rallied, knowing the end was in sight. Doug was waiting a little ways ahead, and we crested a small rise and headed toward the paved road that would take us home.
We hit the streets a few minutes later, pedaled through the neighborhood, cut through the 4S Commons, and made the last short pavement climb up toward Heritage Park. As we pulled into the park (and eventually my nearby home,) we had done it: my Archipelago Ride was over.
We were tired and a little punchy, and Rach brought us some Gatorade as we sat on the front porch and relived the ride. I had a strong sense of accomplishment, though the leg cramps had dimmed some of my actual enjoyment of the last several miles of the ride. That was clearly a lesson learned, and I'll definitely drink much more and eat more salt the next time I do anything close to an epic ride.
Doug was a tremendous ride companion, and I'm so glad he was there. He was encouraging but not too "rah rah," social but not chatty, extremely thoughtful, and our pace seemed compatible. I was hugely impressed at not only how strong he finished, but that he hung in all day while having no idea where we were going or what was ahead. At least I had pre-ridden the route and knew what to expect. Even though almost every turn was a surprise to him, Doug didn't complain or stress a bit. Impressive. His RR is available on his blog here.
I was thrilled with the Spider's performance, and can't imagine having done this whole thing on the Enduro. My climbing was actually well above average over the first two-thirds of the ride, but the cramping killed any climbing efforts I had near the finish.
I am also very thankful to Rachel for her role in making the ride a success. She didn't bat an eye when I told her I wanted to spend an entire precious Saturday riding. She helped me drop the Tahoe at the midpoint, and also went and dropped Doug's supplies at the truck after we started the ride. She made me a great lunch, which I would have been dead without, and a great dinner when I got home as well. I have a great wife.
So the Archipelago ride is in the books. It satisfies one of my 2008 Goal List items (Do an All Day/~50 Mile Ride), leaving me with only two goals left to accomplish before the end of the year. It felt great to finish, even with adversity, and I'm glad I did it. I don't want to give away anything from my 2009 Goal List, but I think doing this ride in reverse (counterclockwise) is going to be on it. I may be crazy, but I need something to work for, right?
Here are the final stats:
Total Distance: 42.23 miles
Total Time: 7:57:48
Ascent: 5662 feet (Doug's Edge 305 put us at 4,572 feet, which is apparently more accurate because it uses a barometric altimeter.)
Average Speed: 5.3 mph
Top Speed: 32.8mph
Bike: Intense Spider XVP
Map:
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By way of some brief history, the name and concept of the ride are not my own, though the route I rode today certainly was. The name and idea for this ride came from San Diego MTB legend Mountainbike Bill, who had hatched the concept of connecting several North San Diego County trails together in a huge loop that he called "The Archipelago Ride." More information on his version, the route, and some exciting future plans he has can be found here.
Since I lived almost directly in the middle of most of the trails included in Bill's ride, I began thinking several months ago about doing my own version. I wanted to start from home and see how many of the nearby trail networks I could link together, Archipelago-style. I began in early July by looking at GPS routes of some of my previous rides at Santa Luz, LPQ, and Lake Hodges on Google Earth. I attempted to locate connector trails that would link those areas together, and even emailed Bill for some suggestions, which he graciously provided.
After mapping out what I thought was a realistic route, a plan began to form. Initially I wanted to connect from my home in 4S Ranch, to South Hodges, to North Hodges, to Santa Luz, to LPQ, to Black Mountain, to home. I decided to pre-ride my suggested loop in at least three sections. This would allow me to scout any problems I was likely to encounter as well and ensure that the connector trails that I thought existed really did.
My first pre-ride was in mid-July, and the ride review can be read here. I started from home and rode through a private (but open) fire road over to South Hodges, to North Hodges, down Del Dios Highway, and through the San Dieguito River Park trails toward Santa Luz. Because this was my first pre-ride, I got lost at one point right before I found the connector from SDRP Trails to Santa Luz, and ended the ride frustrated, discouraged, and exhausted.
That night after my first pre-ride, I got back on google earth with my GPS route plotted and saw where I went wrong. Four days later I rode that same route again, but this time I made the connector. Part I was complete.
Ten days later I found time to pre-ride the second part of my planned Archipelago route. I rode from the Santa Luz/SDRP connector that I had found, through part of the Santa Luz Loop, through a connector to the north side of LPQ, through the LPQ tunnels, up Camino del Sur, and up the Santa Luz singletracks to Black Mountain Community Park. It was a grueling ride, with several nasty climbs, and I was having some serious doubts about whether I would be able to actually do the full ride all together someday.
Life intervened soon after I completed my pre-ride of Part II, and it was more than two and a half months before I found time to attempt Part III of my planned Archipelago route. I had spent some time after Part II looking for a solution to the problem of connecting from Black Mountain Community Park to the top of Black Mountain. The most direct route involved riding a fire road that paralleled Black Mountain Road over to the Laurentian Trailhead, then climbing the main fire road to the summit of Black Mountain and riding down the north side to home. The problem was that the fire road that parallelled Black Mountain Road was an absolute beast, with two massive climbs that I didn't think I could handle after thirty-some miles of riding beforehand.
After mulling over my options for a while, I was struck by a thought: Maybe I could ride the whole route in reverse, starting with Black Mountain and then connecting to the Santa Luz singletracks and riding over to LPQ in that direction, instead of the way I had pre-ridden it. This seemed like an attractive option because I thought I knew of a trail down the west face of Black Mountain that would dump me right next to the entrance to Black Mountain Community Park and the trialhead for the Santa Luz singletracks. The more I thought about it, the more sense that approach made, and I set out in mid October to do Part III of my Archipelago route, the final pre-ride.
It went off without a hitch, and I found that I could ride the Gliderport Trail down the west face of Black Mountain asI had thought. With the pre-riding complete, all I had to do was pick a date for the ride and make it happen.
Normally I would have probably put it off for a least a few weeks to work on my conditioning and try to make everything perfect. But when I heard that the LPQ tunnels were in jeopardy of closing and some changes were being made over at Hodges that could make the connection between the North and South side more difficult, I decided that I needed to suck it up and ride ASAP.
I had also intended initially to ride the whole route solo so that I could go at my own pace and not worry about group ride dynamics, but when Doug mentioned he was looking to be invited on some rides more often, I jumped at the chance to have some company. November 1 worked out for both of us and the date was set.
All of this backstory leads me back to this morning and the review of today's ride itself. Rachel and I were up early, and went and dropped my Tahoe over at what I believed to be the midpoint of the ride. We parked the truck at a trailhead just off San Dieguito Road in the middle of the Santa Luz loop so that we would have provisions during the ride. Doug arrived at my place a little before 8:00 a.m., and after after a few minutes of gearing up we started out from Heritage Park, which is close to my house.
We rode from Heritage over to the 4S trail system which overlooks Lusardi Canyon, heading for Black Mountain.
*[Some pictures I'm using in this RR are from previous Archipelago pre-rides, and are marked with an asterisk to show they were not taken on today's ride.]
The morning was beautiful and the weather was already warming up a bit, even at 8:30. It sure didn't feel like November.
We left the 4S Ranch trails pretty quickly and headed up Carmel Valley Road for a short road-ride toward the main Black Mountain trailhead.
At the trailhead for Black Mountain we noticed that there were already several people on the trails, though we didn't see any other bikes the whole time we were up there. Beneath us the community of 4S Ranch was just waking up.
We climbed up the main trail towards the Miner's Ridge Loop, and made a left to ride it clockwise. I had ridden this section of trail a couple of times in the past, but was already struggling slightly with the moderately technical climb and rising heat. There was some early HAB for me where there shouldn't have been, but I was hurting and didn't want to spin out and wreck myself this early in the ride.As we plodded along up Miner's, I began to get concerned that I had missed the singletrack cut-over to the main Black Mountain fire road. I stopped, tried to get my bearings, and became convinced that we had missed it. Doug doubled back a little way and didn't see anything, so I volunteered to ride up a ways and see if it was still ahead. I rode up another few hundred yards and the scenery didn't look familiar, so I doubled back to where Doug was waiting and we started to backtrack. After several hundred yards of backtracking, it became clear that I am an idiot. We hadn't missed the cut-over, I had just gotten jumpy. So we trudged back up the trail for another half mile or so until we found the cut-over, and we were back on track. I sincerely hoped this would not be an omen for the rest of the day.
At the end of the cut-over trail, we did the short HAB section up to the main Black Mountain fire road, and enjoyed an easy spin up to the summit. During that section Doug and I had a really neat time of conversation, and I began to start really enjoying myself.
From the summit of Black Mountain, we rode down the Gorge Trail toward the northwest. The picture below shows the section we rode from the summit, which I have named the Gorge trail because of the massive rut that bisects the bottom. (For some reason the trail does not have an official name, and does not appear on the official Black Mountain Trail Map. So I get to call it whatever I want.)
From there we made our way over to the Gliderport via some fun singletrack. After surveying the scene, we elected to HAB a short distance down the Gliderport trail that descends off the west face of the mountain. It was crazy loose and extremely steep and I wasn't feeling up to giving it a shot this morning. As it was I still had a small fall as I tried to ride down a portion of the top against my better judgment.
At the bottom of the Gliderport trail we crossed Carmel Valley road and rode up into Black Mountain Community Park. We cut through the Park, saw some kids score a goal in their soccer game as we rode by, and then started into the entrance to the Santa Luz singletrack. The major climbing was over for the time being, and I had been looking forward to the Santa Luz singletrack descent for a while. So was Doug, even if he didn't show it.
We railed the fun, mostly downhill singletrack descent and crossed through a portion of the meadow in the middle of Santa Luz. From there we hooked back up briefly with Carmel Valley road, then had a relatively short road ride down Camino del Sur to the trailhead into LPQ. Before entering LPQ, we stopped at the Mobil station and Doug grabbed some additional fluids and filled up his bottles.We then rode into LPQ via the Camino del Sur trailhead, and elected to take Tunnel 4 over to the main trail.
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*We rode through the tunnels pretty quickly, even though it was crazy crowded in there. We hooked up with the main tunnel trail and rode that back up to the mesa, where we headed northwest toward the fire road that would take us out the backside of LPQ. We paused for a minute up on the mesa for Doug to get his seat adjusted, and I had the chance to take a picture of where we were headed.
We rode down the first section of fire road that took us toward the northwest side of LPQ and then had two short, steep fire road climbs that I managed to clean without stopping. At the next mesa I stopped and took another picture, this time of Black Mountain off in the distance.
One neat aspect of this ride was that for much of it, Black Mountain was visible from wherever we were. Being able to see where we had started provided a cool perspective on our progress and also served as a beacon as the ride went on.We had another fire road climb and descent to finish before we left LPQ and started on the trail that would connect us back over to Santa Luz. This picture is taken looking back the direction we had come from.
We left LPQ and began the ride along the connector. We passed under the 56 freeway and saw a couple of interesting sights along the way:
Eventually we climbed a short distance up to Black Mountain Road, crossed over, and hit another fun section of trail that would provide the final link to Santa Luz. In the picture below, you can see the bridge that is on Camino del Sur in the distance.
We rode the connector until it hit Camino del Sur and made a left. This is another shot back the direction we had come from.
We rode northwest on Camino del Sur for a few hundred yards, and then hooked back up with the official Santa Luz Loop going clockwise.
We rode down the fire road, past the horse park, through the DG trails that run through the neighborhood, and over toward the last difficult section of the first half of our ride: the twin *itches.
The twin *itches are two steep fireroad climbs back-to-back that compose the worst part of the Santa Luz Loop. Doug and I were able to actually ride the entire first one, but halfway up the second it was HAB time for both of us. We slogged to the top and then coasted down the last section to my waiting Tahoe, which was beckoning me like a beacon in the night.We dove into our sandwiches and Gatorade, and enjoyed an about 15-20 minute break at the car. I warned Doug that the most difficult portion of the ride was yet to come, and I think he believed me. I refilled my 3L Camelback (which I had totally drained during the first half of the ride) and ate as much as I could before I started to feel sick from being full. We had ridden about 19 and a half miles at that point, and while we were feeling pretty good, we knew there was a lot of ride left.
After our rest, we left the Tahoe, crossed San Dieguito Road, and climbed another fire road. From there we descended into Lusardi Canyon, and began a sustained climb up Artesian Road toward the San Dieguito River Park (SDRP) Trails.The climb up Artesian wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, though it was no picnic. It was paved, which made it easier, and the grade was significant but not brutal. I middle ringed it as long as I could and then spun along until I reached the top. Doug was right behind me, and we rode another short fire road section until we reached the beginning of the SDRP trail.
[This picture is taken facing back the direction we were coming from.]
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*From there we descended the series of tight switchbacks that marked the beginning/end of the SDRP trail. They were extremely tight, and the fires had burned up all of the guard rails, so I found myself dabbing at almost every one.
We descended the first set of switchbacks, rode a short but steep singletrack climb, and then descended another series of more manageable switchbacks before hitting level ground.
At that point we began riding the main portion of the SDRP trail which had been badly burned in the October 2007 wildfires. Several beautiful bridges which had been constructed just before the fires hit were destroyed by the flames. For today's ride, that meant dismounting and hiking across each of the six or seven spots where the charred remains of the bridge were all that were left.
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*After we negotiated the last of the burned out bridge crossings, we were forced to buswhack through a 100 yard section of trail where weeds and bushes had begun to encroach significantly. From there we continued along the SDRP trail as it headed toward Del Dios Highway.
As we rode along, I noticed this new sign that had been posted, and there were new trail markers as well. That was an encouraging sight.
I experienced my first series of leg cramps along this section at the end of the SDRP trail, and they were rough. My hamstrings and quads both tightened up without warning, and I was forced to hop off the bike and stretch them out. It took a few minutes for me to get both legs to stop cramping, and I ate some Cola Clif Shot Bloks and drank as much water as I could.I was able to continue fairly quickly, and we rode down a short fire road and over toward the bridge that crossed the gorge next to Del Dios Highway.
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*We crossed the bridge and made our way up to the longest stretch of road-riding we would do today. We rode up onto Del Dios Highway and began to make our way toward north Hodges. About a quarter mile in, my legs began to cramp again agonizingly, and I was forced to hop over the guardrail and try to walk them off as traffic whizzed by. They were even worse now than before, and I was hurting. I drank more of my water and tried to stretch, and after several more minutes got back on the bike and began to climb again.
I kept the bike in the middle ring for the most part up Del Dios which I think helped some, but as I continued to ride I began to cramp in not only my hamstrings and quads, but my groin and calves as well. I gritted my teeth and powered through it, and was able to make it to the dam without stopping again.
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*Seeing the dam helped me orient myself with respect to how much longer I had to go along Del Dios, and I started feeling a little better. Doug had ridden on ahead (with my blessing) during my first fit of cramps, but I could still see him off in the distance. Eventually the roadie death march was over, and I turned right on Rancho Drive and headed for the singletrack on the north side of Hodges.
As I reached the beginning of the trail, however, I didn't see Doug. Looking around I noticed his Niner sitting outside the entrance to Hernandez Hideaway. He had apparently gone inside for a re-fill of his camelback, and I waited for a few minutes for him before he came out. I was anxious to keep going, largely because I was a wreck and didn't want to stop for too long for fear of not being able to keep going. I did try to do some stretching while I waited, and continued to drink as much as I could.
After about 10 minutes we were back underway, and headed for the trail.
We rode fairly quickly through the singletrack along the northwest side of the lake, and along the trail that paralleled the road to the dock.
The lake looked beautiful off to our right as we rode by.
As we got closer to the dock and boat rental area, I headed toward the fire road that I usually ride along the north side. Doug, however, had other ideas. He suggested that we ride the section of trail up to the ridge and take that route instead. I was not excited about riding the short steep section up to the ridge, and favored the more gradual (but admittedly longer) fire road route. Doug was insistent, and I caved.Just as we were riding the singletrack toward the climb to the ridge, I had my worst set of leg cramps yet, and was off the bike howling for several minutes. I said some things about Doug, his lineage, and maybe his mother that I regret right now, but at the time I was delerious with pain. More stretching, more water, and a short HAB up the steepest part of the climb to the ridge trail, and I was feeling slightly better.
Here's what we had ridden up:
We rode along the ridge, spinning away and trying to conserve energy for the final section of this epic ride. We eventually re-joined the main Hodges trail, crossed the stream, and rode the trail toward the freeway.
They have been doing some significant construction along that part of Hodges, and the dirt area I had previously ridden underneath the freeway to connect North and South Hodges no longer existed. We stopped for a minute to evaluate our options, and I experienced still more leg cramps. Doug did not.
We decided that the direct route would be best at that point, and elected to ride on the freeway (in the designated bike lane) for a short stretch in order to connect over to South Hodges. Doug was on board, but not pleased.
We rode as fast as our tired legs would go along the freeway and over the bridge, then jumped off at the West Bernardo Drive exit, and rode up the road to the singletrack that runs along the north side of South Hodges. That section of trail is usually one of my favorites because its so scenic, has a few fun rocky sections, and is extremely narrow. Today I was trying to survive it, not enjoy it. I dabbed a few times from leg cramps and fatigue, and stopped once to work out a particularly nasty hamstring knot that paralyzed me. While waiting for the pain to subside, I took this picture:
Doug, who had been hydrating sufficiently and was not suffering from debilitating cramps like some people, rode ahead and waited for me around the bend. I stopped about three times in a quarter-mile to stretch and work out the constant cramping in my legs, and even walked the bike a bit as I tried to get my legs loose. I reached where Doug was waiting and we rested a bit. If nothing else, our views were pretty.
We dragged ourselves to our feet and rode on along the south side singletrack. As we crested a small hill, Doug pulled away and I coasted down the other side. Suddenly, both of my legs seized up, and my left leg actually locked in the extended position. I threw myself off the bike, desparately trying to bend my leg as the cramps seized it. I had to physically grab my foot and push on the back of my knee to get myleg to bend, and I sat there on the trail writhing in agony.Doug was far enough ahead that he couldnt see me, and for the first time I wondered if I was going to be able to finish. I was out of water at this point, and couldn't really even pedal with any force because when I did my legs cramped. After several minutes I got up, tested my legs, and coasted down the rest of the small hill with my right foot clipped in and my left leg stretched straight out.
At the bottom of the hill Doug was waiting, and I told him as I coasted by that I was heading for the area near the dog park where I knew there was water. He followed me over, and I refilled my camelback and stretched for a few minutes. Doug also gave me his last Uncrustable, which had a healthy dose of sodium, and we got back underway.
We rode the bypass over to the other section of the south side of Hodges by riding past the dog park, down West Bernardo Road, and picking up the trail as it wound behind the houses. Eventually the trail contined past the closed bridge and we headed toward the waterfall. As we approached the climb near the waterfall, I had yet another bout with cramps, and walked the switchbacks up to the top. This portion of my ride was strangely reminicent of my Tour de Hodges ride back in May. Doug cleaned all of the switchbacks like a hero.I took a break at the top to snap a photo:
From there we rode past the trail to the Poblado trailhead and up a short fire road to an SDG&E access road that would take us over the last section of the ride to home. Here is a picture of where we turned, taken during one of the pre-rides:*
*From there we began the spin along the fire road toward home. I continued to battle some leg cramps, and even had to stop once to work them out along that stretch. While I was sitting there in the middle of the trail, trying to work out the cramps, I noticed a windmill standing just off the trail. It helped take my mind off the cramps and made me happy for a minute. I love windmills.
I dragged myself up and and rallied, knowing the end was in sight. Doug was waiting a little ways ahead, and we crested a small rise and headed toward the paved road that would take us home.
We hit the streets a few minutes later, pedaled through the neighborhood, cut through the 4S Commons, and made the last short pavement climb up toward Heritage Park. As we pulled into the park (and eventually my nearby home,) we had done it: my Archipelago Ride was over.We were tired and a little punchy, and Rach brought us some Gatorade as we sat on the front porch and relived the ride. I had a strong sense of accomplishment, though the leg cramps had dimmed some of my actual enjoyment of the last several miles of the ride. That was clearly a lesson learned, and I'll definitely drink much more and eat more salt the next time I do anything close to an epic ride.
Doug was a tremendous ride companion, and I'm so glad he was there. He was encouraging but not too "rah rah," social but not chatty, extremely thoughtful, and our pace seemed compatible. I was hugely impressed at not only how strong he finished, but that he hung in all day while having no idea where we were going or what was ahead. At least I had pre-ridden the route and knew what to expect. Even though almost every turn was a surprise to him, Doug didn't complain or stress a bit. Impressive. His RR is available on his blog here.
I was thrilled with the Spider's performance, and can't imagine having done this whole thing on the Enduro. My climbing was actually well above average over the first two-thirds of the ride, but the cramping killed any climbing efforts I had near the finish.
I am also very thankful to Rachel for her role in making the ride a success. She didn't bat an eye when I told her I wanted to spend an entire precious Saturday riding. She helped me drop the Tahoe at the midpoint, and also went and dropped Doug's supplies at the truck after we started the ride. She made me a great lunch, which I would have been dead without, and a great dinner when I got home as well. I have a great wife.
So the Archipelago ride is in the books. It satisfies one of my 2008 Goal List items (Do an All Day/~50 Mile Ride), leaving me with only two goals left to accomplish before the end of the year. It felt great to finish, even with adversity, and I'm glad I did it. I don't want to give away anything from my 2009 Goal List, but I think doing this ride in reverse (counterclockwise) is going to be on it. I may be crazy, but I need something to work for, right?
Here are the final stats:
Total Distance: 42.23 miles
Total Time: 7:57:48
Ascent: 5662 feet (Doug's Edge 305 put us at 4,572 feet, which is apparently more accurate because it uses a barometric altimeter.)
Average Speed: 5.3 mph
Top Speed: 32.8mph
Bike: Intense Spider XVP
Map:
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