First Post-Hit Ride

[shudder]

Hey folks --

I've been out a couple of times since getting hit by that ahole chopper rider on 5/6, but only on my Titus roadie, and with friends surrounding. I had a hard time getting it back together at first -- that guy caused a compression fracture along my spinal column and also a broken rib. Found this out after a few wheezing days when my doc looked again at the x-rays. Pain is pretty much gone now, fortunately.

But, this past weekend, I felt it was time to get back on the C-dale, and go for a spin in the hills. I dragged along my 11-yr-old, Willie, since we have the 12 Hours of Socal race coming up in a couple of weeks (see Blank), and he needed some climb training. He is very excited about going out for his second enduro race.

Maybe I could have picked something a bit easier than the trail we went out on for my first ride -- 14.29 miles with 3,238 of climb -- a nice little jolly jaunt through the Malibu Hills. Ugh. After we were done, I certainly wondered what the hell I had put myself through. And why? The good part is, the back feels good, and I might even ride in the 12 hour race. The jury is still out, but we'll see about that (my wife is still a bit unnerved by it all).

Here's some pics from our ride yesterday:

Willie climbing some hard baked soil in the Malibu State Creek area


Willie hammering through Crags


Runnin' into probs up Bulldog (damn rocks!)


A trés serious look from the little man (our truck is somewhere down in the distance back there)


At the crest of Bulldog


Dad sittin' in the dirt, feeling a bit shagged


A few of the Castros, lookin' like tombstones from my point of view


It took us several hours to make the 14 mile loop, and we were dead tired, but I am real glad we did it together.

Here's a routeslip map of it in case you're at all interested:

RouteSlip.com - Bulldog Loop in Calabasas, California

All the best,

shudder

P.S. Maybe we'll see some of you down in Temecula?...

[genusmtbkr5]

Nice RR. Looks like a pretty nice place to ride. I'll have to make a trip up there soon. Good luck in Temecula.

[Pain Freak]

Bulldog can be a biatch. Mad props to Willie, I wish my boy would do that. I've evn bribed him to do and it just ain't going to happen. Thanks for a great story and pix.

Glad to hear you're recovered.

[allison]

I like how you changed the watermark to Willie

[tkblazer]

looks like a heck of a ride....also, i don't know what camera you are using, but damn those are awesome pics

[PacMan]

Congrats on the return. WIllie looked like he was having a blast!!

I've been hit by cars twice and will never return to the road, but It's cool you "got back on the horse" so to speak.

[icon]

Great photographes!!!

[shudder]

Willie did have a blast, but the ride wasted him (that's gotta be a first!). Imagine what it did to dear old dad (emphasis on old... okay, I'm not all that old, but rides like this one make me feel like I am).

I usually carry my Nikon D70s with my 17-55 DX lens aboard when I go riding (basically it fills up the rest of the room in my Camelbak that isn't being used for H2O). I know that's a bit nutballish of me, but if I am going to shoot, I gotta get good pics and this cam is pretty amazing. Anything else is a waste of my time. Suffice to say, I try to be careful on descents (it's an expensive cam, and I need it for my real shoots).

I slap on a circular polarizer and get cool shots, like this one of my riding pal Charlie up in the Castros last year:


Note the little wisp of 'something' straight up in the blue sky above Charlie's head?... it's a jet.