Greetings from the northern end of SoCal

Been lurking for bit, thought I'd say a more formal hello in this new year. I'm up in Santa Barbara, the northern end of SoCal. This is a small town, so I'm pleased to find a place like this to share stoke. Like many of you this isn't my first action/gravity sport. I skateboarded up through my 20's, windsurfed in my 30's, surfing all along, and now finding that MTB is doing it for me. I've been at it for a couple of years, but my riding has really taken off lately after attending one of Gene Hamilton's BetterRide clinics this fall, and moving from a 100mm fork hard tail to a 140mm full suspension bike. I'll admit freely that I'm a gear head, my old entry level hard tail is now morphing into a lightweight XC machine and my commute bike is getting new brakes and levers now that I've found the right bars.

Romero Canyon is one of my favorite places to ride, though I have to be in the right mood to do the single track -- it is very attention demanding. I spend a lot of time training on the trails at Elings Park since I live basically down the street. Recently when I was in OC visiting friends I rode Santiago Oaks, and it is like a bigger Elings. (The rock garden at the top of Chutes sure is fun!). On my list this year are Tunnel-to-Jesusita, and Romero-to-San-Ysidro.

But my favorite trail is still Camuesa Connector, on the way to Little Pine mountain in the SB back country. A bit of climbing, followed by awesome flowy single track with a few technical climbs and descents in the middle of nowhere. It is a bit overgrown, but this winter has been perfect for riding back there. On Saturday it was in the low 60's, clear and dry, and no flies. (Be sure to ride with a bell, we share this trail with equestrians.)

I hope you all are entering the new year with healthy and happy lives. Perhaps we'll meet on the trail!