Ride Report STR Does the SCV Singletrackapalooza

A picture is indeed worth 1,000 words...

Abui looks like a kid in a candy store!

(I'm) grinning from ear to ear!


Thanks Shudder :beer:

 

First, huge thanks to jeffj and grannygear for setting up the ride and making sure everyone had a great time. Special thanks for b-40 for carving up those awesome stickers!! Overall, I had a blast! Only negative was the wind, but at least the air was nice and clean

It was great to meet some of the legends of STR, and of course awesome to ride with the regular homies. I've been off the bike for too long! You guys will see me at more rides for sure.

Thanks again everyone! :beer:

 

Yo! I'm gonna keep this thread alive for a while yet... :wave:

There's just a LOT to cover -- I mean we had like 100 riders out there that day, and that was just the A Group!! Kidding aside, I snapped off 150 pics, so I have a lot to go through (but fortunately for me, many of them suck and will not make the cut). I wrote Jeff this morning when I got up (4:45) that I would post some more. I didn't get through as many as I wanted to -- hadda post up 133 lacrosse pics I shot for Willie's AHS team, and then I noted OS 10.6.3 was available (Oooooo!!) so I downloaded that... left little time for more pics, but here's a few more I was able to get through before the sun rose today...

b-40 (with his stickers!!!) and Magna Graecia checking out his nutcrackin' machine:


busterb, N4th4N and Rockslide just hangin' before the ride:


Monster Mash arrives with a bed load of beer onboard (and a bike, of course!):


scottay and Willie before the ride:


grannygear leading out the A Group:


After the climb up to the junk yard, GG readies the crew for its first descent of the day (and there were many!):


Willie and I rolled out right behind GG, and flowed down the fireroads and ST to the bottom (where we caught the Creek trail for the next climb). Right at the bottom was a very cool little steep. I jumped off down at the bottom and started shooting as many folks as I could. That was the last time I was anywhere near the front of the group (this is the photographer's plight -- always playing catch up after shooting...). Send me those names of these folks!

Joe Palomino


KTonaMTB


Guido


MTBMueller


Johnny Dirt


I have a few more from this hill, and loads of others from the ride. I'll just keep posting pics up until someone yells at me (and maybe even a few more times after that).

Enjoy!

- shud

 

Actually b-40 is chuckling knowing whats going to happen later on in the ride on this one certain g-out section.

b-40 (with his stickers!!!) and Magna Graecia checking out his nutcrakin' machine:

 

magna was about do anyway:lol:

what the hell lens was used for this pic?:?: i wear a size 12 shoe, that pic makes it look like i'm wearing a womens size 4:-k

 

FYM- Were you next to me when Magna crashed?
If so, have you EVER heard as chilling a "death moan" as the one Magna belted out?
Still can't get the memory/sound out of my head!

b40- The lens comment (above) was too funny! :lol:

 

magna was right behind me when this went down and i thought is was a snarling mountain lion with emphysema so i just hauled ass out of there and didn't look back

 

Tokina 12-24, which in reality becomes an 18-36 on my 1.5 mag factor Nikon D300.

^^ Was that English, what I just wrote???

- shud

 

Actually, I have heard MG's scream... There was the one time he got leg cramps on Viper. We thought he had been bitten by a Rattler...

And the there was the other time.... :wave:

 

... at band camp ...

 

I will tell you guys what after hearing those crys of passion he really threw off my riding. All I could think about was my nuts, really man I really did feel sorry for him I should have broke out my knife and gave it to him in case he wanted to end his misery :?:.

 

Guys, guys...
You're really going nuts over the whole incident, aren't you? I mean the balls on you guys going off on me like this...It's going to make me a little testy here in a second.

I'm done now...

v(^_^)v

 

Dude, your nuts....

Ok, Im done...

 

You know Brett, Shudder was just being kind. I hope he doesn't mind me posting the unedited version of that pic. . . . . :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

LOL! do those clip in?

 

Some more...

A few more from that first descent where I was actually ahead of the main group...

epicriderat (pre-flat -- so sorry we dropped you Todd!! The group was so dang big I just thought you were up ahead of me somewheres... big huge bummer ).


busterb on the drop.


Rockslide making it look easy.


Tony


Cindy, our one fine lady of the day.


James


We regrouped (for a sec) once we topped Creek Bed before the start up Kona, then everyone started rolling again...

Fearless Fly heads out first.


Tony, followed by Kirk.


Guido smiling with Eric right behind -- obviously before Eric tacoed his wheel.


A rare pic of the elusive (and gloveless!) kanga.


Cindy and MTBMueller (...and N4th4n... and Abui...).


You gonna hurt yourself staring at the sun N4th4n (and not down at the trail...).


Cableguy's huge smile!!


Chuck, followed out by face-plant.


face-plant and Chuck on the climb up the cliffs of Kona -- just beautiful!


A look down the pristine SCV hillsides featuring the meandering ST of Burn Victim (I think).


The photographer's son has no focus (Jeez...). Willie (blurry) headed down Burn Victim.


Johnny Dirt flying down Kona (I am diggin' this pic!! -- thought it was a throwaway at first, but really like how it turned out).


That's all for today -- a few more tomorrow I hope.

Enjoy!

- shud

 

I'm franticly searching ebay right now for a pair of those :bang:

 

I don't think they are SPD compatible....

 

They run about $250 for a good looking pair.

Might I suggest a pair with wheels?

you can also get them SPD'd for a few extra $'s.

http://www.clownsoport.com/

 

I ain't done yet!

More pics...

Again, send me names...

A few more from the cave down G-Out:

grannygear gettin' his game on at the Man Cave!


Tony


James


Cindy through the chute:


Something was making crunching noises as I was waiting on the opposite of the wall to the right of me in all these pics for riders to come through the chute. I stood there for a sec, thinking maybe something BIG was back in the cave... and then shouted in my biggest big man voice, "Anybody there?..." Steve replied something to the effect that he was taking shots, then came around the corner himself. Whew... I no likey big animals on the trail.


One more from the greenery just below the Man Cave (???):


And, all by itself, a final shot of the green of G-Out, waiting patiently to shred riders like me. NOTE: that was, quite possibly, the most difficult canyon section of downhill ST I have ridden -- nothing scary about it, no that's not it -- it was just a lot of work, what with all the whoops and little rollers, and skinny creek crossings, and short but intense climbs, and constant weaving, and the cave and and and... it was just a LOT of different stuff all along one, beautiful trail -- goodonya for building that one jeffj!!):


And finally, one of those outtake shots that ends up evoking part of the magic of a big ride like we did that day. N4th4n coming down Kona:


Back to the ranch to gather around the campfire once more:




Then it was off to a second, rather impetuously decided ride down Hummingbird at Rocky Peak in Simi... Shall I post those pics here since it was a splinter group from this ride, or do them separately in their own thread?...

Enjoy!

- shud