Ride Report STR Hurkey Creek Campout

[tbowren]

I had an amazing time camping. Thank you Allison for setting this up. I got to test ride a Lunchbox, a Rip9, a Canso, and walked away with SDYeti's shin guards. (THANKS!) was super lucky to hook up with Kevin (aka LardButt) and his wife to share a site. They fed me a wonderful dinner and were excellent company.
If anyone has helmet cam footage of the tunnel of love descent please let me know. I would like very much to look at it again before the race.

 

[Go Go]

Allison,:wave:

Craig's not in the doghouse today:lol:, but I'm sure he will be in one soon. Thank you very much for putting the camping trip together, it was really fun. It was nice meeting you and everyone else. Sorry we were so loud at our camp, good thing you had your earplugs handy. Hopefully we can ride together soon.

Margo

 

[lardbutt]

Race course on the tandem

Had a great weekend as well. My wife flew into town for the weekend and we decided to try riding the tandem instead of singles. Mistake. ](*,)
The climbs on the race course were hard but do-able. It was the descents that, for me anyway, were, shall we say... invigorating. :lol:

If my stoker/wife had known how many times we got really lucky and didn't crash, she would have opted to walk long ago. I was really having a hard time controlling the bike the whole loop. I just chalked it up to not having ridden it there before. Well, we ended up having a leak in the front tire and were evidently riding it that way the whole loop. That explains a little of the sloppy steering up front. I don't mind crashing. Gawd knows I am good at it. But I really didn't want to crash hard with Beth on the back. The descents were really rutted out, more so than usual I think. And the frequency of the swooping from one side of the trail to the other across the ruts was more frequent than I could do on the tandem. I was looking real hard for the "swoop" button, but never found that lil' sucker. Anyway, that put us riding in the ruts for the better part of the descents. Not good. There was some serious body-english goin' on for most of the way down. And for anyone who has ever ridden a tandem, you know that body-english isn't one of the preferred steering methods! Not quit the same effect as on your single. Long story short we were getting along ok until the little g-out and hard right turn just before the LARGE boulder (8' up or so) you have to climb before starting the final descent of the race course. We hit the g-out going pretty good and then made the hard right. Well, we TRIED to make the hard right. That was when the front tire decided to roll off the rim. We hit the ground before we knew what happened. As I regained my senses, all I could hear was hysterical laughing coming from behind me. It was a REALLY good sound considering how hard we went down. She landed in a large pile of soft dust/sand. Being the gentleman that I am, I landed on the pointy rock.

Got up, dusted off, and that was when we realized we had the leaking front tire. Changed the flat, got to the top of the last descent and just let it fly from there. Screw "swoop". It was a lot more fun that way. Plus, I was feeling pretty good now that I could actually steer the damn thing again!

We just hung out around the campsite for the rest of the weekend until Sunday morning when we packed up the White Trash Palace and headed back home. We didn't get as much riding in as we wanted and didn't get to see everyone we wanted to see but we still had a great time. We're in for the next one!!

 

[Trizz]

Troy you're somewhat new to this sport right? Seriously by the way you were riding I would have thought you had been riding for years:clap:. Anyways, awesome riding with you and the everyone else in the Steppie gang. :steppie:

Thanks Man, its a blast riding, it was great riding with all of you,

and to add, there is alot of great pictures in here, its soo awsome to see everyones view of hurkey creek.

 

[Team Smitty]

Anti-social ME

Like everyone who attended this ride, I also would like to think Allison for putting it all together.
I could only get out for a day trip so Saturday it was; I had two goals to accomplish; riding some great trails and meeting some STR folks.
Mr. Hobbs and I rolled in around 7:30am and all was quiet at camp so we decided to do a quick hour loop to let people wakeup and then join in a group ride later. During the warm-up ride however Tony’s (Hobbs) frame broke in half at the bottom bracket, I thought his day was done and possibly cut my riding time down as well. Tony then took the quickest way back to camp and I finished the loop I had started. That’s when the STR fellowship comes into play; Tony beat me back to camp and already had a loaner bike from Jason of Switchback Cyclery by the time I arrived……Basically Jason saved the day for both of us, and if I didn’t say it at camp I’ll say it here thanks again!
:beer:

Now its 9:00 and we’re ready for a real ride, but a quick ride around the campground and still can’t find a group that’s ready to go. So we set off on our own thinking that we will certainly meet-up with a group or two out on the trail. We had 23 miles under our belt by the time we meet our first group the “Switchback gang”. They where on their way back to camp and so were we, so we joined them for about four miles witch was nice but that was our only group ride of the weekend.
Next time I will make more of an effort to be more social and join one of those “A” rides.
:wave:

Smitty

 

[Pain Freak]

Man, it sure looks like a whole lotta fun was had out there.

The cold kind of scared me away, but what I ended up riding was a lot colder then what you all rode.

I did another double century (Hemet Double) and I guess I was a little tired from the previous weeks double century at Solvang. So I know I would of enjoyed the mountain biking a lot more.

How did you guys go about setting up the rides? Did you just announce what you were doing and invite folks or was it come if you will type of thing. How big were the groups? What were the temps? Can we do this again next month?

 

[dstepper]

We missed ya Mike, I renamed ya "Pain Flake" this weekend...we know ya hate the cold. I knew if you were not at camp by 8am you where not coming. Some complained about the cold but we have camped in much worse weather on our road trips. As in all things, the ride thing just kinda works its self out. It was excellent you might have started with one group but finished with anyother group. Justin has a way of breaking people on the trail so his group gets smaller. So he recruits from other groups on the trail...it was very cool. Next road trip...soon! where, when?

Dean

 

[singleminded]

Ok...

Let's see...let me get a post in here......

So this turned out to be my 46th birthday weekend ride....you know your getting old when you forget about it till the day before. Allz...timers here I come! :-k

Well man was it a doozie. And what great pic's. I loved every climb and rocky downhill of the rides.....except for the paperboy action the wall on Southridge drive made me experience. Wow! 8-[

Anyway I want to pay some thanks :wave:

Allison & Justin
Thanks again for organizing such a great ride....it was a A&J ride at Noble Canyon that I crashed about a year ago...that opened the door to such a great group of riders. I always look forward to the next one....and they keep getting harder! :clap:

Kristine & John
Thanks you two for the room (campsite) at such a last minute. And the foods....Really wish we could have rode together....hopefully on the next get together. K....for excersizing your cupid skillz......maybe one day. J.....you really like that rum don't you, next time I get to have one with you. :drunk:

LukeWiens
One hell of a thanks bro....I have not had to set a pace like that since I raced last year...sweet! You really know how to handle that Kona. Now I am ready for the
Death march this weekend. Guys like you make me wish I was 26 not 46. Hopefully your woman took it easy on you after you got back so late. See you
on the next ride....Oh yea.... "What F'n Hike A Bike"

The sdyeti's Steph & Dan
It is always great to see you two on the rides......funny how we live in the same county.....but never ride together except on the OC rides.....whats up wit dat!
D...thanks for the pics and S....what a sweet bike....you do it well.....thanks for the informative feedback. Your pushing me over the edge.

Dirtmistress Liz
Thanks for the trail company, great conversation, ass fetishes , etc....It was great finally meeting you. Nice bike....I need a SO like yours. Keep at that switchback...it is almost a memory. Next up....Palomar. \\/

Brenda,
Well what can I say.....It was great seeing you again.....been awhile. You look wonderful...and healing nicely. Now it is time to step it up to the B group girl.
You got it in you....now go for it. Group ride my ass rotest:......next time you better be on it.

Lardbutt Kevin
Man...why do I bump into you in all these places.....but never hear from you? We better establish some kind of communication! Good seeing you again, lets ride my man.....

Andy aka "Rut"
man stop putting your finger in all the wrong places bro [-X......looking forward to riding with you at the next get together.

To the one and only Steppie....I finally met the myth, seen the video and got a picture of me doing the whoot with you. Yea baby! :steppie:

And last....
To all those I met for a moment....climbed, decended, crashed and chatted with. I look forward to the many more ride parties to come. I got to work on my so-called social skills so I cam meet you all

Thanks and lets do it again again STR'rs :bang:

 

[sdyeti]

you know you wanna...click the linky BIG HOOPS

nuf said, mah man...

we had a fun time this weekend E...the SJT ride on 4/20...you are so IN!

The sdyeti's Steph & Dan
It is always great to see you two on the rides......funny how we live in the same county.....but never ride together except on the OC rides.....whats up wit dat!
D...thanks for the pics and S....what a sweet bike....you do it well.....thanks for the informative feedback. Your pushing me over the edge.

 

[gooseaholic]

Man I really missed out ( and marshal canyon). Thanks for all the great RR's and pics. I would have liked to be there to meet some STR folks I always see here.Ramona trail rocks ( no pun intended).

 

[Dusty]

Hey Jeff, awesome photos, loved the posting. I haven't figured out how to do it yet but i need some tutoring. Anyhow I emailed you some of my photos, have an awesome week and see you on the trails

 

[lukewiens]

LukeWiens
One hell of a thanks bro....I have not had to set a pace like that since I raced last year...sweet! You really know how to handle that Kona. Now I am ready for the
Death march this weekend. Guys like you make me wish I was 26 not 46. Hopefully your woman took it easy on you after you got back so late. See you
on the next ride....Oh yea.... "What F'n Hike A Bike"

Great riding with you too bro.....chasin' you up, chasin' Justin down. Always great to be forced into situations where you gotta push a little....especially while on such a killer group ride.

These little epics are what it is all about....nothing like a day of suffering together with friends new and old.

Ps....I like how you successfully used every emoticon in your post lol! See ya soon!

 

[Edog]

Thanks to everybody for a great weekend, big shout out to the Mann's, The Kernville boys & Ladd Jasper. Great to see old friends, meet some great new people, & found some awesome new rides. I'm still confused with everybody's names, what with real names & handles it feels like I met twice as many peeps.
Guilty of not taking a single picture, eating too many smores, & blowing out at Carl's Junior on the way home. When you end a weekend with Chili Cheese fries & a Marzen things aren't too bad!
Romona was just sweet, I love the Idlewild area & it should be on everybody's radar if you haven't been!

 

[Vickie]

First thiings first...thank you Allison for pulling this great weekend together.

Second, when I first signed up to go camping at Hurkey Creek with my STR family, I was healthy and ready to ride some new dirt. I was looking forward to the challenging terrian, the beautiful scenery, and meeting and hanging out with old and new friends. Unfortunatly I was not able to ride this weekend due to jacking up my shoulder the week before before we left. I went over the edge on the ridge while riding Coldwater, tumbled a bit and landed on my bike with my pedal lodging into my upper ribs (#2 and #3). A week and a half later, it's still not well....

Anyway....With high hopes of riding I brought my bike to Hurkey...just in case...but as my luck would have it, it just was not in the cards for me to ride. When I woke up on Saturday morning, my shoulder was stiff and sore, barely movable. I'm sure that sleeping on the airmattress was not the best therapy:-k ...but we don't always do what is best. :?:

Although my shoulder was uncomfortable the entire weekend, I was so glad I made the choice to go ahead with my plans and camp. I met more STR family peeps, created more new friendships, and deepened friendships that were already established. Those in an around my camp....Jesse, Tim, Gene, Deb and Eric, Hugh and Veronica, Natasha and Josh, Andy and Heather and Ned...loved hanging with you all - I couldn't ask for better camp mates. Deb, thanks for the pitcher tip!!:lol:

It was tons of fun to share food, beer, and stories while campfire hopping...it was interesting to listen to you party animals while laying in bed at 1:00AM, TRYING TO GO TO SLEEP, and even more fun to hear Denmother coming into our camp banging on the pot with her big stick to wake up those nuts who kept her up all night...

Thankfully there were not many casualties....Gene, I'm sorry you broke a rib....dude, I feel for ya and hope you heal fast.

Thank you all for the great RR, photos of what I missed....and now what I long to ride, and all the wonderful camaraderie.

 

[OMR]

Thanks for rubbing it in with all the great RRs!

I was all set to make my break to a weekend of riding and hanging... was even going to bring the guitar.... and had made arrangements for someone else to play in the church band on Sunday...BUT, Ranger Nancy had other ideas and reminded me at the last minute that we had a wedding to go to.... let's see: wedding/riding, wedding/riding... that's a no brainer, Unfortunately, I was confined to quarters for my smart remarks and ended up putting up wedding decorations all day Sat. (darn!) So I missed all the great riding and campfires and even missed seeing Gene break a rib (darn!). I've told Ranger Nancy that I've paid my dues and will be attending the next campout... and, oh yeah, I will be bringing the guitar!

 

[HUGH]

Got wood?

Staying warm

Strike a pose

My Sister Natasha

Camp fire peeps

Veronica and I

Veronica Lilo and I

That would be Denmother on the ground!!

Bike porn.......

My peeps!

Ms Donna

Ms Debbie

Nancy and Roger

Vickie and Jesse

Mr broken rib

A good time was had by all!

HUGH

 

[gooseaholic]

The pic of the lady with th dog next to the fire is awesome!

 

[Kpeony]

For the record:

• I am normally not that drunk and disorderly.
• I do not approve of the lewd and lascivious behavior displayed by you heathens.
• I will not covet a woman's snuggle puppies other than my wife's.

Will that get me out of the doghouse?

Cal, if you need it, my company provides the perfect "get out of the Dog House" ticket. Um, not sure who's Dog House you are in, but if its Mrs. Cal's, then you need to call me for flowers for sure! Its guaranteed!

 

[denmother]

... and even more fun to hear Denmother coming into our camp banging on the pot with her big stick to wake up those nuts who kept her up all night...

Just to set the record straight, Steph was the official "pan banger", I just donated the pans and my voice!!!!

 

[mr.hobbs]

We had 23 miles under our belt by the time we meet our first group the “Switchback gang”. They where on their way back to camp and so were we, so we joined them for about four miles witch was nice but that was our only group ride of the weekend.

Smitty

It was about this time we also ran into the young girl riding alone on a ride from where we were (May valley rd.) to her destination of "Joshua Tree that night". Not sure where she started that morning, but I know Joshua tree is no where near Hurkey creek.
Her bike looked like a pack mule w/ sleeping bag, side bags, and bottles.

At that point, she was the only "A" rider I could see.