Got a bit lucky with schedules and the weather last weekend, connecting with JimG and Carlos to see what the TfK folks were trying to get rid of cheaply. TfK is “Trips for Kids“, a program sheparded along by Marilyn Price, working with kids to teach them some skills and values, as well as get them out onto the trails on bicycles. It’s a program she’s helped to replicate in many different cities. They run the “original mothership” in downtown San Rafael, and over the years more than a couple of odd parts have found their way from the corners of their shop onto bicycles of mine. As they partially fund the program through the shop sales, it isn’t some super-cheap parts by the pound operation, but I’ve always felt good buying from them and donating to them.
A few weeks ago, JimG noticed that they were having their first-ever warehouse sale - dropping prices for the first time ever to clean things out a bit. It was a good excuse to turn out some pockets and find some spare dollar bills. We really had no idea what was heaped in the corner of their warehouse and store. So, we met up and hit the sale as the doors opened.
Well, I’ll dispel the building tension by saying that there wasn’t much that we couldn’t live without. There was a nice older Davidson frame that was a tad big for me, and a few odds and ends that ultimately didn’t pass the “do I really need this?” test. But, I found a few beefy V-section road rims that will be good for cross wheels and Jim found a really nice old square taper XTR crankset. There were jerseys and shoes being sold ridiculously cheap, but as we all agreed later, we had good stuff with life left in it and just didn’t need more crap. I sorta wonder what would’ve happened if a 10 year younger me had been there…
Following the sale, we stashed our goodies and wrangled the bikes. I’d enticed them up to the North Bay with the idea that we’d mess around on the trails up at China Camp State Park. As we rolled out onto the roadway, the sound of buzzing knobbies accompanied us and I realized it had been a long time since I’d heard that. In fact, I couldn’t even recall the last time I’d had the mountain bike out. JimG picked up on it as well, and all three of us laughed at the fact that we’d ridden together for so many miles, yet we had never been out on mountain bikes together. Once again, both Carlos and Jim were smart enough to bring geared bikes along, and I spun along trying to keep up with them as we rode to the trails.
China Camp gets a fair amount of traffic, but holds up to it reasonably well. Through some quirk of action and invisibility, the State Park folks managed to plan and execute a network of multi-use singletrack trails, which zig-zag their way upward and across old access roads. It isn’t super-technical riding, but it gets rocky here and there, and you do have to pay attention to your line. If you want to get to the ridge, where the old Nike Missle System sighting station sits, there’s a bit of climbing involved. Leaving the singletrack, I grunted upwards first, only because I knew the boys with their fancy multi-geared bicycles would be catching me once I began hoofing it. Well, “hoofing” is a polite description for “dragging my sorry hide upwards with a perfectly rideable bike on my shoulder…”
After a few pitches of hiking with some blessed relief in the angle which let me ride a bit, we collected ourselves at the bottom of the last incline before the top. We all seemed to be hurting a bit, and it was clear that whatever kind of shape long distance road riding had given us, the demands of the trail worked a whole different muscle group. But, we cajoled each other up the final bits and popped out into bright sunlight and a cooling breeze at the ridgetop.
We hung out and enjoyed the sun for a while, chatting with a bearded rider who plopped down next to us and seemed to enjoy our collective wits. Then we turned our wheels back onto the trails and made our way around the mountainside. For some reason - maybe too busy playing tour guide - I didn’t take too many photos. There were a few herds of other riders now and again, but as is generally the case, folks disperse themselves onto the trails and you tend not to feel like there are that many other users - even though it was the middle of a sunny Saturday.
Did manage to kick up one young tom turkey - just starting to get dumb now that spring mating season is upon us. I was also a bit chagrined to see some of the trail work that got done on Oak Ridge Trail. They bladed it and widened parts of it which had a nice meandering feel. It was a bit rutted at the start of last winter, but this seemed a bit like overkill.
We wound back along towards the start and all started to falter a bit. We realized that other than a post-TfK stop at Peet’s, none of us had eaten anything sensible all day. JimG paused to pound a Clif-shot while trailside, and then dropped us like whimpering pups as he stormed off into the headwind once back on the road. Both Carlos and I knew he’d used the one with caffeine…
Covered about 18 miles of good trails, fun climbing and good company. Man, I was sore the next day…
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