Turnbull Canyon Ride Report…Going Green

RL, Priscilla, Moe and myself hooked up this Saturday to explore some new trails out at Turnbull Canyon. It’s started out pretty chilly but warmed up about 30 minutes into the ride. I was ridiculed for my excessive cold weather setup from the start. Hey, I’m a slim jim…scrawny + cold = misery.

Freezing

Spring is the one time of year when we get some decent rain here and it certainly makes for some beautiful rides. If I could look at this type of greenery all year long I think I’d be in heaven. Anyway, RL was out on his man-making-machine, the singlespeed Sette Reken and there was plenty of climbing throughout the day. I tell you this guy is a glutton for pain!

Mmmm…that’s nice

This ride really flowed along except for one particular climb. It was no more than a 2 foot wide singletrack that had a good sized rut running through the middle. So you had to stay on a 6 inch patch of ground, grind out a considerably steep climb, traverse the switchbacks and avoid a huge amount of loose, baseball-sized, rock all at the same time. We decided to hike-a-bike up this part. Even the hike was tough.

Moe happy cuz he doesn’t have ride uphill

After this section we ran into some exposed singletrack. This is the type of trail you dream about so I tried it and luckily didn’t fall off.

Priscilla ready to break out the crash kit

Below was another new part of the trail we went on. The downhills were steep and speedy with constant switchbacks to hold your attention. I felt like we were in a rain forest. Looking up, RL and Moe had this great view of Moe coming down.

Moe on the switchbacks

I guess the theme of the day was switchbacks, now that I think about it. They were everywhere! We did find a nice 6 foot drop but I wasn’t feelin’ it since this was my first ride back on the Heckler in over a couple weeks. I’m glad no one was taunting me on or I might have gotten myself into trouble. We had our hands full enough with the lengthy climbs.

Moe finishing off the hill

Priscilla was in her usual kick-ass form on all the uphills. I noticed her bunny hopping over ridges in the road on the way back to the trailhead and couldn’t help but think how encouraging it is to see a female have as much fun on the bike as the guys. Just shows that bikes aren’t sexist…anyone can have fun!

Havin’ a blast

The weather kicked up to the mid 70s by the end of the ride and it was absolutely beautiful out. Great people and a great ride. Always a good mix!

Priscilla…always smilin’ on the trail