Tag: Lewis Morris

3 Quick MTB reviews

Here is my latest MTB review. For 3 days in a row, my friends and I woke up bright and early and rode at sunrise. To write these quick and brief reviews of the trails we rode, I’ll use songs to help me out.

The first day was a workday so I could only do a quick ride before work. That was at Gedar Crove. First time there! That ride felt like Christopher Cross’s “Ride Like The Wind” Lots of fast, flowy and punchy trails that are one foot on the edge of wilderness and the other foot on the edge of suburbia. Although I wasn’t on my way “to the border of Mexico” I did feel like I had “such a long way to go” not because I’m Outlaw Josey Wales or anything like that, but because I had to get in and out there quickly so I could make it to my day job on time. The only way to do that was to stay focused and “Ride like the wind.” It was unfortunate that we felt rushed, because there were a lot of nice features like skinnies and jumps that we passed up. So this trail goes on the places I have to go back to list.

The second day was Lewis Mörris. The trail reroute of the switchbacks to the more downhill trail is awesome! That ride felt like “Burnin’ For You” by Blue Öyster Cult. We all know Lew Mö is flowy like Zoë, but those uphills are murder! After 12 miles, I heard my legs sing out, “I’m burning, I’m burning, I’m burning for you.”

Third day was Sterling. This day was a little different, because in my mind, I split it into two distinct rides. The first is an in/out. We rode Augusta Mine/McKeags trails to the end and back a couple of times. 2 miles each way, plus sessioning a section that we really liked. That added up to about 10 miles or so.

The second is a 9 mile loop starting at Redback in the south facing direction, then Flow works north. Overall it was a lot of fun and so far these trails were like “Rock Hard, Ride Free” (Judas Priest), but then my muscles hit a wall on northbound Palisades 17 trail. Not a literal wall. More like a wall of muscles depleted of glycogen. After 19 miles at Sterling, my muscles just said “I’m done.” And that trail was like “Whipping Post” (Allman Brothers)

“Sometimes I feel, sometimes I feel,

Like I’ve been tied to the whippin’ post.

Tied to the whippin’ post, tied to the whippin’ post.

GOOD LORD, I FEEL LIKE I’M DYIN’

Happy riding friends

\m/

The Raspberries Taste Like Raspberries

Did trail work at Stephens on Saturday. Every time I do TM, it’s always oddly mentally satisfying and physically invigorating. Then on Sunday I rode at Lew Mo and found acres and acres of tasty fresh raspberries. It’s like the wallpaper in Willy Wonka’s factory!

I should mention to anyone reading this, to get to the field of raspberries, you have to hike 13 miles up a steep trail that is lined on either side with spikes that have impaled the skulls of trespassers. If you get past that, then you need to climb up a 200 foot cliff and then rappel down the other side, cross a moat that is guarded by angry bears and mountain lions. Pick at your own risk!

When I am confronted by such dangers in the vicinity of Lewis Morris and Jockey Hollow, I ask myself, “What would Temperance Wick do!”