Friday, May 22, 2020

Mountain biking

Last Saturday, I drove down to Skeggs for some mountain biking.  But the parking lot(and all of the pullouts) were so crowded, I just ended up driving home.  Things are weird due to the pandemic.  Anyway I decided to wait until it got dark, and ride Sutro.  I had just gotten a second light.  The new light is a flood for the handlebars, and I already had a spot that mounts on my helmet.  It was a good little ride.  And the combo of spot and flood lights was awesome.  I turned off the flood light a few times to see what a difference it makes, and I wouldn't go night riding without it anymore.  The ride concluded when I saw a skunk on the trail.  After that I decided to head back down and call it a night.

Today(a Friday), I had the day off, so I drove down to Skeggs.  Even for a weekday the parking lot was starting to fill up around 10:15am.  I rode with a facemask under my chin that I could pull up when needed.   As always the trails along the ridge were the most trafficked, and once I was able to descend it got very comfortable.  I did two of my loops on Manzanita, and two of my loops on Olijion.  It felt really good, and I think I've finally gotten my mojo back after breaking my collarbone.

Lots of blue bells along the trail.

Oh and now all my favorite mountain biking spots are open again: China Camp, Tamarancho, Skeggs, and Mt. Sutro.  The trick is just figuring out how to avoid the crowds.