Bigger isn't always better

Oops, this one took me a long time to get around to. Elaine had to be at work for 11 so she wanted to be back by 10:30, just a little ride.
To start the day Jer and I left a little late and we met them when we were riding the Slade Connector. I rode the bump on Jessie's...or is it Watertower...at any rate I rode it!!!!!!!!
I had to turn around and just about died, riding what I had just ridden. The worst part was, I almost stopped to wait for them at the top, but I decided I'd have time to rest a bit first.
We took Washing Machine up to Northwind, then Northwind to Cold Deck up to Cliff. Up was a little tricky because my granny gear is skipping really bad. Judith took a look at it for me twice, but she wasn't able to completely fix it on the trail.
We stopped on Cliff for awhile in the sun and chatted about this and that. There was actually chocolate this time...but I didn't have any. It was just the point that I was promised chocolate to ride and I rode, but there was no chocolate.
On the way down we took Mr. Toad's Ride to Tadpole then Test Tube. There's a corner hidden by salal; Elaine warned me about it my first ride, but not this time and I forgot. The corner caught me by surprise and I didn't quite turn tight enough, my tire hit a tree/tree root and I fell. Not hard, just went down on one knee more than anything: a scratch and some dirt, not even a bruise.
From Test Tube we took Chris and Brad's to No Horses. I walked the really, really steep hill on Chris and Brad's. The combination of the corner, the narrowness, the steepness, and the gravel are a bit too much for me still. Elaine said that she had to be talked down it a number of times before she could do it.
On No Horses I rode two of the four crosses of the creek bed...well I rode over the creek, but I didn't ride down the slope on the other side for one, but the other I did. I rode so much more than I did before. I was so proud. Elaine said some ride soon we'd spend a day on Chris and Brad's and No Horses teaching me how to do it properly. That would be so much fun.
Good ride, not epic, but good.
Up
Down

Twice in a Row!

I managed to make it two weeks in a row. It was tough to get going this morning. Jer drove me up to the top of Slade, which was super nice. Thanx Jer. Only Amanda and Judith showed up. Unfortunately I had to work at noon today, so we had to have a shorter ride than last week. The three of us decided to go up to the bench and then down the Way. We decided to go to the right on Colt's Foot at the top of Slade and take Washing Machine to skip the steep part on Northwind. I managed to ride most of Washing Machine up. I think it's easier than Colt's Foot, not easy, but easier. I rode up so much better than before. It was like a hundred times easier AND I rode it all! On Monday I even rode up the steep part of Northwind.

After a rest at the top we headed down, well I thought we were heading down, but first we had to go up Far Side. Then we hit Purgatory, the first trail on the Way. There were, I think, three trees down on Purgatory that we had to lift over. The trail was also pretty messy. I had a hard time with it. There were a couple of pretty steep bits, plus some drops over roots. I rode most of it though. Once the Way crosses Northwind it turns from Purgatory into Bitchin' Camero. The beginning was far too steep for me, but I rode about three quarters I think. We all walked most of Spasm Chasm. It was slick and apparently a lot of it was washed out. There was a big mess, of about four or five trees. Luckily they had fallen over a old downed log. We walked up the log and passed our bikes down. There were a few other trees down, but nothing horrendous. And then we were back on Colt's Foot, below the rocky, hard section. Again, I could ride most of it. Then it was smooth sailing out. We got to the shop about 11:15, plenty of time for me to cool off and change before work.

Up
Down

To the tiptop of Mt. Crumpet

Well, Mt. Jeffery anyway. I put my rock on the top of the pile! I had no idea that was up there, I'm so stoked! I rode to the top of Slade from Water tower and Jessi's with Jer this morning for the ride. Liz, then Judith, then Amanda showed up. Amanda picked the route. We rode Colt's Foot to Northwind, then split to Four Dead Aliens.
Four Dead was tough! Not as technical as Jer led me to believe, but definitely steep. I had to walk some of the steeper bits. We cut a tree! It was about 6 inches in diameter. We used Judith's chain in teams. Judith and Amanda and then Liz and I. Liz wanted a pen so we could sign the end. Unfortunately nobody had one, next one.
After Four Dead we rode to Cliff and sat in the sun for a little while. I rode and walked Cliff and Outer Ridge. The edge made me a little nervous. After I walked down a steep section Liz rode behind me and I didn't walk any more. We took GFT to Summit. Summit was so much fun. I rode it all and only got scared like once or twice. From Summit we took Jessi's to Colt's Foot then out to Slade.
After the ride Liz rode home, Amanda drove to the Co-op, and Judith and I rode to the Co-op. We sat at Lix having coffee for a while, well I had a milk shake.
Liz got a picture of me beside the rock pile that I'll post when she emails it to me. I was so proud. All in all, a good ride, and just the start of my riding for the day.
Up
Down

Sheepish

I wish I had gone on Thursday, but I just couldn't get out of bed. I stayed up way too late on Wednesday and I wasn't sleeping much before that. It was feeling like a chore to go and that's not what it's all about. I felt like I let everyone down. I was talking about that with Jer and he said I didn't. Everyone had bugged me so much about going that I felt like I had to. I'm worried that I'll seem like a poser. I really want this to be real. I want to be good. I want to love it. I'm pretty sure I want this for me. I'm going to make sure I go to bed early this Wednesday. I'll make it. I promise.

Exhausted, but Proud

Well, I finally did it. I went out with the Social Climbers. Jer and some of the women have been bugging me for months. I've been sort of apprehensive about joining; I didn't think I could keep up and I don't know the members very well. I rode a couple times with my mom and with Jer, that helped. The "early" start time also didn't help, yuck 8:45AM. Yesterday morning I was nervous, but Jer drove me up and everyone seemed happy to see me.

There were five of us: Sara, Jenny, Elaine, Liz, and myself. We started the ride, by heading up the Slade Connector to Colt's Foot. From Colt's Foot we rode to the bottom of Northwind, then the long, and I mean long, climb began. I could have sworn it was about an hour, in reality it was probably only like half an hour. At the top of Northwind we hit Cold Deck, which took us to the bench.

We spent some time looking at the gorgeous view and gossiping ;o) .

Coming down Liz was great, showing me techniques and explaining the easiest way to do things.
On the first short, open hill from the bench she demonstrated the proper way to sit to easily, and SAFELY, ride down.

We rode Toad's Ride to Tadpole coming down. Tadpole was a little scary in some places, but I did most of it. Elaine rode immediately in front of me and Liz behind. It really helped following Elaine, I couldn't see very far in front so I was on the scary stuff before I realized it was there. I only bailed once. It was over a section of largish rocks and I had to drop my bike or I'd have fallen. At the bottom of Tadpole everyone said how great it was that I managed to ride it all. They said they hadn't been able to ride it all their first times. At the bottom of Tadpole we rode a short section of Test Tube to get back to Northwind. From Northwind we rode Washing Machine down to Colt's Foot. I didn't ride a large section of Washing Machine. It was pretty technical. I think I could've ridden the rocks and hill and stuff if they weren't all together, but as it was I think I did pretty well. We took Colt's Foot to the Slade Connector and that was that.

After the ride we all ended up at the Bike Shop, Elaine and I rode together and Sara and Jenny drove. The ride was great and Jer was proud of me. I'm going to go again, but I still haven't decided if I actually liked it. Going up was really hard and coming down was scary. I think that in time the up will get easier, Liz told me it would be a third easier next week, and the down will get less scary. I only had to walk once going up, and just for like ten fifteen feet. We stopped four times for breaks on the way up.

All in all it was thumbs up, not down. :oD

Up
Down