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Kernville Day 3 of riding and HOME!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:11:00 +0000

Well, I am finally home. Tam dropped me off about 7:30pm, so I will tell you about the day, then off to unpack and enjoy a well deserved glass of Cab@

Well, we started off today with a pancake breakfast at the camp ground that everyone attended. The breakfast was wonderful. Then John, the promoter announced the winners of the contests and did a ton of raffles. Most riders in our group won a little something from the raffles. Hugh didn’t win on the hill climb this year, but apparently he got almost to the cone after riding all day, then climbing with his DH bike!!!! Wow!!!! Great Job!

The morning started a bit disorganized since we decided to drop a few cars off at the post office in town so we would not have to ride all the way back to camp after the ride since there was no shuttle. Well, all worked out fine and we all got to the top for our last day of riding: ALTA SIERRA!!! This is probably my favorite trail to ride.
We had over 70 riders so the ride leaders broke up the group into 2 groups. 1 group was going to ride the loop I did last year which added about another 6 miles of mostly climbing. Tamara, Huck, Norm, Alan and Brad H (we adopted him this trip), decided to ride the harder ride. I opted out and took the easier ride.
O, did I mention it was deer hunting season????!!!!! Yup, kept hearing gun shots every so often….kept you on your toes that’s for sure!!!
Well, this trail is NOTHING BUT PURE FUN!!! About 65% sweet, smooth, curvy single track through beautiful trees, woods and all going down hill! Then we had 2 miles of a fire road climb, then 11 miles of somewhat techy fun downhill fire road. Well. About half way down a rider stopped me and told me rider down and to dismount my bike but that is all he told me. Well, when I came around the next bend on the straight away, I saw a big group of riders huddled over a girl. Apparently she hit a jeep head on. Poor thing couldn’t move. She was lucky enough one of the riders who found her was a doctor and stabilized her. So finally they started to let riders go down the fire road and told us to be cautious and watch out for the ambulance coming up. I kept going and stopped at an intersection because I was by myself and didn’t know where to go. Then I realized, rut roh……..the rider who got hit was a girl with black hair and a pink jersey. So I realized that sounded just like me so I started to radio the others to let them know I was fine and it wasn’t me. I couldn’t get anyone, so I sent Tam a text and a few other posts knowing she would check those places if she didn’t hear from me. So I rode back to the parking lot and waited. I kept trying to radio them to let them know it wasn’t me but didn’t hear anything, so I was hoping no one told them or they already knew. Turns out it was Romey’s wife who got hit which was the funny guy at the bon fire last night dancing naked with a sock.
My thoughts are with them both.

So I waiting for about an hour in the parking lot where we left the cars yapping with the other riders. Finally I saw Norm riding up and then of course got a little worried. He said that Errol, (sp?)Tamara, Huck and Brad decided to take the gnarly single track off of the ride that Hugh was telling them about. Alan’s back was killing him and Norm’s shoulder was done again, so they both took the fire road back. Alan came up next, then Errol. Errol said he took the fork to the left and didn’t see them. Apparently the others took the fork to the right……….ooppps!…Howevah…..it sounded like it was a much more fun ride for them!!

So all of us back and accounted for except Hugh who rode Canell again. So we all went to camp to sign back in, get the other cars and go to a late lunch. Hugh rode in just after we pulled in so all was good. We changed, cleaned up and went to lunch in town at a Mexican restaurant. Then we headed home and our separate ways!

I want to thank the following riders for making this road trip absolutely outstanding in their own way!
Tamara: You absolutely amaze me in every way. Thank you so much for pushing me and just telling me I could do it and there was nothing to worry about. Thanks for waiting for me too so I wouldn’t get lost, panic and be by myself, (no…moi get worried and panic?!!!!!), and thanks for organizing everything!
Huck: Thanks for waiting for me as well, thanks for CONSTANTLY pushing me into longer and harder rides and thanks for always watching out for me in every way. This all started with pushing me to NOT start Reseda at the top but to start all the rides at Cabby. Now I am some how able to ride it in just under 20 minutes which is a huge accomplishment for me.
Norm: Thanks for waiting for me. Thanks for always fixing my bike and lifting it on and off the shuttles which are really hard to reach! Thanks for shuttling us all this morning as well.
Alan: You are always so positive and give me AWESOME tips! It is always a pleasure riding with you and I hope to see Jen more too!! Thank you as well for shuttling us all this morning.
Hugh: Hmmmmmmm, what I can I say about Hugh?!!!! Your endurance just amazes me Hugh! You are always really fun to be around and an absolute crack up.
Errol: I just met you Errol and thanks for calling me Babe! I feel sooooooooooooo much younger now!!!! You are always smiling and positive so welcome to our clan!
Brad H: Welcome to our clan! Thanks for joining us Brad. It was a real hoot and I think I can speak for us all when I say we all enjoyed riding with you and your company this past weekend.
Check out Brad’s website: http://www.backontrackproductions.com/

Ok, so now I am home, the Cab is done breathing and I am SPENT! Need to go shower and unpack. Back to the grind tomorrow. I am soooooo glad I took tomorrow night off from spin!

Don’t forget our own CORBA FAT TIRE FEST Oct 25th Sign up here: http://corbamtb.com/FTF/2009/index.html
3 PROS! Brian Lopes, Ned Overland and Sid Taberlay!

Peace and be fabulous all!

Wendy!

Kernville Fat Tire Fest Day 2 of Riding!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:11:00 +0000

Today we rode Kern Canyon Trail. Huck and Norm rode demo bikes, both hard tails with road bike seats. I felt sorry for them with those seats………well, not really, but maybe just a tad! Didn’t seem to affect them at all, both their speed demon selves on the trail!

This was probably the most difficult ride I have ridden endurance wise. We started climbing almost immediately and the climbs were big, steep fire roads, and I mean STEEP! I think as a whole today’s group was much faster than yesterdays. I found myself last for the 1st 25% of the ride, so I wasn’t happy about that and was really struggling. I was constantly off my bike walking a ton of the climbs, a group of us was. After the really steep fire road climbs we had a really long, steep single track that didn’t seem to end. So I think the 1st part was the toughest part of the ride.
I have to say before I forget that the ride leaders on this ride were just outstanding. The never left me and made sure I was ok, always asking me. When they got a little ahead they made sure they stopped at every intersection so I didn’t get lost and I am sooooooo grateful!!
So after the 1st major break, I caught up with the rest of the ride. I seemed to get my second wind at that point and did much better. The fast riders were soooooooo encouraging as well. The 2nd brake point was another fairly steep climb to get to where everyone was waiting, so they were all watching….in other words……make sure you MAKE THE CLIMB! I turned my IPOD off and all I heard was yelling and screaming of encouragement and them calling my name. How could I NOT make the climb with all that excitement and encouragement!!! WOW!

So then I was pointed the major climb of the ride and I just kept looking UP, and UP and UP and UP. I wasn’t happy, but sucked it up and did it. I didn’t dare turn back, and they gave us that opportunity. But I know I would have gotten too much !@#$%&*^!@ from a few people, so I kept going. Very, very brutal. This climb just never ended. I rode a lot more of this, but still walked some portions.
The last part was awesome, mostly all down hill and very smooth. When I reached the end and the other riders, everyone high fived me, was a great feeling to accomplish a ride like that. Then I went into the river and washed my face. It was 90 degrees when we got finished.
So then we rode up the highway into a lot to wait for the vans and out comes the beer! No water, no Gatorade, but tons of beer! Guess my thirst was gonna wait! So Tamara made sure to save the front seat of the van for me so I wouldn’t….well….get car sick. Thank you for that! Then we went back to the shuttle point and drove back to the camp site to check back in. I was just totally spend, so Tamara drove, you think I get squirly when I am tired and on the trail, you should see me drive when I am tired!!!

So after we checked in, I took my bike to the Specialized trailer. YIKES!!! My bike was a mess! An enormous list of things that was wrong, too much to go into, but it should be fine for tomorrow’s ride, then Huck is taking it to Michael’s to get it fixed the right way.

By the time we got back to the hotel, it was too late to eat since we were meeting for dinner at 6:30pm, so I went to lay down for a bit and the others just gabbed. Then we all went to the brewing company:
Hugh
Alan
Huck
Tamara
Norm
Wendy
Erol
Brad H

We had fun at dinner, Hugh did the hill climb contest just before dinner but he won’t know how he did until tomorrow. One guy did it NUDE!!!! O….there’s more!

Soooooooooo, then we went to the bon fire and saw Randy and a bunch of other people. They had a contest/raffle to win a beach cruiser bike. The contest was who could be the MOST funny. The winner, one of our ride leaders today…Romey! He came out to a Red Hot Chili pepper song with nothing on but a SOCK! And danced and lip synced the entire song with just a SOCK on! Can you guess who won the bike?! Yup, hands down Romey! Freekin funniest thing I ever saw!!!!

So now, I am catching up on the blog. We pack up tomorrow morning, check out and head to camp for the pancake breakfast and raffles. Then our final ride is Alta Sierra!

So, until tomorrow night kids, I am whipped! Need some sleep. Hope you enjoyed all the dirt and are creating some of your own fun back home!!!

Peace and be fabulous loves!

Wendy!

KERNVILLE FAT TIRE FEST 2009 DAY 1 OF RIDING!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:22:00 +0000

Kernville Day 1 of riding! Canell!!!
What an AMAZING DAY! We started with the longest ride 1st and the shuttle went all the way to the top starting us at 9200 feet. There were 56 riders on this trail. Not too many women, 5 or 6 that was it, 2 of them being Tam and myself.
Well, 1 of the vans forget to get gas, so they had to turn around and go all the way back to town. John the promoter said we had to wait for them to get there so Tamara thought it best the 5 of us start. Tamara, Huck, Norm , Hugh and myself. So she told John our group was starting. We started riding the paved road then went onto a single track. I was happy we were all starting together since I was a bit on the nervous side riding this new trail. Well, apparently the remaining group of riders……. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM….decided to follow ME! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! It was like letting a bunch of cattle out of a pen that had been cooped up for days! That was the scariest part of the entire ride!!! Way 2 funny. I radioed my group because I naturally had to pull over and told them the entire group started as well and I am waiting for everyone to pass.
So I snook in when I could and hooked up with these really nice, helpful older gentlemen and we did a lot of the ride together. They had ridden Canell for 20 some odd years so I knew they were good to ride with and they were more my speed. My group stopped at the major intersections and waiting for me. Tamara also stopped at a really techy section to let me know….well, it was a really techy section and she asked me if I wanted to follow her. Giggles, U WAY 2 Funny women! How am I suppose to follow your speed demon bum when, well. I can’t keep up?! Giggles, thanx 4 the offer though! I did great on that section, barely dabbed at all and only got off my bike when the guy that was drinking beer crashed in front of me.
So this trail was truly an epic. A little bit of everything you can imagine. Lots of swooping single track, lots of whoops, rock gardens, switch backs, meadows, lakes, water, exposure and of course the plunge!!! Was really amazing! I had a fantastic time and the weather was just perfect!!! I will definitely ride this again next year! Thanks everyone for talking me into riding it and thanks also for waiting for me!

So we rode back to the camp ground and of course no one was at the Specialized tent, they were riding. Had TONS of problems with my brakes and front wheel. The 2 guys that rode with me helped adjust them, Norm helped and Brad H helped with the front tire. Looks like I owe a lot of beers out there to you guys! Hit me up at the brewing company tomorrow night!!!
Well, we drove back to the hotel and I just about died. Was exhausted. We rode about 23 miles and I felt it! I crashed on the bed while Tamara was working on her bike (god, how many red bulls does this women take?!!! Endless energy!)
Hugh had a ton of problems with his bike today too. The cassette Hugh? He rode his big DH bike which was killer because there was a ton of climbing on this trail. And NO, He didn’t tow me, I did just fine thank you very much!!!

So then it was the Pizza Party time! Very small turn out. No free beer this year, maybe that’s why? They even cancelled one of the scheduled rides today because of low turn out. I enjoyed meeting all the people from San Diego and Brad House from Torrance who is STILL looking for another women XC racer for Halloween. Thanks again for helping me on the trail today Brad. Glad you got to meet all my clan as well! Aren’t we all a hoot?!!! Now you need to come out and ride some of OUR trails!!!

Well, we were pretty tired. Tam and I decided to come back to the hotel and Huck and Norm made a pit stop at the brewery which now I am regretting, would have loved a glass of wine to chill out.

So, Alan is now on his way. We lost Brian and tomorrow Hugh is riding Alta Sierra, so it will be just myself, Tamara, Huck and Norm on Kern trail.

Ok loves, I am just beat. I had the most amazing day and evening. Bummed this is our last trip of the year but really enjoying every minute of it! Life is grand and I am a happy camper! Hope all are staying cool in LA and enjoying life!!! Thank you all for sharing my life with me!

Wendy!

PS: We now have NED OVERLAND FOR CORBA FAT TIRE! OCT 25TH! WOW!!!!!!!!!

KERNVILLE FAT TIRE FEST 2009!!! We R HERE!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:29:00 +0000

HOLA PEEPS! Well, I am writing my first blog from my hotel room in Kernville with Tam on the bed and Huck a yappin in the door way and we are talking about Huck's Dutch vacation and in walks Norm! NORM! Oh, and here comes HUGH! HUGH!

We had a quick 3 hour drive here and went directly to the camp ground to get signed in. Everyone else is either coming in tomorrow or just left to late so Tamara and I had a lovely, Yappy dinner @ That's Italian. OK, Maybe just ME was yappy, poor Tam, u get to suffer with me as your roomie this trip! But doesn't the room smell pretty?! (Lavender Candles of course!)

Huck and Norm ate at B&B's BBQ. The owner, Wendy, was closing up and OPENED BACK UP for Huck and Norm so they get get some dinner! THANK YOU! That was very hospitable.Big shout out to you and thank you!

So Hugh just went for dinner and we are all still yapping in the room and discussing the Canell ride, weather and making sure I GET BACK BACK TO THE CAMP IN 1 PIECE! NO LEAVING WENDY BEHIND!!!

So, Hugh offered to tow me again this year, thanx doll, but that would be pretty embarrasing wouldn't it! I CAN DO IT!I REALLY CAN!!!

Ok, so, will save all the good blog for tomorrow night. Big 1st day. After Canell we have the pizza/beer party which I am really looking forward to meeting a lot of other riders I have been talking to on either Face Book or MTBR, so stoked to meet you all!

K, gonna kick Huck out of the room now so we can get some sleep.

Peace and be fabulous all! Will blog again tomorrow night!

Wendy!

KERNVILLE FAT TIRE FEST 2009!!!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:42:00 +0000

This is our last road trip of the year! Total bummer! It has been one of the most amazing summers ever! Wow, the trails I have ridden! The crashes I have taken!!! OY GA VAULT!!!

So Tamara is meeting me at my place at 2pm today and we are loading up. It's a 3 hour drive, so will still get there early enough for a good nights rest! We will need it! Day 1 is Canell from the TOP! We start riding at 9200 feet! AHHHHHHH, I just MAY need a tow!!!

K, will write the 1st blog this evening after dinner probably and when all the other riders are in. Looks like we have the following riders in our group:
Tamara
Wendy
Huck
Norm
Alan
Brian
Hugh
Randy

Still waiting to hear from David Z.

K, I best go get packing and stop a yapping!!! Will miss everyone who is not riding with us, but will make sure I let you in on every gory detail of the trip.

Peace and be fabulous dahlings!!

Wendy!

Tahoe Trip Final Blog!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:46:00 +0000

Well I am finally back in LA and this is my final blog. Myself, Desi, Tam, Pete, Howard and Graham had breakfast this morning in Sacramento and was on the highway by 9am. Pete and Tamara dropped me off about 3:30pmish at my house and I am finally unpacked, have laundry in and relaxing with a great glass of Bordeaux.

This was probably my most favorite bike trip to date. I want to thank everyone soooooo very much for making it just the best!

Maria: Could not have gone on this trip without you and didn’t worry or stress a bit about AV! What on earth would I do without you?! Thank you!
Rick our guide: Thank you sooooooooo much Rick for being our guide, we are very grateful!
Tamara: You did sooooooooo much work organizing this trip and it was a complete success!!! Thank you for everything! You are a true inspiration as well to all us girls…u make me want to work even harder, thank you!
Pete: Yes you ARE a social guy Pete! Just gotta drag it out of you a bit!!! Thank you for driving, thank you for putting the tire on my bike back and thanks for the good tips on breathing and riding.
Huck: What can I say, always a pleasure riding with you! Great job for not riding much lately and working a ton of hours!
Charlotte: Always great to ride with you and you technical skills have shot through the roof! Fantastic job!
Norman: A big huge thanks as always for taking care of my Jamis! Really appreciate it!
Graham: You are truly ALWAYS a pleasure to be around Graham! Thanks for the fantastic slide show!
Howard: Hector!!!! Where’s Howard?!!!!!!! That was the saying these last 4 days. Thanks for being funny, coming back for me on the Flume Trail and just being fun to be around!
Desi: Fabulous to ride with you as always and especially to see a big smile on your face after riding your Enduro! Great job Desi!!!
Ruth: You are really amazing Ruth! Love riding with you even though you are SMOKIN me! Great job!
Richard: You are always fun to have on the rides!
Lisa: Great job as always girl! Love riding with you!!!!
Cosmo: U DA MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for guiding us around Northstar, helping fix my Jamis and filming!!!
Tim: U DA OTHER MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for keeping me in stitches, and especially getting me down Gypsy and waiting for me. O yeah, and spending an hour or so of your riding time to fix my DH bike so I could keep riding! U R THE BEST! THANK YOU!
Eric: You are always say encouraging things to me Eric and I really appreciate it. Great job being the 1st rider down on the 2nd run of Downieville!!!
Louisa and Greg: Love having you guys with us! Louisa, you are one heck of a climber sistah!!!!!!
Yongky: I just loved spending time and riding with you Yongky. You always have a fun, positive attitude even when things go very wrong. Thank you for lunch and thanks for riding with me!!

Ok, so that is it! The next weekend trips are SART/Big Bear, then Kernville Fat Tire Fest. Back to work tomorrow. Thank you again to all that shared my life with me the last week and made it even better! I adore all of you and am grateful to have you in my life.

Peace and be fabulous dahlings!!!!!

Wendy!

Tahoe Last Day!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 04:06:00 +0000

Tahoe Last Day!
1st I want to say I forgot to mention yesterday that Huck was one of the riders that rode Northstar with us. SORRY HUCK! Thank you for saving my afternoon and loaning me the correct tube yesterday and also giving me cash for lunch today when I left that in the car too!!!

Today was Downieville! Our last day of our vacation. We left the condo’s around 7:20am this morning to gas up and make the 2 hour drive to Downieville. Once we got on the shuttle, we had another 40 minutes or so to drive up to the trail head. We divided up into 3 groups. An A, B and C group. Myself, Charlotte, Howard and Ruth made up the B group.
I took the Jamis on this because I thought it was virtually all down hill…..it was not. We dropped in on Sunshine for about 2 miles, then did some fun descending on Butcher. There were rock gardens, ledges, switch backs, swooping areas, water falls, bridges and climbing of course. A little bit of everything.
We then went into the 3rd divide. This was my favorite part of the trail. Very rolley with much more descending and baby heads to roll over. VERY FUN!!! We caught up with part of the A group that also had the big DH bikes, so I knew what they were going through with the climbs. So the last part we added Norm, Tim and Cosmo to our group and finished the trail off with a fire road and then on the pavement back into town. The rest of the A group had already arrived. It took our group 2.5 hours to get down including waiting and stops.
Then we ordered sandwiches at the store and had lunch at one of the picnic tables in town. What a quaint, TINY town! Some of the riders were getting ready to go up for shuttle #2: Tamara, Huck, Pete, Howard, Ruth, Eric, not sure who else.
Myself, Charlotte, Norm, Tim and Cosmo rode back to the cars. Charlotte and Norm decided to go ahead and drive to Sacramento where we are all staying tonight and making the drive back tomorrow morning. Tim and Cosmo took off to make the long 8 hour drive back to LA.
I am in Pete’s car blogging while they do another run. I was going to go into town, but was too tired to make the walk, so thought I would get started on my blog. So as soon as the other riders get back, we are heading up to Old Town Sacramento to stay for the night and make the drive back tomorrow.

Another amazing day. I have to say that Northstar was my favorite day. My favorite DH trail was Live Wire and my favorite XC trail was Hole in the Ground.

It is 9pm and we are finally in our rooms in Sacramento. I am sooooo spent! Most of old town was closed, so we got take out and will leave around 8am tomorrow. Some of the riders decided to go ahead and drive home, so the only ones left here at the hotel are myself, Desi, Tamara, Pete, Howard and Graham. Huck had to drive back to Palo Alto for work and all else either stayed with friends or just drove home.

What a fabulous trip. Will write my last blog when I get home tomorrow evening sometime.
Exhausted and a bit brain dead, I am outta here!!!

Be fabulous dahlings!

Tahoe Day 3 of Riding!!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Northstar Day!!! Today was down hill day for myself, Charlotte, Norm, Tim and Cosmo. All the other riders rode Emigrant Trail which I hear was awesome. Another 24 miles of XC today! You guys rock! Great job!

So Tim and Cosmo spent a lot of yesterday scouting out trails that all of us could ride and enjoy at Northstar. Our warm up trail was Booster, a blue trail to Flame out, a single black diamond. The 1st part of Booster we had a lot of adjustments, seats, chains, getting used to the deep dirt. That part went by pretty quick. Then we went right into Flame Out. Very fun, but too much pedaling. These trails here I thought were consistently technical, but not steep. I could have used it to be more steep so I had more momentum and didn’t have to work so hard.
Well, once we got on Flame out, it took me all of about 5 minutes to crash. No big deal. It was a steep left hand switch back…ok, maybe more of a really tight burm and VERY loose. I rode up on the outside of out, looked to the inside and instead of just letting go of my brakes and leaning my body in a bit, I decided to steer and just tumbled right down with the bike on top of me. What a goober move THAT was!
Another 5 minutes later, I hear Charlotte scream FLAT!!!!! (at least it wasn’t Tim’s new DH scream: PINCH FLAT!!! F!@#$%^&!!! Gee, wonder where he got THAT from….Don’t worry, I won’t mention any names………. BRAD!

So we finished the 1st part, then waited at the bottom for all to arrive in 1 piece with NO flats! All in all this trail was a bit too much pedaling, but still a great warm up! Very, very loose and deep!
Next trail was Live Wire. Another single black. This trail was very different and by far MY FAVORITE! It was all table top jumps and tons of enormous burms!! And….very long!!!! So we all rode this and pulled over to rest a few times and to let the really fast riders go by. For those of you who have ridden Whistler, this trail was like a smaller Crank It Up, but much, much longer and the burms were bigger too. Leah, I guarantee this would have been your favorite trail as well since you loved Crank it Up so much!!!

I knew I only had 1, maybe 2 more runs in me since I had just ridden 2 really hard XC days. So the rest of the gang wanted to ride Gypsy and I just wanted to have a blast on Live Wire, so I decided to ride that again. Just as I was about to take off, I hear everyone yell at me, FLAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! I turned around and saw my rear tire on the Jamis was FLAT!!! Grrrrrrrr!!!! So, Tim took over my bike and also made a few grrrrrrr sounds when taking off the rear tire because he had to get his “special tools” to take it off. Not sure what that meant, but I was just grateful he knew what he was doing. Sooooo, I took out my spare DH tube and it was a Shraeder Valve and needed to be a Presta Valve. Apparently only the Presta Valves will fit on my tires. Hmmmmm I need to trade out my Shraeder tubes for Presta with someone!!!
So…………..patch time! So Tim decided to now just patch up the old tube we took out of the garbage now since it was a Presta. Got it filled up and back on. Looked great! I went to go feel it and it was FLAT AGAIN!!! Can’t you guess what he then said?! Yes, a few choice words and Cosmo added in his version as well.
So, he took it off again, found ANOTHER tear, then patched that! Put it back on and POOF! FLAT AGAIN! OK, 3rd times a charm right? This time, Cosmo found thorns in the tire that were very tiny but apparently big enough to eat up my tube! So he took them out, patched it again and put the tube back in 1 more time. FLAT AGAIN! At that point, I said the heck with it and let me just get the bike and me down the mountain, at least I got to ride Live Wire! Soooooo, everyone else rode down and I waited in the HIKE line to come back down the mountain. My bike was waiting for me when I got down and Charlotte came and got me, took my Camel back and Helmet from me and told me to go get some food and meet them in the restaurant. She must have sensed I was a little flustered?! Good call Char!
So, had a good tuna melt and got some energy back. Had a fun lunch and Huck was able to dig out an extra Presta tube. Not a DH tube, but Cosmo is running very small tubes, and he said it would be fine, so I was just very grateful they were going to give it 1 more try.
So then, Tim took the rear tire off again, Cosmo and Norm both checked the tape inside the tire just in case, and viola! It worked!!!! I was thrilled!!!
So, I figured I only had 1 more run, since I was just sooo fatigued from the last few days so of course I wanted to ride Live Wire again. Charlotte decided to sit this one out and stretch and save her legs for Downiville. SMART MOVE!!
So, Cosmo was nice enough to film this run of myself and Huck. FUN FUN FUN!!! Huck and I stayed pretty close for a lot of the trail and had a blast. Then at 1 point he just lost me and I couldn’t see him anymore. Grrrrrrrrrrr!!! But great job Huck! This trail is REALLY long and this time we didn’t stop at all and rode the entire run without stopping.
Now I didn’t see this, but it sounded just hilarious! I was getting pretty tired and I had Cosmo, Tim and Norm all riding BEHIND me. Now they are NOT used to going MY speed, so I think they suffered a bit and got jarred more because they had to go so slow to stay behind me. I really slowed down at 1 spot going up and they all kind of bunched up together behind me. Tim apparently hit Norm’s back tire and Norm at a very slow motion went backwards and down! YIKES!!! Sorry boys, will try to go a little faster next time!!! Wish u got THAT on film!
So we finished off the trail with smiles and tons of fatigue. So then I said I was done, and they talked me into doing 1 more run, which was Gypsy, another single black. Huck, Cosmo and Norm went ahead and Tim stayed behind with me. OMG, THANK U!!! This trail was very, very loose and had some big drops on it so I was a little scared. I walked a handful of sections that were either drops or just scared me a bit too much. Tim was an awesome trail guide, he warned me of everything, stopped and waited for me, and told me which way to go so I had a safe and fun run!!!!
When we got to the bottom, I was just spent! So Charlotte and I rode back to the cars and the guys went up for 1 more long, nasty, gnarly run!!!

We rode back home and then all went over to the condo next door for Pizza and videos of Northstar!!! We also got to catch up with the others who sounded like they had a great day too……………well, there’s ALWAYS a Howard story isn’t there? Howard broke his chain today. Hmmmmmmmm, didn’t Cosmo tell you a few days ago to get it replaced?! Poor Hector!!!!We really have given you some !@#$&* that last few days haven’t we?!

I have to give a big enormous shout out and THANK YOU to Tim and Cosmo today! You 2 are my heroes! It takes a TON of patience to ride with me I know! They both stayed with us the entire time 1 sweeping and 1 in the front stopping on everything that they knew would be intimidating to us. Never pressured us at all, we just had an absolute blast and laughed a ton! Thank you both sooooooooooo very much! Thanks Cosmo for filming, I know it must have been difficult to ride that slow behind me and feel EVERY bump! But now you and Tim got to see EXACTLY how I ride and that helped a lot too.
Tim must have spent an hour fixing my tire! AND Told jokes and had a smile on his face the entire time!!! THANK YOU!

All in all, another amazing day! Life is good, the people around me are fabulous! This is our last night here. We head out on the road at 7:15am tomorrow for the 2 hour drive to Downieville. We have 2 shuttles scheduled. Then we drive to Old Town Sacramento to spend the night and will head out the next day.

Ok, I think that is every detail I can think of. Thanks again to all that shared my life with me today. I feel very fortunate and happy!!!

Sleep time! Until tomorrow night dahlings……..

Be fabulous!!!

Wendy!

Tahoe Day 2 of Riding!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 01:17:00 +0000

I first have to say that my Gravity Dropper worked PERFECTLY TODAY!!! Thank you to the bike gods!!!!
Today we rode Hole in the Ground Trail and we had 17 riders again. This was my favorite trail of the 2 days so far. We had a little bit of everything on this trail, but it was very, very different than the Flume and Rim trail.
We of course started out with some climbing……grrrrrrrrr, I struggled a bit again with the elevation, but after about an hour or so I seemed to be doing much better and my heart rate was pretty stable. Tamara went over breathing techniques again with me and I used them the entire time.
On the single track parts of this trail, there were these cool little cement pieces that were smooth that gave you a nice break from the dirt. There were big enormous boulders with a ton of maneuvering through them you had to do, This was really fun. I did OK, Yes, I dabbed, It isn’t easy maneuvering through tight boulders, but it sure was fun trying! I scraped the rocks a few times, darn….gotta remember to keep my pedals even through those types of areas, I think that is why I kept bouncing off the rocks….whoops….nothing a little Neosporin won’t fix!!!
Then on a few of these little cement pieces, they went down very, very steep with almost a hole or a ditch right at the very bottom. I stopped at the top of the first one and was trying to figure out how I was going to get my front tire from not getting caught without hucking that, since I don’t do that as of yet…. and I didn’t really see a way I could do that, so those couple I walked. Then Pete explained to me later how to ride those.

We had 2 beautiful lakes on this ride. There was even a boat at the second lake which Howard decided to go lay down in even though it looked like it was going to sink! It was really windy at both lakes too, but oh soooooooo beautiful!!!

All in all, this trail was one of the most technical trails I have been on. You had to be focused constantly and yes…………….keep LOOKING AHEAD! A good friend of mine always pounds that in my head and his wife’s head!!! I did a good job with that, but disappointed I dapped so much. However, today I feel I did very well endurance wise and was very strong. So I am happy! Tomorrow will be the time to work on the technical skills for me at Northstar and with a DH bike, I will feel a little more comfortable.

I have to say I pulled over to walk a small gnarly uphill section on one of the single tracks and Huck was behind me so I yelled for him go go go!!!! He cleared it with no problem and it was sick! GREAT JOB HUCK!!!! Proud of you!!

Charlotte is now the DH hill queen! Well, next to Leah of course, sorry C! Outstanding, fantastic job today!!!!! You have come such a long way and are riding extremely confident and well! PROUD OF U!!!!

I also watched Richard and Greg clear this sick rock at the lake. I think Pete and Huck were going to give it a try, but didn’t catch them if they did.

Poor Yongie (did I spell your name right this time?), broke his chain and rode this gnarly single track without it and came down giggling with a big grin on his face and NO CHAIN! We had run into a few guys with ATV’S (I think that is what u call them), and they gave Yongie a ride back!

We had 1 more single track to go, god , I thought this day would NEVER end, I think Tamara and Rick just wanted to keep us riding all day! When I saw we had MORE climbing on the last single track, I started to sulk abit, then I started to hear cars, so I knew we were close to the end, so I sucked it up, got back on my bike and finished. I almost cried when I got to the road!!!

So then we all went to Truckee for lunch. What a cool, cool town! Reminded me of an old 30’s town. Would have liked to have more time there to shop!

Now we are all showering and getting ready for our group dinner at Rosie’s tonight. I can’t wait to hear about Northstar! Tim and Cosmo have been riding it for 2 days now, and some of us will hit it tomorrow.

A big huge thank you to Rick our guide for leading the ride again today. We really have an incredible group of riders and people….don’t you think? I adore all of you and am very grateful and honored to be riding with all of you. It was really nice to ride with Greg and Louisa which I never ride with…now I know why!! You speed demons U!!! Both of you are incredible!!!!

So, I need to get my face on and my hair done, so I need to stop yapping. I sure hope everyone is doing great and staying cool!!! It was in the 70’s again here, except at the lakes, it was pretty cold and windy. All in all, pretty much perfect!!!

Be fabulous dahlings!!!!

Wendy!

Lake Tahoe Road Trip and Day 1 of riding

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:32:00 +0000

Hello Loves!
Well, we didn't have the network key last night, so no internet and no blog, so let's back up a bit so you don't miss a thing!

Well Thursday, Pete and Tamara picked me up at the house and I think poor Pete was a little horrified at all my stuff. I even left my shoe and purse bag home because it was too much. Well, he made it all work and even had a smile on his face! Thanks for fittin my stuff Pete!!!!

The drive up went very smoothly and pretty fast. We yapped a lot and listned to some good tunes from Tam's IPOD. We ended up meeting Desi, Graham, Howard and Norm for lunch in some little town and we all arrived at about 6pmish. Once we unloaded everything, we went to a lovely mexican restaurant in town. We have 6 people in our condo and a total of 31 riders between the 2 groups. After dinner, I still had to wait for Cosmo and Tim so I could get my camera and charge it for the trails and give Tim back some armor. They got in about 11pm and we took care of everything. We had a shoe incident that I won't discuss here, but for those involved.....Both shoes were mine!!!! Must I really tell what happened? I'm sure you can take a good guess.

So, we also ended up having a quick meeting to discuss day 1 of riding. Charlotte figured the write up was incorrect and day 1 was actually 31 miles with 3500 feet if climbing in elevation up to almost 9000 feet. So, she thought it may be a good idea to have a bail out option JUST IN CASE. Soooo, her and Ruth left a car a few miles at a bail out section so we could drive back to the trail head and skip the last 9 miles of sandy, technical, hilacious climbing. NEED I SAY.......THANK U CHARLOTTE!!!! GOOD THINKING!!!!!

Day 1 of Riding!!!
So today was our 1st day on the Rim and Flume trail. We had 17 riders for today. Not sure where David's group was and Cosmo and Tim rode Northstar. By the way, we heard u on the radio Cosmo! Said u got a pinched flat.
So right from the trail head, my !@#$*&%$#@!freekin gravity dropper didn't work. My seat was stuck sooooo bad it wouldn't go UP OR DOWN! Just decided to stay WAY UP!!!! Not good! So, I kept stopping the 1st hour trying to fix my seat and got way behind everyone. I had no radio coverage so I paniced a bit. At one point the group realized I was gone and didn't get me on the radio so Howard was nice enough to ride back and come get me. Once we got back with the group, Norm and Yonkie (after literally bumping heads together) tried to move my seat and it wasn't budging at all, so I was stuck with it up.
The next hour or so was pretty incredible. We rode to one of the lakes and to some really awesome view spots. All of a sudden, my gravity dropper decided to work!!! Whoo hooooooo! Thank god because the hilacious climbs were just about to start!!!
So we starting the 1st big climb on a steep, loose, SANDY fire road in very high elevation. My heart rate was good but boy were my lungs a burning! Thank god I was able to move my seat up and down!!! So it took quite a bit to get to the top, a handful of people made it without stopping!! Our fearless leader Tamara, Rick our guide, Norm, Pete, Richard, Eric, Graham, and gosh, hope I didn't forget anyone! Soooooo impressed with you riders! Outstanding job!!!

Then we had some MORE climbing, but this time on an amazing single track that lead up to another incredible viewing point. This single track was much easier than the fire road since it was not so steep and more gradual. I was keeping a decent pace for myself and about 3/4 of the way up, just had to pull over and take some big deep breaths. My lungs were really burning at that point. Pete had given me some good breathing techniques to use in elevation and I used them the entire ride and it really helped.
O, I think I forgot to mention the ride hugging the lake!!! OMG, Just toooo much to blog about. This trail had the most incredible views I have ever seen.

So, then we finally had some fun single track to go down. I was sooooo tired and now my seat got stuck again, so I wasn't riding very well. Then about half way, it worked again, and I was back into my comfort zone. That single track was soooooooo much fun! Barely any peddaling and virtually all of it was rideable for me. And DESI!!! WOW!!! WOMAN! I AM SOOOOOOO PROUD OF U! Your down hill has improved soooo much! Great job!!!!!

So, we eventually got to the bail out point........decision time!!! So there was another 9 miles to go, mostly sandy, technical climbing with another 1000 feet in elevation. I really wanted to keep going, however, having another 20 miles of tough riding tomorrow and another 2 days after that, I decided the best descision for me was to go with the shuttle. So myself, Charlotte, Ojai Ruth and Yonkie took the final descent to the cars which only took about 20 minutes. Our final ride was 26 miles and 2500 feet of climbing. The other riders was 31 miles and 3500 feet of climging.

So then Yonkie took us to lunch!!!! He also told us his horror story of his fractured kidney from Cheeseboro!!! YIKES!!!! 21 days in the hospital!!!

Sooooo, we then drove back to the trail head to meet the rest of the crew who rode the last 9 miles. Just as we were pulling in, Eric, Norm and Pete finished. The look on their faces was not glee but the look of death! So I am glad our group didn't do the last 9 miles. The only rider that had a big smile on her face was TAMARA!!! OMG Woman! Great job!!!

A few riders were still not back, Richard, Lisa, Desi and Howard, but all finally made it back ok.

Soooooooo, now that all are back, we cancelled our dinner plans since everyone ate so late and a lot of the riders went to the jacuzzi and Charlotte and I are drinking beer and bordeaux and blogging.

Haven't heard a peep from Cosmo and Tim, so hope they had a fantastic time and are safe!!!

So dahlings, I know the blog was long, but you know me, have to share EVERY detail plus no internet last night.

So tomorrow we are riding Hole in the Ground which is about 20 miles and much more technical so I hope I do ok and my seat post works! Tomorrow is MY last day of XC, the I get to brek out the beast and hit the DH!!!! WHOOOO HOOO!!

Hope all are doing great and staying cool and not breathing in the smoke in LA. By the way, it is in the 70's here!!!

Until tomorrow night!

Wendy!!

Morning of Tahoe!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:17:00 +0000

Having my Java, responding to some emails and hope someone has my other DH shoe!!!! Still have to finish packing. Tam and Pete will be here around 9amish. I hope all my stuff will fit in Pete's van! The bike bag takes up a ton of room, but gotta have my armor and different helmets!!!

Hoping I have Internet connection tonight so I can blog about the incredible drive up!! Should take us about 8 hours? All you riding and racing this weekend, please be safe and have a blast!!!

Ok loves, gotta run, otherwise, I will be gabbing here all morning!

Wendy!

PS: Susan: Have a fabulous time in Peru!!!!! It IS Peru isnt it?!

Mammoth Last Day!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 04:11:00 +0000

What an amazing trip as always! Well, today was our last day and I am blogging from home.
We started off our last day by shuttling Rock Creek trail in Bishop instead of riding the mountain. WOW!!!!!!!!!! I kept going back and forth about attempting this trail and I am soooooooo glad I rode it! Thanks Tam, Norma and Huck for talking me into it! This trail is some amazing, fun, rolley single track that hugs a flowing stream for a lot of the trail covered with amazing trees. The 1ast 2 legs were smooth, fast and fun. The 3rd leg was sick! LOVED IT! Of course rode the beast, my Jamis and she just eats them rocks up!
When we all got to the bottom, there was an amazing creek that we got to freshen up in. Then we headed into Bishop for lunch together at a Chinese buffet! Was yummy! Then we were all on our merry ways! Huck drove the rest of the way home for me and I think I drove Leah a little nutty with my music selection, but she just never complains so u would never know it!
We dropped Huck off, then drove to Leah's house to unpack her bikes and Brad was nice enough to wash my Jamis which I still think had some blood on it! Yes, my legs took a bit of a beating, but I am sooooooooooo happy!!!!!

Thanks everyone for an amazing weekend! Pics and videos to go up on NR and FB soon.

Until the next trip!!

Be fabulous dahlings!!

Mammoth Day 2 of Riding!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 00:05:00 +0000

Another incredible day!!! A few things we will do different next time. Since we have such a large group, we are going to split up into 2 or 3 groups right at the beginning this time. Too difficult to keep a flow with 20 riders!

So the 1st run was Skid Marks. It was a perfect morning to ride it because there was 0 wind! Howevah...............There was snow on the trail!!!! I think Wendi H forgot she didn't have snow tires on.............off she went...down, down down the side. Lucky it was snow and she was just fine. Unfortunately, no one got that one on film!!
So the entire group got down with only 2 crashes I think. Just a fun trail and still pretty challenging for me, so I love it. Then Leah and I broke off from the main group and took Lincoln Express to Break through, Paper route to Big Ring down to the Village to meet up with everyone else. They got done 1st, so we went our own way again. We ran into Marybeth and Miyuki in the parking lot so we all decided to do a run together. We switched Leah's bike back to her XC and ditched the Jamis. I was still on my Jamis. When were in line and they were about to take our bikes to go up, Leah saw we forgot to take the ride ticket off her Jamis and put it on her XC bike. The 1 attendent said it was ok, the other girl who has been just cold as hell both days and frankly rude, came up and said no way and showed her the exit. Grrrrrr, really wanted to have a few words with her, but of course, being the lady I am, I conducted myself in professional manner since I was with our club, but next time......
Soooo, MB,Miyuki and myself rode Breakthrough all the way down to Big Ring to town to hook up with everyone for lunch. Leah ended up riding the lower section and met up with Wendi H. We had a wonderful lunch at Burgers and off we went again!

Huck, Tamara and Norm went together on another run. I heard Tam went down somewhere, Huck....were you worried she was getting too fast and you stuck your leg out in front of her bike?! Giggles, Tamara never ever falls (da wench), so just have 2 wonder.

The other groups we just ran into on the shuttles. Desi and Graham rode 18 miles UP, silly things! But they had HUGE smile on their faces!!!!

Jim H, Howard, Dale, David and George just went all over.

For the last run I did, myself, Leah, Charlotte, Miyuki and Marybeth went and rode Off the Top. BUT, before we did, myself, Leah and Charlotte ALL rode the big stairs at the very top!! I was shaking a bit when I got to the bottom, so they let me get my composure, but it was easier than I thought! It took us 3 years to get the u know what up to ride those stairs!! Whoop Whoop!!!

Off the top was amazing! I felt really good and went really fast, then died on Beach cruiser. Charlotte and Miyuki decided to do 1 more run, and Leah and I went back. MB had to get her flat fixed on her car, so she rode back to the condo.

Big huge gold stars to Miyuki and Marybeth! This was Marybeth's 1st time riding Mammoth and I am soooooooooo proud of her! She rode some a few technical corners really, really well and had a huge smile on her face! GREAT JOB! Miyuki! What a speed demon you were today! Awesome job!!!!

So now, I need to get in the shower and we are heading out on the town. We need to decide if we are going to spend another day on the mountain or ride rock creek tomorrow. I hope to ride 1 more day on the mountain. Want to ride Skid Marks again and give it another go.

Hope all are staying cool, it was 68 at the top today, just beautiful! Life is good, I am very grateful.

Be fabulous dahlings!!

Wendy!

Mammoth Day 1 of Riding Friday, July 24th 2009

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 02:04:00 +0000

WOW!!!!!!!!!! The weather couldn't have been more perfect!!! What a fabulous day!

Well, the 2 morning runs were a little too spread out and big. We had 17 riders at many different levels, so a lot of waiting, but it was good to get use to the mountain again!

1st run we started off mid station: Gravy Train to Bearing Straigts to Beach Cruiser. The the 2nd run we did Off the Top. OMG!!! LEAH RODE THE BIG STEEP STAIRS AT THE TOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! U GO FLY GIRL!!! SOOOOOOO PROUD OF U SISTAH!!!!
Marybeth rode outstanding! Great job! Her first time on the mountain!

Lunch Brett and Miyuki joined us. We sat outside and had lunch at Yoddlers near the lifts.

Then Leah and I got the beasts out, our Jamis's. Her, myself, Charlotte, Tamara, Huck, Brett and Norm rode: Breakthrough to Flow to shotgun. This was Leah and I's 1st ever run on Flow. The ramp at the beginning was fun, then it got a bit hairy/gnarly. There were some tree roots, tons of pumice and 3 big drops. The 1st drop was the biggest I think I have ever rode. I was committed from the start so I knew I was going to just do it. Well, made it over the 1st big one, stopped, grabbed my heart, then got myself together again for the next 2 drops. Rode both of the no problem, then at the the bottom of the last drop was this stupid big rock that just didn't belong on the trail. I happen to notice it and my guess is you can figure out what happened...Yup, took a big dive! And unfortunatley, Brett has the whole thing on film! So how much is it going to take to get that video NOT posted on the net Brett?!

The boys did it just fine of course. Then it was Leah's turn. She decided to not do the 1st drop, but start just after that and did fantastic!!!
So then we all rode some more to the bottome of the famous Flow Drop to watch Brett go off it. The actual drop is about 10 feet and he was magnificant! You go Brett! Footage to come later!
Then we rode Shot Gun which was sooooo much! We got to the Village and was pretty whipped, so Charlotte, myself and Leah decided to take 1 more run. We rode Breakthrough to Paperroute to Big Ring cause we were whipped!
The other riders stayed with Wendi and rode on the other side.

All in all a great day. I crashed twice on Flow and tipped once, so I am satisfied. My Jamis is like a new bike!!! Thanks Uncle B!!!! I didn't even come close to bottoming out, had no problem peddaling and every run was just very smooth, a very different ride....thank you!

So now we are all in our condo making dinner getting ready for our pot luck dinner, I think there is 19 of us coming now! I made risotto and lasagna. Drinking a lovely cab right now.

Stoked for tomorrow! Skid Marks and Follow me!!! Whoop whoop!!!

Until tomorrah dahlings! Be fabulous!!!

Wendy!

Mammoth!!! We're Here!!!!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 05:50:00 +0000

We're here! Oh and Brett and Miyuki are coming tomorrow now too! Condo is great, I stayed here 2 years ago in the same room. Huck and Norm are working on putting a gravity dropper on Huck's bike.

The ride up was pretty easy and uneventful thank god! Leah, I and Huck went in my car, Jim and Kat in Jim's car. Tam, Norm and Charlotte in Norm's car and we all met up in Lone Pine for dinner.

Plan tomorrow is to be RTR at 9:15am and meet at the Big Wooly. 1st run the whole 17 of us are going to stick together to get everyone used to the mountain, then maybe split up into groups.

Leah and I are still undecided if we are bringing both our XC and DH up in the morning, I want to so we don't have to come back, but a lot of hassle getting the big bikes on and off my rack. I need to get a different rack to we can handle the bikes easier.

So, need to go help MB get her bike upstairs, so will blog tomorrow night. We have a big day planned than a huge dinner party in our condo.

Life is good, I am happy and soooooo grateful.

Be fabulous dahlings!

Wendy!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:34:00 +0000

This is a test from my cell 4 Mammoth

Palo Alto Day 3!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 06:24:00 +0000

Well, we started off the day minus a few riders! Susan was off to Tahoe to meet up with Dan and ride the famous Flume trail (I expect to hear EVERY detail!!), Norm had a serious mechanical problem with some bearings, so he and Charlotte decided to go wine tasting instead (o yeah, feel real bad for ya!) and Alan and Jennifer left to go visit friends.

Well after riding for 10 hours in 2 days, I wasn't sure how well I would do today. I was really tired, cut up and had bruises everywhere! Mostly, my body was just plain fatigued and sore.
Well, we started all together with a climb on the paved road to another climb on a fire road, about 3 miles total I am guessing to get to the trail head. Graham was going to lead a slower group, so my plan was to originally go with them so I could just relax and pace myself. When we got to the trail head, Huck started to put on his leg armor, so I got excited and decided, hmmmmmmm, think I want to go with THAT group and have some DH fun and not sooooooooo much freekin climbing! Teeeee freekin heeeeeeeee!
Well, the DH was absolutely amazing and I am so glad I got to ride those trails! There were a few really steep, loose sections with tree roots going every which way you can imagine, so I walked those, but pretty much rode everything else. (ok I dabbed a bit), I was having a blast!
Did I mention the climbing part yet?!!!!!!!!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrr
Sooooooo, at the bottom of one of the most awesome single tracks, Huck prepared us for the next 2 miles of single track. He basically said some of it was going to be a hike a bike. SOME OF IT?????????? This part for me was brutal, I had to walk a ton of this, the climbing was non stop and really steep. We watched a few of the local XC guys just flying up it and chatting a mile a minute to each other at the same time! Wow! They were pretty amazing!! Actually my group was really amazing too! All the riders were outstanding climbers.
So, then we had 1 more single track to descend which had all sorts of fun things including skinnies, and many different log jumps. When we got to the bottom, Tamara told me we still had a 3 mile climb back to the cars. Even though we were only on 3 hours versus the previous 2 days, I was really spent. But I didn't fuss or whine, I sucked it up, praised my granny gear and just pedaled. I was very grateful to see the parking lot and soooooooo glad I pushed myself to ride the last day.

So after all were accounted for, we headed to the local Summit store for lunch and to say our goodbyes until the next trip (Mammoth! 3 weeks!!!)

I was sooooooooo tired, Jim drove all the way home while I dj'd the tunes for him and Desi.

Well, another amazing trip. I want to thank Huck so very much for putting this together and managing every single detail. Well done! Thanks to Charlotte for leading our A group the 1st 2 days. You always account for everyone and really do an amazing job. Susan, thanks for stopping the train of riders from riding over me. (very grateful!) Howard, thanks for waiting at the intersections today, I am terrible with directions on the trail and would have gotten lost, sorry you endo'd, hope you feel ok tomorrow!
Desi, my roomie, you sooooo silly gurl! I enjoyed rooming with you and driving up! It was great to finally get to know you a little better!
Richard: Thanks for getting the rocks out of my derailer, I would have kept trying to force it to shift and broken it. Me such a goober, always forget to check for rocks!
Alan and Jennifer: This was the 1st time I got to really spend time with you both and ride with you and I enjoyed it sooooooooo much! You are both very fun, nice people and I felt very safe and comfy with you both on the trails. Alan had some good tips too, thanks!
Ojai Ruth! OMG!!!!!!!!!!! You have become such an amazing rider in every way! Congrats! I am sooooooooo proud of you! Oustanding job!
Wendi and Dale: I am thrilled you both joined us and it is always a pleasure to ride with you both. You're getting stronger Dale! Keep it up! Good work!
Jim H! You da man!
Graham: Thanks so much for leading today and thank you as always for taking so many fabulous pictures of our rides.
Tom: Thank you for opening up your beautiful home to us! The view and show was spectacular!
Tam: I am really trying to catch up with you! Really! But now you have Ruth who can keep up!!!! I always enjoy our time together!
Pete: You da man!
David: You are absolutely histerical! Enjoyed traveling with you!
Norm: Sorry you didn't get to ride today, but you always seem so cheery anyways lately! And you dress so snazzy!
Dennis: You are always so happy and cheery! Always a joy to be around you!
Steve: I didn't get to spend any time with you, but glad you joined us for this trip and hope you will continue to ride with North Ranch.

Ok, I hope I didn't forget anyone! So this is my last blog, it is now midnight and I haven't unpacked yet. Thank you all again! Another amazing chapter in my life and the summer has only just begun!!!

Peace and love!

Wendy!

Palo Alto Day 2 of Riding!W

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:12:00 +0000

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! Well today was much more interesting and challenging! We had some really, really narrow single track with exposure, nooooooo, I didn't look down at all! Big long, long, long fire road climbs, enourmous red wood trees, AWESOME Descents,tight, tight switchbacks and more climbs. This was a pretty gruelling ride, but absolutly fabulous!Lots of spectacular scenery with big rocks, bridges, moss, and red woods. The pictures will be incredible!

No falls to report, just some cuts from our pads and poison oak. Everyone is pretty darn exhausted.
We just had a late lunch at Alice's restaurant again. Now we are back in the hotel rooms for our primping up to go to Graham's buddy's Tom house tonight and maybe down town San Fran as well.

Tomorrow is our last ride. I hope this one is under 5 hours, my bum is bruised again! Ouch! New saddle time?!

Ok, my dahlings, I need to get fancied up now, so enjoy your evening and talk tomorrah!!

Wendy!

Palo Alto Pics

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:03:00 +0000

I forgot to mention that all the pics I took today will be up on Facebook within the hour. I will also send them to NR site

Palo Alto Day 1 of Riding!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:45:00 +0000

Well, the Internet FINALLY came up, so this is my 1st blog for the trip. Myself, Wendi, Richard, Jim, Dale and Desi met at Howard's yesterday and finally got on the highway around 12:15pm. We were really concerned about the 152 delays, but I have to say the ride up was just perfect, no traffic and great company. We got in around 6:15pm, so we still had time to get spiffed up a bit for the dinner party at 7:30pm for Howard.
So we arrived at MacArthur Park's Restaurant for Howard's birthday. Wine was good, food was good and BD cake was good too! All and all a lovely evening! A few of us got Howard some gag gifts which I can not say what they are here, but I am sure you can just imagine. All in good fun!

Ok, so day 1 of riding!! WOW AND OUCH!!!!!!!!!
Well, driving up the mountain was nice and cool! Then when we got to the trail head, yikes! It was HOT!!! We had 2 groups with 20 + riders. Huck lead one group and Charlotte lead the other group which is what I was in. This trail had a little bit of everything. Loose, steep fire roads, amazing, rolling, fast single track covered with trees and some VERY tight switchbacks!!
Everything was so incredibly green with just a ton of trees, very picturesque! We all kept switching positions a lot pending on the climbs, sometimes we rested, sometimes we fixed IPODS, Etc.
Both groups met up about half way and finished the 1st part of the ride together. When we got to the rest spot, there were a ton of bikes, scooters and motorcycles everywhere! Oh and SNAKES IN THE BUSHES!!! I always have to pick the bush with the snake in it! AHHHHHHHHH! My scream scared him away and all was ok.

So.............now is when the adventure REALLY began! We started climbing up one of the single tracks when I saw Desi started to ride on the left side a bit too much, the next thing I knew she was rolling down the steep slope and just kept sliding down because it was all hay and slippery. Well, she finally stopped and was still attached to her bike, so we ran down, picked her and her bike up and got them going again. Desi was giggling a bit, but I think she was about to toss her new Enduro off the cliff. It is about 30 pounds and she is usually rides her Stumpy which is 24#.

Once we all got going again, it was pretty amazing. Very smooth rolly single track under tree cover. Then we had some descending to ride, so the other riders in our group were nice enough to let Wendi H (snowho) and myself go 1st. Hmmmmmmm, maybe not the best idea. Well, I have been feeling very confident in my downhilling lately..........not always a good thing.......we were both right on top of each going down....little did I know it would be LITERALLY on top of each other in a few seconds! Well, there I go again, making a silly beginner mistake. I plowed through the big tree roots and rocks no problem. Up comes a narrow, tall, big clump of dirt and what do you think I did?! YUP! Looked right down at it and the next thing I know I hit it hard, bounced off the side and went skidding and DOWN hard. I was still down on the ground clipped to my bike when I turned around and there is Wendi! Ahhhhhhhh!!! She ran right over me and off the side of the steep slope. Neither of us could move and I kept yelling rider down because I couldn't see anyone and if they didn't see me, another 8 riders were going to run my bum over again! (can you say SNL Skit?!)Thank god Susan came up and saw us and stopped the trail of riders!! THANX SUSAN!!! I really didn't want any more tire tracks on my bum! The ground on the trail and the cliff was very soft, so we both only had some minor cuts and of course my confidence dropped a notch or 2 after that. However, I recovered better than normal after a fall so I am still pleased. I have been so good about looking ahead, but I guess I just need to keep talking to myself more on the trail to LOOK AHEAD!! Wendi H bounced back of course without a glitch.

So, after the carnage, we still had a ton of amazing single track to ride and the lake to see. We finally got to the trail head/parking lot and realized we missed a turn. So we went back down a really fun single track just a short ways to see the beautiful lake and take pictures.
When we got back to our cars, it was still pretty darn hot and a lot of us drank all of our water and were a bit over heated, so we were ready to turn it in!
The riders in my group were all amazing in their own way. Charlotte did an outstanding job leading and rode very strong as usual. Jennifer kept a really good pace from the start and I liked following her. Very good line choices. Susan and Wendi H both got their second wind on the last half of the ride and were strong as ever. Desi is still not sure if she digs her new bike or not but was smiling, so that is good! We had a few riders in and out of our group as well: Ruth, Norm, Howard, Alan,Jim H and Graham.

Soooooo, then we all went to the famous Alice's restaurant for lunch. Most of the girls got a cute Harley Tank which we modeled for the camera's. This was a really cool lunch place. Tons of motorcycles and bikers.

Desi, myself and Jim had a few errands to run after lunch, so we didn't get back to the hotel until after 5pmish. The internet was still down, so I stayed on the phone with the tech guy trying to fix the wireless connection. By the time it came up, I just took and shower and started to blog while some of the others hung out by the pool. Some of the group went down town to a Tai Restaurant. Since I didn't get much sleep last night and I am pretty sore, I am going to stay in and try and rest like a good girl! Ok, maybe I will go down to the bar a little later for a glass of wine, but then OFF TO BED!

So, tomorrow we meet at 7:15 for breakfast so we can make the 9am start time at the trail head. We are riding Skeggs point tomorrow, so stoked for another day of riding in this beautiful area.

Ok, loves, Thanks for letting me gab, hope you got the feeling that you are here with us. I hope all of you are going to have a fabulous 4th and will talk to you tomororw night via blog!

Be Fabulous!

Wendy!

Palo Alto 2 More Days!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:39:00 +0000

Well, it has been just forever since I blogged, but I haven't taken any road trips and sooooooooooooo much has happened since last September as you all know! Well, I will update the Story page soon and will blog starting Thursday when we all drive up to Palo Also for our XC road trip and 4th of July celebration! Very stoked for the 1st of many road trips this summer. Life is good and I feel sooooooooo lucky to be surrounded by so many fabulous people!

Wendy!

Mammoth Last Day! September 1st!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:36:00 +0000

Well all, it is only 3:40pm and I am home! I woke up this morning still extremely sore and of course, still no bike, so I was done. I went downstairs and Charlotte was done too, so we decided to pack up and go. Huck had already picked up my bike for me at Footloose the night before, so Charlotte went to go get it from Huck at the next condo while I packed.
Miyuki decided to do another couple of runs since Brett was already on the mountain and called in for a late checkout.
I started bringing my luggage downstairs to the garage when Charlotte pointed out all the garbage and big, huge paw prints on the walls. I'm like......what on earth? Then she told me a bear got into the garage last night, those big prints were a bear's prints!!! YIKES!!!!!!!!!

So we ended up meeting up with Bob in Mojave for a quick lunch, then off to Charlottes pad to pick up my car and load up my stuff. Now I am home! I wanted to get my last blog in, then go and unpack and relax for the evening. Tomorrow am I need to dropp off my bike for them to get the shock into Fox right away, then I guess I will have to change out the pedals and put them on my....my....gulp....hard tail!! Blows...........that is all I have to say about that.

Ok, I want to thank Huck for putting a great trip together, and Charlotte and Miyuki for being just awesome riding partners as usual. We killed it girls!! Great job!

Pics will be mostly of the hike since I just focused on riding this trip, however, I promise you won't be disapointed in the pics we took!

Until the next road trip.....Techapi, then Kernville! See everyone real soon!

Wendy!

Mammoth Day 3 Riding August 31ST!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 03:39:00 +0000

Well, what an adventure today was! We left early to go get a bike for me to rent since my shock is blown out, and all they had were men's medium's and a 50 pound DH bike, so no bike for me at the Adventure Center. The wind was so bad, they were not sure if they were even going to run the gondola's. The winds at the top were up yo 70 miles an hour! They said they would most likely open mid chalet. We then drove down to the Village to see if there was a bike available for me and the same thing, plenty of mens medium frame bikes (if I was 5'10, that would be great!), and no mens small, so I was SOL!
Well at that point, the wind was so bad we decided to hike especially since I just couldn't get a bike. Within the next hour, they shut all runs down, so no one could ride except the pedal pass area.

So Charlotte, myself, Dennis and Miyuki decided to try the John Muir trail. After connecting to a few other trails, 9600 feet of elevation, and 11 miles later, we were spent. I have never done a hike like this before. We did some bouldering, never did that before either, so this was pretty much an epic day for me. The wind gusts by one of the lakes were about 70 miles an hour or more, it was pretty darn windy at some points. So around 6:30pm, we finally made it back to catch the bus back into town. Of course, the bus didn't show up until after 7pm after and it was in the 40's, so we were pretty cold at that point.
During the hike, more than half the clan kept calling to see if we were ok and what the dinner plans were. Mike was having a bbq at his condo. By the time I got back to the condo, my knees and back were so sore I could barely walk. So I took a really hot shower and told the girls to go without me, I am staying in, and ordering pizza because I am done!
I wish I could have been with everyone our last night here, but my poor body is done. The pictures we took on the hike were just amazing, can't wait for all to see.

Not sure about tomorrow, there is a storm coming in, and I can't walk very well right now, so I just may be done for this trip. Will have to get my bike in 1st thing Tuesday am so they can get the shock back to Fox to rebuild. I am soooo bummed about that! I hope they can do it quickly or I am going to be peddaling the Jamis around for a bit! Yikes!

Well dahlings, I need to get into bed, I am done! I am sure I will hear about all the gory details tomorrow am from the get together tonight. Really bummed I am missing it and you know if I miss a social event, I have a really good reason! Just need to warm up and rest my bod!

Until tomorrow night dahlings! Be Fabulous!

Wendy!

Mammoth Day 2 Riding August 30th! Rental Bike Time for Me!

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:41:00 +0000

Well, let's 1st start with last night! What a lovely evening! The only thing missing were my other chicka's: Leah, Susan and Wendi.
We went to the Village for dinner at Lu Lu's. An enchanting evening shall I say?! After a wonderful dinner and lots of Red Zin, we all went to the concert in the Village which was outstanding! They played all my favs: Cream, Stevie Ray Vaugh, Hendrix, just a small, really good band. We all stayed for about 5 or 6 songs until it just got too cold outside.

So this morning, we added a few more riders to the usual clan: Jim H, Hugh, Brian and Joanne. This was J's 1st ride and her 1st ride on her new full suspension bike. We decided to start off with Off the Top to Beach Cruiser. The board at the gondola stated the winds were 30-50 miles per hour, so i was a little nervous. Sure enough, it was a bit hairy for the first quarter or so of Off the Top, but yes.....I held on! I just love that trail, I know it is long, but it is really fun and great to practice those fun speed bumps and tight switchbacks on!
So I will say that J did absolutely awesome her first run! More to come on her!

Then on the 2nd run, we decided to do Brake through, 7 Bridges, a tiny part of Flow, then Shot Gun. Gosh I hope I got those right! So we are getting off at mid station and myself and Charlotte start riding down the stairs to get to the main pole where we all meet. We turn around and see J right behind us! I looked at Charlotte & said, tell me that isn't the new girl who just rode down those stairs that took me 2 years to get the balls up to ride down! Sure enough..............da wench! She just followed us and rode the stairs down! We decided right then and there it was pretty close time to throw the newbie girl off the cliff! NOT! At least not today! Sorry J, just messing with ya! Outstanding job! I am so proud of you! You are such a natural!! Can't wait to see what you do tomorrow!!!!!

Soooooo, more to come STILL on J!
So, ok, then we are on Brake Through, and there is 1 corner that has a few speed bumps before it and a good size tree root drop right into a sharp, pumiced filled switchback. So I stoppped for a second to let her know what was coming up and of course to walk it if she felt more comfortable. Well........wouldn't ya know the little wench rides through it soooooo smoothly.........then.........rides the switchback like it was nothing! Ok, I;m done venting! Just kidd gurl! You were amazing! If you only knew how good you really did do!

So we then got to 7 bridges and I just needed to really focus on myself. The old 1st big rock with a drop, (remember that Leah? You rode that the very 1st time we were at Mammoth, you were the only one to ride it!), well, it is gone now and they put a small, short, steep bridge/ramp instead. Well.......those of you who ride with me know how much of a silly mental block I have on bridges, so I was still terrified and didn't ride that stupid little bridge, but some how managed to ride the rest of them out of pure terror following Charlotte. Charlotte definetely has made me a better ride this trip. She is just like following Leah, they are both committed to riding everything on the trail, so I just need to suck it up and follow them and do it!
Then we split up again. Myself, Dennis, Charlotte and Jim H went on a small part of Flow and Shot Gun and Miyuki, Brian and J rode Big Ring I believe. This was my best run yet on both the small section of Flow as well as Shot Gun. Both my feet STAYED clipped in the entire time. I added a tiny bit more speed this time to make the bigger drops on Shot Gun a little easier and it worked. It went very smooth for my and I barely skid this time. Must have been the Korn and Ozzie I was playing on my Ipod on the way down. I know, it is driving everyone crazy now that they can't talk to me because I am wearing my Ipod, but you all will have to admit, it has completely relaxed me and I have been riding 100% better!

So then it was time for lunch at the usual place in the village. It was starting to rain during lunch, so we were wondering if they were going to close down the gondola;s, but the rain stopped.
So the Huck, Norm, Bob and Hugh did their thing, Brian and J did their's and Charlotte, myself, Miyuki, Jim H and Dennis decided to go one more time to 7 Bridges. Just before the start of 7 Bridges, Dennis asked what was all over my legs? Then he looked at my bike and saw that there was oil every where! The shock had blown out! I told him I knew something felt wrong because I felt like a trampoline on the bike and I kept getting tossed forward. So we decided to go ahead and do 7 bridges to get back to the repair place at the Adventure center and Charlotte and I would close out the run with Trail home to get there.

Well, I was sooooooooo tired at that point, 4 runs is a lot for me and they are long runs, so I was beat! I didn't ride 7 bridges well at all this time. I let this one guy really frazzle me. He passed me really quickly around a corner just before the steep ramp and it just really scared me because I was trying to focus on just riding through that section. Then his buddies were so close behind me their tires were bumping mine, I wanted to just get off and knock their blocks off, but being the lady that I am, and being that they were...oh I don't know........twice as big as me, thought I better pull my amateur ass over and let them go by. They could have handled things much better, but oh well, they ended up getting lost, so HA!

At that point, we finished the ride, took the mid gondola back up to get to Trail Home to get to the repair shop. Do you have any idea how long that freekin trail is? OMG! I was done and I was getting bounced everywhere. I was giggling most of the time, so it was ok. So we get to the repair shop and they didnt' seem to have much of a clue and called Footloose for us. So we brought it there and they said it would be ready about 11am the next morning. Well, I was pretty disppointed, but at least I would have my bike back! NOT!!!!!!!
A few hours later I get a call from them and they told me that they replaced the seals, however, the shock was done. It is an internal piece that controls the lever and I would have to send it back to Fox. For the 2nd time! Yikes! I KNEW I should have brought my other bike for a back up!! So basically, I will have to rent a bike for the next few days. Huck and Norm were looking for alternative shock options for me all night, but their just doesn't seem to be any. Don't ask me why, a bunch of tecnichal mumby jumbo only they understand. So enough on my piece of !@#$%& shock!

So the evening activities: We had take pizza, wine, beer and J brought Cheesecake for the Cheesecake Factory! We HAVE to get this girl at ALL our functions! She works there! We were at the guys condos and watched videos of Norm crashing, it was great! We also discussed Kernville, so looks like we have another good road trip coming up! Pete and Tamara joined in this evening, so they will have their first rides with us tomorrow.

Well dahlings, I am sooooo spent. Really, really bummed I have to rent a bike tomorrow, but oh well, at least I am safe and stayed ON my bike! I hope all are doing really well and will talk to you tomorrow night on the evening blog!!

Be fabulous dahlings!

Wendy!

Mammoth Day 1 Riding August 29th

cyberdivachick@yahoo.com (wendy_e) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:34:00 +0000

OMG!!!!!!!!!!! This day has probably been my best set of runs yet. It is really warm here, in the high 80's, so it was pretty hot with armor. I ended up taking off my moto pants and just used my shorts and pads, just too hot!

Well, no one slept good because the condo's were soooo hot and there is no AC here, so we were all wiped out when we started, but somehow rode really well. Brett put a 2.5 inch, 6 pound front tire on Miyuki's bike. Wow!!! She was amazing. Rode every single drop on Shotgun smoothly and well. I am sooooo proud of you sistah!! And yes, I did pretty well myself and Charlotte was a studdette as usual da wench!! We missed Susan and Leah this morning, they would have just been in heaven!

We did 3 runs before lunch. Mostly Brake through, Shotgun, Saint Antons, gosh, i just can't remember the names! I am sure Huck will correct me as soon as he reads this! Sorry bud, will have to write them down!

We had a lovely lunch in town and I think all of us almost fell asleep at the tables, we were just spent. We then went to see how the sales were and they seemed to be only on ski stuff, so we went up for another run. We split up completely this time, just me, Charlotte, Bob Price and Miyuki.

Now we are getting ready for dinner at 6:30 at Lu Lu's and rocking out to the band in the village. Jim H, Hugh, Brian and Joanna are on their way. The rest come up tomorrow.
Today's riders:
Huck
Norm
Bob Mraz
Bob Price
Brett
Dennis
Wendy
Charlotte
Miyuki

I only took 1 picture today because I really wanted to focus on my riding, not videos and pictures, so Sunday, when the whole crew is here, I will be taking a ton of footage then.

Until tomorrow dahlings.....be fabulous!

Wendy!