I started at Lake Natoma and rode out past Granite Bay and back. This is a pretty standard ride for me lately as my wrist heals. It's pretty mellow as far as technical features go, so I don't have to endure a lot of banging on the wrist.
There is a responsible way to do this ride, and a not-so-responsible way. One legal, one not. One way is fun, and one way is much more fun. I had more fun.
I think there are places to poach, and places to stick to the rules. This area sees heavy bicycle use, low horse use, and there is little in the way of enforcement. There is a paved bike trail along much of the route, which invites people to explore the dirt when they see it. The signage is spotty, which leads to some gray area as to what is legal and what is not. The park rules I read on the Internet state that ALL dirt is off-limits to bikes, even the fire roads, which is ridiculous. At any rate, I ride the "illegal" singletrack and rarely ever see another user. Ironically, on my return route I use the multi-use trail on the other side of the lake, and get numerous dirty looks from runners. Go figure.
It was really windy, and I saw a few freshly downed trees. It always gives me the creeps riding in the trees when the wind blows. I heard a few smaller branches come down in my vicinity, but nothing too big.
I got in 32 miles and cleared my head a bit. Mission accomplished. Off to the pictures.
The wind whipped up an angry sea . . .
. . . which devoured everything in its path.
The levee is being raised for flood protection . . .
. . . even though Folsom Lake is a mud puddle.
Cockpit upgrades: XTR levers and FSA stem
The new bridge is now connected. This replaces the dam road, which we haven't been able to drive over since 9/11.
Later.
No comments:
Post a Comment