On Wednesday, at 3am, I left for mammoth with Dale, Brian, Mike, Andy, and _____ in the RV. I snapped my cable off a small, but tech drop. I realized it at the bottom of the hill. I went up the chair a few more times to ride down before I had the cable replaced. At the top, I was getting some bad chainsuck (no derailleur tension?). The chain ended up behind my chainring.... I took of the chain and did some chainless runs. Later, when I went to the repair shop, I started to put my chain back on so he could replace my cable and tune my derailleur. As I was about to put the chain through the derailleur, I realized it wasn't there... It's was on the mountain somewhere.
I rode the rest of the day chainless. After we stopped for some food and I picked up a new derailleur, we got back on the road to Tahoe to ride at Northstar for the next two days. We got to the Condo that night and rode at Northstar Thursday and Friday. I cleaned the gnarly rockgarden on Lower Karpiel on the second try. On Friday, as I was riding one of the ladders at the bottom of Karpiel, I noticed Brian had fallen off the side below me... He had messed up his ankle. Two bike patrol people carried him to the truck, to drive him to the RV in the parking lot. I rode down to the parking lot and got my stuff out of the RV. After a few good bye's they left to take Brian to the hospital (and still go to Mammoth for two days?)
They left and I was in the parking lot with all my stuff. I strapped my toolbox to my wheeled gearbag, and my camera backpack to that. I put my two other backpacks on me and pulled all that while pushing my bike. I got about 100' to the street corner, somehow. I tried to hitch a ride to Logan's condo... After probably an hour, I found some people who were going to give me a ride. After I got all my stuff in their truck, Logan showed up in his truck. We put my stuff in and went to his Condo.
After dropping my stuff off, we rode down to hill to take <a href="http://pbmedia.smugmug.com/gallery/5542010_Vfhfd" target="_blank">riding photos!</a> At the end of the day, I got a flat from hacking a rock garden with my heavy backpack. They went back while I walked down and had a burrito and a cold drink in the village. I went back and had dinner with them. When they wanted to go to sleep, I rode around northstar chainless until Brian picked me up.
When we got to the campground at 3am, Brian screwed up his power inverter trying to inflate his mattress. He went to the bathroom and got it inflated. Then he and Clancey somehow got it in that tent. I took photos of that in morning as you can see. After another day, at Northstar, we went back to a cabin. Clancey made an awesome dinner: carne asada, corn and some other stuff. The other other Brian helped me get my cable on and tune my derailleur for the race on Boondocks the next day.
On my first practice run, on Saturday my chain got stuck behind my chainring... I tried to get it out for 20min at the top of the lift and missed my chance at a second run... I was doing another race chainless (like my last one, Deer Valley). I had a pretty good run, other than washing out a bit in two corners. That silt is gnarly. I got 5th place, beating 12 riders, without a chain! We rode until the lifts closed and found each other in the village, then went back to the cabin to eat, shower and get our stuff together before we went back.
We got on the rode at probably 7 and got to Monterey at almost 2am. I did some site work and rode around town during the day. Brian, Clancey and I rode some trails in Pebble Beach before eating dinner and seeing the New Batman movie.
In the morning, Brian took me to train station to head home after almost a week or riding.
Dale putting on the other bikes at 3am
In the RV (red glow on his face is from the sun shining through smoke from a fire)
Brian's finger...
We were driving through what had recently been flooded
He was really happy about us being in the wrong lane
Mammoth!
<Mammoth riding photos>
</Mammoth riding photos>
After riding
by dale
My bike is too big
soft photo...
At Northstar
The RV was not allowed in the condo parking lot
Riding photos: Santa Maria kids at Northstar
The tent in the morning at the campground. Brian picked me at N* earlier that morning. (pics are from when the sun came up)
At a gas station half an hour before getting there
In the N* parking lot
Brian has afternoon corn
The next morning
About to leave
N* lift tickets are amazing
gas
self portrait at the train station in Salinas
I rode the rest of the day chainless. After we stopped for some food and I picked up a new derailleur, we got back on the road to Tahoe to ride at Northstar for the next two days. We got to the Condo that night and rode at Northstar Thursday and Friday. I cleaned the gnarly rockgarden on Lower Karpiel on the second try. On Friday, as I was riding one of the ladders at the bottom of Karpiel, I noticed Brian had fallen off the side below me... He had messed up his ankle. Two bike patrol people carried him to the truck, to drive him to the RV in the parking lot. I rode down to the parking lot and got my stuff out of the RV. After a few good bye's they left to take Brian to the hospital (and still go to Mammoth for two days?)
They left and I was in the parking lot with all my stuff. I strapped my toolbox to my wheeled gearbag, and my camera backpack to that. I put my two other backpacks on me and pulled all that while pushing my bike. I got about 100' to the street corner, somehow. I tried to hitch a ride to Logan's condo... After probably an hour, I found some people who were going to give me a ride. After I got all my stuff in their truck, Logan showed up in his truck. We put my stuff in and went to his Condo.
After dropping my stuff off, we rode down to hill to take <a href="http://pbmedia.smugmug.com/gallery/5542010_Vfhfd" target="_blank">riding photos!</a> At the end of the day, I got a flat from hacking a rock garden with my heavy backpack. They went back while I walked down and had a burrito and a cold drink in the village. I went back and had dinner with them. When they wanted to go to sleep, I rode around northstar chainless until Brian picked me up.
When we got to the campground at 3am, Brian screwed up his power inverter trying to inflate his mattress. He went to the bathroom and got it inflated. Then he and Clancey somehow got it in that tent. I took photos of that in morning as you can see. After another day, at Northstar, we went back to a cabin. Clancey made an awesome dinner: carne asada, corn and some other stuff. The other other Brian helped me get my cable on and tune my derailleur for the race on Boondocks the next day.
On my first practice run, on Saturday my chain got stuck behind my chainring... I tried to get it out for 20min at the top of the lift and missed my chance at a second run... I was doing another race chainless (like my last one, Deer Valley). I had a pretty good run, other than washing out a bit in two corners. That silt is gnarly. I got 5th place, beating 12 riders, without a chain! We rode until the lifts closed and found each other in the village, then went back to the cabin to eat, shower and get our stuff together before we went back.
We got on the rode at probably 7 and got to Monterey at almost 2am. I did some site work and rode around town during the day. Brian, Clancey and I rode some trails in Pebble Beach before eating dinner and seeing the New Batman movie.
In the morning, Brian took me to train station to head home after almost a week or riding.
Dale putting on the other bikes at 3am
In the RV (red glow on his face is from the sun shining through smoke from a fire)
Brian's finger...
We were driving through what had recently been flooded
He was really happy about us being in the wrong lane
Mammoth!
<Mammoth riding photos>
</Mammoth riding photos>
After riding
by dale
My bike is too big
soft photo...
At Northstar
The RV was not allowed in the condo parking lot
Riding photos: Santa Maria kids at Northstar
The tent in the morning at the campground. Brian picked me at N* earlier that morning. (pics are from when the sun came up)
At a gas station half an hour before getting there
In the N* parking lot
Brian has afternoon corn
The next morning
About to leave
N* lift tickets are amazing
gas
self portrait at the train station in Salinas
