Chesebro Canyon
Sunday
01-22-06
It was another
frigid morning at Chesebro in spite of the warmth generated by 14 riders
pedaling towards the upper parking lot. It was so cold, in fact, that we
lost one rider at the upper lot. Warner arrived so ill-prepared for
the cold--I think he was dressed in only a bikini and
windbreaker--that he chose to climb the Modelo connector trail rather than head
towards the colder main canyon as did the rest of us. We also had several
people who had not ridden with us lately show for Sunday's ride--riders like
Brian and Tal and Mario. But into the canyon we rode, stopping at the 2nd
technical climb for a group photo.
The gang: Tal, Joe,
Brian, Roger#1 (Roger#2 must have gone on ahead), Jamshyd, Mario, Rod,
Ali,
Matthew
(hiding behind Ali), Video John, David, and, watching over us with his frigid
visage from realms unknown, Warner
It was a short pedal to
Shepherds Flat from here. Then on to and down Gas Pipe/Broken Spoke
Trail. At the bottom we head towards the climb up Little
Baleen.
The green hills were
alive: A panoramic shot (scroll to the right) from near the Little Baleen
climb towards Ahmanson Ranch
I did not get many photos of
individuals today as I was feeling a bit weak and so stayed near the back of the
pack most of the day. I did get a few though....
Matthew, Jamshyd and
Rod coming down the hill that intersects part way up Little
Baleen
3 interpretive views of
those riders:
ROD
JAMSHYD
MATTHEW
At the top of the Little
Baleen climb Appleman Matthew provided some delicious caramel "fondu"
to his apple slices.
Epicurean Delight on
the trail: Matthew handing Roger a "hand-dipped" caramel apple
slice
John models new
head-wear for the 2006 cycling season....
the Mickey Mouse
Ears Look
Actually, John is
experimenting with a new carbon fiber helmet mount for his video
camera.
Soon we should have
some even greater quality video of our rides. Right On, Ride On &
Film On, John!
At this point the group split
up as some needed to head for the parking lot and home. The remaining
riders headed up what I think is called the Chesebro Ridge Trail. We got
to one point where we headed up a very steep climb to a tower that used to be an
up and back trip. But to my surprise there was a new trail and road that
skirted a section of the huge Calabasas Dump. We took it for a trip
bordering the dump and an eventual return to Chesebro Canyon.
A Big Operation: A
view of organic matter probably being "composted" in the
dump
Returning to Chesebro Canyon
we climbed the Modelo Trail and descended the Modelo Connector back to the upper
parking lot. Packing up our bikes and gear, about half our number
went to The Corner Bakery for food and talk that ended another wonderful
weekend of winter mountain biking in the green hills of SoCal.
Until next time,
Robco Baggins
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RCYMountainBiking.com
