March 14, 2015

• More Tales of Happy Trails

  

  Southern California winters, if they may be called that, are all too brief. Here we have a week or two of chilly weather, maybe a rain storm or two, and then it's spring. My nectarine tree blossomed in January and I have intrepid little nectarines popping out, which will be ready for harvest when you northerners are watching the last of your snow piles, next to the driveway, melt away. We had a two storms a couple of weeks ago that dumped  an inch and a quarter (both combined) of blessed rain, turning our parched hills into an advert for the Emerald Isle. Don't waste the air fair going to dreary, cold, damp Ireland; come here! It's lush, sunny, and ...oh, yeah, ninety degrees. Perhaps a bit on the warm side if you're not used to it but for Sally and me, it's perfect riding weather.

  We set off in the cool of the morning, after slathering sun screen on the exposed parts, heading up the Santa Ana Wash Trails. The wash is a playground of boulders, scrub brush, packed sand, and this time of year, a veritable garden of grass and wild flowers. Later in the season, the packed sand will have become loose and the grasses turn to foxtails that penetrate every bit of clothing they encounter. The wild flowers give way to cactus and yucca which are beautiful in their own way but become tedious after a few months. We NEVER tire of green because it's so ephemeral.

  The natural terrain makes for some interesting paths that challenge even the most skillful rider.  After riding these paths for about thirty years, I find they still engender a real sense of self confidence when I manage to clear a section without removing a foot from a pedal (called dabbing). One section in particular requires a reasonable amount of speed and a good dose of confidence as one threads her way between several huge boulders and over an intimidatingly large one.  Insufficient speed means you won't clear the rock and lack of confidence means you won't dare commit to the speed. Every single time we approach this obstacle, it gives us pause because failure is NOT an option. A tip over in this rock garden would leave bruises that would hurt for a week. But of course, we never fail. With the requisite speed, it's easy and each time we clear it, we wonder why we even give it a second thought.

  When we came to this great little confidence builder today, I was horrified to find that someone had packed a soil ramp on both sides of the rock, removing all challenge. Any novice rider can now roll easily over it. Sally and I commiserated over the degradation of what we consider our personal playground. The water district has torn up a wide swath for a new pipeline that has obliterated sections of the trail. This we accept because we have no choice. But the ignorant act of some timid rider, who in all likelihood will not ride this trail often enough to become proficient, taking it upon himself to bastardize the trail frustrates me. There are numerous other trails of varying degrees of difficulty that riders can enjoy at any level of proficiency. There's no need to dumb down the "expert" trails.

  We continued pedaling up the path and soon forgot our wrath. Sally regaled me with horror stories about her degenerate students (she teaches high school at an alternative school for kids who can't function in a regular school setting), and amused me with anecdotes about her sixteen-year-old daughter's fledgeling first romance.  The climb to the summit would be too painful to bear without her distracting tales.

  

  Wild lilacs in bloom in Crafton Hills

  I won't bore you with the details of yet another decent  down the ever challenging Yikes! Suffice it to say that it was over far too quickly. We startled some hikers who didn't hear us coming until we came sliding across their path. I said, "Hi", as I sped down the rutted track and Sally, who was hot on my heels, said they had a look of disbelief on their faces when she skidded into the turn and dropped over the edge behind me. Even under our helmets and glasses it is obvious we are two old ladies riding like complete idiots.

  • 4:39 pm
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