On the 28th Tracy and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. We had just arrived home from Ireland (more to come on that) at midnight, got the boys to sleep till 7 and spent the morning unpacking and walking around in a daze. The boys were happy playing with the toys they had missed over the two weeks and were busy creating with little hands and minds.
We had arranged for my parents to watch the kids later in the day so we could celebrate. Got some things done, hung out together. Nice. Saturday, read the paper without little fingers poking and prodding asking for cereal and strawberries.
We decided to go for a mountain bike ride, something we hadn’t done together for several years. We didn’t even talk about where we would go, we just drove the 30 minutes to Auberry and made the left to drop down to the river and pull into the parking lot at Squaw Leap. If you ever go to the San Joaquin river gorge above Millerton Lake, go in the Spring.
Tall green grass tickles your ankles as Fiddleneck shoots up everywhere. Wild Turkeys, Golden Eagles, as well as others lurk around. Too many other wildflower species to name, shoot up all over the mountain. You can see why the Native Californians loved to hang out in this place. The mighty San Joaquin River pounding with Spring runoff rolled in the granite gorge providing a constant drone. The river is just a vestige of its old self now. Dams and diversions feed power plants built in the 40’s, mighty tunnels carry the majority of the water to the turbines that resonate with a low buzzing hum. The water is release downstream from a 10-foot tall tunnel and slowly makes its way into Millerton Lake State Park to be stopped by Friant Dam.
I started coming here about 16 years ago. A young guy two years out of high school, no job, Jay and I would drive his old Subaru 3 or 4 times a week to try and kill ourselves on the technical single track. When I first rode this trail, it was hard tail, no front suspension, toe clips and no helmet. I didn’t care, we were stoned most of the time and Jay and I would race up the grueling 50 minute climb. We were just as interested in trying to tackle the climb clean as we were in ripping down the single track. Jay, all power, no finesse, he would muscle up and over the rocky sections pumping his huge calves and his Danner hiking boots. Throwing out profanity laced tantrums when he had to dab his foot.
Some sections of the trail we were never able to ride completely clean, and now trail work has erased many of the hardest sections and bypassed others. One can see the vestiges of the old trail snaking up a steep section as you scoot past on the new smooth bypass trail.
Anyway, enough with the past. Tray and I were there and the weather was fantastic, the trail in perfect condition and my body was ready for a good sweat. The first 1.5 miles of the ride snakes down on a narrow single track to the bridge that crosses high over the river. Swooping and crossing little creeks and gullies, this trail always brings a smile to my face, just the perfect mix of downward slope, buff trail and rocky sections. Ripping, carving, swooping, then slam on the brakes and creep around a set of tight switch backs over a rocky section and you are a the bridge.
On spring days there will always be a few cars in the lot. Today we saw climbers bouldering on the cliffs above the river and some families scrambling and frolicking in the water. A couple of kids come walking up to us as we took in the view.
“It was scary watching you come down the trail”
“ Really”
“My Dad says that that is the new thing for Granola Bars”
“Huh?” Dad rolls up with a Budwieser tall boy,
“hows it going?”
“Good”
Granola Bars? I assume he probably said, Granolas or tree huggers or something like that. Strangest thing ever, the last thing I would ever think about MTB is tree hugging granolas. We start up the climb and I have to say it was great to be there, although I had forgotten how demanding the riding was. Hunched over the bars on the end of the saddle you power over the technical sections. It is tough when you are at the limit and then need to explode to power over some rocks or a log or something. Good stuff, and after a few minutes what used to come so naturally to me creeps its way back into my muscle memory and I am rolling.
Tracy looks good too, as always, but on the bike she looks great.
Grinding up the single track, she is always on the look out for Poison Oak, and it is everywhere up here. Right now the leaves are shinny green calling you to reach out and grab them, rub them on your body and pay the price for being out there.
After about an hour we reach the top, and head down the other side..........
Five miles of pure fun. How great it was to step back in the past and go up there again with Tray.
Happy Anniversary
