Trail Love

After we broke up into groups for our ride, I was ready to spin my legs. I hadn't been to Florida in years (to ride or for anything else) so I was looking forward to getting back out on some familiar singletrack. You see, I rode Hanna Park many moons ago, an honestly I wasn't that impressed. Typical Florida singletrack; rooty, sandy, twisty, and flat as aboard. That's why I figured I would run off to Santos after our group ride last Saturday. When I heard that SORBA-Jax had been putting in a shitload of work to add to those trails though, I got a little excited.


Let the group ride begin.

We started out twisting and turning, and only a little of the trail looked even remotely familiar. My how things had changed in just a few short years. The club members down there have really worked hard to make a quality trail, and after only a few short miles I was having a blast. Feeling comfortable with the terrain was a plus, but those folks sure know how to make due with what they have.


Riding through a swamp was a nice touch for me too.

Photo cred: The Trail Mayor

There are quite a few loops out there, and while not overly difficult they were challenging enough. After a little while we ended up on a road in the park, on to the next section.

And then it was back in the swamp.

Just make sure you don't give any food to the critters.

When it was all said and done, I think we clocked somewhere around seventeen miles. I wasn't worn out, but it was a good enough ride that I didn't feel I needed to go anywhere else. Well, almost.


Since I was so close to the beach, I rode out there.

With plenty of time to get to the afterparty, I took off on a search for some local brew that I could bring back to Charlotte. Before long (thanks to some friends in the area) I had some good stuff. My beer status was much improved from the night before for sure.

Intuition I-10 IPA is a local beer, and it's quite delicious. I bought plenty to bring back here, so I had a few before I cleaned up to head for the big party.


At the party we were treated to free food and beer, and I chatted it up with friends old and new. After the free stuff ran out, we kept going. Things got way more fun, with us yelling off the balcony at the locals below. I swear at one point I was hanging out with Dave Grohl, and a dude that looked just like Michael Phelps. I tried to get photos, but the best I could do was one that would make a Bigfoot hunter proud.

He's got another confession to make.

It wasn't Foo Fighters, but there was a band:

They weren't bad, but I drank a lot so my opinion isn't to valuable.


I had a great time down there in Jacksonville for sure. It was nice to go back to the state where I grew up, and the folks at SORBA-Jax showed us a good time. They are a hard-working club (just like the rest of us here in the Southeast), and I feel privileged that I got a chance to spend some time down there seeing what they were all about. I also learned a lot from the board meeting, despite how much fun it looked like I had. I'll definitely be back to Florida's largest city.


Oh yeah, what trip to the swamp would be complete (for me) without posting a picture of an alligator?

I miss Florida sometimes, but not enough to move back. Definitely enough to make frequent visits down there from now on though.

Down (Further) South

So yeah, I went down to Jacksonville, FL over the weekend for the SORBA Board of Directors meeting. I like driving and spending time alone, so the six hour trip was pretty nice. I got there in the middle of the welcome reception, ran into a few people that I knew, and met a few new faces. After a beer or two and some food (and of course some socializing), it was off to the hotel to check in. Not feeling like going back out to buy beer, I got on the Internets for help.

And the best comment came from my smart-ass pal Eastwood

There was a store right across from the hotel, so figured I should go see what they had. I probably would've been better off staying sober.

It was the best thing available. Oh well, I didn't need to stay up all night drinking anyway. I had to go to the beach first thing in the morning.

Our meeting was held in a building that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. It was odd hanging out with a bunch of mountain bikers at the beach, but it did make for a nice venue. The agenda was good, the meeting moved along nicely, and I was never bored.

I just kept having to get up to stand in the back of the room because the chairs were so damn uncomfortable. Meh.


During one of our breaks, I walked outside to get some fresh air. That's when I spotted a bike that looked an awful lot like Eastwood's Glow Worm...with a touch of crabon.

Eventually the meeting wrapped up, and quite honestly I took a lot of good information away from it. It's amazing how different each club here in the Southeast is, but how similar our issues are. I met a lot of cool people too, but the fun was just beginning. It was time for our group ride at Hanna Park.  The trail head was right near the meeting location, so after everyone got changed we gathered around to break up into groups.

Photo cred: The Trail Mayor

I opted for the social group, since after sitting in my truck for six hours the day before and several hours again for the meeting my legs were jelly. I'll get into the group ride tomorrow I guess, but for now I'll share something I found to be pretty cool.


One of our locals here in Charlotte, Mike Long, told me a while back that he helped build the trails at Hanna Park when he lived down there in Jacksonville back in the day. When I mentioned to former SORBA-Jax club president Dan Z. that I knew someone that helped build the trails there, he asked me who. When I told him he said, “He has a trail named after him here.”


“No shit?” I asked.


“Yup.”

That's awesome. I wonder if he even knows about that.

See y'all tomorrow for a ride report from sunny Florida.

My Day

I usually try to take my birthday off from work so I can go ride. Originally I wanted to go up to the mountains, but I was kinda worn out from driving back and forth to FL over the weekend (I’ll get into that tomorrow.) The backup plan was to have a big ride somewhere local, but with rain moving through overnight I knew the conditions wouldn’t be favorable.


So I went on a little greenway adventure.

It was an unseasonably warm day here in Charlotte, so that made the ride quite nice. Just like all good rides though, I made sure to bring along a tasty beverage.

Fall in North Carolina is the perfect time to go out for a bike ride.

Since it was a Monday, I had the whole place to myself. There’s nothing like a little solitude to celebrate the day you were born.

I rode for a few hours, drank some beer, and just enjoyed the fact that I survived another year on this planet. I even went to see a movie for the first time in years, which was pretty odd for me. And once again, I had the whole place to myself.


I guess that’s what old people do.


I don’t feel old, but having a day all to myself was just what I needed. The family took me out to dinner last night too, and after a day spent without anyone else around it was a good way to cap it all off.



Tomorrow, a recap of my whirlwind trip down to Jacksonville.

Back To The Sunshine State

Unlike “normal” weekends where I have no plan and try to cram in a bunch of stuff, this weekend I actually have a plan. I'm leaving in a few hours for sunny Florida, specifically Jacksonville. I have the privilege of attending the SORBA Board of Directors meeting tomorrow, and I'll be representing the Tarheel Trailblazers down there. Why me? Well, I may have forgotten to mention that I am on the board of our local club here (serving as Vice President.) The bigger news may be that as of January, I'll be part of the presidency. We've opted for a co-president position this time around, so I'll be teaming up with TomTom to run this club into the ground, er, I mean help us grow and become a better club.


Sounds like a challenge. I hope we're up for it.


Anyway, I stand to learn a lot at this meeting tomorrow, but I won't bore you with the details. After the meeting though, we'll be riding. The ride takes place at a trail I rode a few years ago, Hanna Park. While not a difficult trail by any means, it should be fun. Being a native of Florida, I know that it's pretty flat down there (especially near the coast.) That probably means I shouldn't bring the Enduro™ bike.

I'll pack my trusty rigid hardtail single speed, and hopefully won't spin like crazy trying to keep up on a group ride. If the ride doesn't last too long and I have time, I may head over to Santos in nearby Ocala for some really fun riding. I'm pretty familiar with that place since I grew up down there, so I know it will be fun. Maybe I'll bring my lights and go for a night ride. That's one thing I've never done down there.


There is a possibility that I could be tired of pedaling from just one group ride, so Hanna Park may be all I get. In that case, I may take a trip over to the longest surviving skatepark in the world, Kona. I haven't been there in years, and quite honestly I've missed skateboarding. Maybe it's time to get rad and all that.


Once again, that's quite a bit of stuff planned for one weekend. Luckily I have Monday off too. That's my birthday, but I may not have the energy to celebrate.


Still taking the day off from here though. See y'all Tuesday.

Times Like These

I'm gonna whine for a minute. You may want to go away.


This time of year sucks for me. With the time change (back to “normal” time I guess), it gets dark way too damn early. I work inside in an office all day, and by the time I go outside to head home the sun is already going down. I feel depressed about it when it first starts happening, because it feels like I have to cram all my riding into the weekend. If I don't get to ride both of those days it makes me feel even worse. I eventually get used to it, but it really sucks at first. I'm trying not to let it get me down.


I'm trying, Ringo. I'm trying real hard.

Luckily, I really enjoy night riding. Sometimes I forget how much, so I have to remind myself from time to time. Even on nights that I'm riding, I have to say “Self, shut the fuck up and quit whining. You're going for a ride in the dark.”


And just like that everything is all better.

BYT is really close to me here at work, so I can get down there pretty much any night I want. The trail is even better at night, even though I usually ride it alone. After a long day of putting up with bullshit at work it's kinda nice to be out there by myself.


I guess I really should quit whining and just ride more.



In other news, I got word yesterday that one of my supporters over there will be supporting me once again. Next season, it looks like I'll still be down with Maxxis.

Wait, I'm not getting that kind of support. I'll be riding Maxxis tires again next season, getting into who knows what kind of shit. That's good, because I really didn't want to have to ride without tires. That would make my night rides even more difficult.



I guess things ain't so bad after all.

After The Ride

When we finished riding at Rocky Knob, the little lady and I decided that we needed to stick around the mountains and get into some shit. For some reason I wanted to shop for western wear, so she went for another ride.

I didn't pick up any fancy duds, but I did find this sweet bottle-opener/belt buckle.

After that short stop,we headed over to the nearby Appalachian Mountain Brewery for some post-ride refreshments. We bellied up to the bar and I went right at it.

It was sampling of their finest brews, although I didn't care for all of them. This one in particular had a name that's well past its prime.

Seriously? Stop using that. No one gives a shit about the Honey Badger anymore.

I drank it anyway, and the rest of them of course.

My favorite out of the bunch was the 71 IPA, which was plenty hoppy and made me feel quite special. This was, dare I say, the perfect IPA. Plenty of bite and super bitter (not to mention high in alcohol), and I couldn't get enough of it. Although they do sell growlers of their beer to take home, they didn't have any of the 71 available that day. Instead, I had to settle for the Little Red IPA . Not as high in alcohol, but plenty hoppy nonetheless.


I was happy to take something home at least.

You know me. I love beer.


They brew their own right there on site, which makes this place a must-visit if you're ever up in Boone.

They have something for everyone, including beer snobs like me. The IPAs (my favorite) were great, but I even enjoyed the stout and the porter they had. It's a shame that they aren't a little closer to me, but that just means that a few more trips up to the hills are in order.



My bike wants to go back anyway.

One Step Closer

Finally, my new bike got a chance to get out of town.

Just on the edge of the NC mountains stands Rocky Knob Park, and it would be my first out of town test on the new Enduro™ bike. 

Little Miss Sunshine and I got there in the afternoon, hoping that it would be a little warm.  It wasn’t.  It was chilly, so we bundled up and went out to play.  At least we would warm up quickly, because when you get there it’s climb, climb, climb.

It’s worth it though, because the downhill stuff is super fast and full of fun.  We reached the first skills area and decided to stick around and play for a bit.

It’s pretty much my favorite kind of trail:  climb, descend, climb, descend.  Pedaling such a heavy bike up climbs was something that I hadn’t done in a while, but it was worth it.

There was another little skills section after another climb, and the little lady worked on her balance.

I did too.

After riding up and down out there, we decided to finish on the (what I think is anyway) crown jewel of that place, the PB&J trail.  Fast, flowy, rocky, and full of jumps and berms, it was as if they built that trail just for my new bike.  I hit lines where I would’ve busted my ass with any other bike, and I had way more fun this time.  While most of my friends were out suffering in Pisgah that day, I was taking my bike out on a play date.

Even the pump track was fun.

Little Miss Sunshine can attest to that.

So maybe I should take a minute to talk about the handling of the ROS9.  In those short, technical sections, it handled like a dream.  The short chainstays made turning at slow speeds quite effortless, in spite of the long travel fork.  I rode those skinnies without incident, save for once when I got a little cocky and tried to sit on my rear wheel.  Although not really a park bike, the pump track seemed a lot more fun too. 

The day didn’t stop there, but today’s post will.

See y’all tomorrow for part two of our mountain adventure.

Holy shit, I’m so glad I built up this bike.