Bailout at Grandmas

What will probably be the last ride for the set was a short one from Capilano park through Risky Business, Andres... until I found the magnificent little blue bridge where I crossed and I rode the singletrack in Kinniard, Dawson. 

Signs of impending doom for the 2020-2021 fat biking season was out in droves today as any sun exposed trails were getting quite beat up. The ones I rode on were still rideable but will be pure slop soon, the usual people will keep riding them but if you are any sort of decent human you will stay away and let them dry out. 

A short lived attempt to find the entrance in the looming darkness to Snake Back to ride.. Well hike a bike to the top and ride down my new found little connector was shut down when I thought of having to push the bike up a lot of the sections. I took Low Class where I hooked up with the multi use that runs along the river. 

It was wet and quite gross.

I planned on riding the top of the valley and dropping into Rundle to extend my range with a very possible return on Gold Digger which would have made the ending quite great. Instead, still wet from the multi use and quite tired I bailed out and returned home. 

It's March, Lets Ride Big Tires

Both parties involved in the ride today would probably have been better off at home on the couch watching Netflix but now that it is all over we knew we had taken the better option, well that just goes without saying it now does it? Nights still affecting myself and Kent dealing with the changing seasons or maybe we are sadly getting old as dirt..

A Kent meet up in Terwillegar as we departed his place and found Fireman's Descent where there were no fat bike tracks. Now isn't there an overload of new riders and a large amount of people riding in general? I do know the Fireman area can be dicy at times but if you don't feel comfortable than just walk a section. Or you could just cut a new section out of the trees and ride that instead of anything that challenges you. That right there is the NWO of mountain biking in Edmonton. Could this be Edmonton's Mountain bike motto? "If its Hard, Cut it Out or Make a New Trail to go round Because You are a Princess and Life Shouldn't be Hard." 

Yes, I really like that motto. A bit long but I think we captured the gist of the new riding theme for Edmonton in 2021. 

We avoided the log trail and the new Flat Pete. Had a look at an abandoned campground that was surprisingly very well taken care along the side trail in Oliskew, AOTK or BDSM? Apparently there was a guy there in the deep cold living in a tent causing no harm but not surprisingly with an over abundance of white people in the area it naturally got reported. The bottom pics tell more of a story. 

We rod Flat Pete and saw the escape route from the dip and both remarked on how many people avoid the fun stuff. Yes, it is a bit of a challenge but it really isn't that bad. I mean come on man! Flat Pete? Really? 

I can only assume new riders? Ugh.. Whatever, it shouldn't bug me but they are wrecking more forest by making these escape wussy trails instead of growing some sort of balls and riding them. Please do not take this as bragging cause we ride the dip all the time. It's fucking Flat Pete, One of the easiest trails in the valley. 

A new trail. Oh damn... I forgot the name already. Purgatory's Sista. Oh man, I'm way off but that one is pretty good eh?

Oh yes, it had something to do with clams. I'll just throw a bunch of names out and see what sticks.

Clam Avenue

Clamasouraus Rex

Dead Today Clam Tomorrow

ClamWarts (not the best I'll admit, a bit of a take on Harry Potter)

Clamapple Express

See, I don't remember the name but these are seriously all better. The trail is quite great and as per usual a huge thank you to the contributors. Some sidehill riding starts you out where the photo opportunities are out of this world. 

I will get the name when I am not so lazy, to the people who built and named it a big hearty thank you again. 

We rode the creek and multi use out of Patricia Ravine and found the roads with friendly bike lane signs and followed them and crossed the Whitemud and than Quesnell. We rode up into the trees and found Farmers Daughter where more epic views and amazing singletrack awaited.

Lame roads took us home not before hearing about a proposed pedestrian bridge linking Terwillegar up nicely. Link to project here

 

*Kent Steeves. Photos from top #1,#3,#6.

Wake Up

 Was it two thirty in the afternoon when I finally woke up and got out of bed? It was close to that time and thinking back when I was up earlier in the late morning I woke up and felt like absolute death. Hence a two thirty in that afternoon wake up was happening. 

I love recovering from nights. It's been a long time now working this shift and I still do not have a proper reset to days routine. Luckily I ride bikes and they take away the shitty feels one gets from this crap feeling. 

I started at the top of End of the World and descended into the darkening valley as the sun was setting by the time I arrived. The singletrack trails took me down behind the horse stables and my mind was swept away with the awesome calm feels of the trees, the light falling snow and a fun as hell bike. I forgot I had no front brake though and slid down the trail on the steeps with my manhood precariously placed on my top tube as I slid off the trail waiting for the ensuing pain but it never came. Instead I fell into the fresh snow. The same fresh snow that some bunnies probably had sex in and frolicked prior to my arrival. I really thought bad things were going to happen to my boys, instead it was kind of a pussified end and that is fine. 

The decision was made to avoid Karenville (Laurier) and keep heading west to the Oliskew area. where I rode the upper paved Fort Edmonton trails to cross the river sneering at the thought of riding Selkirk Knights as it would be a real hard as fuck move. A very badass move in fact  which I avoided as no front brake there is really quite a stupid move. But still... How badass would that have been eh? 

Instead I ended up on Flat Pete. 

I crossed the Fort Edmonton bridge and stayed on the paved and found the trail. Ugh.. Hold on yet again. I gotta look this one up. The Oliskew Meadow trail that took me around where I found Logarythmic (I don't care if I spelled that right, stop sending angry emails.) 

The whole Logarythmic and Flat Pete trail system was taken back in the creepy darkness and was the definite highlight of the last eleven days. There were fresh fat bike tracks ahead of me and I was wondering if I would catch up to anyone. Those tracks avoided the dip at the end and I was sad for that person. That is one of the best parts of the trail. Why are people avoiding it and going around? 

I crossed the river again making the Fort Edmonton footbridge the only river crossing I used tonight and rode the lower Fort Edmonton multi use back to the paved where I stayed on it and rode up and out of the valley finishing a pretty top notch ride. 

Beer Friday. Collective Arts Brewing, Saint of Circumstances

 Friday has come again you hosers so we are bringing you a delectable looking craft from Collective Arts brewing who have some pretty cool artwork on their cans. Located in Canada's center of the world and also in Hamilton with an apparent location opening up in Brooklyn. Oh my God. They are so cool!

Collective Arts has been on here in the past and I distinctly remember the can. Today's can was the feature of many failed photo attempts as I tried to get the full effect of the astronaut and jelly fish but could not pull it off. Well kids. I am lying. I didn't try one bit. I just threw the can on the table and took a pic. I'm tired as hell and don't feel like taking photos ok. A cool thing about this brewery is if you are an artist you can submit your art to them and it will be featured on a can.

We poured this Blonde ale into our Seahawks tester mug in some sort of weird hope it will bring the Seahawks some good luck as some ugly trade rumours are circling around. It poured a very light looking beer that had a two and one pinky head that lasted for a short time until spreading itself out to the sides of the glass. A slight citrus smell with some sort of melon was detected. 

The first sip was taken at precisely 8:21in the PM, mountain standard time. It was a nice light easy beer that certainly didn't match the current start of days off mood. A lemon is the most powerful taste you can get out of this. Like I said, it's pleasant with no bitter hops although the lemon taste can be a bit bitter on the back end.  Grapefruit peel, dried grass and honeydew seem to round this one out. Its fine, some would say a tad watered down.

This beer gets 3 suds out of 5. 

*terribly sorry for the short write up, were a bit tired over here. 

Happy Tuesday

 Fresh from the Jason files.

Happy Sunday

 

Incredi-Snow

I did try my best to make the title of this one reflective of the awesome snow conditions that are out there right now. I do believe I failed as the title is quite lame but you know what? I guess I don't really care. Call this a bad attitude from returning to work after a rather decent set of rides. Yes they were short but it was a tad chilly.

Millcreek pool upper lot took me out where I headed eastbound in what felt like an overly frigid valley. I stayed low to leave MillCreek and seriously contemplated on turning around as I was chilled to the bone and it did not feel like it would let up. I seriously wondered if the cold from the Polar Vortex (I just love typing that name) had decided to hangout in the valley for a little bit before leaving.

I took the Bird House trail and soon found the climb up on Holy Trail where mid Ewok was ridden. By that point in the ride I was nice and comfortable and between the snow conditions and the bike and myself feeling fine I'd say this one was quite great. 

The valley is in some of the best conditions I have ever seen in the middle of Winter. 

I took Andre's after Caddytrack and retraced mine and Kent's planned ride on Monday. The Ride up Low  Class and Higher Education to connect with Snake Back is a great way to connect the dots back to Dawson. The ride down Snake Back was insanely sketchy as my front brake is no more as I need to bleed my crappy SRAM brakes yet again. Yes having no front brake on that steep and loose snow covered trail was a real crap fest and I do not recommend anyone doing that. Yes I was aware I had no brake after Mondays ride and wanted to ride more than I wanted to repair it. 

Dawson park singletrack was taken before crossing that absolute beauty of a blue bridge and I crossed my tracks going the other way on mid Ewok.  The high side singletrack trails (as I like to call them) aka The Trap were ridden as the ride soon came to an end. 

The best ride of the set off kids.

i really don't get why they do this? just put up some signs warning people cause they will go anyways

the lonebiker is always at one with nature. thanks for your concern about the poor state of the tire, that was my rear and i moved it to the front, it was patched with rubber glue and rubber patches on the inside, new tires are coming but most likely won't be used until next season, these should carry me through till the end of this season *he nervously types