RAINY RAIN RIDE IN THE RAIN ON A RAINY DAY

But oh, it was most excellent to be riding Chuckanut Mountain today with Titanium Cowboys Johnny Boy Clark and Grandmaster Glenn Gervais!

 

 

 

MORE THANKS GIVEN'ER PHOTOS (MOSTLY OF ME)

Area Man descending the Flyover.

Up the hill.

After the race I tried to garner sympathy for my gradually flatting rear tire. Glenn Gervais and Bryan Smith aren't offering any. 

Me. The above shot and the Flyover photo at the top are thanks to nice guy Eric Malsbary, whom I just happened to park next to before the race. We got to talking and realized we climbed Mount Baker together some 14 years ago. See below photo of us, along with Steve Moberg, at the summit. Eric is the strong young guy in the middle. Small world! 

How do I look?

THANKS GIVEN'ER PHOTOS

Fun time Saturday at the Thanks Given'er, a new race and venue--Camp Lutherwood on Lake Samish--for Ryan Rickerts' Cascade Cross series. Way-technical and way-fun course with hills, singletrack, sketchy bridges, a creek crossing, a Flyover, a muddy-stair run up and more. I pinch-flatted on lap two or three of my race (Master C's), but luckily, enough air stayed  in my back tire than I was able to finish in 6th place. 

Below are some pics from the morning races--C's, B's and youth. (I apologize for the pics being sorta dark and gray but that's November for ya'.) 

Tom Fryer in the middle of the Master B race.

The creek crossing by Lake Samish.

Ryan Rickerts practicing on the Evil Stair Run Up. 

Things getting bunched up the first time up the hill.

The Flyover and me. (Thanks to Todd Elsworth for this photo!)

The slippery bridge I feared but that turned out to be fine. (Actually, it was the gap before the bridge  that I feared.)

Glenn Gervais starting to ride away from me. (He took 3rd. Also, he doesn't pronounce the  's' in Gervais, which I find interesting.)

A wise Youth racer doesn't want to get wet.

Singletrack.

The downhill road bit. During the second half of my race, this section felt like I was riding on the rim.

Craig Eubank chases Steve Work under the Flyover.

Eric Stromerson and I share post-race bliss.

CROSS BORDER CLASH PHOTOS - Day 2

A great weekend of Cascade Cross racing just outside of Ferndale. Here're pics from Sunday's Men's Master C race. I'm whooped! Looking forward to the Thanks Given'r in two weeks!

Mike Hammer hammers the Lake District. (Get it? 'Cause his last name is 'Hammer' and all.) 

Stole this pic from Debbie Gervais (thanks, Debbie!) of Mike Hammer just before he hammers past me. (Get it? 'Cause his last name is ... ) The day before, I'd snapped the rear shifter off my 'cross bike and was forced to ride my mountain bike. Which actually worked out fine.  

Speaking of my rear shifter, just moments before today's race, a really nice dude (whose name I sadly forget) presented me with a gift: my shifter, which he found in the grass whilst pre-riding the course. Thanks, nice dude!

Craig Eubank about to enter the Pump Track for the first time and look, already there're two folks out of commission from the race that started 30 seconds before ours.

Steve Work, Jacob and Glenn Gervais. Glenn went on to win, I believe. Way to go, dude! 

Rotating Surfboard of Death.

Craig on his way to winning the hole shot.

Mike Hammer about to hammer across the Skinny. (Get it? Cause his last name ...)

The Lake District. 

The Sand Pit.

Is this thing working? 

After the race, Mike Hammer is hammered. (Get it?)

MORE PHOTOS FROM WINCHESTER LOOKOUT RIDE-RUN

WINCHESTER MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT RIDE AND RUN

Incredible ride up Twin Lakes Road Saturday followed by a quick run up to the Winchester Mountain Lookout. Spectacular scenery, terrific weather and seemingly perfect light for photos. Great company too: Glenn Gervais (below, trying to reach out and touch Mount Larrabee) and Steve Vanderstaay. 

Aptly named Twin Lakes, our biking destination. After parking at the Salmon Ridge Sno-Park, we pedaled a  half-mile of flat toward the D.O.T. shed, took a right on Twin Lakes Road and got pedalin'. After 6.4 miles--which included some 3,100 feet of climbing--we arrived at the lakes. Absolutely, terrifically stunning!

At Twin Lakes, I continued on for about a half-mile and found this pretty little tarn in a basin. A little beyond that it becomes private property--a gold mine, it turns out. 

On this day, however, I found a couple forest service folks with binoculars trained on a black bear and a herd of mountain goats. (They're way up on that 45-degree slope in the upper right and unfortunately, too far away for me to photograph.)

The last stretch of road from the Yellow Aster Butte Trailhead to the lakes is by far the toughest. It's chewed up like crazy and final 1.3 miles climbs 1,100 feet! (Repeat 1,100 feet in 1.3 miles!)

EXTREME CLOSE-UP of your author.

After a quick little explore at Twin Lakes, we locked our bikes to a tree and began the 1.5-mile (one-way) run-hike up to the Winchester Mountain Lookout. (Since the trail climbs 1,300 feet, it was a lot more hike than run for me.)

Views of Mount Baker--and seemingly every other Cascade peak--were huge!

Steve and Glenn at the lookout. Maintained by the Mount Baker Club, a B'ham hiking club, the lookout was built in 1935 and is available to camp out in on a first-come basis.

A gauze of clouds atop Mount Shuksan's summit pyramid. 

Heading down with a view west toward Yellow Aster Butte.

Steve, Glenn and I at the top. Behind us, Goat Mountain is in the foreground, Shuksan in the back.

Steve on the descent. The distant switchbacks are by the Yellow Aster Butte trailhead, about 1,000 feet below.

Me, gettin' all Ansel Adams on ya'. Sorta.