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Message: [QUOTE="2strok4fun, post: 621639, member: 29753"] Firstly, thanx to DRN for the vehicle to meet and ride with a group of great people. It was great meeting everyone and I enjoyed the company as much as the riding. Following is my long-winded post, but hey it was a long ride. :) Departing for my favorite riding spot was riddled with difficulties. After anticipating this trip for a few months, the week leading up was looking like I was not going to make it. Myself suffering from old mans disease was not holding together after a long ocean jet ski ride a few weeks earlier, I didn’t think any saddle time was possible. It wasn’t until Tuesday night did I decide that I was going to be able to make the trip. My wife and I have been suffering through a extensive remodel, mostly my wife, and have been without a kitchen since March, on Wednesday our kids were being extra challenging and my wife had extra duty of her sisters 2 kids, she was clearly stressed when I got home from work at almost 7:00PM. I, after thinking I wasn’t going had nothing packed to go, the bike still needed a few screws turned and the Kennedy jetting installed. Literally throwing in all my camping gear and packing the truck, I hoped I had everything I needed. After putting the kids to bed and packing, I finally finished my grocery shopping at 11:30 PM, late considering I was planning on a 4:00 AM departure to make a mourning ride. The alarm went off and I dragged myself out of bed, the only thing moving me was the promise of miles of single track winding through the pines and meadows of the south Sierra. A final scan of the already packed truck and I noticed that my bike has the 2003 green sticker, my new sticker hasn’t arrived from the DMV, so back into the house to rifle thru the paid bills to find my receipt and check stub for my registration, I hope this appeases the rangers. So 5:50 AM and I am rolling. After speeding through desert, 9 mile canyon road brings me to the higher elevation, but only after I manage to run over a minor rockslide that happens just in front of me, that proved to be too much for my well worn tires and I blow a flat about 1 mile from fish creek. Tire changed and dirty I pull into fish creek CG where I find Private Joker and Scar. Finally I arrive and can relax, unload and prepare for a ride. Scar, Private Joker and myself plan on a ride to Little Horse and Osa Meadow via Beach ridge. We navigate all of Beach, the rocks and stutter bumps are not as bad as I remember 11 years ago, or my KTM just sucks it up much better than my old YZ. After a few head ons this year, I happily take the back position. We start to head out Albinita to the Osa loop, where I spot something shiny on the trail. Not thinking anything other than someone has lost some goods I continue on to find Scar checking his pack as it has come unzipped. He offers to head back on the trail solo to find his lost tools and meet Pvt. Joker and I back at camp, but we decide it is better to stay together and change our route plan and backtrack the leg of Albinita where we locate some of Scars tools. We continued on Albinata to Jackass where we return to camp with a good warm up run in. A few jetting adjustments, a sandwich, a ton more water, and a needed afternoon nap later, an afternoon ride is taking place. Bodoc & nephew (Neal I think) Scar, Pvt. Joker and myself plan to do the approx 2 hr loop around Bonita meadow. Well the entire group didn’t make it to the intended trailhead; it was the youngster and I. After some attempts to find the rest of the crew we decide to head out the only other possibility, Beach ridge. We did meet them returning on beach ridge and we decide to do a quick run to the top of Mahogany. There we turned around to make it brief and keep those waiting in the camp happy, (Hmmm... I hope my key still works when I get home). That night offered a nice campfire good food (thanx Joker & wife for the tasty spaghetti) and friendly conversation naturally covering jetting, gear ratio’s, bore stroke ratio, and on and, hey where did all the girls go? Bedtime offered instant sleep and the sun seem to hit the tent very early. The Eel promised to get up for an early ride but must have found the mountain air makes for good sleeping. Kiwi followed by Dirt Junkie pull in and scores a lucky campsite right next to the group. The mourning went on with little movement toward a ride, but like a good ride, good BS’ing takes longer than expected. I enjoyed the conversation and meeting more of the crew. I am thinking Kiwi has a TOPO of the area tattooed on his brain, as he seems to know every trail in a 100-mile radius. 10:00am and the 1st ride is coming together. I had mentioned a loop that I have done some time ago and it seemed like everyone was game. The Eel, Scar, Pvt. Joker, and myself head out for the run. Fun but uneventful the firs leg of out trip takes us over Mahogany, to Rattlesnake, then up to Bonita meadow, where we count heads. I spot Tim, an employee of Z-racing and give him a shout and wave, the recognition comes in handy later. We head on down the trail past Bonita with the Eel and I swapping lead. The trail is dusty and the follower is force to ride the fender of the leader or drop back some yardage. Eel is leading a fun pace while I try to keep to his fender for visibility. We come across a mountain biker (what the..) I slow slightly to acknowledge him as Eel opens some ground. I try to reel him back in thru the dry fog, a little to much speed and a chicane turn thru a cut log (prolly the one Placelast got to meet later) clamp on the binders! Certain I am heading for an early lunch, I just squeak by just skimming the left peg. Phew. A little further down the trail, Eel still in front, I stop at our next trail change heading up to Sherman peak. A dust trail continuing down Trout creek trail tells me Eel missed the turn. I find him at a road crossing shortly up the trail, no worries. We are heading up Sherman pass trail when Tim from Z rides up on his 525 and his buddy on a 520. They are heading to Big meadow via our intended route. They take off up the trail. Nearly to the top of Sherman Pass I have caught up to Tim. There is a sharp turn then a surprise rock to manipulate while at low speed. The obstacle had stopped Tim, which ended my momentum, that is the story I am sticking to. The sticking point chain-reacted to every rider down the trail (I think there are still some stumbling on that little ten inch rock). We stop to take in the vista and cool of in the breeze of the cooler 9100 ft elevation. Moving again traveling south and downhill toward big meadow. We stop again before the ½ way mark and assess the gas sitch. Eel’s GG300’s smallish tank and thirst for fuel is a concern. We decide that adding some fuel before empty is reached is a good idea, adding some straight gas from Scars thump and my pre-mix gives him over ½ gallon of 80:1 mix added to his ½ tank netting a mix of, well good enough for trail side math. Eel gets more gas than bargained for, but that wont help his bike out. :laugh: Further on we reach the turn heading to Serietta peak (sp). We are now at the ½ waypoint and 7500 ft. The trail turns sharply up hill and we are navigating trail that looks like it hasn’t been ridden this season. Loose DG pocked with rocks and some switchbacks is the trails personality now. We seem to be traveling with and the same speed as the breeze moving up the canyon. Heat, both me and machine as a result of challenging terrain and a HP demanding climb. It seems my jetting scenario of crisp, crisp, fat, is just the ticket as my 250 pulls without complaint. Just before the top I stop in the shade of a tree in a spot that offers a welcome breeze and a view of the trail, and Big meadow in the distance. Eel is close behind, we wait and listen………….Eel’s Gas Gas is sounding like it is perking coffee, other than that a very occasional distant Braap…….silence…….Braap. Some time goes by maybe 10, 15 minutes. Too far into the ride for anyone to turn around due to gas, there is some concern. Ah, Ok, thumper noise, here they come………Uh-oh the first bike around the bend is orange; well we’ll know the story now. Greg then Tim pulls up with both Katooms spitting water. They say the others turned around to return. Glad to know there is no injuries to man or machine we trek on to the summit about another 100 yards, Damn, my steering is like wet cement, I must have tagged one of the rocks too hard and pinch flatted. Some trailside jetting to raise the clip on Eel’s ride, a quick snack on a Cliff bar for me and down hill and down the trail we go. Argh! Downhill steering is like wrestling a bull. Oh well we are at 9300 ft and 23.5 miles back to camp with only a few rocks along the way and some downhill sections. DOH! Now I am bringing up the rear, way back. I hope my tire stays on the rim for the duration, the idea of a Placelast “camp under the stars” doesn’t sound good. We catch Tim and Greg again contemplating a section of trail, a 2-½ ft diameter log across a creek. Traversing around the obstacle didn’t look like an option so we buck the bikes over. A few more logs and other obstacles we return to familiar territory. Gee the trail seemed so much more ride able 11 years ago when I did it last. One more stop at the camp of Tim at Bonita meadow, some gas for Eel, a chair, a beer, some conversation and we are on our way. We return to camp after a brief stop by the rangers for riding the road that included a quiz of what where and who, but he sensed my exhaustion, flat tire, and let us go. Back at camp Placelast greeted me and informed me that the others made it back safely. Tired, dirty, and without time or a tire I packed up to head home after a hot shower and some more visiting. Another KM trip in the books and digitally recorded by GPS on TOPO. Thanx guys, how about August? :aj: [/QUOTE]

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