Who's that on Troll Trail???

[GETMETOCA]

Saturday, a small group of DRN folks met up at Hollister for some fun in perfect conditions. The week-long rains made the ground quite a picture of perfection and the temperatures did not warrant more than regular gear or just an enduro jacket, if that.

Farmer John and his energy-infused son, Levi led the small group, consisting of Kav, Rocky Roads (Kathy) and myself. We did just under 30 miles of all the fun stuff and a bit of Troll Trial, all new for me, RockyRoads and Kav. Even young Levi had stated that FJ had never taken him on this particular trail de la Troll.

RockyRoads is currently riding a CR230F and is in the market for something more beefy. She and I switched bikes and I she took her first ride on a KTM. She didn't give it back for a while ( :) ), so I think she's KTM-smitten now. I enjoyed my first ride on the plush 230F. (RR- anytime you want to ride my bike, just holler!)

It was all I could do to stay up with the spritely Levi. I could tell that he was pretty good at picking lines, so following him actually allowed me to speed up a little just by....taking the same line :debil:

Kav, our trusty sweeper, ensured that no one got left behind, and occassionally, we would make sure he didn't either. At one point, we came upon a (*gasp*) quad way down deep in a gully, its owner hanging out on the ridge being assisted by two park employees with a winch. Trail traffic was halted momentarily til Farmer John asked if we could pass. Kav, trailing the group, decided to take a look down in the gully just as his rear tire slipped into a little ravine that surely woulda sucked him down into the same fate as the quad. Luckily, a little quick thinking and some extra throttle got him out of trouble.

Poor Kav, since he was the group sweep, we didn't see all the shenanigans that happened to him bringing up the rear. We missed a creek-crossing bunny hop that would have made a nice picture had we not all been up ahead. :ride:

RockyRoads has ridden at Hollister before but had never found any trail heads to the infamous Troll Trail. Soon enough, her wish was granted when Farmer John led us into a dense thicket of manzanita, sage and other thick, helmet-high vegetation. I certainly expected to see a purple or orange haired troll creature around each turn of single track. This trail was pretty gosh-darn fun and was nice change of pace from the faster, wider trails that we had been following earlier.

During one particular tip-over on Troll Trail, I recalled the distinct aroma of sage wafting up into my nostrils as my header pipes burned up some of the wild-growing herb along the trail. I was extracting myself from a manzanita branch when the burning sage smell incited the development of a new recipe for roast chicken I would have to prepare later on sometime. Sometimes crashing provokes creativity with my culinary skills, depending upon what foliage I land on.

We emerged at the end of this trail, a little wore out but pretty happy. RockyRoads was especially excited about the excursion and Farmer John was just happy that no one was upset with him for taking us on such a demanding journey. :aj:

I asked Kav to stop at Starbucks on the way home and we made record time back to Modesto with Kav's speeding.

Kav is a very economical guest and can visit anytime: He barely ate more than 2 Tablespoons of food at a time, making him a very cost-effective guest. For example, here is what Kav ate the whole time he was my house guest (2 days):

4 String Cheese
2 eggs
3 raviolis
1 Hot wing
1/4 of a New York steak
(brought his own Mountain Dew)

Also, he is very good at hanging pictures and curtain rods. He would make a very good interior decorator if he wasn't in the Marines. :nener:

RockyRoads - It was really great to finally meet you and I hope that we can ride together more often. You truly amaze me with your independent nature. We will all want to know what kind of bike you end up with!

Levi - Can I ride with you again sometime? Levi was the only rider that rode his bike so much, he actually had to put the tank on reserve to get back to camp.

Farmer John - Simply put, you ROCK.

 

[Jonala]

Nat,
I took my nephew down Troll last Saturday. He isn't as good as Levi, and was a little beat by the time we got to the bottom.
Once off of Troll he knew it was Vintage Track time.

I could drop him off in the morning, leave him a POP Tart , something to drink, an extra gallon of gas, come back before sunset and I'd still find him going around and around. Those kids operate on a different plane. :ride:

Which way did you guys go at the lower Y? We went to the left. That trail drops you behind the little pond at the back of the trails that are perpendicular to the store.

I'll bet you amazed everyone with your no "dab" Trials riding skills as you rode around those saplings. :worship:

 

[Farmer John]

Natty, Kathy, & Kav,
Levi & I had a great time as well. Levi didn't stop talking till we passed through Morgan Hill. Once he stopped he fell asleep. :cool: What he doesn't realize is Wed night he is going to fix his own rear tire. At least now he fully understands what a rimlock does. ;)

Which way did you guys go at the lower Y? We went to the left. That trail drops you behind the little pond at the back of the trails that are perpendicular to the store.

Jon, we went on a short little spur off of upper Lake Road. It is a little section no more than 3/4 of a mile long with no real technical sections, no steep hills, just a good light mix of everything.

:)

 

[Kav]

Natty you rock, and are still a killer cook, I’m sorry I wasn’t very hungry. But I’d like to point out that I had four chicken wings. I snuck a few when you weren’t looking

Farmer John, thanks for the tour, I’ll have to come up again for sure.

Rocky Roads: Don’t try to fool your self, you did awesome. Keep in mind you fell less times then I did ;)

My trip up to Natty’s house was rather fun as I had to drive thought the same storm twice, and ran into too more on the way up there. Still MapQuest said it was a six hour trip. Traveling at the speed of Kav I did it in 4 and a half hours. (And only hydroplaned twice…) on Saturday morning we loaded up Natty’s KTM into my truck. Natty then got to see what it’s like to travel at the speed of Kav on the way to Hollister Hills. (no hydroplaning with passengers is allowed).

The weather was prefict, and the dirt was unbelievably tacky. The part of Hollister we road had almost like a huge super-bumed GP track. And with some of the brums as big as they were you could blast into the burm and then ride the wall next to the trail and then dip back on the trail.

Riding sweep was kinda new to me. Normally I’m getting swept or left behind to find my own way back. The nice thing about riding sweep was that every one missed the dumb stuff I do. Like bouncing off of the Ranger’s truck and dropping in to the gully. And then accidentally roosting the quad rider on my way out. But at the same time no one got to see any of the cool stuff I was doing when I was goofing off back there that may convince you that I may really know how to do more then just crash. Like the ride-up-the-rocky-creek, triple-bunny-hop, would-have-been-really-nice-to-have-been-on-a-trials-bike-for-that-stunt I was able to pull off.

At one point in time Rocky Roads had said that she had hard time with creek crossings. Farmer John then took us on a confidence building trip with four or five small creek crossings and some small log crossings. Truly fun stuff and every one made it through in style.

A little later in the day we all took a break and when out for a second loop. I had put on a jacket since it was starting to cool off a bit. It turns out that was a bad idea, because soon we were in the Troll Trail. That was the tightest section of woods/brush I have ever ridden. It was a lot of hard work, and I went down two times. The first one something hooked my foot and flipped me off the side of the bike. I almost had it saved, but right before I got my foot back on the peg, it got hooked on something again. I’m not sure how it happened, but I ended up with the handlebars on my head, and lying under the bike. Rocky Roads had a bad get-off. She ended up stuck under the bike with her ankle twisted in a painful way, unable to get the bike off of her. But one I got the bike off of her. She took about a ten second breather and took off down the trail with out skipping a beat. Every one had some trouble in the Troll Trail, but Farmer John was there to help us as needed.

After the Troll Trail we stopped at took a break. I pealed off my jacket because I was sweating big time. Luckily I had an extra dry tee-shirt with me. That mad the trip back to camp wonderful. While we were resting Levi took off to ride around a pond that was in front of us. After he had a few laps in (and had even started his own grove) I jumped in there with him. You could tell he was just having a ball. I practiced brake sliding, and was able to hack the bike out flat-track style on a nice smooth corner.

All and all it was one of the funniest days I had on a bike, and I’m glad I was able to play in the mud with my friends. :yeehaw:

 

[RockyRoads]

Natalie, Farmer John & Kav,
Thank you all for such a fantastic ride on Saturday!

Natalie, finally meeting you was so great! Your enthusiasm and positive attitude are wonderful to be around. You were so generous in letting me take a ride on your KTM400. My CRF230 was tracking so solidly through all of the mud and ruts that I was having a lovefest with it—then I rode your bike (what smooth POWER), and confirmed that I am indeed ready to bid mine farewell (and perhaps say hello to a big pumpkin?). And I’m still amazed at how you lifted the rear of my bike, with me on the seat, over that small log. (Talk about power!) :aj:

Farmer John, one would be hard-pressed to find a better ride leader. And your son Levi is an awesome rider. You guided us through some incredible trails, many of them unmarked on the Hollister map. And you also stopped your bike many times to run back and help whoever was having difficulty. Troll Hell—oops, I mean Troll Trail—was especially challenging (I can only get better at it!); as Arnold said, “I’ll be back” (if I can find one of those secret entrances). :think:

Kav, you were the best sweep—I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been there to lift the bike off of my trapped and slightly twisted leg (trolls don’t actually pop out and help on “that” trail). Given the downhill angle of the bike, and the surrounding bushes, you displayed amazing strength, and I am very grateful! :worship:

What a fun time I had! As I said on Saturday, on a scale of 1 to 10, that ride was a definite 10! I look forward to riding with all of you again at Moonrocks, if not sooner. Natalie, let’s definitely do Carnegie!

 

[Kav]

What a fun time I had! As I said on Saturday, on a scale of 1 to 10, that ride was a definite 10!

And that is what it's all about :)

 

[fremontguy]

Nice report, it has been moist down there and everywhere. Natalie your descriptive post got me thinking of a menu using local ingredients. Pan seared rack loin of wild boar with a sage, port wine sauce complemented with shiitake and morel mushrooms served with a side of famous Gilroy garlic fried sweet potato and artichoke hash. Haven't figured out what to do with manzanita yet.