4th of July Epic Solo Ride: ORAMM course

I did the ORAMM course again minus the road section from downtown Old Fort to Old 70. I parked at the Geyser and started riding up Mills Creek Rd to start out. Here is the Photog of the course.

Plaque at the Geyser about a Civil War battle.

Rode Kitsuma then headed up towards Star Gap. I saw this fawn on the way.
Ran into some fimilar faces coming down from Star Gap. As I was climbing some of the Hickory MTBers and a big group were coming down. I recognized a few of them from when we've crossed paths out in the Wilson Creek Wilderness area. Also the lead mechanic / manager of the bike shop in Hickory was in the lead group. Other than them the only other MTBers I saw was a small group on Kitsuma my first time through.

Here are some shots from Jareds Creek double track. Not everyone is a big fan of double track but you cant knock the views on this one. The stitch at the top is from this stretch.I was glad to make it to the spring at Curtis Creek. I was getting low and that is some good, cold, fresh water. What a climb from this point. It is always good to get the climb up Curtis Creek Rd out of the way. I went up and over the parkway and then blasted down the other side. When I see the Black Mtn CG sign at least I know this 5 mile stretch of uphill is shorter than the Curtis Creek climb and there are a lot of distractions on the way up to take your mind off the pain. Some nice Creek action and views. I had to take little dip, it was warm.

On to Heartbreak Ridge.
Always some interesting things to see on Heartbreak
Finished Heartbreak, back up Mill Creek Rd and one more Kitsuma. Big 60 miler, give or take a mile or 2.

One of Those Days, I Guess, Ended up being a great solo ride.

Glad I didnt miss this. Low but still beautiful.

For some strange reason I cant fathom now, I wasnt really motivated to do a solo after work. I came home, laid on the couch, and wondered what I was doing. After a few moments of introspection and maybe an instant of shut eye, I got up, put my beverages together and headed up hwy 181 for what turned out to be a great ride.

This is where the wild Turkeys were hanging out.
The sign says it all:
They do a good job parking that beast to make it a pain to walk around. It would be difficult to see a snake in the undergrowth they force you to walk through.I love the figure 8 ride. If the Big O is the meat and potatoes, Sinkhole is the desert.

It was a good evening. Why did I almost bag again?

Big Ride: Lots of miles on the ORAMM course

Brotha Man Bob and I rode the course minus the road ride from and to downtown Old Fort and Old 70. We parked at the picnic area and rode up past the geyser to the Mill Creek climb for Kitsuma - no need to upset the old guy we met last week and it makes sense that they would route the race up Mill Creek instead of Old 70. More seperation and less bottle necks up Mill Creek Rd.

Some pictures from throughout the day:

A view from the parkway:

View from Heartbreak:

Enough rain for a good soaking on a MTB ride but not enough for Wilson Creek to run!

Glen Alpine Epic Adventures

Parked at lower Upper Creek, changed a tube, and started climbing. I had to stop for the view on the way. Fought the bugs and it was pretty muggy up on the knob.

The rain held out while I did the big O but it started to come down heavy when I was riding up Craig creek Rd. It really cooled things down. After the rain died down, I got some shots of the creek on the way up.
They are almost finished with the road but its still closed for motorized traffic.I had fun taking pics of this fellow. Climbed back up to the knob to see it closer to dusk. I wasnt dissapointed with the view and it had cooled off significantly. Back at the ranch: Some pre 4th sparkler activities.

Curtis Creek / Newberry Creek climbs

Glen Alpine Epic Adventures
Good training ride this evening. I got to Curtis Creek and almost turned around due to the light rain and a few puddles of water on the road. Luckily I met Beth who pointed out that it should cool the temperature down and that the rain might just pass over. She was right on both accounts. Thanks to her for the "good call", it motivated me to ride. I parked at the campsite right before the bridge that crosses Newberry Creek. The climb up Curtis Creek road to the Parkway was long as usual but it was good to have some company to talk to and pass the climb. We actually saw a baby bear on the climb up. I saw the mama bear jump in the woods and then the baby popped out and looked a little confused - I had left the camera at the car due to the rain so I didnt get a picture - next time...
After we made it to the Parkway, Beth had an appointment to make and so decided to bomb back down Curtis Creek Rd. I decided to keep climbing up the parkway for a few miles. There was one view that I saw and it deserved a picture but since I didnt have the camera I'll just try to describe it with the help of a picture I took at the same overlook when Steven and I were riding up there in early May. This is the view point.
The mountain tops were clear and majestic as always but the valleys were full of a lake of low laying clouds. It was beautiful. Sorry I can only describe it.
After a few miles on the Parkway, I finally got to Noyb trail that runs along Brier Ridge and decided to take that back down. I still cant believe that my tires didnt go flat - there is a good reason it is called Brier Ridge. I had only one extra tube and had depleted my patch kit of patches yesterday when I salvaged about 4 old tubes, one of which was in my back tire (it would have been a good idea to pack a couple of those salvaged tubes but I didnt). I did pick my bike up and carry it through a few areas that were full of briers - a little due diligence. By the time I dropped back down close to my parking place, I decided I should climb some more. I had enough light in the sky, air in my tires and some energy left so I started up Newberry Creek Rd. I climbed all the way up the forest service road, past the gate, up, up, up and to the point that it turns into single track. Sweet climb and much improved from early spring when the gravel and dirt they added was still loose - it is nice and packed down now. It got more and more grassy as I made it closer to the top but still a good climb. Then I just bombed back down. A good evening ride.