Jonala Leads mcassle & placelast Thru Clear Creek

placelast

Member
Apr 11, 2001
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Our fearless leader steps up to the plate once again and shows us a thing or three: how to do trails a man's way. But first: the days sequence of events - not so fast there; one thing at a time.

I pulled in to Oak "Slopes" camp ~8:30am, and to see the sheriff sittin' in his pickup (?!) So why mention this? Ah! I had left but two things back at the bachelor pad; make that three: the latest green sticker for the borrowed beater-bike (more on that thang later), the registration, and the shock mud guard - the first two being of immediate concern. Can they impound if I do not have registration? You bet! With that on my mind I made sure to park ffffffaaaaaarrrrrrrrr away; outta site, outta mind.

My plan was to get gone ASAP so if Mr. Sheriff comes sniffin' around he'd avoid the "missing" green current sticker altogether. The current one is not only expired but has these HUGE letters, screaming, shouting "2002", as in "write me up! Now!" or "money to be had for the state coffers". You see, my few experiences with rangers, although pleasant and cordial, are that they do not miss any detail - afterall, that is their job, being law-enforcement personnel. So I was practicing my lines "uh, could I get a "fix-it" ticket instead of the $1mil fine/jail time/confiscation+impound fees? There's such a nice CHP office in my hometown!" "Where might that be?" "Santa Maria (please say: yes!)" "Can you prove you live there?" "We'll, ur, eh....not this very minute, officer. You see, I went to the DMV earlier this week, but being a holiday, they..." Time out! I'm sure glad not to have that conversation.

Jonala arrives but oh 20-minutes later, and finds me hiding in the back somewhere. He unloads, gets ready, and just after he asks re: mcassle, the latter pulls in. And so does Mr. Sheriff. On an ATV. With a gun and radio. Uh oh. Me feels funny, as in sick. Jonala and I discuss my escape plan, but he advises me to be nonchalant. As Mr. Sheriff pulls up, I put on my phony smile to cover up my (your're busted! Come with me, son!) thoughts, "how's it going?"'s are exchanged, and with some light chat about maps "no, but thank you - I have one already" he buzzes off to my tremendous relief. I supose I didn't look guilty...phew!

So mcassle gears up, and after bike warm ups, our leader takes us on up the road in search of today's challenges.

He took us to the north, then northeast around the preserve. Before our first break I claimed the first mishap. To be perfectly honest, I'm not one for liking ruts whatsoever - my nemesis, especially muddy ones. Somehow the site of them hits this switch in my brain, and like I mentally break down - things get turned off - I momentarily become a whole different (flay-ing) rider, and feel/act like I'm on ice. OK; enough of the excuse talk. So I lay it over - not even completely thru the long rut - and somehow kept it running (I wanted to make a get-away before mcassle saw me, but, alas, to rather a full revelation - he got a front-row seat to the escapade). Now upright, I had this goo on my gloves, but let's be a real man! and off we went. Huh? No front brake lever? Dang! Lost it to the mud. See: my fear is justified. And Jonala happened to have a spare he loaned me, which I used 'til camp. Ever try to ride a two-smoke without a front brake? I tied for a short while. Take my word for it - it doesn't work well at all.

Did I mention it was a fine day for riding? Air was clean, the sky blue, and Mr. Sheriff went about his business.

After a stop/turn-around at a dead end near the extreme NE end of the preserve, our leader takes us back, then forward again onto an awesome single-track cut into the side of a mountain. Miles of it. It ends at a microwave tower. By then, the effects of no hand guards were bearing down on my fingers, becoming somewhat swollen from the repeated hits; the beater doesn't have any, being a SoCa GP bike, and I did not have time to set them on Friday night, but that's another story for another time...

So we are out there, like in way out there, and Jonala has this odd look on him, as if to say "we're really not lost". "(Do) you know where we are?" I ask, to which he replies "no" lightly, "but I know the way back". "Oh; then that's all that matters" a=to whcih mcasssle and I nod in agreement; that's a good thing.

He leads us on some easier trails, and others no so light weight. Mcassle took a tumble on a stair-step rock section (that's OK Matt: it wan't easy for us either) that gave him a slap in the back of the knee. Thereafter our wise and benevolent leader searched less demanding routes with ernest.

We arrived back at camp ~2pm for a lunch break 47-49 miles later, and with that mcassle headed out as his knee was giving him minor problems.

Remember Mr. Sheriff? Well by then there was a whole truck load of them. Geesh! Turns out they had a trailer full of ATVs, and was in and out on some patrol.

Jonala took me out for another loop, much shorter than the first but no less fun in itself. We headed out ~4:30pm. On the road out I clipped a rock with my pickup that ended up punctured one of my tires. With the help of Jonala I was on my way again in no time.

And with that I conclude another "fine(less)" day
 

Jonala

~SPONSOR~
Sep 20, 2000
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John and Matt,
Thanks for coming up to ride Clear Creek with me. You guys are great to ride with. I think you both could be considered enablers. ;) I now think I can actually finish the Boar. :scream:

It was a great day to ride down there. The conditions were still very good.
See you in two weeks.

John,
Sorry about the hands. I didn't realize you didn't have handguards. I wouldn't of gone down that Manzanita trail. But then we would not of been able to ride up to the microwave tower. Now that I think of it, it must of been very difficult to ride the singletrack with battered hands. :ugg:

Next time I'll check everyone bikes to see if they are "Creek" equipped.
 
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placelast

Member
Apr 11, 2001
1,298
1
Sorry about the hands. I didn't realize you didn't have handguards. I wouldn't of gone down that Manzanita trail. But then we would not of been able to ride up to the microwave tower. Now that I think of it, it must of been very difficult to ride the singletrack with battered hands. :ugg:

Next time I'll check everyone bikes to see if they are "Creek" equipped.

No, my fault for thinking his engine would slide into my frame all week when I coulda checked sooner. I've got a spare set of handguards that can and will go on before the next outing; may look color-un-cordinated but who cares.

You wouldn't consider how effective they are until you ride without them, like install and forget forevermore. After a few minutes of wacking you learn to add one more thing on your list to watch out for on the trail.
 

Bigbird

Member
Aug 29, 2000
243
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Good report. I wish I could have gone with you guys, but I was trying out my new boat in the Delta. :) :yeehaw:

John, I'll see you at the 'Boar.

Jim
 

Farmer John

T.C.F.<br>(tire changin' fool)
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Mar 8, 2000
1,993
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Originally posted by Jonala
I now think I can actually finish the Boar.

As long as you remember to breath & sip water all day you will be fine.

Originally posted by NVR FNSH
And FINISHING.

Brian, you should be winning Vet C. Just set a good pace & remain smooth, & leave that case of dropsies you had at moonrocks at home. ;)
 

dp400

Member
Aug 8, 2001
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Can any of you guys tell me how many miles the Bore is and does the Bore run the same rout as the pig? I've never raced before and was thinking of running the pig. I'm 45 and think I would be a fast C rider or slow to mid B rider. I just rode at Middle Creek on Sat. w/ friends and we rode 63 miles ( mostly single track) at race pace , so i know I can handle the Pig but the Bore ? I guess my question is will the pig course be challenging enough for a first time "racer" but a fairly fast rider - I might be 45 but I'm not dead -LOL.
Thanks Guys
Dan
 

NVR FNSH

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Oct 31, 2000
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Originally posted by Farmer John
& leave that case of dropsies you had at moonrocks at home. ;)

Damn FJ, I just about spit on my keyboard. As long as Jonala doesn't slow down to 1st gear in anything resembling a whoop the dropsies won't happen.... I hope. OK, so the second fall - can't really call it a crash even though I have a nice bruise on my right quad from the end of the bars - had nothing to do with lack of speed thru whoops and everything to do with indecision. I'll make sure to sip my water cause that definitely helps with my concentration.

BTW - the dropsies were for your amusement only. They were intentional ;) So how close did I come to kicking you in the head?


dp400 - ride the Boar. The Piglet is fun but will leave you looking for more - kinda like a lite beer.

Brian
 

Jonala

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Sep 20, 2000
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Originally posted by NVR FNSH
As long as Jonala doesn't slow down to 1st gear in anything resembling a whoop the dropsies won't happen.... Brian

Wholly cow you mean the XR has more than 1st gear? :scream: I don't remember using that shifting thingie other putting the transmission into neutral. :confused:

You are the one with the big HP bike, why would you be behind me? You are assuming I don't have a brain fart, while stopped trying to get back on time while actually being late. :silly:

By the way does my "new" trials bike have more than one gear? Why?


Brian, have you gotten your number yet?
 
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MCassle

Member
Apr 29, 2001
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Thanx to Jonala and placelast for the tour of Clear Creek & for your patience! This was a challenging ride indeed, as much of the singletrack that Jonala put us through was actually the course from last weekends Quicksilver Enduro.

The ride started off with a nice warm up ride up the main fire road, then quickly turned into some tight singletrack. I've only been to Clear Creek a handful of times, so I was very unfamiliar with the numbered trails, and for the most part the trails we rode were all a first for me.

At first I thought that we may be riding on the Wild Boar course as pink ribbon was tied to flora & fauna everywhere, but through out the day we realized that the arrow markers had the 'SRMC' insignia on them, along with mile markers in the nineties & hundreds ... putting two & two together, along with the fact that this was some seriously nasty trail, it was obvious that we were on sections of last weeks course. Note to self: if you ever get any ambitions for trying out a national enduro, hit yourself in the head with a large rock to knock some since into yourself :D

So anyway, back to that first stretch of real singletrack. I'm still fairly stiff on the bike, as the warm-up on the main road and a small section of wider trail was short lived. Once we entered the land of pink ribbon trail, I knew it was time to really concentrate on keeping the bike up on two wheels. Try as a may, the first real test ate me alive. A nice section of steep rocky uphill took a total of three tries to get past. I'd like to chalk it up to still being stiff on the bike, but I can't deny it, I'm a spode. During my last try I had burnt enough time that Jonala & John had come back looking for me. John was nice enough to offer taking some pics of me being a spode. Here's my final attempt at the hill, 1st gear darn near WFO, feet off the pegs for balance (stock suspension on a KLX300 with a 210 pound rider = POGO), praying my front end ends up in a good line: http://home.attbi.com/~mcassle/DirtBike1a.jpg Thanx for taking the pics John ;) much appreciated.

After proving my first comment of the day "I'll be the slowest rider so I'll take the caboose", Jonala our fearless trail guide leads us on some easier sections to give poor Matt a break. Great riding & views as we made our way to the northern section of the park. Got to watch John get eaten by a rut, but I had no idea he lost his front brake lever ... that sucks! I once did an enduro out at Stoddard Valley & lost my front brakes right in the middle of it (front brake line leak, near the caliper), thank the Good Lord for compression braking. I dunno how you did it John, with a two smoke & all ;)

After a few miles of nice wide trails & roads, Jonala again found a remote section of pink ribboned trail, this time it was a very long stretch, and hands down is some of the most challenging singletrack I've ever been on. Very tight, very wet, in many places very whooped, and towards the microwave tower very rutted from last weeks event. I am actually proud to say that I didn't bite it on this stretch :) At one point I had to get off the bike and walk it through some of the deeper rutted sections as the KLX sits a lot lower than many other trail bikes. Once past the tower I knew I was spent. I began to make stupid mistakes as I was getting to the point where fatigue was causing me to ride in lazy mode. This proved a mistake on the next section of trail, a nice rocky stair step that required very low speeds, lots of front brake, and the savvy to know when to let off the front brake.

Well, Matt didn't know how to let off the front brake, and once I firmly planted that 21" tire into a nice hole & had the bike at a good 45 degree angle, I choked & continued to grab a fist full of front brake. Wrong move. It was like I could see it all happening in slow motion. Next thing I knew, I was replicating an endo & went right over the bars. Good thing there were plenty of rocks around to catch my fall. Oh wait, it gets better. I turn my head to see my bike coming right for me. *Smack* left calf takes the beating of a 230+ pound bike. Seeing stars, I quickly get up from my bruised ego, and get the bike upright. The fact I could get up proved no broken bones, time to ride on!

Jonala sees my plight, and stays on some easier sections of wide trail & roads. Even that couldn't help me, as the shaded sections of trail were very muddy & rutted in spots. At one point I tried to ride the ridge of two ruts, mistake! Front tire falls into a rut, I try to correct, and the next thing I know I'm going over the bars yet again, this time smacking my left knee into the ground hard enough to make me just sit there & take a breather. Left leg is screaming "hey you dumb***, you going to ride today or keep smacking me around?"

Jonala led us to the campground after that nice get off, and the on the ride back I was having a hard time just standing up on the bike due to the leg. At this point I realized I needed to call it a day, or suffer some worse fate.

I'm not really that bad of a rider ... really. Well, I could blame it on the mud. Doing mostly desert riding, mud is a rare treat, and I'm proving to myself I have no idea how to ride in it. I could blame it on the tight trails. But what it really is is lack of time on the bike. Should of never moved from Bakersfield, as Fresno has **** for trails to ride, and the closest area's are at least an hour or two away. Clear Creek alone was almost two & a half hours, but well worth it. There is some good riding to be had there.

Thanx for your patience guys, I appreciate it. If & when next time we ride, I will double my efforts to keep the bike upright ;)

Matt
 

Jonala

~SPONSOR~
Sep 20, 2000
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Matt,
I'm an excellent example of time on bike = better rider. The New Years ride that Karna & Justin setup helped me a lot. I was the worst mud rider. After riding in the slime all day, I learned to ride it.

The trails that the ribbon led us into, challenged me. The only difference is that you and John didn't see my goof ups.

Thanks for coming out to ride the Creek. The Creek has to have the most challenging trails. I hope it stays that way.
 

NVR FNSH

~SPONSOR~
Oct 31, 2000
1,235
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Matt - you joining us at the Boar? Sounds like you'll fit right in with our little crew.

dp400 - my guess is the Boar will be 85-95 ground miles.

Jonala - my big HP bike has only 2 gears 1st & 2nd. 1st to get it rolling w/o slipping the clutch too much and 2nd is for everything else. I'm really looking forward to the Boar, I'm THINKING about getting in shape for the season so I must be getting serious now....

Brian
 

MCassle

Member
Apr 29, 2001
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I'll be there for the Piglet at least ... I'm not even going to kid myself & enter the Boar, not yet anyway. If dbishop brings his fifth wheel & let's me freeload (yet again ;) ), then I may stay the entire weekend depending on Deans schedule. It's up in the air at this point, but for sure I'm doing the Piglet. Did it last year & have been looking forward to going back ever since :)

Where are you guys going to stage at during that weekend?

Matt
 

NVR FNSH

~SPONSOR~
Oct 31, 2000
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Staging Area 1 for me - Oak Slope is a PITA with my rig. Look for the oversize combo and you found me - '00 Dodge Ram 2500 4wd & 36ft Patio Hauler 5th wheel. It ain't hard to find....

Brian
 

MCassle

Member
Apr 29, 2001
265
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I'll keep an eye out NVR FNSH. Last year I drove the morning of the event since I live in Fresno & keytime was 10am. Glad I left early that morning (arrived around 7:30am) as registration was completely packed. (Would suggest to all to get a head start on that) I was fortunate enough to be able to park across the roadway from Oak Flat's. Not sure where I'll end up at this time around, could be anywhere since again I'll be driving up the day of unless Dean plans on bringing his fifth wheel (shameless nudging ;) )

I am in a 02' Silverado extended cab, charcoal gray; 97 KLX300

Originally posted by Jonala
The New Years ride that Karna & Justin setup helped me a lot.

Speaking of Karna & Justin, are they attending this years event(s)? I had the pleasure of meeting them at last years Piglet, but I saw no mention of their names in this years Piglet thread.

Matt
 

AKCPlumb

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Apr 3, 2002
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Good Report
DP400 Boar is around 80 actual ground miles, the piglet is a great place to learn how to timekeep if you have the riding skils allready
 

bishop_d

Member
Oct 12, 2001
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Matt, I think I'm gonna have to pass on dragging the rig up to the event. I believe Fred and I are planning to get a room somewhere in reasonable proximity to avoid the early morning drive (will be talking to him tonight). You are more than welcome to join us. I will let you know if I make a reservation. I still haven't looked for what is around there.

Dean
 

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