This weekend I took the Motobecane out for a Cuyamaca to Laguna transit - which turned out to be a beast of a ride. Scott, Heidi, and I leave the Oakzanita trailhead in Cuyamaca around 8, then climb the East Mesa fireroad (passing a few wild turkeys) to Deer Park. We descend into Pine Valley, cross the fireroad, and begin the climb up Indian Creek. About 2/3 of the way up Indian Creek there is a nasty rocky section (past the waterfall, which apparently was the site of an equestrian rescue last week) that I always struggle to clear. You encounter 3-4 rocks or step ups that you have to clear one after the other. On this ride, I 'basically' clean it, bouncing off my line on the very last rock that could cause problems - one that you could easily ride around under normal circumstances. I also spot a tarantula on Indian Creek, the first I've seen in a long time.
From Champagne pass, we ride down Pinball and up to Upper Noble Canyon, then take the BMX cutoff to Big Laguna Trail. The meadow is noticeably cooler (it's about 1000' higher than Cuyamaca). Here Heidi does a lap around the meadow, while Scott and I climb the Los Gatos fireroad and then down the trail. I finish my first camelbak (1.5-2 L) as we leave the meadow and head to Penny Pines, where we meet up with Heidi and fill up on water.
From Penny Pines we go back down Upper Noble, then climb up Pinball to Champagne Pass. I have not done this climb before, and it is long, rocky, and steep in places. Plus, we are getting into midday and the heat is noticeable. I think this climb is just as tough as coming up Indian Creek from Pine Valley, but being several hours in probably has something to do with it.
From Champagne Pass, we head out to Pioneer Mail and Sunrise Highway. As you leave the Pass, there is a short climb before the trail starts gradually downhill. Near the end of the climb, a rocky approach leads to a 6" step up. It's doable, but last week I was 0-4. So this time I pin it and grunt my way over - very satisfying.
We turn left on Sunrise Highway and ride down to the Lucky 5 ranch, then take the singletrack over to La Cima, then Upper Green Valley. This is a really fun section of trail that seems rarely used (especially Lucky 5 and La Cima). When we hit the Green Valley fireroad, we've been riding about 4.5 hrs and it seems like we should be just about done. But wait, there's more! The fireroad to Camp Cuyamaca has some nice stretches of washboard that remind me I'm riding the hardtail.
The final sections of singletrack - West Side Trail to Sweetwater, East Side Trail back to the car - are fun. The climb at the start of the East Side Trail is a nasty little kick in the shins. Scott and I push it; at this point we are in "get it done" mode. The final stretch (new trail?) from East Mesa to Oakzanita is a few minutes of fun, twisty downhill, reminiscent of San Juan Trail.
Final ride stats: 45 miles, 5k of climbing, 5.5 hours, 4+ liters of water. Great day in the mountains, beautiful weather (if a little warm), and good company.
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