three's company

 We reached out to our friend Ted towards the end of the week to see if he was interested in MTBing with us again.  He was, and so we all met at the Round Valley Quinn's Trailhead at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday.  It was busy - with kids' lacrosse games and several adult exercise classes all happening - but there weren't too many MTBers out on the trails.  With the last of the cool temperatures lingering, the air was a little cool.  But the sun was warm and as soon as we started riding, and climbing, because the trailheads are all located in low spots, we warmed right up.

Ted on the trail

We started out on some doubletrack to get our legs going, then hopped onto PorcUClimb for a nice climb, and the top half of Down Dog for a nice descent.  From there, we took Matt's Flat out northwest-ish to the hill that I used to call "My Nemesis."  It has since been rerouted and is a much nicer climb.  We had intended to take the Round Valley Express to the backside of Rambler, but there was a horse and rider and accompanying corgi heading that way; rather than spook them, we rode along Rademan Ridge (not my preferred trails as it is quite rocky) to the saddle, then descended Rambler, crossed Round Valley Express - where we said hi to the horse and rider and corgi who had just arrived - and climbed the sagebrush switchbacks of Rambler.

Me, finally catching up

I got passed by three people on the climb (including one guy who had a baby with him on his bike) but my pride wasn't injured because I managed to ride this one short, steep, loose pitch near the top that often/usually gives me trouble.  From there, we continued up Rambler to the Rusty Shovel intersection, and then descended that trail.  Ted doesn't complain but he doesn't like to climb quite as much as H and I do.  We rode out from there, taking our time on the winding switchbacks of the Practice Loop; that's such a nice section that it always makes me feel like I'm a decent MTBer.

Sugarloaf is everywhere

After a brief recap of the morning as we all put our bikes on their racks, we parted ways with Ted.  Once in the truck we noted the time - 12 noon - which is just when Grid City Beer Works opens.  By the time we got there, there were already a number of other patrons who also thought some good food and beer were a good idea.  It was nice to see word getting around and the bartender told us, with a smile on his face, that Friday night there had been a 30+ minute wait for people to get in.  That is encouraging news!