This picture was actually taken about a week ago when Dave shuttled me (THANK YOU DAVE!!!) for some DH runs on one of the test tracks down there. This is the start of the trail and it's incredibly fun. It starts about 3/4 of the way up the Ortega. The trail is steep, loose, and has fast corners that make you hold on for dear life and hope your brakes don't fail. Mika charged along for two runs and spent the next two days limping around on sore paws...but you'll never seen a dog happier than Mika on a bike ride! Totally worth the pain and suffering...I guess that's where Mika and I are so alike! Dave said it was pretty cool watching Mika chasing me down the trail from the bottom shuttle stop. I got to ride this trail a few months ago when I hopped in the Marzocchi RV with my roommate, Tom Rogers, to meet a couple of the Intense riders for suspension testing. Pretty amazing being able to follow two world champions down a trail... only for about 5 seconds before they rode out of sight... but still pretty incredible. We did somewhere between 12-15 laps and I could hardly hold onto my bars, let alone the brakes, for the last 4-5 runs.
These pictures were taken just outside Hell's Kitchen. If anyone ends up actually reading these blogs of mine, I hope you're not offended by any of my pictures or writings. Couldn't help but have a little bit of attitude when you're standing in front of a sign like this and behind a bike like that...
Wow...I just wrote an entirely too long blog about my adventures doing DH shuttles and going for a streetbike ride with Dave (Frosty, Dizzle, D...) on the Ortega Highway...and my internet lost it's connection and I lost the whole damn thing. Blogging is not going well for me so far. Do I dare even attempt this again??
Here goes... The weather was too beautiful not to go out and enjoy it. 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. I swore long ago I would never allow myself to ride a streetbike, especially after witnessing a guy tumbling down the freeway shortly after flying into Baltimore, Maryland just a few short weeks ago (a story for another day). But I've never been one to turn down the opportunity for an adventure, so I put my hesitation aside, held on for dear life, and went along for the ride. I know better than to allow myself to do these kinds of things, especially when I'm broke. Last time I went out to play on a friend's toy, I ended up with a new snowmobile that I'm still paying off month to month. Same thing happened with downhill mtn biking...thanks Ganley!
So we took off and rode up the Ortega Highway, one of the most beautiful and deadly highways in the US (due to high speeds, wreckless streetbikers, no passing lanes, blind corners, traffic commuting from IE to beach cities, and turnouts that noone ever uses). Someone actually told us when we made it to the top that they had just passed a biker laid out on the road that had rear ended a BMW. OUCH! We were lucky enough to only have to pass two cars and one semi truck early on and had a road free of any traffic on the way up since all the traffic was commuting back down in the opposite direction. I know Dave was holding back on the throttle but it was still pretty exciting and kept me at the edge of my seat feeling the power and cornering ability of a streetbike. Hardest part about it was figuring out how to keep from slamming into him as he pulled in the clutch and not being ripped off the back when he let it go.
Ended up at Hell's Kitchen at the top of the Ortega, which is a pretty amazing biker bar (Mom - you'd LOVE IT! Put it on your list of 1,000 things to see and do before you die!) that pretty much follows the motto: We Don't Give A Shit! Awesome. They had signs in the bar/restaurant like "Live to Ride" and "A Tip is Like a Penis - Size Does Matter". Enjoyed a delicious cheeseburger and Sierra Nevada sitting next to a coffin containing every condiment known to man with some sort of hydraulic lift that opened and closed the lid when you pulled on the skull handle.
The view really is amazing as you look down on Lake Elsinore and the surrounding mountains. The picture I posted above doesn't come close to showing how incredible it is. Even though you're still so close to the city, being up there on a bike that has more power than you know what to do with really makes you feel away from it all. Makes you feel alive, like you're able to separate yourself from the daily grind of all those 9-5'ers that don't take that extra minute to take it all in. Much different feeling than sitting in stop and go traffic...
Spent the rest of my time in Elsinore bullshitting with Dave and hanging out watching season 5 episodes of Weeds and Robot Chicken and eating freshly picked oranges from the backyard and cold Digorno garlic crust pepperoni pizza. Add a little red wine to the mix, and life doesn't really get much better than that! Thanks Dave for all the exciting adventures and letting me crash on the couch again...sorry for the drool I may have left behind. Until next time...!
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