Muse back!
August 21, 2008 / Thursday
Hello? Where Is Everyone?
Headed to Chabot after work yesterday for the Wednesday evening ride. Pulled into the parking lot just uphill from the marina and found it empty. Where was everyone? Was I early? Nope. Got my stuff together and decided to go for a solo ride. I'd been smart enough to print a map of the trails, but stupid enough to leave it on my desk at work. No matter; I figured I could ride from memory, or at least do an out and back.
I headed out on Ten Hills, then up Brandon. At the top of Brandon, I decided to see where the downhill fork on the left went. It took me to the family campground entrance, which I recognized from my first group ride there a couple months ago. I continued out on Quail, then on Lost Ridge, and was amused to find that I had inadvertently retraced the route from that ride in reverse.
I backtracked to a trail fork just before the campground and took Live Oak back toward the parking lot. After short jaunt on Cameron Loop and back up the top portion of Ten Hills, I arrived back at my car. Total distance: 9.7 miles. Thank you, trail junction signs with directions to the marina!
Afterward, I looked up the group ride online, and it seems to have disappeared. I guess I'll be riding with the Tuesday group from now on. I suppose I could ride by myself again with a map, but Chabot feels just a wee bit too big for me to feel comfortable riding around solo with so little light left. The farther out I went, the more uneasy I felt. (Granted, I'd probably feel less uneasy if I could locate myself on a map.) What if I crash? What if my bike breaks down and I can't fix it? What if I bonk? What if a mountain lion eats me? What if space aliens hover overhead and try to beam me away?
Hey, you never know.
Too bad the Tuesday ride moves to Pleasanton Ridge next month. Maybe I'll ride solo at Chabot after all.
August 21, 2008 07:02 PM | Mountain
Comments
Would a cheap car-type GPS thing help to retrace your ride if you get misdirected on the trails? Nothing fancy, but most let you mark waypoints and can direct you back to where you've been even if you've gone off the mapped areas. The display is also bright enough to use as a makeshift light in some cases (also a good excuse to check out new GPS enabled cell phones).
Mountain lions are tough, but this page has some good tips. Also, according to this page, avoid riding in South Dakota.
As for aliens, try to attract a mountain lion and push it into the beam as you run away. The look on their faces as a mountain lion materializes in the ship will be priceless.
Posted by: Mike at August 22, 2008 05:55 AM
Hrm, now that you mention it, I DO have a little portable GPS with trail maps that I could bring with me...
Posted by: Viv at August 22, 2008 10:08 AM
Hmmm.
You know those inflatable dudes that people use to sit in the passenger seats of their cars so it looks as though they aren't riding alone?
Hmmm.
You know those cans of carbon dioxide gas that you can use to quick-inflate things?
So...
... carry an inflatable dude (uninflated) and a can of CO2 and if any mountain lions or aliens threaten, you inflate Chuck real quick and sacrifice him while you escape.
Hey, he'd be glad to do it, for you.
Seriously, though, Chuck isn't going to be any help if you crash and need medical attention. He's had no first-aid training. Please don't ride alone in remote areas if they are sparsely traveled by other people. You'll have everyone worrying about you.
Posted by: gs at August 22, 2008 01:45 PM
If I were really good I could inflate Chuck and land on him in the event of a crash, but then, if I were that good, I (1) wouldn't be carrying Chuck around for protection and (2) wouldn't be crashing.
Hrm.
I wonder if I get phone reception out there.
I do encounter others on the trails, but I always wonder on evening rides if that's the last person who will ride that trail for the day.
Posted by: Viv at August 22, 2008 03:54 PM
How about signal flares? You could carry a couple. But then, they never work in the movies, and you know the movies are always true.
Also, I do think you have to be at least conscious to use a signal flare.
I'm getting more and more worried....
Posted by: gs at August 23, 2008 02:56 PM
Maybe I need one of those portable GPS tracking device so people can look up where I am at any time. Moving dot, moving dot, moving dot...
Posted by: Viv at August 23, 2008 10:06 PM