by the way..... i got a new bike!

[Thistle]

Caligirl, you and your bike look gorgeous! and twin bikes - very cute

One of the guys at work is in the process of buying a new mountain bike (serious one, $4000) and i asked what colour it was... he said "charcoal" so i told him that's fine it will allow you to change your accessories, eg you can spice it up by wearing pink dont think he understood at all

[Jones]

Caligirl,

Congrats on your new bike it looks like you had a great time breaking her in, and I think you are right pink accessories are the way to go.

My DH and I got MTN bikes this summer and have been to JTNP a few times to ride, how was Queen Valley Rd? Was there lots of deep sand? Any info on MTN bikes rides in your area would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Jones

[caligurl]

Caligirl,

Congrats on your new bike it looks like you had a great time breaking her in, and I think you are right pink accessories are the way to go.

My DH and I got MTN bikes this summer and have been to JTNP a few times to ride, how was Queen Valley Rd? Was there lots of deep sand? Any info on MTN bikes rides in your area would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Jones

queen valley is uber easy.... basically flat (no hills... some slight elevation changes)! NO soft sand! as a matter of fact... we did this twice in a row a couple months back and i swore i wouldn't ride it again! lol! however it was the perfect first ride for the new bikes! and it really is gorgeous... i'm used to road riding on the main roads.. but you do get a different perspective of the park on the dirt road!

now the geology tour loop... there is where you get some sand issues! darn it all! cut it's REALLY REALLY pretty in there! but that loop has a LOT Of car traffic and it really loosens the sand! once you are down in there... it was fine the day we rode it (they had just graded it)... but even with the traffic that day... the climb out was miserable and a walk fest cuz of loose sand! we parked at the geology loop area... crossed the road to queen valley... took that all the way to barker damn (rode around a bit there in hidden valley) then came back on the other road (instead of going to the left back on queen valley... stayed to the right).. it comes out on the main road and you have to turn left to get back to the car..... but it's a short time on the road!

another area is the "goat trails" in palm springs/cathedral city. you park at von's at 111 and gene autry... and climb on in! (you have to carry your bike around the gate)... the climb in is steep... i haven't been able to ride it without stopping or walking yet ("funny" thing... i've climed roads as steep on my roadie.... so i finally "get" that dirt is different!) anyways... once you get in there... there are fireroads... singletracks... just all over! very cool!!!!!

there's other places starting in palm desert... but i've not been to them so can't speak on them!

over at MTBR a couple of gals just did the... oh... what's it called????? *totally blank* ugh! the dirt road/mtb ride down by the cottonwood entrance of JTNP.... they said it was doable.... i want to go check that out some time soon too! and will post my experiences with it once we finally do!

those are really the only three places within the park (queen valley, geology, and the cottonwood ride) until congress gets off their duff and signs the bill for the other mtb area!

[caligurl]

Caligirl, you and your bike look gorgeous! and twin bikes - very cute

One of the guys at work is in the process of buying a new mountain bike (serious one, $4000) and i asked what colour it was... he said "charcoal" so i told him that's fine it will allow you to change your accessories, eg you can spice it up by wearing pink dont think he understood at all

men SO don't get it, sometimes! lol! it's ALL ABOUT THE ACCESSORIES!!!!!!

[emily_in_nc]

Nice bike, Cali, congrats!

Just looking at your pictures made me yearn to get my mtb out too, but I'm just too doggone busy right now getting ready for the holidays. And we just got back from vacation in Key Largo (sailing every day - bliss!), so it's been trainer rides for me only. At least all my bumps, bruises, and rib injuries from my last fall have healed up finally. I'm like your DH -- accident-prone!

Enjoy your new ride and try to stay upright, unlike me. Love the pale pink and gray too (that was our wedding colors, oh so long ago -- 1985!)

Emily

[Jones]

Caligirl,
Thanks for the info, Geology Tour Rd. is why I asked about the sand. Going down is not so bad but going up, yuck! The sand just slams your bike to a stop. We have taken Geology Tour to Berdoo Canyon and rode all the way down to Dillon Rd. That was great fun and very easy, but you need a car on Dillon Rd. to get back to JT, we were lucky and got someone to drop us off in the park and then pick us up 4 hours later on Dillon Rd.

The "Goat Trails" are only a couple of miles from me so I ride there durning the week when my kids are in school. Because of time restraints I have not been out to Palm Desert to ride yet but plan on riding the "Bump and Grind" within the next few weeks, hopefully before the New Year.

Maybe I will see you on the trail sometime. Jones.

[caligurl]

wow! you're close!!!! sooooo can you make that gawdawful first climb on the goat trails! lol! that's my goal this year.... to get all the way up it riding!!!! phew!

i just love the goat trails.... we found jane's haffrau (spelling).... (walked down to it!) very cool! we didn't even take the bikes down there... left them at the top of the hill and walked down! lol! i told hubby "i'm NOT pushing my bike all the way back up this hill!" (it was my old even heavier hardrock)

so which bike shop do you use? we use and love palm springs cyclery... chris, scott, cory, all of them are great!!!!!

hopefully we'll see you sometime out on the trails! now that we've discovered them.... i like to go there and ride... then do the "baby wipe bath"... change... and get my shopping done! makes for a nice ride and day... getting both done at once!

have you done that ride that starts up out of palm desert? it eventually end up over at the goat trails? i want to do that one of these day... the MTBR guys are planning it for monday and..... another day? forget which one?

so you can't come back on berdoo? like if we drove down into the geology loop... parked and rode out berdoo... it's not rideable to come back? hubby's talked about wanting to do that... but i don't want to if i can't ride back to the car!

ok... i'm babbling.....

[caligurl]

Nice bike, Cali, congrats!

Just looking at your pictures made me yearn to get my mtb out too, but I'm just too doggone busy right now getting ready for the holidays. And we just got back from vacation in Key Largo (sailing every day - bliss!), so it's been trainer rides for me only. At least all my bumps, bruises, and rib injuries from my last fall have healed up finally. I'm like your DH -- accident-prone!

Enjoy your new ride and try to stay upright, unlike me. Love the pale pink and gray too (that was our wedding colors, oh so long ago -- 1985!)

Emily

thanx, emily!

ya... i'm less daring than hubby... but i STILL remember doing the endo the first time i rode my mtb wtih hubby and KC.... i did NOT like that! so if i'm leary of something... i WALK!!

oh my... key largo and sailing... *sigh*