Pssst...

[SadieKate]

Log overs - Some of our trails have several, some none at all. Queen of the Brain Farts here now loves them (the kind in the video or the 3rd photo). They're more of a mental and speed thing (ok, a little weight transfer helps but still not as hard as they look)

Funny shaped rocks - Well, we are in the Cascade Ring of Fire. Lava abounds in some areas but only a few trails have really big rocks you have to ride over.

Tight corners - Can be our middle name. Our trail system is known for fast and flowing slalom-type smooth singletrack with the occasional obstacle. However, some trails are built by the Devil. These trails are buttery smooth but take you between trees only handlebar-width apart and then do an immediate 90 degree turn. The challenge with these is just ability to ride slowly, again a mental thing. Most of the "rocky" trails are the same way. Trails where you must navigate between the rocks dominate. We have a couple trails where it seems you ride 3 miles to get one mile as the crow flies. The Devil designed these, I tell you.

Deep loose gravel - Here's that Cascade Ring of Fire thing again. Up on Newberry Crater there are long, long, long stretches of pumice. It's like riding through Styrofoam marbles.

Side of a mountain - Nope. This is what is absolutely fabulous about our riding on the east side of the Cascades. Yes, you may have times when you're on the "side" but our sides are rarely (notice, I didn't say NEVER) cliffs. I'm the biggest wuss about what V's hubby calls "Death on the Right/Left" and even I can deal with these sections. The Cascades in our neck o' the woods don't have the vertical nature of the Sierras in California where there are trails that I could easily ride except for the drop-off to the side; I can't put on my horse blinders along steep edges.

Google the Phil's Trail System or mountain biking in Bend, Oregon. It's a world class destination. Trails for everyone and I personally think one of the best places to take an adventuresome new mountain biker. Miles of trails for all abilities with obstacles far enough apart that you can have a "data dump" and relax in between, and the grades are shallow so having to ride an obstacle while anaerobic is rare.

The "technical" stuff in the photos below are spread apart and positioned so speed and weight balance take you over an incredible amount. Matter of fact, if I'd ridden 8 inches to my left in that first photo, the log would have been barely noticeable.