The Boy Got A New Toy

I bought Mr. Littles a new mini frisbee today on a whim (no pun intended... hehe), and he loves it! We're both stoked to have another fun toy to play fetch with.
Goooooooooo GET IT!

Hike 012: Mt Wilson Trail

My wife, a few friends, and I hiked the Mt. Wilson Trail to the summit today. It was awesome, but at the same time very strenuous and exhausting. After a long trek to the top, we grubbed down at the Cosmic Cafe, and then headed home. 9 hours and 15+ miles later we had successfully summited Mt. Wilson by foot. All the pictures we took on the hike are crappy cell phone pics... enjoy!
Rockin Out At The Micro Waterfall
Can't Tell If My Wife Is Exhausted Or Wants To Kill Me In This One
Hiking Pals
Big Ass Rattler... It Was PISSED We Walked Within 20 Feet Of It!

Still The Best

Chillin' In The Shade

We just got an insane deal on a new canopy at REI...
The Mrs. & the Little Mister hanging out in the shade.

Chilao Camping Trip

Just got back from an awesome overnighter camping trip. We went up to Chilao to both explore the campground for future trips and to make sure our gear is in good shape for some additional camping trips this summer. Anyways, we found an awesome spot, had a great time, and it everything was cool except for the fact that I lost my Oakley sunglasses.... :(
Perfect Location For A Campsite

Ride 038: La Tuna Canyon

It's been a while since we rode here now that El P. and Sunset are open again. Anyway it was a perfect morning for riding, and MM3 finally got to take his new bike down the trail that we all started mountain biking on... La Tuna! No crashes, no mechanicals, and hopefully no poison oak... A complete success!
Ibis Mojo HD
It's Not Easy At The Top In Whatever You Do.
MM3 Da Single Track Riz Kiz
La Tuna Canyon
MM3 On The Chunk Section
Can't You See Me? I'm Right Here!

Ride 037: Webb Canyon (2)

At this point my blog is just becoming a ride counter... been too busy to take pics and think of anything worth posting.

Ride 036: El Prieto Trail (13)

My legs felt like lead today. Not sure why but it was pure torture climbing up to the saddle. Oh well. No Pain no gain.

Ride 035: Webb Canyon (1)

Forgot how sick this place is. I'm going back sometime this week to session.

Ride 034: El Prieto Trail (12)

The weather has become much cooler, making the ride more bearable. Took a leisurely spin up to the top this morning, and bombed down as fast as I could. Also found a dollar on the trail! Wooohooo!

Ride 033: El Prieto Trail (11)

Rode this at dusk and laid the hammer down to beat the darkness. Record time for me. 33.5 minutes to the top.

Ride 032: El Prieto Trail (10)

Blowtar had his first good crash on the trails today. Get those pads ASAP BRO!

Ride 031: El Prieto Trail (9)

Heat Wave Ride! UGGGHHHH. 36.5 minutes to the saddle... a new best.

Ride 030: Viper Trail

Not sure why we decided to ride this trail in particular on a weekend that had extreme heat written all over it, but anyway we managed to beat the heat by doing a 7am ride. MM3's new bike tore Viper up, as did Blowtar's so we all had a blast. This is definitely one of the most fun trails to ride within our area.
Panorama From The Trail 1
Panorama From The Trail 2
Panorama From The Trail 3
The First Descent
Me & MM3 Talking About The Rattlesnake We Saw

Ride 029: Hummingbird Trail (3)

Hit the Hummingbird Trail today with MM3 & MK. It was pretty dang hot out there, but MM3 was testing out his new bike, so we had to push on. Anyway, it was a total blast.

Just In Time For Summer

The boy got a new haircut a few days ago. Now he can stay cool all summer long.

The All New Short Haired Yorkie 'Do

Park Gopher

I was playing fetch with my dog today and noticed this little fellow peeking out to watch.

The Gopher

Ride 028: El Prieto Trail (8)

Not much more to write about this ride. Just keeping track on my way to 50+ rides this year.

Ride 027: El Prieto Trail (7)

Blowtar and I hit El P today, and felt like we were riding through a rain forest the entire time. With a very slight but constant drizzle, tons of fog, and everything else being covered in dew, it made for a awesome but filthy ride. By the time we got back to the car both of us were soaked, mud splattered, covered with plant debris and pollen, and our bikes were all gunked up too. Unfortunately the pics don't do our looks total justice...

Blowtar & the Nomad... See His Yellow Sleeve? IT'S COVERED IN POLLEN!
Me & My Muddy Mojo, While Wearing A Windbreaker That Looks Like a Trashbag

Ride 026: El Prieto Trail (6)

Today I tested the trail out with the bare minimum when it comes to gear. No backpack, no pads, no 100 ounces of water. Just a small pack attached to my seat with a spare tube and levers, a pump in my pocket, and a 21 ounce squeeze bottle full of water. Worked like a charm, and this might be my new ride setup when I'm just going for a pedal to the metal grind fest ride.

The Brown Mountain Saddle in Full Bloom
Brown Mountain Saddle Headed Towards El Prieto

Dallas Mavericks 2011 NBA Champs!

As much as I hated to see the Lakers not 3 peat, the post season couldn't have worked out any better. Dallas and Dirk got their first title, and the Miami Heat got their asses kicked! The "King With No Rings" completed his epic finals no show in classic fashion, and I loved every minute of it. Congrats to Dallas!
Photo Courtesy of ESPN.com

Ride 025: Idyllwild (1)

Idyllwild... Trails Galore
Blowtar Blasting By Boulders Bro!
Blowtar Chillin' While OJ Dingo Does Some Brake Work.
I Love Rock Rolling Here, But I Hate Rolling Rock Beer
OJ Dingo Rockin' Out
This Trail Isn't Nearly As Flat As It Looks
OJ Dingo On Another Really Fun Rock Section
More Fake Slick Rock Action
The Official Blowtar's Bike Club President.


View Idyllwild2011-06-11 11:24 in a larger map



View Idyllwild2011-06-11 11:24 in a larger map

Ride 024: El Prieto Trail (5)

I rode El Prieto again today with Blowtar and MMIII. I also finally snapped some pics at the Brown Mtn. Saddle, but as usual it was too fast and fun descending El Prieto to stop and snap some pics.

The Bike & Gear Shot
Looking Back At The Brown Mtn. Saddle Entrance
Purp N Yellow... All Day! Everyday!

A New Addition To The Collection

My wife got this as a gift from one of her students. This definitely beats an apple!

One Of L.A.'s Finest!

Ride 023: El Prieto Trail (4)

I swear on one of these rides I'm going to stop and take some trail shots. Until then, you're just going to have to imagine what I'm riding through.

Ride 022: El Prieto Trail (3)

I can't even explain how stoked I am to have this trail open again. Riding in your own backyard is so nice! Today I rode the loop in 62 minutes. Not to shabby.

Ride 021: El Prieto Trail (2)

An hour and a half is all you need to blast this classic San Gabriel Mountain Trail, which coincidentally, was all the time I had to squeeze in a ride before my friend's wedding tonight. This trail gets better every time.

Angeles Crest Highway Re-Opens Friday!

This is great news!

A section of State Highway 2 between La Cañada Flintridge and Angeles Forest Highway will reopen Friday, according to California Department of Transportation spokesman Patrick Chandler. The road has been closed since Jan. 17, 2010, when rains in the Station fire burn area washed away three major sections of pavement through the Angeles National Forest.

Caltrans had planned to reopen the road in December 2010, Chandler said, but record rainfall that month and in January brought down so much debris and water that it overwhelmed a culvert and washed out a slope, necessitating further repairs and delays.

The highway is scheduled to open after a 10 a.m. news conference Friday at the Angeles National Forest entrance just north of La Cañada Flintridge. For the first time in almost 17 months, drivers will be able to drive from La Cañada Flintridge up Highway 2 to Wrightwood and Highway 138

You know what that means right? Mt. Wilson Trail, Upper Winter Creek Trail, and Sturtevant Trail, here I come!

Photo & Article Compliments of LA Times

Ride 020: Backbone Trail (1)

First of all, I can't believe I haven't done this trail before! WTF!?!?! The Santa Monica Mountains are a bit outside of my usual riding range, but this trail is definitely worth riding again and again. The weather was perfect, and the trail was in primo shape. When it was all said and done we logged about 15 miles in about 3 hours time (with a few stops here and there to check out the views).

Chillin' Before The Ride 7.5 Mile Ride Back

Chunks Of Rock Were All Over The Place

We Wound Up Meeting Sage & Co. At "The Backbone"

Alien Landing Pad, Or Satanic Shrine? You Tell Me.


View Backbone Trail in a larger map


View Backbone Trail in a larger map

Ride 019: Chumash > Rocky Peak > Hummingbird (2)

This is one of my favorite rides to do, but today was absolutely brutal. The weather channel provided us some bogus info, and the trail was hot as Hell, not even close to the mild 60 degree weather that we expected. Note to self, start this ride no later than 7AM from now on, or else suffer the consequences.

The Chumash Trailhead


View Chumash > Rocky Peak > Hummingbird in a larger map


View Chumash > Rocky Peak > Hummingbird in a larger map

Bird Pancake

Saw this on my way into work.

Macho Man Stopped The Rapture!

Finally a believable explanation as to why the world didn't end this past Saturday!
Whoooooaahhhhhh Yeeeeeaaaahhhhhhhh!

Ride 018: El Prieto Trail (1)

After almost 2 years of being closed, the Brown Mtn. to El Prieto Loop is now open (officially) and ready to ride. I'm not positive, but I think I may actually like the trail more now than before it burned in the Station Fire. What was formerly a fire road climb up the Brown Mountain trail, is now all single track and double track, which is way better. Also, the El Prieto descent is still fast, still flowy, and really really fun, so major props to the team that put in major work getting E.P. back up and running. I rode with Lefty, Blowtar, and the UA crew, and we all had a blast. We even got to help in the rescue of a woman who had fallen over the side of the trail (which was super gnarly). Oh yeah, here's a Google Earth view of the newly rebuilt trail. Video's of the rescue will be posted later this afternoon.


View El Prieto Loop in a larger map

R.I.P. "Macho Man" Randy Savage

One of the all time greats from WWF passed away today at the age of 58. Macho Man was one of my all time favorites, and a master of cutting promos on rival wrestlers. Here are some of my favorite commercials, promos, and matches of his...
Whooooaaaaahhhh Yeeeeeeaaaahhhhhh!

Ride 017: La Tuna Canyon (6)

Rode La Tuna today with Blowtar on his new Nomad, and wound up messing up my toe and ankle pretty good. Bummer.

Fast Food Nation

I'm reading this book for the 2nd time, and it's just as upsetting, if not more, this time around. If our country's main food suppliers were this shady 10 years ago, I can't even imagine what horrible schemes they're up to now... big business blows.