California Trip... Day 7 (Divide Trails)

The miles on the saddle and behind the wheel were all starting to add up this morning.  We all got up a little slower than usual, except of course for the dog who was ready to go as usual.  Micki and I both decided to take her out and as we crossed the Yuba bridge one more time it was looking like it was going to be another good day.  We walked a bit further up the trail than usual and then headed back, both ready for breakfast.

I had my usual oatmeal with an extra surprise of turkey bacon courtesy of Andooke. Brooke had decided she could use a rest day, so the remaining three of us loaded up and headed into town.  The plan was to talk to Yuba Expeditions again, but they were closed.  Upon finding another tour company across the parking lot, we were approached by a radster who had been assigned to watch the shop while the owner was away. Unfortunately for him, the wind had blown the door shut and without keys he was forced to monitor any activity from the parking lot while helping an old timer fix his truck.  He did proceed to suggest trying the new Upper Yuba Trail as it was super tech and after the first steep climb was basically all downhill.  The fresh scar on his right shin was proudly shown to us as evidence of the difficulty.  We really wanted to try and ride as much of the Downieville Classic race course as possible, so head out instead to find the 2nd and 3rd divide trailheads.

The town of Downieville itself is tiny, but some awkward roads and misleading map information gave us a run for our money as we meandered through the smaller parts of town in search for a starting point.  With a few wrong turns, we found the spot and unloaded.  The sun was hot once again, but looking up the dirt road we planned to take gave some assurance of shade provided by the tall trees in the area.  Once rolling, I had to pull over to swap out the batteries in the GPS.  Micki and Andy pulled ahead and while they were waiting got to see a snake.  It was gone by the time I arrived, but just as we got back together about 4 or 5 guys gave rolling down from the trail to our left.  We spoke a bit to them in regards of where they came from and where we might want to go. They had taken advantage of the shuttle and came from the top, but passed along some advice as to what we might be in for depending on route chosen.  I was of course dismissed completely on my rigid SS XXIX 29'r but I wasn't really bothered.... I'd have dismissed myself as well if I was I not already fully aware of how capable this bike actually was turning out to be.

A few moments later, movement was caught in my periphery. It was an animal.  It was small, maybe brown and basically tumbling down the mountain side onto the road.  Much to my delight, it actually turned out to be a small brown bear!  The first one I had ever seen in the wild.  I of course kept pedaling to see how long it might stay on the road and where it might decide to go.  Oblivious of any type of self preservation or survival instincts, I started to hear a rather panicked voice ringing in my ears.

"That means MAMA!  That means MAMA!!!!"

Micki's voice came into focus and I realized what she was saying.  Baby means mama, as in huge, monstrous, aggressively defensive mama on one side with baby on the other... and myself happily spinning along in the middle.  At first I still was worried very little, as I assumed any type of bear worth it's salt would recognize the purity of my chosen ride and at a minimum give me a hive five with her meaty claw out of respect alone. This was somewhat foolish of course, as I reconsidered later that most bears are probably into the whole "free ride" movement and a rigid SS might actually fill them with disgust instead of purity of form.

I stopped, turned around and waited with Micki and Andy as a human shield in the front.

After a few minutes, we decided to move on.  We were all a bit to distracted to snap a pic, so I have taken the courtesy to recreate the event.

Cool... a little bear cub!:

Soon after, the trailhead was found:

Happy to be on singletrack:

Now things started to get really fun!  The trail is well built and even though the climbs are steep the DH sections are very rewarding.  At the first Y the map was consulted and with confidence I knew we needed to take right option.  After a very steep but quick downhill we ended up at a dead end smack dab into an old mining cabin covered with "No Trespassing" signs.  Again seeming to loose my interest in self preservation, I walked onto the back deck and snapped a few pics for the BLOG.

View down from deck:

 

Cabin itself:

Pushing back up to the correct trail, the hills got longer and in some sections very steep. There was the occasional rock garden to keep riders honest.  Very reminiscent of AZ terrain, but always bookended with silky smooth dirt.  An odd combination that took some getting used to. 

Tech section:

Traction was supreme and we were able to power up most of them, all be it stopping occasionally for some oxygen. The trees were huge, much taller than we had seen before.  One had even fallen in line with the trail and acted like a wall at least 100 yards long.  We stopped for some food and finally reached a section beyond what my legs could torque up.  Maybe it was the 40 mile plus effort of yesterday's rides... but my arms were cooked and legs were noodled.  I was forced to watch Micki and Andy clean the hill as I pushed up at my own pace.  

With a couple of deceiving switchbacks ahead, we continued up until we joined up with the 3rd Divide trail, which is actually part of the race course.  We had a pretty good feeling things were going to go all downhill from there.

Micki close to the top:  

Massive tree (keep in mind those are two-nines :-)

2nd to 3rd junction:

Now things really started to open up!  The trail was buffed out and a little wider than what we had been experiencing so far.  Speeds picked up and the hum of knobbies on packed dirt started to howl.  Visibility was great so one could really let the speeds pick up.  Occasional rocky sections made sure you were always in control, but the flow was truly spectacular. All three of ripped down the hill uninterrupted until we got creekside at the bottom.  Around one particular corner was a 2 or 3 foot face wall which had to be quickly evaluated and negotiated. It was a momentum killer for sure, but with a little luck and my 29's ruling the universe, I popped up and was through.  Soon after we made a bridge and then popped back onto a 2WD dirt road.

Creek far below:

We came across some amazing houses.  One with a putting green and the other with what appeared to be a small helicopter landing area out front.  Unsure of the direction we needed to go and weary of the treachery CA had already shown up many times before, we found a local in his Jeep to ask for some further clarifications.  With his instruction, we continued on looking to the right for the final piece of singletrack to be found for the day... 1st divide.

The grade lessened and the trail itself seemed to follow an old flume.  The river was far down to our right but the route itself was simple enough.  Good views were provided the entire way as we pulled over to snap a few more pics.

White water:

Trail hugging the edge:

Tiny flowers tucked into the rocks:

More detail:

Rolling again, the pace picked up as gravity gained a stronger hand once more.  Curves were gradual and carving lines prevailed.  Whoops and swoops brought us back to where the other riders as well as the snake had been met a few hours ago.  This time we crossed over and found the water to be on our left for once. The trail was wider here but just as fast.  With a few mellow ups the singletrack reappeared and before we knew it a final steep ascent popped us right back out at the car.

Loading up quickly in an attempt to cheat the sun we drove back into town.  I had spied yet another Mexican place on the way out and my tummy had been dreaming of the burrito I'd be having after this ride.  I may have to even get two of them to make up for all the ones I had missed so far on this trip.  Much to my dismay, but not to my surprise, this little restaurant was closed as well.  Burrito denied yet again.  What the hell is wrong with CA anyway? How can anyone survive here without chicken, beans and a flour tortilla? We continued on and got another round of sandwiches from the local shop.  No time for checkers today as Brooke would surely be anxiously awaiting her lunch as well. Besides having to run back inside for a forgotten avocado.  Actually, a forgotten "perfect" avocado... we were headed back to camp.

 Tales of todays ride were shared as the meal was devoured.  The mosquitoes picked up once more and after a quick solar shower the refuge of the screened in trailer was sought.  Mousse got one extra walk just before dusk and as sleepy heads met pillows local history was read from the newspaper and Andy found a puzzle that evidently could tell all of our futures.  With the knowledge that things had gotten much better from the start, the the future-cast looking even better... we drifted off with dreams of mulch dirt and perfect flowing corners dancing in our head.

The Stats:

Riders: Micki, Andy and Elvota
Distance: 14.5 miles
Elevation: 2250 feet
Ride time: just under 3 hours