Sunday, June 1, 2014

White Pines Picnic

Bike Ride in the Woods


"Time for a bike ride and picnic", I told my husband.  "Let's venture out and find a new trail."

bike, bike trail, single track, mountains, arnold, california
Single Track Bike Trail
In the early days of acquiring mountain bikes, we scoured the internet for bike trails and read the reviews and ratings, looking for trails rated "easy"  and knowing not to attempt trails that are considered "difficult". Something happens along the way of adventures in general where the tendency to throw caution to the wind in the spirit of excitement makes you forget your own rules.

There are very thin lines between the different elements of wanting to have some fun. There is the reach for something new as well as finding an unknown while surprise and risk play into the equation as well. Adrenaline and how it feels is a big contributing component.  Safety issues remain in any sport, so being mindful of how much risk to take is important as one weighs all the factors of how to proceed.

"The big pencil"
We re-read the directions, veer left at the town of Arnold, go past the elementary school and turn right at the big pencil.  We looked at each other in amusement.  The big pencil!  The directions were spot on as we pulled into the parking lot at the Sierra Logging Museum with the gate to the trailhead right in front of us.  We were in the woods!  It was the perfect weather this last day of May.
Paved Road 
The paved trail started to climb - here is where we start to get our bearings, it has been a while since we had the bikes out.  Once the asphalt gave way to a dirt single track I really got excited to think we were traveling deeper into the woods.  The trail got steeper both up and down and my tires, not treaded heavily enough for this terrain started slipping all over the place in the dusty, powdery pine needles. Though we have taken mountain paths through thick woods and ridden on the pine needle covered forest floors during other rides, this slippery carpet seemed to be a combination of  fine dust and pine pollen.  We found ourselves walking the bikes a third of the time, anxious to get up to "the rim" where surely the trail would level out.

Hairpin turns and steeper climbs made it less possible to ride the trail and there was no sign of reaching an area that would suffice for the kind of riding we like to do, so we finally turned around, knowing we had to navigate through each difficulty over again in order to get back to the car.

We made it with one spill, a bent wheel, a cracked reflector and the resolve to get my tires replaced with a deeper tread,  ASAP!

I found this video of the trail, but it seems like there are a lot of uphill parts cut out!  By the way, I do not jump logs with my mountain bike like the rider featured in this video does!  The video does show how gorgeous it is along this trail!

Arnold Rim Trail from South County Ciclista on Vimeo.


White Pines Lake Picnic
Bikes back on the rack, we drove out of the parking lot (at the big pencil) and down to the White Pines Lake Picnic area to find the most charming little kayaking lake with recreational percs everywhere.  Playgrounds, Horseshoe pits, a little league field, a Disc Golf Court, a sand beach and swimming hole, and trails all around the lake.  For all the people present, it is a quiet area with lots of fishing and Kayaking, no motor boats allowed.

We will be back to this lake for sure, but next time we will try a different entrance to the Rim Trail rather than start at the top of the mountain trailhead.  It might be time to go and read the reviews again before choosing the next new trail.

california, arnold, mother-lode, gold country
White Pines Lake