Hi all, As Monday starts winding down, I keep reflecting on the adventure I lived this past weekend when I participated in the RBW guided S24O in Mt. Diablo. It was awesome, epic, hard, full of almost unbearable suffering and indescribable satisfaction, all bundled together by a fantastic group of people and the hosting and guidance of the RBW folk who put it together. It is one thing to come to RBW to shop for stuff or ask for advice, and another to have the chance to share an S24O with them.
The few photos I took are here, for those who don't care to read my verbose account of the ride... http://tinyurl.com/clr2swl - just keep pressing the next button... Keven was fantastic as the host/leader, and his care and warmth extended to everyone and everything. He also makes quite a ruckus inside his tent at night. He made sure no one needed anything, shared food and utensils (I don't know what I would have done without his stake hammer) and then not only brewed us some great coffee on Sunday when we were back at RBW, but also showed us how to make a delicious heavenly heavy whipped cream. Grant brought some wonderful and expensive cheeses that were the centerpiece of the night, at least for those who weren't spammed by Manny. Others brought some amazing salami that was shared by all. Will and Sean were a lot of fun, and I got to meet Jenny for the first time. Speaking of meeting people for the first time, especially people you've heard so much about, I got to meet Manny! And to find a little gift surprise on my bike on Sunday morning that came from him and made me forgive him for lying about the return trip being all downhill with no climbs! Got to meet some other great people for the first or second time and enjoy their company a lot. We got started quite a bit after 4:00 PM in spite of Keven's dire e-mail warning, and Grant officially opened up the expedition with a loud cowbell ring. Right after a few words and the obligatory (RBW style) legal document where we all signed we wouldn't sue RBW, the group got going through the streets and trails of Walnut Creek and onto Mt. Diablo's North Gate. By the time I crossed the North Gate with Keven, we were the very last of the group. The sun was hot and as started climbing the six miles to the Junction, it didn't help that we had a tail wind that was basically neutralized by our slow velocity so it felt like there was no wind to cool us down and only the hot sun cooking us. LIttle by little, as I inched forward and Keven kept me company, we climbed until we found the slow group taking a rest. The fast group I never saw again until I made it to the campground after dark, but this slower group I'd meet once or twice more but just couldn't keep up with them on the climbing. The climbing... those six miles of climbing to the Junction are a superfest of suffering and amazing views, especially as the sun starts to set and it's just you, surrounded by golden fields of grass, a winding road and the views of the valley below where you started. The first 1000 feet of elevation I pedaled the entire way. Right before the elevation sign, the road becomes quite steep for a section and it was the first time I found Grant and the slower group resting. The second thousand feet of elevation were a mix of pushing the bike and pedaling it, with more pushing than pedaling... And it seems I would never stop climbing. Alone, pushing upwards with few thoughts distracting you. I ran into a very nice lady who was riding her bike up and then down, and who gave me words of encouragement; plenty of roadies going back down most of whom hardly even glanced my loaded bike and my non-lycra attire, and at some point the sun set over the hills, the light was marvelous and I was too tired to pose the bike to look for a shot. By the time I finally made it to the Junction, I had run out of water (2 27oz bottles empty), was dry and was thinking that I'd be by myself and at least now I could finally descend down to the campground. I was surprised to see Grant, Keven and the rest of the slower group waiting, and after filling my bottles with water and drinking some, I asked them how long had they been waiting. Their response was just a few minutes, certainly no more than 4 - 5, which was really a surprise for me. I hadn't been that far behind all along, even though I though they would have crossed the Junction and be down by camp already. The descent in the dark to the Live Oaks campground was fast and exhilarating, and after finding the group in the dark we all assembled our tents and proceeded to have dinner. Needless to say, I was so happy I had managed to endure the climb, and very relieved we weren't camping in the Juniper campground which was still 2.5 miles and another 1000 feet uphill from the Junction. Juniper is where we camped on my first S24O in September 2011, where I pretty much had to walk up those 2000 feet, as I was done pedaling by the time I reached the 1000 foot sign. It was hard then, and it was hard now!!! I'm 270 lbs with a loaded Hunqapillar that rode incredibly well with its low trail fork and primarily front load, but nevertheless, I'm going to try it again when I've lost some significant weight, hopefully by the end of the summer when it starts cooling again in Mt. Diablo. For anyone who's interested, here is the link to the Saturday outbound leg: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/304720454 After dinner, feeling tired and happy, I went to bed. I hadn't set the rain fly in my tent, so I fell asleep looking at the stars and the silhouettes of the trees as I listened to the conversations of those who weren't ready to go to bed yet. I slept very well on my new thick Big Agnes Q-core thick mat that goes into my Big Agnes sleeping bag. The mat replaced the older thin one that wasn't too comfortable, and I have to say it makes an incredible difference. In the morning, as people were getting up and making conversation, I was able to see how Manny was struggling to get out of his hammock, fully dressed in a one piece red flannel pajama. By around 9:00, the group was finally ready to go back and after climbing and pushing the bikes to get out of the campground via a steep climb, we were given the choice to go back via paved roads led by Grant, or go back via dirt trails led by Keven. Five people took the road and the other ten took to the dirt trails in search of more adventure. This is where Manny's "it's all downhill from here" quickly turned into "I lied", as we kept finding climb after climb in the initial section of dirt trail. I have to say that the return leg was a blast. Going down on rocky steep downhill trails on a rigid loaded Rivendell with fat tires is an experience you have to live to understand. Terrain many of my friends would only ride on their mountain bikes becomes a total new experience on a Rivendell. The setup of the front loaded low trail Hunqapillar with the 55 Bosco bars and reverse brake levers worked perfectly. I was concerned that my hands would slip forward and make it hard to brake, but those concerns were quickly put to rest. The second part of the dirt trail ride, after the steep descents were behind us, was comprised by a myriad of creek crossings that were a lot of fun. The better part was, however, being able to stay with the group on the descents and throughout the rest of the return leg, even when we hit the pavement and wound our way back to RBW with a stop to purchase heavy cream so we could have it with coffee back at RBW. Return leg data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/304720337 I had never seen heavy cream before, and it was amazing to see how pouring it into a jar, adding cocoa powder, and a few other things and mixing it by strong arm agitation turned it into a thick wonderful mix of flavor and bliss. Everyone's mix was slightly different, some stronger and some just perfect, like Mike's. Keven made coffee, I drank it with lots of cream inside, after eating a lot of the cream directly from the jar, and those of us who were still there eating cream were perfectly happy. All in all, it was a great event. Everything went well, everyone had a great time as far as I could tell, and I'm looking forward to the next one. And I got to make new friends and set goals for the next time. Now I'm waiting for Manny to post his photos... :-) René -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en-US. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
