Los Alamos Dirt - Pajarito Trail, Guaje Canyon and Rendija Canyon (it's a loop bitch!)

Here's what you do: Park your car near the Los Alamos County Gun Club and head west into the burned sticks. This is the Pajarito trail and it's sweet. The trail junction at about 3/4 mile - stay right and hike-a-bike yer ass up that pumice slope and keep climbing. It's off and on hiking/biking for the next couple of miles. Stop bitchin' and do it. Next trail junction, stay right (or just stay strait) and make your way to the high ridge to the north. Once on top of that ridge check out that singletrack diving into the canyon (Guaje Canyon). It's loose and steep and sick. At the canyon bottom head east (right) and follow the double track out through a few water crossings to the gravel road and follow that back to the car up (Rendija Canyon). Total time about 1.5 hours if yer crankin ....add another hour if yer drinkin' too.








John crankin' up the first loose climb

















Ahhhh, that's better












hikey bikey me no likey

Dropping into the jaws of the Guaje Monster








...and finally - don't forget to secure your bike to your roof rack before heading out. Baaaad

Durango Dirt - Horse Gulch and the Test Track

Dan Knight is cursed. He brings rain wherever he goes. The first time I saw Dan since rainy-ass Crested Butte was in Durango......and he brought the rain again. Big time. Day 1, no riding, just rain and a few beers at Steamworks. Day 2 - still a bit muddy but we headed out to Horse Gulch anyway. Southeast of town - it's a sweet little spot with lots of ST and short little muthafucker climbs. Day 3 we headed northwest of town to the Test Track. Similar to Horse gulch but on
soft black shale - again, short little (steep) climbs and a nice tour of the local debris landfill - again, really fun stuff close to town. Next year we'll do some of the more epic rides outside of town - as long a Dan the Rain Man leaves the rain home.

I really wish he was "Dan the cerveza man."







Dan...Bringin' it

















Horse Gulch...the smooth part














Use the Force Dan......Star Wars at the Test Track



















Wait up assholes
















like butta baby. Todd - 29-ing it



















Shawn, dropping into the sweetness














Oh crap - where the heck is my wanker?

Random 10

Random 10. Here's another random of my own, strictly for my own entertainment since I think I'm the only one that reads my own blog.

1. Throwing Muses - Marriage Tree - House Tornado
2. The Versatiles - The Thanks we Get - The Complete UK Upsetter
3. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Restless Sinner - Howl
4. Blockhead - Cherry Picker - Downtown Science
5. Chemical Brothers - Let Forever Be - Singles 93-03
6. Ibrahim Ferrer - Viene de la Tierra Caliente - Tierra Caliente
7. Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Rosasolis - Preludes, Airs and Yodels
8. Sleater-Kinney - Entertain - The Woods
9. The Residents - The Adventures of a Troubled Heart - What Ever Happened to Viness Fats?
10. The Black Angels - The Prodigal Sun - Passover

T.I.T.S (trail in the spotlight) Perimeter Trail

This months' TITS is the Permimeter Trail in Los Alamos, New Mexico. It's the end of the summer so I'm trying to squeeze in a few more rides before the snow starts falling. There were still a few wildflowers out for this ride

The perimeter trial is located in an area that was pretty much torched during the Cerro Grande Fire and circumnavigates the town on the west and south sides. Althought his trail is the closest to town, it is probably the most difficult to find.




Starting from Richards Rd and Diamomond Dr head west for a half mile of so until you see a brown carsonite trial marker on your left next to a green house. Hike-a-bike down and up the canyon a few hundred yards and you're there - it's technical but all ridable. The trail heads south for a bit but gradually makes it's way north - fun shit. About 1/3 of the way you'll cross Pipeline Road (dirt - closed to vehicles) - it's the second road crossing. From there it's mostly downhill all the way to Rendija Canyon - lot's of of options to make this a huge ride. The last picture (in the woods) is an off-shoot of Perimeter that I call Trail of Tears - because you ride up this thing thinking it's gonna be bad ass and then it ends in a mess of downed trees in a box canyon - dead end - and then you start to cry. The actual trail ends on the north end of town at the cemetary. You can then hook up with Rendija or Bayo canyons. TITS baby.

A Trip Up to the South

Jen and I took a short trip down south..., um or back east, whatever. Not really sure what region North Carolina is considered "the south", "southeast" - might as well be Mars to me because there's some crazy shit going down in that part of the country and I just can't figure it out. Although I was really expecting to see armys of white men sporting the latest mullet styles and wearing NASCAR wife-beaters...there was more....soooo much more. Such as:






Historic buildings (sweet)










Homemade biscuits (made with the creamiest cream I have ever seen)















Broken down Gremlins (sure sign that you car has been sitting in your yard too long is when trees start growing through it)











Random street art (people in the south have a lot of time on their hands)












General Lee replicas (to be expected)













A visit to the local market revealed some strangeness:











......like, what the hell is this?














....and this?











...and this?

...and this