The view from the Burnout lookout toward Samish Bay, Fidalgo
Island, the San Juans and the Olympics.
Rode with Mark and Missy and about eight of the Wednesday Evening Ride crew up the
Chuckanuts.
We climbed a newly refinished logging road called Burnout, stopping twice before the
top (once at the white gate where we turned off the Fragrance Lake Rd, and once at the
lookout).
I wasn't feeling too sharp or energetic, and was second to the guy in the red polkadot
jersey on the first two legs of the climb. On the final leg, two old WHIMPs -- Lance and
Scott -- passed us both. I was passed by John too, but I repassed him before the summit.
On the down, my riding was really sloppy and imprecise, but I just blew through
everything. On a sweeper to the left near the top I carried too much speed into the turn
and was forced into the boulder rough on the side of the trail, but I just came out of the
saddle for about two strokes on each side and kept going without losing my place in the
line. I think the guy behind me, Lance, was a little amazed to see me survive the line I
rode.
Further down, in the marvelous stretch of technical singletrack that drops into Arroyo Park, Mark Belles was running first, I was second and Lance was third with Scott fourth. Down through much of the last section, Lance was calling derogatory comments about my riding (when I took a steep new cutoff, he yelled to Scott that they needed to block off this new low-born line... and then he followed me down it himself) and my bike (which he called a "boinga-bike.")
My best moment at the very end of Arroyo Park, after you cross California and climb up
to the old Interurban line. I made the climb, which is a mixture of stairs and gravel
path, for the first time. When I reported this with some pride to Lance, he mentioned that
Belles had ridden it TWICE in the same day recently.
Approximately 2300 verts. |
