Rode Vedder Ridge after work with Mark Adriance, just like old times. It was a nice day and we climbed briskly to the quarry before retracing to the top of Piano Drop, which we dropped all too soon.

We had a great time, but there was a bittersweet taste to the ride as well. It was the first time I was noticeably stronger than Mark, and the last of the local Sumas area rides with Mark that lit the passion for mountain biking in me during the spring of 1998. We will be moving into the house on Humboldt St. in Bellingham on Friday.

Approximately 1100 verts.

Vert Quest chronicles "The Man Known As Mongo's" pursuit of the World Record for climbing on a mountain bike, 404,000 vertical feet, or the vertical equivalent of 13 sea-level-to-summit ascents of Mt. Everest during a 12 month period. Mongo's mountain bike climbing tricks are distilled in Mongo's Over-the-top Guide to Climbing.