The Last Mountain Ride Before the End/Late Photo Addition

Sorry Folks....I meant to add this image this am, thought I had but obviously my mind was on getting out the door and into Bank Town's Meltdown. Here All Y'all go, a field fix for those with gears to get out of the woods when your shit inevitably breaks and causes your head to cave in just like the Bucket Head's head is who is trying to figure out where his\or her investment and attention to his\ or her own awareness went to......

Theme the first time around. Bruce, all that stuff has to go and that way it will not be there to fall apart.

On Thursday night while out at the Shop in Mathews I talked to Doug about going for a Uwharrie ride early on Sunday morning. Somehow I had 3/4ths of a tank in the Montereo which is not that easy to come by here in Charlotte. The plan quickly developed looping in Keller who had just built his new SS mountain bike. Just as quickly as the ride was put together it all came apart on Saturday when both Doug and Keller bailed. I knew the end "Apocalypse This Instant Before Us" was coming tomorrow so I had to go even if it meant traveling the 40 miles east by myself and then riding alone. Thankfully Rich called when he realized that the local trails would be bad from the day of rain Saturday and he let me know he was in.

We left early enough to be the first ones out on the trail.

Theme for the first loop around Keyauwee/SuperTree loop in clockwise direction was Spider webs and big brown Spiders manning them across the trail at head height. They were everywhere on the double track/fire road sections. I think Rich rode through a web that wrapped his face and upper torso causing the spider to run down his body for the ground and an escape. Yikes. The bodies of these spiders were the size of grape.

Other than the arachnoid challenges the trail was in near perfect condition. A little Wet and tacky but not saturated at all.

Theme for the counter clock wise loop which started out from the campsite was Lose the Gears and Suspension, join the crowd, it is a fine crowd indeed!

Enter Bruce out there alone for his first time who drove up in his bio diesel burning VW new car. The bastard gets 1,300-1,400miles to the tank of throw away grease from the food store. (Late Correction: It was brought to my attention that that mileage is not only from the grease tank custom in his trunk but the original diesel tank as well, so that is 1,300-1,400miles per both on board tanks filled.) He started with us for the counter clockwise way around and soon he was not there so Dicky decided to leave wood stick arrows for him to follow. By the time we came back around and off the Keyauwee we saw Bruce standing there and his broken Klein Bike was leaning against a pine tree. Apparently sometime in that new little inner off of SuperTree Bruce shifted ripping a cog out of his cassette in turn breaking his derailleur hanger. He brilliantly wedged the remaining part of the hanger holding the derailleur under the quick release nut, locked it down and was able to get out of the woods. Brilliant now get rid of the gears and that squish being held together by that pin with duct tape over it and you will be set for life or as long as it lasts.

Okay, now this whole entire thing can unravel all it wants, I was able to get in one last mountain ride.