Keyesville Classic - February 2008

Yet another Keyesville Classic. A total of 93 miles! Easily 90% single track. A trail ride is not a trail ride without some sort of adversity. The bigger the challenge the bigger the adventure. Here's the tale of this ride's adventure:

Potter and I drove out Saturday night. Woke up early, met up with Matt and his buddy at Keyesville. We headed out the usual Keyesville Classic to Kern River trail trail route, but at some point Potter returned to the car (without notifying the rest of us) to adjust his chain. So I told the 2 "new guys" to stay put and I'll chase Potter down. I found him at the truck adjusting his chain. We headed back out to catch up with our 2 other guys and found Matt just wakening from a nice a dirt nap. Regrouped and headed back to the truck to straighten his bike.

3rd time out we were ok until I decided to slap my hip on the ground. Just as Matt did earlier, I up-righted my bike and headed to the Oak Flat Look out via the "long way" that actually goes all the down to the river. I saw what was either a small mountain lion or a giant bobcat run across the trail. Finally made it to the lookout and since there was no snow we headed up Rancheria Rd to take the shortest route back to the truck.

This is where it gets better. Rancheria becomes muddier & muddier, and then snow-ier & snow-ier until we can go no further, just a mile or so from our "short cut" down Black Gulch Rd. Now we are 50+ miles in and have to return the way we came. The other two guys are on MX bikes, low on gas, and have no interest in any more single track, so they headed all the way back towards Bakersfield on Rancheria. From there they can call their friends with the truck to come pick them up.

Now it's getting close to sunset and Potter and I are back at the lookout. After a quick consult we decided that we have enough gas to make it back to the truck. The only way back is 30 miles of single track. This time of the day is just gorgeous for a ride. The purple and orange sunset, the golden and green grass lining the chocolate-brown wet dirt single track. Weaving in and out of canyons through a canopy of oak trees. This is what trail riding is all about!

Then ... I hit reserve.
Then ... it got dark.
I thought of that mountain lion/bobcat a lot.

We rode in the dark for about an hour and made it to the Corral, where the trail meets the highway, but this is still 9 miles of single track to the truck. We made a decision to take the highway as far as we could and then make a new plan at that point. Riding in complete darkness on the shoulder of the highway, we made it about 2 miles before I ran out of gas.

I called Matt to see where they were. They were just being picked up and luckily they could swing by and pick us up. So glad the cell phone worked and so glad they hadn't already headed home. They got to us about an hour later, so we got to my truck at 8pm, picked up our bikes that we hid in the bushes and made it to LA at 11:30pm.

As Daren would say, "it was a stone groove my man", or in other words, another adventure and a true Keyesville Classic.


33.3 Miles in, getting close to the snow line.

Top of the Oak Flat Lookout.

Almost made it back to Lake Isabella. But exit 42 would have to do.
10 hours, 93 miles, 15 mph average speed.