Found myself working in the little town of Cool Friday and decided to bring my bike along. I've been training for this: The Arizona Trail Race - 300 and 750 Mile Mountain Bike Races. I'm about five weeks in and it's been a tough five weeks. The training plan is pretty rigid, lots of heart rate this and power zone that.
This week was particularly tough, long 1 hour intervals at a really uncomfortable pace over the course of the past 4 days, but Friday was a screw off slacker day, nothing but riding my mountain bike for 3-4 hours on an absolutely stunning afternoon. I managed to finish up for the day around noon and was off to the Olmstead Loop. Out on the loop you can find your way out to Rattlesnake Bar Rd if you know the way, soon enough I was on my way to the end of the Salmon Falls Trail.
I made my way to the Salmon Falls trail via the trail that heads up from the campground pay station, it's been so long since I've made my way through the campground that I doubt I could find the far end of the trail out there. Salmon Falls fell off as I remembered it, I often ride that trail, but generally as a looong night ride/overnighter from Foresthill, I'ts been a couple of years since I rode that trail in the daytime and it was a really nice treat.
This week was particularly tough, long 1 hour intervals at a really uncomfortable pace over the course of the past 4 days, but Friday was a screw off slacker day, nothing but riding my mountain bike for 3-4 hours on an absolutely stunning afternoon. I managed to finish up for the day around noon and was off to the Olmstead Loop. Out on the loop you can find your way out to Rattlesnake Bar Rd if you know the way, soon enough I was on my way to the end of the Salmon Falls Trail.
I made my way to the Salmon Falls trail via the trail that heads up from the campground pay station, it's been so long since I've made my way through the campground that I doubt I could find the far end of the trail out there. Salmon Falls fell off as I remembered it, I often ride that trail, but generally as a looong night ride/overnighter from Foresthill, I'ts been a couple of years since I rode that trail in the daytime and it was a really nice treat.
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| The bridge at Salmon Falls/South Fork Trail |
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| The rugged South Fork of the American River |
At the end of the trail I rolled across the street to the South Fork of the American River Trail and proceeded up the switchbacks towards Cronin Ranch. This is a really lovely addition to our foothill trail system and really makes big loops possible. Once again it was just a wonderful day to be out on my bike, up to this point I'd not seen a soul, nice
I finally came across a couple of equestrians about halfway out, a nice exchange of pleasantries was had and I was on my way to the end of the park and Pedro Hill Rd. for the climb back up to Pilot Hill. I really enjoy a nice country back road on my mountain bike, Pedro Hill and Rattlesnake Bar are really nice this time of year with so little traffic.
I made my way back up through the subdivision to the back side of the Olmstead Loop and was off on some of the little known trails of Cool. The conditions were just about perfect as I mad my way along trails that few people know about.
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| Off trail Trail? |
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| The Locals |
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| The "Cool" stuff |
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| More fun stuff! |
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| Beautiful! |
The time was getting thin, Mary and I had theater tickets in downtown Sacramento so I motored back into the town of Cool along the paved service road that would have become the road to Auburn had the dam been built.
All in all a most wonderful day!
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