News Flash- Spiffy is Complete

Finally the rear shock for my new Santa Cruz Nomad has arrived. It came with the wrong spring but luckily Tyler at Revolution Cycles had a softer one for me. I already have it on the bike and it is perfect.

Everything about this bike has been a waiting game. The whole thing has been a little iffy, so I decided to name the bike Spiffy. I know not a bodily fluid like the last two bikes that the Holy Wow gang has welcomed into the fold but Spiffy should be a good pal for Snot and Spunk and he will be able to council them on how to dress when they go out on the town searching for those light weight cross country bikes.

An October Treat- Mt Abercrombie

Saturday dawned bright and cold(-4 C). The plan had been to ride Mt. Abercrombie before the snow flies. Today was going to be the day, cold or not cold. At least the sun was shining. Seven of us met at Greener's and loaded the trailer with bikes then they came to get me. The cold had me moving with hesitation, did I really want to go up to 7000ft above sea level when it was -4°C at 3500 ft above sea level. OK, after all, it is one of the most fun rides around.

Off to Abercrombie we went, stopping at the Waneta Border Crossing to be told it was the first weekend of the american hunting season and did we have orange to wear, and stopping at Waneta Quick Stop for refreshments for after the ride.

Arriving at the Silver Creek road intersection half of the party had to get into the back of an open pickup for the trip up to the trailhead. Poor fellows, it was still 0°C out even in the sun, a cold ride up, but no one jumped out.

The trailhead seemed farther than usual. When we finally arrived, everyone climbed on bikes as quickly as possible , searching for warmth in the exertion of the 1000ft vertical climb to the trail. The climb seemed to go by at a faster rate than normal and before you knew it we were sitting on a sunny slope on the flank of Abercrombie enjoying the relative warmth(still only 0°C to +1°C).

After a quick bite to eat and the donning of protective gear, we started the delicious decent that the single track on the south side of the mountain provides. It was as flavorful as always and everyone had a blast. Even the final scoot down the road to the parked vehicle and the refreshment cooler brought out the twelve year old in each of us. Boy was I glad I had weathered the cold and come on this ride.

Abercrombie is a classic, with some 36 switch backs and many star wars like flights through the trees, a must do at least once a year. I think the fall is the best time, because the leaves are down and the scenery is so vibrant. I'll be back again next year.

Ahh!! Much Better

Well, I guess the email worked(or was it the promise of a shuttle), anyway, we had a great turn out for the Tamarack-Dukabor night ride. Eleven riders turned out on a lovely Oct evening for some sweet tacky single track. The riding was superb and enjoyed by all. Hope we get a few more in before the snow flies.

HW 19 The Loops

Eighteen Holy Wowers ventured to Kamloops and Sun Peaks on Sept 15 for 3 days of Holy Wow riding. The experience was WOWING as usual. The accommodations were awesome, the food was fantastic, and the riding was HOLY WOW at it's best. We wandered through Screaming Mosquito(thank goodness there were NO mosquitoes), sessioned Rio Escondito, and ripped up the Bike Park at Sun Peaks (took a lot of the park home with us in the form of mud and dirt). The whole thing just made us say HOLY HOLY WOW WOW. Check out the brief movie clip (more to come from the Go Pro helmet cam) and the slide show.

I Am Back

Seems like it has been forever since I posted on this blog, oops maybe it has been forever. About 2 months since the last post, holidays and bike trips and hunting trips can do that to you. Anyway, I am back, got my new bike (at least most of it still don't have the right shock), have been riding at night and have been missing a lot of guys that rode at HW 19.

There is still some good riding out there so check it out. I will be cranking up the email campaign again because we have been lonely on Tue and Thur nights. We need to do a Top of Red night ride and a Tamarac Dukabor (on Thur Oct 14 check your email) and at least one snow ride, so stay tuned.

Larch Ridge Ride (Aug 17)

We decided to check out the new piece of single track that was built up near the biathlon range. Sixteen riders showed up for the show. Drove up to the trail head. The single track was very nice even though it was just an out and back adventure. We finished of the ride with a mad scoot down the Neptune Creek road to Gibbards cross country trail and back to town. Great fun. Check out the pictures below.

And Then There Were SIXTEEN (Aug 12)

Sixteen riders turned out for a great ride to the Crown Point. The trail was in great shape. KCTS trail crew has been busy in that neck of the woods, so the trail was buffed and the new bridge work was highly ridable.

Thanks to Dave Shannon for the ride up from Warfield. Good to have Brett Furguson back from his road tour. Norm put on a spread at his house and really raised the bar for post ride libations.

HOLY WOW!!!!!!! what a ride.....

I'm Back-Mining Red Mt (Tue Aug 10)

That's better. We had a solid group of 10 riders turn out for the ride. It was a mixed bag of trails that took us to old routes that had not been travelled by many of us for a long time. Let's just say it was nostalgic and great fun. The beer was cold at Tenchie's and the deck was warm thanks to his deck heater. Thanks Mike.

TechnoBack or Where is everybody?(Aug 3)

Looks like Thursdays are just not in the plans for me this summer, but at least I am making Tuesdays and Wednesday men's night at the golf course. ONLY THREE of us showed up for the Tuesday night training ride. Did they know what the ride was going to be and that scared them off? I did not send out an email so maybe that was what caused the poor turn out. Oh well, Brent, Dario and I had a good ride, even if it had a lot of uphill.

We rode to the KC saddle then up the rocky drops of the Technogrind and cruised the trail along the swamp(definitely the way to ride that chunk of trail) then back up the trail to Monte Cristo road and up to the trailhead of Snake. At this point we decided to try a trail called Yellow Submarine. I haven't ridden this trail in a long while but it definitely provided some thrills and luckily no spills as it swooped its way back down to the KC trail and back to the water tower with a finish using the bottom part of Snake. This ride is a keeper, and a real test of one's technical skills, we need to ride it more often.

The cold beers at Dario's were very good as usual. I hope to see a few more riders the next time out (probably a Tuesday). Isn't summer fun. Too bad it makes it so easy to get out of shape. Good thing riding is even more fun and it makes it easy to get into shape, even if it hurts alot.

Drake's The Easy Way (July 27)

It has been a while since I have posted anything. My riding has been spotty. Spent a week at the lake. Should have been swimming and relaxing but ended up rebuilding part of a trailer and relaxing. It was quite an enjoyable job. Funny how not having to go to work changes your perspective on jobs around the house. Anyway, let's get to the riding.

Thirteen of us rode up from Black Bear on a relatively new chunk of single track that replaced the old approach to Drake's. The climb was tolerable and riding in this direction is a lot more fun. We rode out to the Dukabor Draw intersection and down Dukabor to one truck waiting in the valley. Flat tires and broken spokes were the order of the evening and we actually got to stop and smell the weeds and take in the sights of a trail that usually involves high speeds and blurry vision.

Everyone made it to the bottom and after a challenging load of the truck(13 is about max) we retreated to Murray Gilchrist's for a couple of cold ones and the usual banter. Great to have Norm back.

Mining the Crown Point Tuesday July 13

Thirteen riders turned out on July 13 th (might have been 12 but 13 sounds better) and it was their lucky day. The weather was cool but not rainy and the climb passed by without too much pain and suffering. We were worried that there might be some blow down after the strong winds of the previous day but the trail was in great shape. Everyone ripped it up and had a grand old time. You could say we struck GOLD in them there hills. Crown Point gold, the finest kind.

After the ride the libations were cold and the camp fire was warm as we told lies and shared stories until dark. I am sure, the miners of the day did this on a regular basis. We are the miners for today, but all we take is memories given to us by gravity and single-track, using the mountain bike as our pick and shovel.

Thursday Night Workout (July 8)

Great ride, awesome workout. It is not often that we ride a trail around here that makes you go up and down more than once but Tamarac to Drakes to Black Bear succeeded. It was a warm evening and the perspiration flowed freely along with the beer afterward at Murray's. The trail crew has done some great work on Drake's Loop. Probably would be a lot of fun ridden the other way around. Maybe next time.

Whiskey on Ice Tuesday July 6

I was not in attendance due to some kind of virus, hope it is gone now. So, this report is purely by hearsay. I heard that Whiskey on the Rocks was good. There was some tentative riding initially but things got better as the ride progressed. The trail was already getting dusty in the lower reaches.

I missed the ride. Hopefully we will get back there soon.

Thursday's Reverse Red Head (Thur July 1)

The numbers were a little down for Thursday's ride but that was to be expected being Canada Day and all. I trust everyone had a joyous day no matter where you were. HAPPY CANADA DAY (belated).

I think 8 or nine riders turned up for the ride (been too long since we rode) which saw us take the reverse or perverse way up to the top of Red Head and then ride down the usual up track. The new sections of single track built on trails day were super tacky and the ride down went by way too quickly. There is a need for some more single track down the the more south side of Red. Maybe we can put that forward to the trails crew and help build it this fall or next spring.

The refreshments were cold and the evening was colder, so we did not hang out long. Hot showers and Canada Day food were calling.

By the way, my apologies to Murray G., I misunderstood him about having refreshments at his place, it was suppose to be this coming week. Sorry Murray. We will be refreshing at Murray's on Tuesday (July 6) and Thursday(July 8) of this week.

Tuesday's Tamy-Duke Fest( June 29)

Thirteen riders showed up for the Tuesday night ride, which took us up Malde Creek road to the top of a fairly new trail called Tamarac. We worked on this trail last June during trails day. The trail surface was perfect and the weather was just right, as a result, the speeds and fun factor were right through the roof. When we got to Dukabor Draw everyone was in fast mode and we knocked of the Draw, with it's wonderful switchbacks, in short order.

Loading all thirteen of us into one truck and one car proved to be a bit of a challenge but we managed thanks to Stewart Burwash and Doug Davis. Stewart road his bike to Doug's, and left it there. We stopped by to say hi and picked up Stewart for the ride home.

Refreshments and a fire capped off a night of great riding. WOW!!!

Double Downhill 2010

Well it was that time of year again, time to celebrate the summer solstice, and in true Holy Wow tradition, we need to ride. Not just one downhill but two. The planned route was to ride to the top of Red Mt. and descend on the Red Top trail, then climb KC and descend all the wayto Warfield on Pale Ale and Milky Way, followed by a shuttle back up to Rossland for a sausage feed and some bevies around the camp fire.

Was it the promise of a shuttle ride or the knowledge that we were going to ride some sweet single track that brought out 22 eager riders, only the full moon knows for sure. The gang was all there and ready to climb Red Mt.

The conga line of 22 riders started up the road to the top of Red. Once on top we battled the

bugs one more time and prepared for the switch-backing descent that is the Red Top trail.

The trail on Red was in perfect shape and the shouts of ripping riders could be heard all over the face of the mountain. I believe there was only one short-cut through the bush taken and one candidate for tubeless tires, so the ride down was quick andexciting. Check out the footage of the top of the trail just before Poochies Cabin.

The weather had cooperated up to this point but as we rode up the trail to KC the skies opened and the thunder roared and Heney Penny and Ducky Lucky thought the sky was falling. It must have been raining in this neck of the woods for a while because Pale Ale was as slick as John Sullivans bike "SNOT" and the ride down was more like skiing.

Once we got to Milky Way the trail surface got a little better and the fun factor increased as did the mud-factor. Our bikes were fast becoming 10 pounds heavier with the accumulation of mud. Our bodies were slabbed with mud, I have never seen such a mess but the grins coming from the dirty faces were the unmistakable smiles of 22 single track addicts. What a ride!!

Loaded up the trucks and headed for sustenance. The sausages were already on the BBQ thanks to Brent and Fergy. The fire was quickly started and the celebration continued on into the wee hours of the morning. Another successful Double Downhill in the books.

Tuesday June 22 on the Historic Dewdney

So we decided it was time to give the Dewdney a go. There were good rumors that it had been buffed out and was ready for the taking. Thirteen riders turned out, for the ride. Was it because of the shuttle that the turn out was so good? That still remains the question, because the 12 kilometer ride to the top still had to be done.

The climb was done in record time and pads were put on in short order because the mosquitos were threatening to carry us away. The trail was in awesome shape and we made short work of it with the speeds increasing as we went. There were no injuries, just one flat and one foray into a deep mud hole.

Great time was had by all. Refreshments weren't bad either. Sure need to thank those explorers, Mr. Dewdney whoever you were, we are sure glad you came this way.

Nelson Boys Come Over for Tuesday's Ride

It was great to see Brent Watkinson (new bike in tow) and Rick Foulger out for the Tuesday night ride. Brent seems to have recovered, once again, from his injuries. I think he deserves the iron-man designation. He is quite amazing.

Thirteen riders turned out for the ride. There were 2 new bikes, one Giant XO and one Davinci Hectic, both looked like nice machines. We took them on a tour of Monte Cristo to Technogrind over to KC down Pale Ale(in great shape) through the upper part of Milky Way then down the upper part of Green Door to Roger's to the Old Cemetary and on tomy house. Great ride.

Cranked up the beer fund at my house and some good laughs ensued. The weather turned cold and ended the festivities early but a good time was had by all.

Keep the Double Downhill event in mind, it is scheduled for Thursday June 24 @ 5:00PM. We will need a head count for shuttle purposes so if you plan to attend please RSVP to David Nutini as soon as possible.

Crown Point Mud Fest

A dozen riders turned out on a unusually (for this year) warm and dry Tuesday night. They rode up to Birch Main and across to Crown Royal and down Crown Point to Warfield. Being without bike, I volunteered to pick them up in Warfield, that is how I know that the ride was a wee bit muddy in spots. There were smiles all around, showing through the mud, indicating that the ride was entertaining. We had refreshments and a fire on Rick's deck after the ride. Good fun.

Holy Wow Scouting Trip

Always interested in new destinations for Holy Wow, Kim Mercer and I booked flights to San Diego with the intention of exploring the reaches of California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho and Montana for side trips that we could use for Holy Wow 20. After all it is our 20th anniversary.

Upon arriving in the San Diego Airport(we left Spokane @ 5:00AM) around 9:30AM we spotted a motorhome with a for sale sign traveling by the passenger arrival deck. Kim flagged him down and asked if he really wan

ted to sell it because we needed transportation and accommodation for our exploration trip. He said he was interested, so we proceeded to his law office parking lot where we inspected the beast and closed the deal using all

of our credit cards to share out the cost.

We checked out a few systems, checked the oil, loaded Garmina(affectionately named Bioch,you know you can't travel without a woman to give you guidance) and then loaded our stuff and headed out of San Diego bound for Las Vegas. Knowing that Vegas is the location for Interbike, we figured there must be some good riding in the area.

The motor-home was an awesome freeway rider and it whisked us toward Vegas at an unbelievable rate, considering her size. Bioch was right on with her directions and we arrived in Las Vegas in style to 110°F. Good thing the rolling home has air conditioning.

Where to park the beast, ahh there is a parking lot with big vehicles in it, that should do. No sooner had we parked than a security guard approached on a mountain bike (we have som

ething in common) and told us we could stay as long as we were going to the Tropicana. Oh yeah, that is wh

ere we are headed. So off we went into one of the oldest places in Vegas and you could sure tell because the place just stunk, guess that was why there was parking available. We got lost inside and took a bit of time finding a route out. Finally out into the heat we headed for the MGM, and a bite to eat. Place is huge but no single track. We could ride stairs, I wonder if our Rock Cut stair skills would work on an escalator. Note to self, need to come back and try.

Well it was getting to be sleep time, can't stay in this lot, better head out and find a camp spot. Kim had researched a spot called the Valley of Fire, sounded hot. Bioch knew exactly how to get there, but it was 20 miles, so by the time we arrived it was dark and there was no fire, just a couple of cold Buds and sleep, wow it was hot.

Next morning, after juice and bagels with peanut butter and jam we headed for Salt Lake City. Bioch knew the way again. Hate to say it but women have a way with giving men directions. Passed through St. George looking for single track. They say the riding is good there. Looked a lot like a desert but maybe the locals know better. Can't stop because we only have 4 days and 2000 miles to cover. Besides, greener pastures await closer to Moab and Salt Lake City.

As we approached Salt Lake I asked Kim if we shouldn't try Park City, maybe we can find a camp spot there and check out the mountain biking in and around the resort. Told Bioch what we wanted to do and she took us there. At 7000ft above sea level we arrived at a man made reservoir and a wonderful camp ground that even had wireless internet so that we could email the masses and let them know where we were. Checked into the camp and immediately headed to the mountain to see what it was all about.

Winter had just left the ski resort but they were already into their summer activities, including a zip line, mountain slides and the infamous mountain slider. Kim decided that we had to try this slider, besides it would give us an up close and personal look at the mountain terrain and might reveal some single track. The ride was really out there. We pulled some big Gs as we corkscrewed our way down the mountain. This has to be experienced by the Holy Wow Gang.

Hadn't seen any mountain bikes yet, so we decided to ask one of the employees, what was up. He said that the biking had not started yet because there was still 4 ft of snow on the upper trails but he assured us that the riding was good. We wanted a map and he referred us to a local bike shop, so off we went in search of a map to single track.

Walked into bike shop and it was like walking into a Santa Cruz factory. All the latest bikes including the carbon fibre versions. Staff was very friendly. Gave us a trail map of the area for a voluntary donation. Set up a Santa Cruz tall boy for me to try. It felt like I was riding my GT with some suspension. Don't think I will be buying anytime soon. Turns out the Santa Cruz Demo team was scheduled to be there on Sunday. Too bad we had to leave, maybe next time. Note to self, must come back to Park City, bring bike and stay a while.

Back to motor-home to cook dinner. Had to buy some kitchen stuff so that we could eat and cook (motor-home did not have any). Great dinner, good sleep. Life is good.

Got up early, usual breakfast of bagels and peanut butter. Made our own coffee this time. We are improving the quality of the motor-home amenities every day. Feeling like the trip has already been a success and being familiar with the rest of the trip having driven it onour last two trips to Moab, we decided to put in a marathon day and head to Spokane. Twelve hours later and two attempts at confusing Garmina more affectionately know as Bioch we arrived at our camping destination, a reat stop 30 miles toward Seattle. We had upped the ante and purchased some pots and pans so spaghetti and sausages and apple pie were on the menu. Great food even though it was 11PM. Perfect sleep, those rest stops are first class and free too.

Breakfast was deluxe, with pots and pans we were able to make sausgaes(maple flavour this time), eggs and toast. Mumm, along with the usual juice and coffee, we were sufficiently suffonsified.

Headed back to Spokane airport with Bioch guiding us all the way. Picked up Kim's car and after jumping the battery headed out to Costco. Now, we had become quite attached to the women that had accompanied us on the trip, but she was just a loaner from our friend Don Bowie, so when we found out that we could each have our own female companion for a meer $140, the deal had to be done. These gals are pretty low maintenance, all you have to do is keep them with a 12 V supply of DC.

The boarder people were very accommodating, even with our rolling home and we were home in time for dinner in the motor-home of course.

Mission accomplished. Note to self: Go back to Park City and bring your bike.

Yes Bob, It Didn't Rain and We Rode(Tue May 25)

Finally got a decent evening to ride. After missing two nights last week due to winter weather, we got a ride in and it was really good. Nine of us took a strange route up Red and rode down a combination of Red Head and Red Top. The trail was in excellent shape, only a couple muddy spots to get some of us dirty. Great ride.

We had the first deck fire of the season at Greener's (thanks Rick) and even managed a couple of beers. Ahh good to be back in the groove. Next ride is going to be the first car drop of the season. We are going to ride up Malde and do Tamarac to Dukabor to Paterson with transportation waiting. If you want in make sure you RSVP to Dave N. so that we can make sure that there is room for everyone.

See you Thursday.

Tuesday Night Ride(May 18)

When: Tuesday May 18 @ 6:00PM

Where: Rick Greene's House

Ride: KC to Pale Ale to Green Door to Roger's to Cemetary to Old Cemetary to Happy Valley to Greener's

Thursday Night on Tamarac

A fantastic night for a mountain bike ride. Nine riders turned out for the first ride of the season on the Tamarac trail. Malde was Malde but the Tamarac trail was in excellent shape. The trail crew is already doing a great job. Check out the action.

A small album of photos is available at the right. Guess who we ran into on the trail? None other than old time Holy Wower Jerry Bella, out walking the dogs. Jerry invited us to his place for a refreshment and we accepted. Spent an hour sitting outside and talking about the past, present and future and there were plenty of laughs. Jerry says he is going to ride with us again. Hope he does.

It was a cold ride home.

Thursday Night Ride(May 13)

When: Thursday May 13 @ 6:00PM

Where: Rick Greene's House

Ride: Definitely the first circle ride of the season. Start thinking about some routes.

Biggest Turn Out Of the Season

I am sure it was the weather because we had a large bunch (11 riders) show up for the Tuesday night ride. About time the weather sharpened up. We rode Pale Ale to Milky Way to the Water Hole across the field and up the never ending Wagon Road.

The trail conditions were excellent and a good time was had by all. Pale Ale was in great shape although we did have to remove one tree that was laying across the trail. The trails society has been working on Milky Way and has added some new single track which is very good and makes for a very enjoyable ride.

No pictures yet but I will rectify the situation on Thursday.

There was no social gathering after the ride, in fact by the time we got back to upper Rossland we were down to just a few, as the riders peeled off and rode home. Hopefully we will get the post ride festivities going soon.

Tuesday Night Ride(May 11)

The trails are starting to open up again after Thursday's snow storm, so let's get riding. After my extreme riding in Vancouver(see blog entry below) I am ready for something a little safer.

When: Tuesday, May 11, 2010 @ 6:00 PM

Where: Rick Greene's Place

Ride: I suggest Milky Way to the Water Hole and up the Wagon Road. I think the snow should be gone by now.

We do not have the beer fund going as yet but it will be on tap soon. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

Extreme Riding in Vancouver

I have never done any riding in Vancouver so while on a trip to see the Eagles in concert(they were excellent, played for 2.5 hours) I decided to try out some of Van's finest riding. I joined up with an old time Holy Wower, Jerry Bella, and we took on the steeps and gnarls of the Stanley Park bike path.

Notice the fine steeds that we rented at the Reckless Bike shop. These babies were made from the finest aluminum that money could buy and would prove to be just the ticket for the extreme riding the park had to offer.

So off we went to test our skills on some urban extreme, riding the first rental bike I have ever ridden. The seat was like a couch(very comfy) the shock was purely cosmetic but the bike had a nice cushy feel to it even though it creaked a little and the stem was a touch loose. Ahh a set of stairs, this thing should be able to handle a 4 stair drop, and it did without a whimper. A nice friendly cruiser. The scenery was fetching, aided by a sunny day in Vancouver and the kilometers flew by without much effort.

As we approached the Royal Vancouver yacht club(nice boats) and about as far away from the rental shop as we were going to get, Jerry says "Hey try and ride along that curb ". Feeling quite confident I rolled up onto the curb and continued along for about 50 feet (my usual) when I decided I should hop down to the lower level(8 inch drop, glad it wasn't more). Upon landing the Budwieserish ditch tube on this beach cruising baby snapped and left

me standing(thank goodness I was moving at my usual slow pace) with two pieces of bike held together by shift and brake cable.

WOW never had a catastrophic failure like this before. I thought I had lost weight. Observation of the break revealed a previous crack( oxidation was evident). Remember those stairs? Things could have been a lot worse.

Lesson, beware of rental beach bikes and extreme riding in Vancouver.

5 Showed- Nobody Rode

Five hardy souls showed up at Greener's but so did a May snow storm and 0°. Needless to say nobody was too interested in riding, so we retired to Greener's basement to watch the hockey game and wait for the storm to pass. Storm seemed to be getting worse, so off we went to our warm little homes. Hopefully the weather will warm up and dry up just a little.

Thursday Night Ride(May 6, 2010)

The trails are starting to open up so let's get riding. I do not know where the gang rode on Tuesday night because I was working late and went back to work after dinner. Computer software development is a time consuming operation but it really gets the blood flowing.

When: Thursday, May 6, 2010 @ 6:00 PM

Where: Rick Greene's Place

Ride: I suggest Milky Way to the Water Hole and up the Wagon Road. I think the snow should be gone by now.

We do not have the beer fund going as yet but it will be on tap soon.

The Blogger is Back

Well this retirement gig is cutting into my blog time and my riding time. Must readjust my priorities. I have been out on 4 rides one on pavement and the others on dirt. Mother nature does not want to let go of winter but the Holy Wow Gang will prevail. The next post will be for the Thursday night ride.