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.