MY SECRET RIDE

Here are some pictures of my all-time favorite ride here in Spokane! Fortunately for me, it's only a few minutes from my house, even by bicycle! Unfortunately, it is a very sandy route, easily abused if too many riders were to use it. So I hope you will forgive me if I don't tell you where it is.

I start out at the top of a four hundred foot bluff, with a view of the valley below, and a golf course.

The ride is 90% single track, and you follow the skinny trail along the side of the bluff, in and around the slopes down to the golf course.

Here is my favorite "bank" - coming back, I blast down the singletrack into this bank, ride way up on the side, and Wheeeee- down the far side of it. There are several more of these, giving you that "Indy 500 feeling".

This is a view from one of the hills coming down off the bluff. These trees were full of gold just a week before. We had a big storm that blew off all of the leaves.

Ah, the Valiant. Forlorn, it sits about halfway along my trail, reminding me "Sic Transit Gloria Valiant". Someone rolled it down the slope many years ago, after it's useful life was gone, and before vehicle id numbers were available, apparently.

This is just a view of the singletrack through the pines.

Finally, just to make sure that I've had a workout, I have to climb 5 switchbacks back to the top of the bluff. My heart rate gets to 170 - 180 whether I ride or walk. My goal is to one day make it all the way up without "dabbing", although I've only made it through 4 switches so far, and the last one is the worst. My friends Bruce Andregg and Stu Fealk have both made it up.