Romulus and I hooked up this afternoon for a whirl through Skeggs (formally known as El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve; here is its geographical context). It hasn't rained in a couple of weeks, but in concert with the summer solstice, the fog has been wet and heavy the last few days. As marine moisture gets sucked inland over the spine of the coastal range, it can get very wet under the forest canopy. This coastal condition added the unexpected element of thick, sticky mud and waterlogged singletrack to our ride. And us without our fenders.

Verifying the route	Skeggs is all about the hills

We were warned about the muddy conditions by a friendly matron of the trails just as we preparing to dive into the depths of the preserve, but being experienced Skeggers, we completely blew her off. "I don't know what the hell she's talking about" I snidely remarked to Romulus, "the trail looks pretty dry to me." What's the popular saying associated with such arrogance, "Bring 'em on"? No, wait, it's "famous last words."

The words of warning instantly forgotten, we zoomed into the heavy mist lurking under the thick forest canopy. Both of us were on our games today and we rode that singletrack like we were on rails. In the heavy mist, under the huge Redwoods, we zipped and flitted like MTB knights racing through the Forest of Endor on our Imperial speeder bikes. Riding just inches apart, we zigged and zagged through the forest in perfect unison; it was like we were glued together.

An Imperial-speeder's eye view	Fog City, USA

However, just before the stand of old-growth Redwood (I know, it's hard to believe, but somehow a couple patches of old-growth still survive in California -- thank you Julia Butterfly) and the junction with the Giant Salamander trail (Bonzai's favorite) on the exhilarating Timberline downhill, I was an up-close-and-personal witness to a pretty spectacular high-speed wipeout by Romulus. We were just flying too fast down the trail to make an awkward little left-hand bow in the trail and Rom went crashing into the undergrowth, hit a fallen tree limb, and spilled headfirst into the foliage. As usual, he was unhurt, but it could have been nasty. Note to bikers: if you're going to wipe out and get hurt at Skeggs, don't do it at the bottom of the preserve! It's a long walk back to the top, especially if you're hurt.

From this point on, the ride turned more problematic. Soon after Rom's tumble, we started to hit mud, then standing water, then deep mud and standing water. Our climb up the Methuselah was often hampered by thick, cloying mud that ruined traction and increased rolling resistance. Soon, we were completely coated with mud.

Hard to climb in the cloying gumbo	Mud, mud everywhere

With the heavy, heavy mud came mechanical issues. I was reminded at the Lemurian that Blue Sugar does not like to run in the mud, and this vulnerability was confirmed again today. After rolling in the mud for a few minutes, my shifting started to kluge up and soon thereafter, I chainsucked (what would a ride in the Skeggs be for me without a chainsuck?). Romulus did not fare much better. His Klein Pulse also started to shift poorly and we had to stop for a few minutes to clean the muck out of his rear derallier pulley just so could shift through his rear cogs.

And, par for the course on foggy days, my clear glasses completely fogged up on every climb, leaving me blind and vulnerable heading into the slippery downhill sections. The low-lying mist also made visibility difficult, but added a pretty cool aesthetic. Riders would silently materialize out of the mist in front of us, and vaporize behind us just as quickly.

Riding through the rain forest

The mud had its good points though. It not only forced us adjust our riding styles to account for the complete lack of traction in the tight corners, it also gave us a sense of what Bonzai faces every day riding in Portland, ME.

It wasn't all muck and mire. In some places with less canopy, the ground was bone dry and hardpacked. Skeggs is not only a powerful god, it is a crafty one as well. The mountain must have known we were ready to burn up the hills and the singletrack hardpack, because today it protected itself with constantly changing trail conditions, specifically lots and lots of mud. Romulus said that in all the times he's ridden here, including rides when it was actually raining, here's never seen it this muddy.

Fenders don't help the legs	or the drive train

Driving home on the narrow and winding Skyline Boulevard, listening to Juicy Lucy on K-GAY (which took over Live 105 for Gay Pride week), I was surprised how many cyclists were braving the wet surfaces and poor visibility. You know you have the true soul of a cyclist when you drive across the center line into the face of oncoming traffic just to give your fellow two-wheelers a little extra breathing room on the edge of the razor-thin shoulder. Build up them karma points wherever you can.