Wild West Ride- Yeehaw!

["Scott & Dede Johnson" <scottj@cyberlynk.com>]

Well, as Colleen said, it was raining and cold Friday afternoon at base 
camp.  After driving 4 hours in the rain and traffic, turning around and
going home was not an option for us!  This was our first rain ride, and I
was not sure how things would go, especially after waking up every hour
hearing the pouring rain.  How could we possibly ride on the trails?  I
envisioned mud city!  I also knew that others had indeed gone home, or not
even came to begin with, so I was a bit worried about the whole thing.  By
start time, the rain had slowed to a light mist, and I began to see the
absolute beauty of this trail.  While the rain did pick up at times during
the first loop (we were doing the 30), it was not bad!  A definite change
from the last 3 rides we did in the heat this summer!  We did have to slow
down in parts of the trail, but overall, it was in good shape.  We were not
out to finish fast anyhow.  The four of us (myself, my friend Kath, her
daughter and another junior) have only been at this for just under a year
and we are still taking it easy.  Besides, we were busy enjoying the
scenery.  One advantage of a smaller ride was no vet lines!  Dinner was
tasty and a good time was had by all (despite the rain and cold).  We came
up with a way for someone to make a bundle over a weekend: bring a portable
latte/mocha/coffee machine and cruise the campsites.  I would have paid good
money for a nice hot mocha!  Thanks to ride management and the volunteers-
it was a super ride that we have put on our "must do again" list.

Dede