Matariki Jehtset Castle

Sweet ride out and back on the Jeht today...

Scrambled just under 20 kms, and clambered just under 730 m

Wednesday Night Traverse Vernon-Stooge

Out and up on my own on the Stooge in the dark tonight.  Bad headspace so took it out on a ride, which improved it markedly.  Climb up through Vic, straight into Skidder - everything is still so wet, and took a bit of a breather here.  Some riders showed up and so I headed off up the gutser, around and up to the Worm.  Hit the Traverse and trundled on around this, not really knowing how far I might go, not really knowing how much I could be bothered with.  Got to the end and up onto Vernon and parked up again, puzzling and deciding.  Checked MMR and found I'd only travelled 5 kms and so thought 10 return isnt enough and headed off around Vernon, bombing nicely all the way down to Rapaki-top.

Turned around and headed back up Vernon, climbing pretty nicely.  Back onto the Traverse, cruising smooth with a good (cold!) tailwind, bombing the bomby bits, tho careful careful on the greasy rock before the pond.  Around into Vic, semi-cased the first jump and then down the rabbit paddock, into the rocks, and gums, and flow and smooth, alll the way down (through the 'closed' bit) and out to the gate.  Headed here back up to the Skidder and took the Latter's Spur track down, fun easy rolling, then took the lower exit, having to walk up the steps on Kill-your-mum-with-a-brick Alley then out above the dogpark, over the road, through the carpark and into the singletrack for a slightly-less-greasy-than-Sunday greasy ride down.  The oaks are still a total sodden mess, so gingerly sidled through there, then all the way out down to H'Ell, staying on it to the very last, down the steps, down the road, and around back up home.

Nice 13.5 km blat with 440 m climbed.

Sunday's Stoogin' About the Joint

Had seemingly sorted the dropper issue, as in, it's all in how you hold your mouth and other people have had exactly the same issue with that model, so took the Stooge up the hill today.  Cruised up to top of Vic, down the Thomson's, 1 and 2, then through the Pass below Kiwi, and dropped into the Choir Boy...  over took a couple people, and had some epic speed, then slow around to Locomotion which was closed and announcing that Loess was too!  Damn, both of them I had wanted to do...  So, off down Rere Pia, which was slightly rougher than is preferable on the Stooge, tho really not that bad, and mucky in a couple bits too, splecking me up real good.  Down into the park and cruised down through the carpark to find the Uphill track closed too!  Argh.  Now what??  Moseyed down through the wetlands then headed up Worsley's.  Been a while.  I cant believe we used to do it on the regular.  I poked my nose into the Farside thinking I'd drop down it and back up, but it really was too greasy, so off I continued up and up and up.  The gravel was a grind, then the body bag was even more so.  Walked a tiny bit at the top.  

Into the Nun, pretty good blast down, not too greasy and not too mucky, tho, below the road was a mess, or, at least, made me a mess.  Out at the Kiwi and onwards up to top of Vic, dropping, nailing the first jump, only just, then down rabbit, into rocks, through gums, excellent until just before you meet Sesame lower down I smacked a tree and nearly ended up off the side just winding in the loss of control before that happened.  Down and out to skidder, then down road to the Dog Park Carpark, into this trail and man was it messy.  Wettest I reckon I've ever ridden it.  The oaks were an absolute mess.  All the way down, bike loving it, out to H'Ell, and the clamber up to road and home.  

Good blast, just shy of 20 kms, and a healthy 673 m escalated.

Wetnesday Whetted Mean Streets

Wet evening so not really any off-road options available, as such, it was decided a 'roadie' ride to be had.  I headed to Nelson's in the car with the Troll (still wearing its mudguards) in the back - useful for the conditions.

Off we headed up the hill - Santa Maria - Selleck - Assisi into Drayton and then up Mt Pleasant, grinding away to the top. Nice climb and there wasn't really any rain, nor traffic, around at all.  However, once we headed down the Summit Rd into the fog (headlights too bright, handlebar okay) the rain started to spit a bit.  Down to the big pines and through the gate and over the fence.  Sticky but surprisingly good traction track down to stile and then down to some more.  Mucksome track, it was.  Decided against Frog Pond and took the more ridge based track.  I walked a couple of tech bits, not trusting my traction, but Nelson boffed off down them no probs.  Took the lower exit to Clifton and headed up Revelation Drive to explore, as far up as we could, then back down to Galilee Lane, dropping down a wee ways, but not that far, before clambering back out.  Then down Panorama, surprised how far down York's old place was, and dropping down his old (private access!) driveway passed his house and dropped to the watertank, around this and then walked down the steps.  Then we were on Tuawera Tce and couldn't quite work out where the 'secret' alleyway was down.  Went too far down here, then turned back and decided to hit the driveway that led us to it - dropping down this (i walked the steps) onto Kinsey Tce, and it was left down Mulgans.  Tricknical cornering (dab, dab, dab).  

On the flat again, around Moncks and then up Augusta, all the way to the top, trying to work out where a shortcut through I found once was...  Ended up taking a driveway up (much to the chagrin of a dog) and around to a vacant lot but couldn't work out how to get across to Challenger Lane so back off down, around into Taupata, then up Egnot and Challenger, steeeeep.  Zigging and zagging on the road seemed to help, but it was definitely walking up to Daring Lane, onto Glenstrae and upwards, more zig zagging and Monck's Spur top, riding no problem, and out to Mt Pleasant Rd for a sweet descent down, Drayton etc back the way we'd climbed.  

Good ride, nice loop. Over 15kms and 670m climbed, a little of which I had to walk

Sunday Snow Troll Like It

Exercise needed and conditions bleak, so I put the mudguards on the Troll and headed up into Vic Park, along with half of Christchurch who were looking for the snow and slush. Mucky over 19th, with a few smatterings of the white stuff, and Skidder was a flooded muckfest, but the gums were quite bent over under the weight of it all, and the rabbit paddock was white as.  Thicker out of the trees, I managed to get to the carpark at the top 

and decided against riding along the road, which was grit and slushy snowy wheeltracks - no real room for skinny knobblies, and they wouldnt have been very safe.  I trecked up to my stony shelter and enjoyed the view, 

then headed on down.  Fun times, and through the gums was great, super sketch, took the 'main' route down here, but peeled off just before Sesame to take in my last zig and zag (with the old log jump) and out to Skidder, then road to DogParkCarpark, and into the singletrack for a fun sketch and surprisingly grippy descent.  Took it all the way down to H'Ell, out onto the road, rolling down and dropping down Takahe Drive into Kidson, descending to the school alleyway, climbing up this and through the school and then home on Hackthorne.  

Not much, 7.2 kms, and only 240 m climbed.

Thursday Night Surprise

Serendipitous ride this evening on the Jeht.  Wasn't expecting it, but opportunity knocked and so I pumped up my flat rear tire too hard and off I trundled.  Cold it were.  Trails a bit mucky after yesterday's rain.  Up through Vic to the top, via Worm at the last, then down the first Thomson.  Back up the road and up the track to my stone shelter, hanging a right just before it, up and over the stile and up to the carpark (past the couples or stoners in their cars) straight into Cedric's track.  Across this, over the stile, and down the greasy tech, lots of dabbing and scooting through slick tech to the next carpark.  Straight through this (more stoner boy racers parked up) and continued along the trail above the road.  At the saddle, I crossed the road, over the fence and onto the Traverse, climbing and cruising (avoiding puddles) all the way around to Huntsbury/Vernon saddle. 

Across the road here onto Scott's Knob, techy greasy rooty over this, slippery and slow descent to the next saddle, then up the steps of the next bit and more slow greasy tech, picking my way down and across the road again at the same spot as a little earlier.  Back around the pond and left onto the Traverse heading back to Vic.  Lots of puddles again along this way, avoiding where possible. Into Vic trees, barely gaining enough speed for the first jump, then casing the second one with no where near enough speed.  Down through the rabbit paddock and straight into the rocks, fast and smooth, and gums, slick and tricky. 

Out through the skidder, along the road and left into the CAP trail, then peeling off this down the usual singletrack out to the end of the road and 19th.  Below road from here, poaching Tawhairanui, then across the carpark and into my local, weavy blasty flow down through this, both jumps good, then out the 'To H'Ell' track early and fast tire cleaning spin home down road.

A moderate 10.7 kms and 415 m slipped upwardly.