Saturday On the Top and CAP

Pretty good ride tho I'm knackered now.  Bad night's sleep - brain still processing from the smack on Thursday.

Up from home on the Jeht and straight into heading across the Traverse towards Nelson and Kirsty who were riding up Rapaki.  I had a good run across the top here, stopping for quite a few in the right places and not budging when it was my turn.  Parked up, tired, at top of Huntsbury and sat for a bit and as they weren't appearing I headed up onto Vernon and rode across the first flatter section, parking up just above with a view to the road below.  Not long after they appeared and Nelson recognised me above and waved.  I rode back and met them.  Kirsty took the road from here and I followed Nelson around.  We had a pretty good run, not bad pace, tho stopped for a breather above that weird solar-weather-station-electric-fence-looking thing, then got moseying again down around to the top, straight into the Thomson Twins and rolled through to meet K at the Kiwi.  

Up summit road from here, I lagged along here but they were kind enough to wait up a couple times.  Up Worsleys Rd and into the Body Bag - been a while.  There was a moment half way down I thought I was gonna come a cropper, a nasty slump hole eating the rut I was running.  Managed to pop onto the grass to the side and no harm done, but that could catch the unaware easily.  Nelson was spooked by it too.  

Through the gate and steeeep climb up to the chairlift top.  Kirsty went green and we went Bako, rough and tumble down, it's pretty mumpty, and so long.  Got nice and smooth when we eventually hit Duncan's, then we headed into Loose Connections and waited at the start of Omnishambles and, not long after, Kirsty arrived.  She took SnakeObs to Active Rest, and Nelson and me dived into Omni for a start then peeled into the Down Low soon after, weaving our way down this.  Again, quite bumpty and dusty.  I like the reminiscent feeling I get down in the trees near the bottom where it's recognisably part of the old DOHC end.    

We had coffees and I had a not-very-good cookie, then we parted ways.  They rode back to their car at Rapaki and I caught the lift, Summit Connector, lower Nun, up Summit to Vic and down my usual ways.  Brain wasn't functioning properly and I had lost my flow on the way home.  I was stuffed.

Capacious 22.5kms with 560 m climbed under my own steam, lift accounting for the 960 m total

Saturday Afternoon Adventure Stooge Park

Tight little ride today. Up to Skidder on the Speedbomb, dropping down into CAP. Across Locomotion into Loess, newly refurbished. Fun times, caught up to a couple dudes, paused for a bit to let them get ahead, then reeled them back in and they stopped to let me by. 

Uplift, into have a look down Bako for my first time.  Bit rough and a bit too open until slightly more interesting stuff in a few young trees towards the bottom before linking onto Duncan's Donuts.  Acknowledged various bits of country and ghosts of trails past (Fight Club and Alice's Restaurant RIP), then across the junction spot, lots of riders about, into Loose Connections, some groms catching me at the end, I held back and tucked in behind them down the Active Rest section to the start of Omni.  In this for a wee bit then I took the left into Down Low.  This was much fun, weaving and diving picking nice lines, getting a little airtime with smooth landings, rigid bike no hindrance.. Remembered ghosts of DOHC in here too, especially the finish. 

Another uplift, into Summit Connector surprisingly quick, keeping up with some and not getting caught by others.  Down the 'exit' trail towards the road then into the lower Nun. Rough as guts but still funtimes. Then up the road and down all my local favs, jumpies, rabbit, rocks -

gums to 19th, below road, onto road for coast into Dog Park Carpark, no car in the trail entrance so hussing in and weaving around the grooves.  Mucky mucky lower down and I've gotta get in and do some sort of drainage through the oaks...  Walked up looking for source of water but must be underground, well under trees.  Back on the bike and through all the way out to H'Ell, clamber, home.

A bit over 16 kms and 990 m elevated, with of course the 2 lift rides accounting for around 800 of that.