2013 Spring Trip to Raystown 2

Sunday morning we woke up to some nice sunshine, but something was up.  As we ate breakfast there was an occasional gust of wind and then still again.  It seemed like a weather change was moving in.  I talked to KT and got a wet forecast for the afternoon and overnight.

Sunrise wakeup.

We heated up some porridge, made some coffee, and enjoyed breakfast before gearing up for today's long ride.  I tended to a squeaky rear brake and Ryan checked his crank arm bolt before we rolled out.

Breakfast is on.

Morning in camp.

The penalty for camping closer to the water is an uphill road climb to start the ride.  Last year we were right alongside the trail but had no view of the lake.  I would say the lakeside view is worth a small warm-up climb.  We were to the trailhead by the visitor's center in 7 minutes.

Heading out on the trails.

Today we would ride the east side trails, as many as we could and some more than once.  The flowing singletrack was great fun and the trails were in perfect shape.  Dirtfest was in a couple weeks and there were some crews out blowing leaves early in our ride.

Corners everywhere.

Some rocks to be found.

We found some mud too, but not much.

There was no route plan for the day, we just made it up as we went.  A couple hours into the ride and a rainy drizzle started to fall. We donned rain jackets, as much to stay warm as dry.  Ryan had an unexpected rear flat but his Stans sealant clogged the leak.  Some CO2 was needed to get back to pressure.

Redbuds were here and there.

Picture while stopped.

Some nice roots to look at while

Ryan is fixing a flat.

After about 4.5 hours of riding we were heading back to the start but decided to do one last loop.  On the outbound part of the loop I started having some unexpected handling issues, I thought it was slippery terrain from the rain.  On the inbound part of the loop I was really all over the place but still thought it was me.  A little further down the trail I realized my front tire was flat.  At least there was an explanation for my sudden inability to corner!

My turn to fix a flat.

No recurring tire issues and we arrived back to camp about 6 hours after leaving.  We were tired but not wrecked.  Hot showers felt good.  About this time we made the decision to pack up camp given the wet forecast.  Before leaving I had scoped out a couple cheap mom and pop hotels and we decided to visit one. Good to know there is a bailout option nearby if the weather does not cooperate.

The royal treatment tonight for the bikes...

and bikers.