So I met up with a guy named Doug this evening to ride LPQ. After yesterday's ride, I immediately noticed my legs were going to be spent soon. Anyhow, Doug is very cool and didn't mind waiting for my sorriness.

I figured this was going to be a down little waimea, up powerlines, down tunnels, up tunnels, down duck pond, and back up little waimea (often my standard loop). I was wrong. Doug knows the place inside and out; he was riding LPQ back when you had to remember to close the gate so the cows don't escape. I'm not joking, he said that's the way it really used to be.

The first new trail I got introduced to was one I pass every time I ride. Of course it's closer to the top of the maintenance road, which was just a blur as I was screaming down the hill, and I stopped at the top of little waimea to see which way Doug wanted to go. He says how about that other trail? I'm like "there's another trail?". So we climb back up a bit and bomb down that trail into the canyon.

Sadly, my downhill glory was short. On our ride over to the waterfalls I'm boat anchor to Doug. Then we did the power lines/tunnels thing and just out of tunnels I was thinking we'd head back. Of course Doug asked if I wanted to do the singeltrack around the rim. I'm thinking how much it's going to suck going up lil waimea at the end but said what the heck.

Shortly thereafter we picked up rider named Roger (from Oceanside) and Doug suggested we all ride down the switchbacks. You know, the ones formed by mountain goats that we rode up to get out of the new tunnels? What goes up must come down and I was having flashbacks how steep that trail is. Only way I know is either back up switchbacks or up the tunnel. Neither was remotely appealing and my legs were threatening to hold a coup if I kept saying yes to Doug. So I said sure.

And that's when it got good because there's a lot more trails out there I never knew existed and found out switchbacks are not the only way out of the new tunnels. We rode by a couple of wrecked cars and Doug had quite a few various options along the way. Eventually we entered back into tunnels and climbed out rocking horse. At this point my legs were starting to twitch. Whew, it's finally time to head back.

My arch-nemesis of LPQ is this 20 foot section of Little Waimea that I was never able to make on my MotoLite. Since the EG climbs much better with the fork at 160mm than the ML did at 100mm I had a feeling the handsome steed would be up to the task and let me clean the whole way. Well, that is, maybe the next time when my legs aren't in nuclear melt down.

Overall a very enjoyable ride and I told Doug to check out DT so maybe we'll see him here.

damn, dont you love new trails!

You rocked the TR like you rocked the El Guapo!!!
Thanks Brett.

yeah, there are about 5 ways back up from the new tunnel. i haven't found any to be particularly makable, but if you guys went up one, i'm all ears...

Doug?

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this is simply an everyday tale of life, longing and mindless vandalism. everything is true, especially the bit where we all lie.

Yeah, new trails rock. We rode from the new tunnel outlet (because we came down switchbacks) into the old tunnels and it's plenty ridable.