11/7/15 Tom's Invitational GAG Ride
Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 7:56 am
For years I've had my Great Annual Gifford (GAG) Ride in Gifford-Pinchot National Forest, but two years ago we decided to change things up and went to Ukiah. It was a HUGE blast, so last year we went to a secret spot outside of LaPine - voila, another success. So this year we met at another secret location in Eastern Oregon that had plenty of single track for us to peruse.
Due to obligations by many, the turnout was different than in past years, however it was still a solid group consisting of: Scott Wilson, Dave Klug, Mike Smith, Ron Hughes, Stan Summers and Scott McNew.
Friday
I made my way there on Friday morning with Cali the wonder dog. It was a stunningly beautiful trip and the weather could not have been better!
When I arrived there, Mike Smith had arrived just before me, so we unloaded things, then after a bit, decided to go for a late-afternoon puttsy to get a recon of the area. As we were getting things set up, a couple riders went through the campground, so we knew there was at least one other group out there. We started up our bikes and headed out. Wow, this area looked like fun and Mike and I cruised through the trails at a fun pace:
<<--- Click the "Vimeo" logo to watch in larger-screen, HD mode if possible
After almost an hour, we had a close call with the other two riders coming the other direction, so we talked to them a bit and had fun acquainting ourselves with Doug and Dean.
We then made our way back to camp, where most everyone else had arrived. We loaded up the chainsaws in back of Scott's truck and made a firewood run and within an hour we had a respectable and warm campfire blazing! The food and beverages got us through the rest of the evening as the temps dropped.
Due to obligations by many, the turnout was different than in past years, however it was still a solid group consisting of: Scott Wilson, Dave Klug, Mike Smith, Ron Hughes, Stan Summers and Scott McNew.
Friday
I made my way there on Friday morning with Cali the wonder dog. It was a stunningly beautiful trip and the weather could not have been better!
When I arrived there, Mike Smith had arrived just before me, so we unloaded things, then after a bit, decided to go for a late-afternoon puttsy to get a recon of the area. As we were getting things set up, a couple riders went through the campground, so we knew there was at least one other group out there. We started up our bikes and headed out. Wow, this area looked like fun and Mike and I cruised through the trails at a fun pace:
<<--- Click the "Vimeo" logo to watch in larger-screen, HD mode if possible
After almost an hour, we had a close call with the other two riders coming the other direction, so we talked to them a bit and had fun acquainting ourselves with Doug and Dean.
We then made our way back to camp, where most everyone else had arrived. We loaded up the chainsaws in back of Scott's truck and made a firewood run and within an hour we had a respectable and warm campfire blazing! The food and beverages got us through the rest of the evening as the temps dropped.