Leechtown or the Great Trail

[Ann]

There are lots of ways to get there that don’t involve the yucky frozen snow parts. E.g. Turn right off the Goose at Atkins and go backwards from the way we came home yesterday. Or turn right onto Wale Road from the Gooose and head along Goldstream and again, do the reverse of that part that we did coming home yesterday.

I’m pretty sure that L2 can get you there while avoiding the bad parts of the Goose.

[JTyre]

I'm hearing ya Alan.

Main objectives are endorphins and good company. Let's huddle tomorrow morning at Alphabucks at 8 hundred hours (or whatever you Navy dudes say) and concoct a dream ride that will put our friend Linda Loveruts to shame, that's all that matters to me.

John

[LouiseF]

I'm not so sure I can get anyone onto the GT since I have only done it once in the opposite direction and Langford scrambles my already limited GPS capabilities. But with Ann's directions, Greg's strava map and Alan, we should be able to make it - if its possible to do while keeping Alan's dentures intact. If not, as John said, we'll huddle and come up with Plan B.

My friend Graham will be joining us so if he beats me there keep an eye out for a guy with a CX bike and a South African accent.

[Alan]

ok, see you at O dark 7 Thirtyish.
Alan

[JTyre]

Great Trail Ride Report:

Precis: Frozen butttesticalagina’s three-ways & side-ways.

Details: Ex-girlfriends, Lady Loveruts* & Chip Queen**, both bailed. New-girlfriends, L3 & Missy SkinnyTyres, hung-in to the BITTER end. Laughed together, cried together, and together agreed never to do that again until next time.

* So so excuse
** Legit exuse, busted little finger after dustup with his pinky horsey (da).

[Alan]

Sounds like you're vying for the "Hard Man of Winter" award. I told you it was going to be ugly out there.
It does appear that my pinky is broken, though I didn't stick around the Jubilee emerg department long enough to hear those actual words from the Radiologist. Let me warn other Cross riders that the very nice, and well-crafted cycling trail along Colquitz Creek has some cement contours that are evil and must be punished.

I'll be out on the bike soon enough but sadly the world will have to do without any serious guitar licks from me for a while. The song, You Really Got Me by Van Halen is out of the question now, (or ever) but check out a young Eddie van Halen (dude in the Red Jumpsuit) shred it, and why a guitar player definitely needs to use the left hand pinky...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg1UG0GwIKc

(mmm, Rob, what do you think: does this maybe explain my strange fetish for 80's tights?)

[Rolf]

I’d just like to point out that Alan broke his finger on our ride yesterday, rode back to Fairfield with scarcely a whinge, and then patiently watched me eat breakfast at Bubby’s before finally heading home.

Hard-assed, ex-Navy man indeed.

[JTyre]

Don’t get me wrong, Alan is one tough SOB, we just can’t let him know that or we’re doomed .

[Greg F]

Greg, by the way (and this IS telling tales out of school) is a hard-ass ex-navy guy, harder-assed than most ex-navy guys I know even though I is one). He wanted to keep going on this Ho Chi Minh trail because he was apparently having fun while the rest of us were busy meditating on all the dental bills we'd face after the ride.
Anyways. I would love to do the Great Trail, but why don't we wait until the snow melts or at least the underlying ruts of sharp ice and slush are less of an obstacle?

Having said that the Festive 500 demands mileage and coffee, so let's go somewhere. Just not there!

Very kind words, especially coming from someone who's previously jumped out of perfectly good airplanes in the dark and jumped into the middle of the Pacific with only the faintest of hopes that the 20yo half-asleep helmsman could execute a Williamson like someone's life depended on it (which it did, to our ultimate benefit!). And now someone who rides with broken fingers..!