Old Lion's Trail

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Just when I think this place can't get any better it presents another one of its gems to me.

That is what happened a few days ago when I finally took on Old Lion's Trail, the longest and toughest of the marked mountain bike trails here. I had been putting it off, making excuses for myself such as I am not fit enough yet or am not experienced enough with cleats, generally just being a wissy. On this day it was high tide in the morning which meant no waves to get back to before lunch and I had discovered on my previous ride that I can now go over the handlebars and unclip at the same time, so there were no excuses left. I hadn't actually intended to do it, but I have a tendency to get lost and then keep telling myself just around the next corner there will be a trail marker. Only this time just around the corner became just over that ridge and beyond that giant cactus I'll find the trail again.

I could see the trail to my left luring me further and further up the ridge with the promise of connecting to it. By the time it did connect I was already a third of the way up the mesa and feeling fit so I decided to keep on going, besides I had an energy bar with which to reward myself when I made it to the apex of the trail which is also about half way. The first section of the trail climbed along a ridge over loose rocks with cacti and other pricklies leaning in to deter me from putting a foot down and to keep on climbing. Eventually the trail got the better of me and my pace was not quick enough to make it over a couple of larger rocks so a foot went down and I took the opportunity to look back over the bronzed landscape with splatterings of green and purple towards the camp and out over the Pacific where I could see the lines starting to form for and afternoon surf session. Ahead of me was a barren, golden sand face standing tall, surely a whiteness to countless adventures over the years, edged by two ravens circling their territory. Onwards.

Rocky trail. 

Making it to the apex I excitedly took off my day pack to get out my energy bar, digging around among spare tubes and water bottles I pulled out an open packet thinking I must have left a half eaten one in there from a previous ride. Closer inspection revealed that it was not I who had eaten my energy bar but a furry critter who obviously found it to be good roughage as had left the remains of the bar littered with little black droppings. I refreshed with some water. As if knowing my snack reward had been soiled the second half of the trail presented itself to me as just under two miles of undulating single track downhill bliss. It had it all from rocky sections wanting to flick my rear tire from under me to compacted sand track hugging the side of a face I didn't fancy sliding down. As if the trail itself wasn't challenging enough, the views vying for my attention were enough to put even the sturdiest biker off their guard so it was a with smile of excited, exhausted relief that I reached to bottom intact.


Following more familiar trails back to camp, I found myself composing this post and glowing at how this place keeps getting better. The day was concluded surfing the lines I had spotted from the roof of the trail leaving my body aching from exercise and aching for more.

Windsurfing till the sun goes down :)

It is days like these, fringed by days like today where the morning was spent SUPing on glassy small waves; the pre lunch crinkle-cut waves consumed with long boarding and then windsurfing into the evening watching the ocean turn to purple around me in the sunset, that give me comfort in my decision to enjoy this lifestyle and question why I didn't do it earlier.

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Back to Baja - Week 2

17/09/2013

The second week out here in Baja has been somewhat slower than week one, the swell dropped off as did the wind for a few days which has meant less time on a windsurfer but this has afforded me more time on a surfboard albeit mostly paddling practice. That said best time for surfing here is the early morning when the sea mist is still hanging low and the wind is yet to set in and blow it out to sea though with the lack of wind and swell there has also been more swill consumed which for me has inevitably meant waking up when my tent gets too hot and missing the better part of the morning session.

Some decent conditions. 

Afternoon smack!

The extended drinking hours have also meant the
introduction of a few drinks to the Solosports bar. The first was the Mexican Omelette which I tried to introduce last year but failed. This time I managed to get Joey and Derek to join me.  The Mexican Omelette requires one to crush a raw egg in their mouth, chase it with a tequila shot and spit the shell out into the shot glass, a feat that very few accomplish on their first attempt so it was no surprise when Joey ran straight to the bin before the tequila touched his lips.  Next, following on from all the time I spent at the Absinthe Bar at Burning Man, I educated the bar to the ways of the green fairy which went down a treat, then anything you set on fire at a bar tends to get the patrons excited.  Finally the drink that gave me my worst hangover of the year was created when Angela came to ask for a Baja Fog after Derek, Randle and I had just had one.  The Baja Fog is a traditional drink down here where one fills the neck of a Corona or Pacifico with tequila and adds a dash of lime which fogs up the neck, this is then downed until the beer at the bottom is reached. So what happens when you have just downed a fog and someone comes to join for one? Well you fill up your now almost half full beers with more tequila and lime and create the Baja Smog, which can only be drunk in one go unless you are a fan of warm tequila which you would end up sipping once all the beer is gone. The night that resulted in my hangover also resulted in the Baja Smog being banned from the bar to become a relic of our memories of that one night in Baja.

Watching the waves. 

Surfing with the locals. 

Anyone for some single track?

Despite the conditions and the hard drinking there have been some decent windsurfing sessions where I have gone out to try some more forward loops. After a few attempts I gave up on the landing on my back and turned to see how much height I could get on jumps out at the bombora. One such session resulted in a bad landing and a slightly tweaked ankle which saw me take a break the day after, something I am sure my body was thankful for. When not on the water, mountain biking has seen some more action and I made the attempt to further my sports photography skills by taking a few shots of Derek and Kevin on a downhill section. This required both a well timed trigger finger, especially when using a flash, and a little bit of stupidity when laying on the top of a bank or under the lip of a jump to get the money shot.  While I got some good shots, I think if I can get my timing and focusing better I get some real gems, that is if my camera equipment will hold up to the dust.

Milliseconds too late for the money shot. 

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