The Doug Ryder Reports

Chapter 15: A Trip ‘Round Jenny M Hill (By Way of Burgundy Drive, Grange Road, and Other Points In Between)

This week we did three rides in one. This is the ride that starts at the Valley Center store at 24 Mile Chena Hot Springs Road. We also had a newbie along for this ride, one Ms. Stacy Seibert; a reader of these ride reports (and Doug’s descriptions) who is interested in mountain biking and these rides. So she came out (the only woman to come out this week) with the seven of us guys and did the ride; which is quite an accomplishment for someone who’d never ridden off-road before.

So we got going a little after 7:30 and took off down toward Burgundy Drive and started on up that ferocious, gnarly, granny-gear hill. After some doing, we managed to defeat that hill (we being me, Doug Yates, Dave James, Eric Troyer, and that Mexican chap, Eric something-or-other).

After a few minutes, Burnside, Tom Clark, and Stacy brought up the rear. Then it was down along the ridge for a while until we got to the gnarly downhill above the gravel pit. I managed to descend that trail for most of the way (until that rooty section at the bottom) and once again, we reformed at the bottom.

From there, it was a straight shot down the powerline trail over to the Grange Road and thence four miles down same to Jenny M Hill. We climbed said hill (Yours Truly in my middle chain ring) discussing such weighty topics as Monty Python movies, good and bad science fiction, and whether or not the Rutles was a good movie (it was: by general acclamation).

So we got to the top, split up toward the bottom when we go to the loop and then reformed at the trail junction near the top. Then we climbed back up went down the same trail we’d gone up. Going down was a lot more fun. It was getting along past 10 by the time we got to the bottom so we tried to double-time it back to the cars.

We (sort of) got lost looking for the Yukon Quest Trail. First we went down one trail (which dead-ended), then found another one which looked promising. At one point I suggested that we turn the leadership of the ride over to Ms. Seibert as she (being a rational woman) would do the logical thing and find someone to ASK DIRECTIONS on where the Yukon Quest Trail was. Anyway, we found it and it was a straight shot down same over to the Grange Road. Dave and I were lamenting (based on the expression on her face at several of the rest stops) having invited Stacy along because we weren’t sure she was enjoying things.

So we got out to the main trail alongside CHSR and then it was a four-mile sprint down same back to the cars. We kind of got separated along the way and about two hundred yards from the cars, Burnside caught me and we sprinted back. He won (just barely) and a few minutes later, Stacy and Tom showed up (they’d taken the road).

Total distance: around 22 miles. Worst hill: above Burgundy Drive. Best descent: coming down Jenny M Hill. Percentage of time spent having fun: 100.

That’s my report for this week. See ya next week!

Liam Wescott

a/k/a The Doug Ryder

FCC Historian