My husband (DJ) and I took a ride today that is known by locals as "007". We've taken this ride several times before as it is a favorite of ours. We first truck our bikes and park just beyond the dam at Bass Lake. We're expecting rain today so the air is a bit hazy. We decide to leave the camera behind for it's own protection from unexpected falls. This is considered by most to be an intermediate trail and at higher speeds I've been known to wipe out.
DJ unloads the bikes as I gear up. Our adventure begins as we cross Bass Lake Road, turn our dog loose and head on up. The first half of the ride involves cycling up a logging road (6% grade)which is partly paved. The views are breathtaking. We can see the snow that remains on the peaks, run-off cascading over large slabs of granite and various species of wildlife running off in all directions. It takes about 45 minutes to reach the trail head which is unmarked and always seems further than we think. We pause here to take a drink, let some air out of our tires and catch our breath.
Now comes the fun part. The single track descends thru the forest with thrills of whoops and turns. As fast as we go our dog "Whoopie" never lags behind. I almost crash once but was able to stay upright and clicked into my pedals with the aid of a manzanita tree. Fifteen short minutes later we are back where we started from. People seen? Zero! Bugs eaten? Two! It's been a great ride.
The twenty minute ride home around Bass Lake was pleasant. We're blessed with the wonder of nature once again as we view a bald eagle soaring above carrying nesting material to it's home in the peak of a pine tree.
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