Project Kengikat

On My Bike

// October 20th, 2009 // Uncategorized

This past Sunday I set out to do something I have not done in a long time. In fact it is something I have not done since having the bike I currently ride. I set out to find a place to go off roading and maybe even get some dirt and much all over the bike and me.

It was a nice day on Sunday, not too hot and not too old. The air was nice so I went online to try to find a place near by where I could get some biking in. I am on my bike quite a bit, but I never get to do it in the dirt and mud and hey if you have a mountain bike you should really take it to get dirty every now and then. Some would even say you should do this all the time and never wash it off. I tend to think this way as well.

After searching online and even twitting about it and not getting answers either way I simply went with a plan I wanted to do for sometime. I jumped in the shower, filled my CamelBak, packed two bananas in my backpack, made sure I had the right tire pressure and I headed to Metro Red Line to head towards the Valley. My destination was the Sepulveda Wildlife Area. It’s about a 10 minute train ride and a 15 minute bus ride from my apartment and it was time well spent.

There is a paved trail that runs around the golf course but I wanted to get dirty, so I went across Burbank Blvd to head for the dirt. I had never been there before so I had no idea what I was in for. Soon after hitting the dirt I knew I was in for a very cool ride. The is a very easy ride, there arent many hills, in fact there was only one and wow did I come flying down it.

For the most part it is flat and open, but after a while I started to turn off and take some of the smaller trails which were just as flat but required a slower pace and had some really sharp turns as well as a few points where I had to get off my bike to hike over branches. There were some areas where I needed  to do a few jumps to get over the branches as well.

The coolest thing was finding the mud and then playing in it for a while making sure I got the bike plenty muddy before heading on to discover what else I could find in the cool area. I did see other bikers there and like me they were also on a quest to have a great time and get their bikes dirty. I did get some chat time in with them and like me this was there first time at this location. They did however have the luxury of being there far longer then me, so they told me about the cool trails I could explore.

In addition to the areas where you feel like you are way out of the middle of no where, there was also the areas with wide open spaces that also gave you the feel of being in the middle of the country on a bike ride, almost like a remote feel. There were cool ponds and marshes as well as bridges and tunnels to explore as well.

At one point I took a break near what I think was the Los Angeles River, I could be wrong, so please dont quote me this, as any point is was so cool to see this while I was riding. I tool a longer rest point near a lake where all sorts of birds and ducks were free to fly and and have what look to me was a safe and good time free from the fear of being bothered by mankind.

In all I was there about two hours and I had a great time. I wasnt able to get too much dirt or mud on my bike, but after our next rain I am heading back to this area to do just that. It was so cool to be out of the house, away from my laptop and cell phone and not bothered.

I’ve decided that every days I will take time out to get on my bike and go out to explore this city like never before. Find cool new spots to bike ride and rediscover old ones. I am even going to take Dab the AIDS Bear out with me the next time I go out riding so he too can enjoy the awesome wonder of So Cal.