The New Tuesday Evening Ride

I have been looking for a nice mellow, evening, mountain bike ride. I used to satisfy those three requirements by riding the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park, but it closes at sunset which kind of limits it to Spring and Summer. A few weeks ago, maybe as much as a month, I noticed a new ride leaving from the La Verne Brewing Company on Tuesday evenings for a short, easy ride through Bonelli Park. "Sounds like what I am looking for," I thought. 

Sure enough, it was. The Tuesday night road ride meets at the same place, same time which forced the roadies and the mtbers to mingle for at least a little while before rolling their separate ways. Fortunately the old rivalry between the two groups is mostly a thing of the past, and I didn't notice any punches being thrown this night. Anyway, five of us chose the dirt route which, tonight, included the Puddingstone single track, Sailboat Cove, Fatt Hill, and the Jungle; nothing more technical than a few curb hops and a log drop, some climbs and descents, and a goodly amount of flow. There is no official ride leader, nor a set route - the ride simply rolls out with one rider out front and everyone else following, route determined along the way. It was a perfect way to end a Tuesday.

a little pre-ride mingling of the tribes

heading out, not much sun left

evening glow

 faster across the dam

watching the sunset, okay, but then...

I remembered that a flash will really bring out the color

some kindly passers-by allowed me to get in the shot

tunnel of darkness through the Jungle

dusty