Waking up early on a Saturday is always nice if what you have plan is a day of fun and not errands. It allows oneself to make better use of the hours in the day. This Sat, Andy, Denny, Kat, Keo, Lee, Monica and myself were glad we made it out to Lake Hodges for some MTB riding. The overcast skies made for a very pleasant ride on the west trails at Lake Hodges. It was the first time I myself rode a trail on this side of the lake and it was very nice. It also allow us to enjoy a great view of the lake as it snake along side our trail for pretty much the entire way.
Here is a beautiful view of a portion of Lake Hodges. Unfortunately, the water level has dramatically decreased in the past few years. It wasn't that long ago when one of the local news story was how the dam was overflowing with water. Seeing the lake now reminds us that we need to be mindful of our water use.
Here is another vantage point of the lake looking towards the east with the beautiful cloudy overcast sky and the morning sun poking through it. One of the rewards of waking up early and getting out there to take in what mother nature and life has to offer. I love the stark contrast between the soft, fluffy clouds and the sharp and pointy cactus plant in the foreground. The red fruit of the cactus made me wish it was a delicious eating fruit.
We came upon this little water crossing right before the uphill climb. There were a lot of crayfish here too. Remember this stream as we will review it later.
Lee and Andy riding past me as I lay there in the sand to play with this vantage point.
Here's Lee and Denny on our way back to he trailhead.
Kathy and Monica rode ahead of us. Upon our decent back to the stream...we witness Kathy taking a little bath. Here's a quick blurry pic of her getting up out of the water. OK..the real story is, she attempted to cross the stream by riding through it. However, she didn't navigate very well in the water and ended up hitting a rock and falling in.
Denny and Monica looking on as Keo helps Kat out of the water.
Here's a shot of Keo inspecting for any damage to the bike...and Kathy taking more care in crossing the little stream.
***New*** BTF Lee showing how to cross a stream and rehydrate yourself at the same time. ;) Cool action shot! I can't believe I forgot to put this on the first time around.
I am glad everyone made it back safely. There were a few parts of the trail that almost claim more serious casualties...but we were able to avoid any major injuries. Good thing since after the mountain biking, we all went back to the park near my house for some basketball and tennis action. Once we were done with that, it was back to my place where Julie served everyone Chicken Pho that she lovingly made. Once our stomach was all filled, we hooked up the Xbox 360 for some Halo 3 fun. What a nice relaxing way to hang out with friends. Thanks to Andy for organizing and to him and Lee for driving out to pick up El Pollo Loco and some Oscar's breadstick for dinner :)
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