Weekly Rough Riders Ramble in La Jolla Area: Photos and Route Information Posted: Join Us!

NOTE: On hiatus until next summer! However, if you will be in the San Diego area (of if you live there) and would like to go or a Rough Rider ramble, please get in touch and we'll make a plan!

Greetings, fellow Rough Riders! You are invited to join us for a weekly Rough Riders Ramble on Wednesday evenings from 5 to 7pm in the La Jolla / Sorrento Valley area of San Diego. This weekly adventure began on Wednesday, April 29 and has been happening weekly since then! (Now on hiatus until Summer 2010.)

We usually post photos from each week's ramble. See them in our SmugMug "Rough Rider Rambles" Gallery!

Route is pictured above in two views, courtesy of Rough Rider Sigurd Kallhovde.
For more details, check out the Google Maps page of the route!

Meeting / Start Location: We'll meet at Infusions of Tea at 5pm (or sooner if you have the time to imbibe of some very high quality tea) and depart at 508pm SHARP, yes 508pm. Infusions of Tea is located in the northern region of San Diego county (Golden Triangle / La Jolla), about a 15 minute drive north from downtown San Diego, near the intersection of La Jolla Village Drive and Genesee. If you are arriving by car (heaven forbid!), the store is part of the Costa Verde Shopping Center at the far eastern end. For convenience, they recommend parking in the lot adjacent to Trophy's.

From there, we head east just six-tenths of a mile to a nearby fire road which drops down into Sorrento Valley. Once in Sorrento Valley, we'll ride to the far end of Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve and back. It takes about an hour and 45 minutes round-trip (with about 90-95 minutes of actual pedaling time). The only real climb is back up the fire road to return to the start/finish, but there are a few good humps, lots of rolling terrain, and all manner of riding surfaces to enjoy on this route. The trail surface itself is extremely variable and has just about everything except for deep sand and mud (to protect the trails, we don't ride in mud). Tyres of at least 32mm are recommended as some of the surface is rocky and some of the downhill is sandy. Mountain bikes are welcome. Ride whatever bike you please. Come prepared for flats and such. Here are some pix from our recon ride today, April 29:

Above image: The fireroad from the UTC area down to Sorrento Valley. How cool is that?

Ride Stats:

Total Distance: 20 miles
Riding Time: 90 minutes (add 10-20 minutes for stopping for photos, to enjoy the view, etc.)
Paved / Unpaved Mileage Data (15 miles off-road and 5 miles of pavement):
0.0 to 0.6: Pavement from Infusions of Tea along Genesee to the trailhead on Eastgate Mall
0.6 to 2.0: Dirt fire road down into Sorrento Valley
2.0 to 3.7: Pavement on Roselle Street and Sorrento Valley Blvd to western entrance to Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve (15 minutes elapsed)
3.7 to 9.5: Dirt fire road and parallel singletrack to eastern end of Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve (45 minutes elapsed)
9.5 to 15.3: Return westbound on fire road and parallel singletrack to western entrance (72 minutes elapsed)
15.3 to 17.0: Pavement on Sorrento Valley Blvd and Roselle Street (78 minutes elapsed)
17.0 to 18.4: Dirt fire road back up to Eastgate Mall (87 minutes elapsed)
18.4 to 19.0: Pavement on Eastgate Mall and Genesee back to Infusions of Tea

Note: Other eateries adjacent to Infusions of Tea (for post-riding chow) include La Salsa, Subway, Robeks, Starbux, Bristol Farms, and several nice to very nice restaurants. There is very ample parking. This location is "freeway close" - situated in the UTC area of La Jolla, off La Jolla Village Drive between the 5 and the 805.

Added 730pm, April 29, 2009: Gallery of images: Rough Riders Ramble Recon. Click that link to check out this fabulous route and you'll see why you want to join this Ramble!!! A few sample images are posted here on the Rough Riders blog, but be sure to enjoy the slideshow at the link above (hosted over on our SmugMug site). Watch it "full screen" in "slideshow" format for best effect.

Above image: The fireroad from Sorrento Valley up to the UTC area. How cool is that?

Note: This ride is unhosted, unsupported, and everyone who shows up is on their own. Neither we, nor anybody else, is responsible for anyone who rides. If you ride, YOU are responsible for YOU and YOUR bike.

PLEASE JOIN US! PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

GOT A ROUGH RIDERS RAMBLE IN YOUR AREA?
SEND US THE INFO FOR POSTING HERE!

(Remember, we Rough Riders enjoy getting "out there" by riding roads, dirt roads, trails, and paths on whatever bike we happen to be on or have handy. Sometimes the pavement's long gone and we're still on our "road bikes" or some bike that would be commonly considered inadequate for the job - and that's just fine by us! Rough Riding is not defined by the type of bicycle or type of riding surface. Rough Riding is a state of mind, a riding style with limitless freedom and an all-pervasive sense of adventure.)

An XO-2 at XO-1.org

We were in Death Valley recently to host our new Hell's Gate Hundred event on April 18, 2009. At the Furnace Creek Ranch we made the acquaintance of Ron Mackrodt from the SF Bay Area. He wasn't there for our event, but he was there to bike, motorcycle, hike, and otherwise enjoy Death Valley in as many ways as possible. His unmotorized bike caught my eye immediately. It's a Bridgestone XO-2, with a custom paint job by D&D, a classic BSA logo headbadge, and lots of neat component, accessory, and accoutrement choices. Enjoy! (I know Rod does!)
By the way, his motorcycle is a 1970 Triumph Bonneville 750. I asked Rod if Triumph still makes bikes and he replied "not like this one." I know that sentiment well!

Stone Throne on Kitchen Creek

We rolled some of our favorite backcountry roads in eastern San Diego County today on our Ritchey tandem, clocking 71 miles and 7000' of elevation gain. On Kitchen Creek, Elizabeth spotted a "stone throne" that we had never - somehow - noticed before. How neat is that?

Kitchen Creek is closed to cars for several miles in the middle - a cyclist's dream road!

PS Wool jerseys by Ibex. My wool bib shorts are by Ibex, too. So comfy!

Rough Riding on Youtube and Beyond

Greetings, fellow Rough Riders!

In preparation for some upcoming exciting Rough Riding adventures, we have embedded our Youtube channel here, and added a "Video Bar" on the left column of this blog. I also figured out how to embed the Twitter.com/adventurecorps feed here, also in the left column. (Can anybody tell me how put it right here in the middle column?)

Anyhow, here are ALL our "social media" / interactive websites where you can keep tabs on the Rough Riders, and all things AdventureCORPS:

www.youtube.com/adventurecorps
www.twitter.com/adventurecorps
adventurecorps.smugmug.com
The AdventureCORPS FaceBook page

Thanks for your interest and support!

- Chris Kostman

The Rough Riders Jersey in Action! (Send us your photos to publish here!)

SOLD OUT UNTIL 2010!!!

We are pleased to offer a limited number of Rough Riders jerseys, made by Hincapie Sports, at this time! The jerseys first became available in the Fall of 2008, and some were put into action at the Death Valley Century and Double Century on October 25, 2008, and others at the recent CORPScamp Death Valley and DV Century and Double Century in February 2009, then last weekend at the Hell's Gate Hundred on April 18, 2009. George the Red-Eyed Vireo and Brandy have also been seen wearing them on their epic rides on the roads and trails of SoCal. Of course, we've also been wearing ours while exploring some "new" dirt roads in and around San Diego County as well. Above is the original artwork and below are a bunch of photos of the jersey in action.

SOLD OUT UNTIL 2010!!!

To order one, first email us through our website to "reserve" what you want. We will confirm your order by sending you a payment request via Paypal. You will then pay via credit card. You do NOT need a Paypal account to pay. You can also send us a check. Then we will mail your jersey(s) to you immediately. Simple!

Please note, these are "Race Cut" by Hincapie, which means they run snug by some standards. If you like your jerseys to fit loose, order up one size from normal!

Here is the Hincapie Sizing Chart (remember: "Race Cut").

We want more action photos! PLEASE SEND US your photos of you and your Rough Riders jersey in action! We will post them to this site with your name and whatever caption you provide. Let's spread the Rough Riders Way and the Rough Riders Message (and look stylish in the process!) Send your images to info at adventurecorps dot com.

Here are five shots of Chris and Elizabeth riding the Hell's Gate Hundred unsupported on April 16, 2009. These self-portraits were taken during their ride two days prior to the actual event, which they hosted in Death Valley National Park. Locations include Artist Drive, Artist's Palette, and the ghost town of Rhyolite, NV):

Four shots of Chris and Elizabeth ascending Mt. Palomar via Nate Harrison Grade:

Four shots from the Death Valley Century, Fall 2008:

Two of Chris and Elizabeth from eastern San Diego County adventures:

Five of George Vargas and Brandy Deluca from their Onyx Summit / Big Bear epic ride in April 2009 (George rode fixed gear. The ride had 9500 feet of elevation gain in 90 miles):George's Epic Adventures Blog | Brandy's Wheels Rolling Blog

Thanks for your support, everyone, and thanks for being part of the Rough Riders!

In Praise of Thumb Loops! (Huh? Thumb Loops?)

Above: Yours truly with the Ibex Sidewinder Long-Sleeve Zip top.
Dig them thumb loops! (Or are they "thumb holes"?)

Google has 44,900 references to "thumb holes" and 37,900 references to "thumb loops." Unbelievably, within a few hours of putting this post online, this page right here is the fourth Google reference to "thumb loops!"

Recently I got two long-sleeve tops from my two favorite clothing companies, Patagonia and Ibex, which feature thumb loops. (In fact, I pretty much only wear clothing from these two fine American companies. I just love their products and equally I respect how they operate and what they stand for.) I'd never used thumb loops before, but I am totally sold on them now for cool-to-cold weather because they keep the sleeves in place and the wind from blowing up the sleeves. I love both of these tops and wear them all the time now!

This past weekend we enjoyed three days of cycling and hiking on Mt. Laguna, an area just 50 miles east of San Diego, CA which features world-class desert alpine terrain with quiet roads (some of them closed to car traffic), practically off-the-map and car-free back-country roads, and fantastic trails for hiking, "mountain biking," or both. It's Rough Rider paradise! As it's early April, the weather was brisk, so long sleeves were in order and the thumb loops really came in handy, you might say. I definitely plan to use both of these tops in various cycling events and adventures in the future, but I also wear them out and about off the bike and when not hiking. They look good, fit well, and are really well made. I'll be wearing nearly entirely Ibex wool clothing at Trans-Iowa next month and if it looks really cold and/or wet, this Ibex top will also be in my arsenal at that race. Here are some shots and details from Mt. Laguna:

Above: Hip Stretches on Kitchen Creek, a road in an area we've praised here before.
Bikes: Hers: Ritchey ti-carbon BreakAway; His: 1984 Holdsworth SpecialAbove: At the spectactular Desert View spot on Sunrise Highway

Above: At Foster Point. Is that a bird, a plane, or a UFO which the camera captured in self-timer mode???Above: Yours truly with the Ninja hood up on my Patagonia R1 pull-over on a chilly morning at Lake of the Woods
Above: Dig them Patagonia thumb loops and the wool Ibex gloves!

The Night Blue / Green top is the Ibex Sidewinder Long Sleeve Zip: "A versatile piece designed specifically for aerobic activities. Semi-fit with self-bound sleeve openings and thumbholes, the Sidewinder keeps your body temperature regulated and odor-free during intense workouts."

• 18.5 Micron New Zealand Merino; 150 g/m2
• Semi-fit
• 10'' front zip with locking zipper pull
• Self-bound sleeve openings and thumbholes
• Contrast panels; raglan sleeves
• Built for aerobic pursuits
• Machine washable
• Made in the USA

Best Uses: Everyday, Running, Hiking (and cycling, I would add)

Fabric: 18.5 Merino Jersey +
Made from superfine 18.5 micron New Zealand Merino wool and 5 % Lycra®, our super soft, lightweight jersey fabric outperforms synthetics and cotton in warm conditions. The temperature regulating and moisture managing properties of Merino give you superior next-to-skin comfort. The Lycra® gives this fabric extra stretch and recovery for support and mobility. We use this fabric for warm weather tops and baselayers in the cooler times of the year. Easy care, quick drying. Machine washable.

Fiber Source: New Zealand / Fabric Source: New Zealand / Garment Source: USA

Click here for more info or to order online.

The black top with the Ninja hood is the Patagonia Men's R1® Hoody: "Spotted round the globe from high alpine ridges to backcountry bowls, our R1 Hoody earns raves from our most active customers and ambassadors alike. Warm, breathable and mobile, it has the minimalist detailing that avid climbers and backcountry skiers need – from the stretchy and 60% recycled R1 fabric to the snug-fitting balaclava-style hood. With low-grid stretch polyester at the wrist cuffs and around the long bottom hem for minimal bulk under a harness. Recyclable through the Common Threads Recycling Program."

Details:
• Versatile R1 fleece provides excellent stretch, warmth, wicking and breathability in a variety of temperatures
• High/low interior grid-structure enhances compressibility, airflow and dry time
• Jersey microfiber face allows non-binding layering
• Capilene® 4 stretch panels at cuffs and hem
• Snug-fitting balaclava-style hood; deep, center-front zipper offset for next-to-chin comfort
• External pocket: one mesh chest
• Raglan sleeves for comfort under pack straps; Capilene® 4 cuffs stretch and have thumb-loops to hold sleeves in place

Fabric:
R1: 6.5-oz Polartec® Power Dry® 93% polyester (60% recycled), 7% spandex. Capilene® 4 stretch panels: 5.3-oz 98% polyester (50% recycled), 2% spandex. Recyclable through the Common Threads Recycling Program
309 g (10.9 oz). Made in Colombia.

Material:
Regulator® Insulation provides phenomenal compressibility, light weight warmth and moisture transport, whether used alone or as part of a layering system.
Recycled Polyester: We recycle used soda bottles, unusable second quality fabrics and worn out garments into polyester fibers to produce many of our clothes.

Click here for more info or to order online.

Also, our friends at Rivendell sell some tops with thumb holes.

Check out the Patagonia Blog, "The Cleanest Line."

Check out the Ibex Blog, "Ibex Buzz."

PS: The 2010 Rough Riders Rally will be in August, not May, to take advantage of presumably better weather. Stay tuned for more details, but start getting your bike, and sense of wonder and adventure, ready for an incredible weekend in and around Mill Valley in Marin County, CA!

PPS: We are now posting all of our Rough Rider videos on our Youtube Channel. Be sure to click "Playlists" when you get there, so you can check out all the Rough Rider videos in one spot. You can even watch them all as one continuous stream!