Crystal Lake, and passing Tinker...

I felt really guilty about not being able to present you with a photo of Crystal Lake to accompany the post of a couple weekends past. So I went back up there today, fresh batteries in the camera, legs with a day's rest in them, and nice weather all around. The city was fogged in today, but up above, say the 4000 foot level, the sun broke through, there were these white puffy clouds floating around the high peaks (which were beginning to turn ominously dark when I left the lake).

one of a pair of powerful chicken legs that get me around

what did I tell you about those clouds

i have always been a bit underwhelmed upon reaching the lake, thinking it not much larger than a big pond really. the nice informative plaque there says that the early explorers were pretty impressed, though. i'm all stooped over from the effort, in fact you know, i was watching that Civil War documentary on PBS last night, and it revealed how General U.S. Grant in his tent would get out of bed during the night and walk over to his desk all stooped over, he was so focused on what he was doing - great minds thinking alike, or just stiff backs?

the campground, being abandoned due to the road closure has been taken over by a gang of deer. they all scattered when I rode through, and I just managed to capture the backside of this one

the welcome sign is out, sure enough, but again, due to the road closure everything is boarded up. i should emphasize, that if you challenge yourself to do this ride, don't expect to find water along the route, all the spigots are turned off. the streams and little waterfalls might be tempting, but I still would not recommend it without a purification device

there is not much, but a little autumn color is better than none

awesome. just does not get better than this

i had to do unspeakable things to this photo in order to get that fog creeping over the distant ridge to show up. i hope you appreciate it

Bonus: I got to experience a Tinker sighting during the ride. "Yeah, right" you are saying. Most of the time I would not recognize joe-pro from joe-shmo in passing and, after all, how does someone who has never met Tinker Juarez, know that he just passed him while going in the opposite direction on a wicked fast section of mountain road? Well, first off I have seen pictures of the man, and with those dreads he cuts a pretty distinctive appearance. Second, the Official Tinker Juarez website (Tinker link above) says that these mountains are his training grounds. And third, this Tinker was going faster uphill on a mountain bike than I was going downhill on a road bike. That's marginally irrefutable evidence, that is. Sorry, no photo; maybe if I replay the events of the moment you will understand why: I am headed back down from Crystal, having seen not a single rider all day, I come around a turn and see a rider coming up the road. Surprise. A couple seconds pass and my brain kicks in with the thought "that rider looks familiar", a couple more seconds, we are now passing each other waving, saying hello, and my brain thinks "crap, that's Tinker Juarez." So you see, six seconds is just not enough time to reach back, take camera out of pocket, turn camera on, focus on subject, and push button. Anywho, I am quite sure he will read this and post up to confirm later today.