Day 1: Idyllwild and Hurkey Creek Campground
Monday, April 22, 2002
Well, although my intention was to leave the Phoenix area at about 4am, a late night beforehand pushed the departure time back to 6am. The drive to Idyllwild only took 5 hours, so some time was spent driving around Idyllwild, Idyllwild Campground and Hurkey Creek Campground where a 24 Hours of Adrenaline race is held every September. A short trip down the mountain into Hemet gave a good perspective on the Santa Rosa mountain area.
Camping in a developed campground is kind of an unusual experience for me. Normally I prefer to camp in areas that are not official campgrounds – just areas in the middle of nowhere that I enjoy being in. Nonetheless, the campground was virtually empty and the pine trees and surrounding mountains gave a nice backdrop. Simply throw a sleeping bag into the back of the van and viola! Instant camping! Don't even need to worry about water, bathroom or a shower!
Camp Alex at Hurkey Creek
The Course
In a word: a short, VERY sandy, tight single-track 9.25 mile loop
with a couple of short hill climbs followed up with fast descents and finishing
with over 1 mile on asphalt making for about 1 to 1.5 hour solo lap times
for me (OK - so maybe that was more than one word). I think that
it is going to be a pain in the ass for me to let the faster riders blow
by the slow solo rider because of the limited passing areas. Great.
On the first day I put in 3 laps in a little over 3 hours at a relaxed pace. Definitely a short, fast course but I still will need to refuel after each lap due to the hill climbs.
Morning in Camp Alex - Which Way to the Coffee?
This Sure Beats Working
Day 2 allowed for another quick lap before heading out in search of the famed San Juan trail in Cleveland National Forest near San Juan Castrato.
