Father's Day Hoo Haw

I was very fortunate to be able to get a ride in with the "dads" this morning. My wife left for a week of lame trade shows yesterday, leaving me and the boy to fend for ourselves. How will we ever manage? Beer/milk, meat and baseball of course! Shaun's wife offered to watch the boy so we could sneak out a ride in the AM, before it peaked out at 92 with 80% humidity.
Shaun was also kind enough to snap the pictures on this post too.
While it wasn't the first time I've ridden the Perry Hill trail network this year, it is the first time I've climbed up the front side on the single speed. Ouch. Now that the KM is rigid, it will stay parked for the more serious off road excursions.

Basically, you climb about 900ft in elevation in 1.5 miles. It sucks on a bike with gears too. But the rewards are well worth it, because the grunt up the Hill is a ritual we repeat over and over and over.
Today's route took us down 6 Flags, where DA drew the blood that qualified this as an actual ride. I'm pretty sure it was because he rode his 26er full sus. He ate it on the rock that I previously posted a picture of him making it look easy.

I rode it.

We then proceeded to thread the needle though all the tight, twisty and wicked fun singletrack that exists on the lower section of trails on the town side of the Hill. Sections called Taint, Butter, Jedi and Barbwire. Don't even ask us how we come up with these names, they are super fun trails, and it helps us keep everything straight when enjoying "recovery" beverages post ride.

This is a shot of E-Dog ripping through a section called 1/2 Stick (it's the lower half of Butter). E-Dog has a brand new baby girl, and I'm pretty sure this is the first ride we have done as our group since he became a dad. 1/2 Stick winds through a section we call the Pine Barons, it's a fast hard cornering ribbon of singletrack, on a bed of pine needles. Payment for carelessness usually involves hitting a big tree, or sliding off the trail in a pile.
Big fun.

All's well though, we got out of the woods alive and no worse for wear (except DA). I had a toast (beer at 11AM is fun!) with the dads and went off to work.
The One 9 gave me an awesome ride today. I recommend this bike to everyone that wants a lightweight single speed that handles the way a good bike should. I like this bike so much, I've even named it. Red 5. I am a true Star Wars nerd.