Another nice weekend. Sunday afternoon Dave, Jeff, Sarah, and I meet at Waimanalo for the Ditch Trail. There’d been some spotty rains through the week, but nothing too heavy. There’s a Jeep Wangler and Ford Explorer with Speedgoat.com sticker, looks like there’s some riders in the trails. We gear up and grind up the Government road. Trail is nice. Also some fresh horse dumplings. Following the route we’ve been using lately, we pass Maunawili Ditch and head up to the loop. It’s feels nice to hit the loop when fresh. Dave rides past the mango drop-in to explore and perhaps find the source of last rides archeology finds. As the rest of us wait at the mango tree, a bunch of guys come down the Government Road. Probably the guys in the Jeep and Ford, look like maybe military guys so it fits the image. Dave’s been gone a while, Jeff comes down and drops into Mango. Aparently Dave dropped in higher up, so we take the mango drop-in and hit the loop trail.
Before we know it, we’re on the steep drop and sweeping through the trees. Dave laments the missing log. That one was an example of a trail obstacle that should have been left. Wasn’t really dangerous, rideable for any trail rider with intermediate skills, and a technical element. After a short pause, we continue forward and to the next log. I hear Dave hit it with a resounding thump. Dude, that sounded really solid! I hear some cursing. One advantage of a hardtail, rear doesn’t compress and lower the bottom bracket into log smacking height. Spin on through the handlebar wide tree. Trail condition is prime, dampness is just right for traction with no looseness. Nearing the end of the loop, we come across a series of branches accross the trail. They’re obviously placed smack across the trail. They’re not of much consequence and are easily moved aside, but it’s odd that someone did this.
Pop back out onto Government Road and head up to the Ditch. It’s amazing how quickly the loop goes by when you do it at the beginning. We enter the now familiar Ditch Trail. Guy on Specialized comes approaches from the opposite direction and heads out as we go in. 
There’s some super fresh horse nuggets, glistening fresh. The trail has quickly gotten a bit rougher. Amazing how just a few horses on the trail when wet can do this. Let’s smooth it out some and ride! A nice pace is set, not quite the killer pace of some of the rides, but this section of trail with gradual elevations changes and linked sweeping curves yells out for a good pace to enjoy it. I have enough to standup climb to radiator/love toy crest for the usual break. As we hang out catching our breaths and busting out the energy bars, Specialized guy rides up. He seemed a little goofy when we first saw him, but when he stops to chat for a bit, he seems fairly normal. As normal as someone out on a trail on a mountain bike by himself could be. He heads off on his merry way, and after feeling like we’ve fed the fledgling mosquitoes enough, we soon head the same way.
Sarah takes the opportunity to get a lead, saying she doesn’t want to hold us up. She just doesn’t want to say our sorry asses are too slow and she doesn’t want to be stuck behind us. We don’t catch her until the turn onto the fallen tree trail. Slog on up to Cardiac Climb. The recent rains have washed some more rocks loose in the gulley. This trail really needs to be widened out. Jeff who was the only one to clean this climb a few rides ago is walking it up. A previous adventure going “over the falls” in one of this past weeks south shore summer swells injured his ankle so he is no climbing monster today.
We eventually grind all the way to the top of concrete blocks and take a well deserved break. Jeff shows an OC side as he starts picking airsoft pelets out of the ground. Normally you’d play this prank on a friend, where you drop BB’s into his seatpost or handlebar, instead he puts them into his own handbar. OK Jeff! The rains haven’t done much for the rutted downhill and it’s still a loose dusty descent. My rear tire slides into the groove and then tries to overtake the front and I lay the bike down. It’s all good, I’m just a little more dusty as continue down and do the little sidetrail and then at the Big Tree. Drop Flailing Fat Guy and take the usual. I’m begining to feel pretty spent and can’t clean the off camber climbs. Dave and I explore a little side path leading above Playground, but it doesn’t amount to much. To the main Ditch, then turn up Radiators. More climbing. By the time we come out to the main ditch, my legs are pretty listless and just kind of pound out the rest of the Ditch trail. Barely a pause and we head down Government road to the exit. We pass a crew of Bruddahs on an electric golf cart trying to climb the side entrance/exit. Looks like a imminent disaster.
D = 12.10 km (7.52-miles), Vavr = 10.9 km/h (6.8 mph), Vmax = 38.8 km/h (24.1 mph), T = 1-hour, 6-minutes ride time (approx. 2.5-hours total trail time)
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