Erick

I'm in. If anyone is interested in car pooling, I'm in for the Primm loop and The Bar 10. Leaving from Escondido, I have full size Dodge Ram with the crew cab.. erickmagnuson@ gee mail dot com

Here's a video of David Pearson. We met him coming the other way in a group. One of the guys in the group convinced him to do a stoppie for us.

Great weekend out there. Great people and terrain. Here's some raw footage of a cool section of singletrack.

yeah, what's the timeline. I'm itching for a ride. Sunday could work.

That picture struck so many of us. The bike was centered in the pic and it was like a lone horse who lost its rider. +1 on that... Such a poignant image.

Unable to go, but I have a 5x8 utility trailer that can be used if needed. PM me or erickmagnuson at gmail dot com, I'm in South Escondido.

I'd be happy to assist directing people.

Just saw a story on the news about that area. There are Bald Eagles nesting up there as well. http://www.10news.com/news/pair-of-bald-eagles-now-nesting-in-ramona-grasslands-nest-believed-to-be-first-in-sd-county-01022013

Thanks for coordinating that.

How bout we meet at Hernandez for brunch/lunch at 11:30.....then head out as a group no later than ~1:30pm (service is at 2) 11:30, Hernandez Hideaway is good. I'll be there.

I'm planning on attending. Also taking the Del Dios route from S. Escondido.

Have a great time out there!

Such a loss. I'm absolutely shocked by this news. I had the pleasure of sharing a few good laughs with Ben at the Bar10 a few months ago. Such an all around nice guy, I can't believe it ended so early for him. Condolences to his family and friends. He'll be missed...

Good call Randy.

Day 3, heading out to Toroweap. The climb through the mountains was very rocky, once we got through the mountains, we took a double track through a field. Fabless pinch flatted in THE best place I've probably ever seen someone flat. We're in the middle of nowhere and he has a flat a few hundred yards from this nice covered campsite. Fabless goes to work and swapped the tube out in short order. Then we continued on to Toroweap Approaching the edge is always interesting... Kevin hanging out on the edge The required over the boots shot Fabless in action It's a long way down...

Here are a few pics to add to the mix. Great ride, good seeing the familiar and new faces. I always have a great time on this trip. I didn't take very many pics, mostly played with the gopro. We rode Red Rock Canyon on Friday 10-5, here we are a few miles into the ride Up at the top, taking a little break Here's a quick video riding up at the top of the canyon. Tons of rocks, fun times Day 2, headed out to the Bar 10. This is a section of double track just as you head into the first mountain range Climbing up a rocky section A few of us stopped at the top Whitmore Overlook, here's a video of the view/drop Incredible view

Possibly Villagio in Yountville. Terrific spa as well. Went for pastries (and coffee for my wife) at Bouchon Bakery and met Thomas Keller himself. But I suppose that does not qualify as a tent, does it...? I think that statement would eventually find it's way to the "Plenty of BS and male taunting" category . In all seriousness, great post. I think everyone needs to take a step back once in awhile and take inventory. The reason we all come here is for the collective passion of getting out there and riding and all things that come with that. Hope to see you all out there on the trails!

October 7, 2012, 6:50 p.m. ET California's Green Gas Shortages Prices are spiking thanks to state mandates that will only get worse. Californians are grumbling about a gas price spike, which state officials blame on disruptions in the supply chain. Actually, they're paying through the nozzle for their greener-than-thou government. Gas prices in California have soared by 55 cents in a week to an historic high of $4.65 per gallon, about 84 cents higher than the national average. The immediate cause was a power outage at an Exxon refinery in Torrance. A Chevron refinery in Richmond that caught fire in August has also been operating at reduced capacity. The resulting fuel shortage has forced wholesalers to ration deliveries, and retailers that buy on the spot market to close. This gas crisis is self-inflicted, like so many problems in the state. Because California's fuel regulations are the most stringent in the country, the state is isolated from other energy markets. Few refineries in the world can produce the unique reformulated gasoline blend that the state requires, and almost all are located in California. Over the last two decades four refineries in the state have shut down rather than invest in expensive upgrades to comply with fuel regulations. The biggest killer was a 2002 ban on the additive MTBE, which refiners had to replace with ethanol. The California Air Resources Board has estimated that this reformulated blend adds five to 15 cents to the cost of every gallon of gas, but Californians pay a premium whenever a refinery shuts down. The 14 refineries in California that blend its special fuel operate at nearly full capacity. So when a refinery experiences an unexpected outage or even routine maintenance, others can't pick up the slack. And since importing the fuel via tanker can take up to six weeks, Californians are usually stuck paying higher prices until the refinery comes back on line. Exxon's Torrance refinery came back on line on Friday, and on Sunday Governor Jerry Brown told regulators to let refiners produce winter-blend gasoline early this year. But even "normal" gas prices in California are about 30 cents higher than the national average thanks to its fuel standards and a 50.5-cent gas tax that is second only to New York's 51.3-cents. Any relief Californians feel will be short-lived. The state's cap-and-trade program, which charges businesses for emitting carbon, will take effect this November. Oil companies warn they'll pass on the costs to consumers. Meanwhile, a low-carbon fuel standard kicks into high gear in 2015. That's when regulators expect the new generation of biofuels like cellulosic ethanol to be plentiful, though such fuels aren't now commercially viable. A Boston Consulting Group study warns that the limited availability of biofuels that could shimmy under the carbon limbo stick could force five to seven more refineries to close. Midwest corn ethanol wouldn't qualify. If all of California's 2006 global warming law were implemented, the study estimates the cost of gas would increase by up to $2.70 per gallon. By the way, Californians are already paying up to 50% more for their electricity than the rest of the country thanks to their renewable-energy portfolio standard. The cost of such environmental regulations, which is baked into everything Californians consume, is one more reason that jobs are leaking to other states. In related news, Environmental Protection Agency chief Lisa Jackson says California is her model for the nation.

Here's a good write up in the Wall Street Journal about the current shortage of California's special gas blend California's Green Gas Shortages

Great video, thanks for putting that together. Count me in for the next ride.

Just read the book "No Easy Day" over the course of the last 2 days. Great read, I'd highly recommend it. Not only does it give a good play-by-play of the the demise of OBL. It also gives some really interesting background on the elite Seal teams.

Came across this interesting item on craigslist. I doubt you'd get far down the road without peaking the interest of law enforcement... http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/mcy/3174521446.html

Did you come up with that zip tie config out of the gate or was there a little R&D involved?

That's awesome. I'd take way more trips to the grocery store if I had that.

Moderator, I think we may need to merge 2 of the threads... Big Bear Adv Weekend