The Moon Mission

When Jim K. announced he had invited his pastor to participate, some eyebrows were raised. When Jim reported that Pastor Lance had never ridden a mountain bike, some jaws dropped, though others were not surprised. Jim’s history of surprises has hardened some to any news from Korte-land.

Campers fired up for moonlight action

It was assumed that the ride would consist of a short jaunt down road 500 in Boggs demonstration forest. Then, it was reasoned, that the man of the cloth would likely be burned out and thrashed from this new experience. At that point the others would continue the moonride.

Six Lunatistas joined Jim and Lance who were camping at Boggs. Michel made the trek from Berkeley, Dr. Die was on hand, Linz was able to schedule the event, Dr. J., Morgan, Eric, Azul and Miss Swift made up the eight man and two dog crusade. After some routine banter around the campfire, the group headed out. Morgan had lobbied hard for a single track event, though Eric had suggested that the rookie might fare better on a fire road.

Why is this man smiling???

At the very beginning, Jim was heard coaching Lance about the functions of all the levers on the handlebars. There seemed little hope that the good pastor would make it very far. The sound of horrendous shifting issues filled the night around Lance’s bike. Somehow nothing broke and he seemed to be able to move forward.

The first part of the ride was on a fire road. However, a slight mistake occurred at the beginning, placing the troupe at the trailhead of a difficult, uphill single track trail. Massive gear crunching continued from the area of Lance. None-the-less he was there. At any point thus far, anyone could have simply turned around and coasted back to the camp. The group successfully transited the single track to the next junction. This spot was the beginning of the journey into the hinterlands of Boggs Mountain. The group of ten rode on Berry’s trail in the clear, bright light of the moon.

"Lord, forgive them for they know not what they do..."

It was two days before the official full moon. The moon was already high in the sky as the pack began to shred through the woods. Morgan led the way with joyful shrieks of abandon as the ride began to tap into the mystical, soft and unique qualities of the woods at night. Berry’s trail led to Crew trail. At road 400 the group reconvened. All were accounted for including Lance who had managed to sort out the gears well enough to proceed. He had done amazingly well for a rookie. This intersection was a good point for Jim and Lance to return to camp. Yet Lance showed no sign of flagging and was eager to continue.

The next section of the ride was the Big Springs trail. This trail features much more technically challenging sections. The single track drops steeply to a streambed, then rises to a series of up and down sections, each difficult. The end of the trail was the intended destination for the ride, Big Springs. When everyone had arrived, Eric suggested that the group go just another half-mile to the view spot at the nose of Boggs Mountain. That turned out to be a decision that both Eric and Linz might have reconsidered.

Linz before the puddle

The road up to the view point was soft from the recent rain. It was the first rain of the season and all of the water had soaked into the ground. In all of Northern California there was only one spot where the water had not soaked into the ground, but had formed a rather deep puddle. Sinners Eric and Linz were called upon to be baptized by this one-of-a-kind, holy water formation. Eric, who even knew of this possibility, managed to pedal straight into the puddle, (hoping for a parting of the seas) stalled and keeled over. The attempted stiff arm to avoid getting completely soaked worked only partially. Instead of warning Linz about the hazard, the group ghoulishly waited to see if Linz would fall victim. Although he managed to stay upright, he did have to submerge both feet to keep from crashing into the deceptively deep water

Linz's partial baptism

It took just a few minutes to reach the view spot. The extra effort was worth the while. From this vantage point high on the mountain, the moon was brilliant in the night sky, illuminating the varied terrain surrounding the area. Mt. St. Helena had wisps of fog draping her flanks. An eerie glow of light emerged from under the fog in the area of the geothermal power plants. The group reveled in the beauty and glory of the moment.

Azul keeps watch over the flock

The return trip started amidst discussion of the route. Morgan was relentless in his insistence upon riding single track. However some mercy was in order for the rookie. He had managed to not only keep up with the pack, but shredded many sections like a seasoned pro. But he, along with others, were beginning to tire. There was a decision to split the ride. Four single trackers would take John’s, Crew and Berry’s trail while the other four would ride up road 600 to road 500 and back to camp.

Dr. Die parts the darkness

Eric, Morgan, Michel and Dr. Die headed off on the single track while the others began the long climb to the top of the hill. However, Eric quickly noticed that Miss Swift was not present. Fearing that she may become confused, he decided to return to the other body of riders. Somewhere between the two groups, the dog had managed to find, chase and experience a skunk. This did not find favor with a majority of the crew.

Morgan relaxes after an orgasmic run down Berry's

The road crew coasted the final miles back to camp. It was not long after that the single trackers arrived. The remainder of the evening was spent in happy talk around a well-Daved fire. The weather was near perfect. The moon was high and bright, instilling once again a sense of benediction and joy for having touched the grace of La Luna.

Suddenly, the dog had no friends