Alright, so during MTBR’s May by the Bay raffle I win one of the big prizes, a night’s stay at Los Laureles Lodge in Carmel. I ask Ogre can we make it a ride weekend to celebrate 17 years of marriage? His reply, sure. Gotta love a guy that’s willing to ride with the old wifey. So, I post a thread on MTBR fishing for info and thanks to some locals, find plenty. The weekend falls together nicely. We leave home Friday night with all our gear and head for Carmel. Saturday morning dawns beautifully, not too hot (100 plus back in the Valley). The bikes get loaded back onto the roof, hydrapacks filled, and we’re off to ride at Fort Ord. Our original guide fell through so Ogre shows me the map he’s printed out and explains the route. We’re going to park along Hwy 68 and ride into the park on Toro Creek Trail. From Toro Creek we went down Oil Well to Trail 10 to Ewok Trail to Skyline to Trail 43 to Goat Trail and finished by riding surface roads and a dirt path back to the car. The trails were in great condition. The poison oak wasn’t too bad with only one section where we had to work to avoid hitting the stuff. There didn’t seem to be many people on the trails.
We went back to the hotel, showered, ate a light lunch, and headed out to do the tourist thing in Monterey. Walking along the shops near the Aquarium was interesting to say the least. I have to wonder if it’s always that busy. After sushi at a recommended favorite restaurant, Ogre had a second ride planned with a couple locals. Saturday night’s ride was just for the boys (a little over my head) so I decided to kick back at the cars and enjoy a well-earned rest.
Sunday meant heading back up to Hwy 68. This time I rode at Fort Ord, while Ogre hit the trails on the other side of the highway in Toro Park. The ride description started with a 7 mile climb, no thanks. The guys met me back at the cars and we head over to grab some lunch.