Barry

I already didn't. I will have 6oz of bourbon with me. You're welcome to throw some of that back.

The new word on Facespace is that tires were still collecting mud as of about an hour ago. IMO based on what I've seen over the last few months, if you go out and ride tonight you and the trail will probably be just fine. You will splash through a couple of small puddles in a few places, and pick up a little damp moondust on your tires, all while not causing any significant damage. Just be willing to bail if it's worse than expected. But I think I'll give WC a rest tonight and go check out the CnD, which appears to be happening and dryer than WC.

I know it looks tough, but at least it has a good run-up...unlike some other features out there. The easy way to go up the feature proper is to hit it on the left side (looking up) where it's a bit smoother. After that, you can try going towards the middle. I probably failed it a handful of times to start, and now I can't remember the last time I didn't clean it.

It really does look ominous on the radar. But it only shows 40% chance. And the radar shows that whole system evaporating as it hits Austin. I look forward to getting caught in the rain, but being pleasantly surprised if I don't.

I'm just south of WC (directly under that green blob ^^) and it has been trying to rain for about an hour. It hasn't so much as gotten the road wet. If that remains the case, then it'll be fine. Assuming the roads are dry at 4:00, I'll be biking to R&I with an approximate 4:30 ETA.

With a high of 82, it's going to be nice and cool out there compared to what we've seen the last week or so.

Hmm, according to two different randoms on the trail conditions Facebook, Walnut is good. I may have to find out for myself.

Well...dogs are pack animals.

Yeah, google found that for me. In the rain. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=moci

Looks like I'll be able make the typical early start. It should be interesting since this is the first day I'm feeling near 100% after being sick for 8 days. And I though I was feeling well over the weekend, but my rides did work out at all then. So we'll see...

Wild flower madness at RPR:

I haven't put a hot lap on it since the changes. But the fastest times certainly have gotten faster in the past 2 weeks.

“We rely on the good will of our fellow man and the forbearance of reptiles.”

BTW, some of those earlier top times have a missing bit of trail towards the middle third. I don't know if those folks skipped some section to get better times, or if back in 2014 the path was optional or just not as clear.

I've only ridden the southern portion of it, but I'm pretty sure the Endurance Loop (the new Rattler Loop), with its ultra-wide corridor, is even easier than Beginner. I think it is marked with red/white/blue flags. https://www.strava.com/segments/20300746?filter=overall