When we're not crushing emails or developing new products, we're out in the wild living our best lives. My (Jared) most recent escapade took me and the boys on an epic MTB trip up to Santa Cruz. Check it out below!
When you ride bikes in your hometown all the time, you just get that itch to mix it up and ride in a new place, one of your favorite places, or maybe even both. The only way to scratch that itch is to just hit the road and make it happen, and that's exactly what we did a couple of weeks ago when my buddy Andre and I saddled up and ventured up to Santa Cruz for a weekend filled with riding mountain bikes and having fun.
Our weekend kicked off with a stop at Demonstration State Forest and a lap on one of our favorite trails in the zone, Braille. We really wanted to get another lap in, but a later than anticipated arrival and quickly disappearing daylight had us content with a one and done. After a long day, we had to make a post ride stop at Aptos St. BBQ for a cold one and one of the best brisket sandwiches ever before heading to camp and setting up for the night.
A somewhat frigid Saturday morning began with a nice dose of strong coffee and oatmeal before heading up to one of our favorite riding zones, where we met up with some friends who live in town. It was time to put on our big boy pants as we knew the guys were going to show us the goods, and boy did they. These trails can humble you quickly if you're not prepared. Thankfully we made it out without incident, and we were lucky enough to sample some legendary hero dirt in the process. It wouldn't be a proper trip to the forest if you didn't stop and smell the flowers, or the mushrooms... right?
We continued to ride some of the best trails and conditions we'd ever ridden, all our faces adorned with sheepish grins. We rode until our legs were feeling the 5,000 feet of climbing we had done in the last 24 hours, and decided to head into town and stop at the Parish for a burger and a beer. Did we mention that the burger in question was beer battered and deep fried with bacon and cheese inside? It's called the Belushi, and if you haven't ever indulged in such a delicacy, I highly recommend it, even if your cardiologist might not. It might even be worth the trip up to Santa Cruz just for the burger.
Back at camp, nice and content with our bellies full of sustenance, our bodies sore, and our heads still buzzing from the epic trails we had ridden, it was time to mentally prepare for the trip home and back to reality. These are the types of trips that you never forget. Let this be your sign to put a soul nourishing trip like this on your calendar and live life the way it's supposed to be lived!
