Photos of riding at Hardwood Hills in 2003.  Riding my '03 GT Avalanche.  Rocking the old "Independent Bikes & Boards" jersey.

Light snow overnight, snow all morning during my ride.  Even now at 7pm its still snowing.  Trails were fun covered in the snow.  Ran into another group out there, otherwise pretty lonely.  The 29er+ worked good in the light snow.  If it keeps up though I'll be putting the fats on.

I've also been testing out a new hydration / gear hauling situation last few times out.  Frame pack on the bike for my kit, bottle and cage as well, with an old Camelbak Flashflo for water around my waist.  The goal here is to get the weight off my back and see if it helps with the sore back I've been having all year.

My wife snickers and call it my "old man fanny pack".  I will admit, the colour is less than attractive and makes me want to puke when I look at it but so far its working nicely.  Maybe I should buy a hydration waist pack from this decade to replace the '90s vintage unit I'm sporting now.  More on this stuff later.

Nice night ride out at TP yesterday.  Cold weather, dead calm quiet, empty trails.  That why I like this season so much for riding.  Trails were riding great on the 29er+, perfectly dry with a bit of tack.  Started out just before sunset and rode into the night.  No boogeyman sightings to report.

Got an invite from a friend at the Shorthills Cycling Club to their 7th annual Fall Fartfest trailride and chili feast.  The ride started from The Smokin' Buddha in Port Colborne and rode into "The Hood" trail system.  Having never been to The Hood before I figured this would be a great chance to see what the trails looked like and have local guide(s) show me around.

The trails are twisty and rocky.  Not much elevation change but there are a few short steep ups to tackle.  The conditions were pretty slick, rain the day before and the clay based soil made for an ice rink in spots.  I'll have to come back and check these trails out next summer under better conditions.

I ran the 29er+ tires but I should have ran the 4" fat tires for a bit more traction.  Oh well, I'll know for next time.

I only got one picture as the riders were gathering as the pace was brisk out on the trails with no time for photo ops.

Old photos from my summer trip to Albion Hills in 2004.  Riding my 2003 GT Avalanche 1.0 Disc.

More good riding at Turkey Point this weekend.  Took the fat tires out Sunday, swapped to the 29er+ wheels for Monday.  Good times.