Christian Gehrke
ROLLING TERRAINI'm not here to break records. I just don't want to break anything.
The Cruising Issue

Real video Hammock time is happy time.

Ride Report

Two lakes and a corral

Christian, Helena and Marley spent October 17 at the Highland Lakes above Bear Valley: about nine miles of riding with roughly twelve hundred feet of climbing, a pass through a horse corral on the way in, drone views over both Upper and Lower Highland Lake, and a day by the water with the hammock up.

By GlazyArray, Cycling Desk

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Listen · 2:40Up to the Highland Lakes

The route

8.7 miDistance
8,671 ftHigh point

The map shows 8.3 mi of the 8.7 mi; the numbers count all of it.

Helena and I started rolling just before eleven on a clear October morning, up at the Highland Lakes above Bear Valley. There are two campgrounds up there. We parked just past the first one and rode our bikes up toward the lakes, with Marley running along the whole way. The ride stayed high the whole time, between about 7,900 and 8,700 feet.

Flying over the ledge.

The corral

Two horses at a red gate beside an old wooden barn, 11:14.
Two horses at a red gate beside an old wooden barn, 11:14.

Twenty minutes in, the trail took us through a private corral by an old wooden barn. It's part of the trail in, and we're allowed to pass through. Two horses stood at the red gate. They were lovely and very nice, and Marley wanted to play with them, but we kept her back.

Both lakes from above

Marley in her harness at the water's edge, 12:24.
Marley in her harness at the water's edge, 12:24.

By half past eleven I had the drone up, and from there the country opened out: sage slopes, pines in loose groups and ridges stacked to the horizon under a sky without a cloud in it. From up there I could see both lakes, Upper and Lower Highland Lake. One was deep blue with a dirt road along its shore. The other was green, tucked under bare slopes. All the aerial shots and the clip are from the drone.

Marley on the grassy shore, a towel spread out beside her.
Marley on the grassy shore, a towel spread out beside her.

The hammock by the water

Flying over highland lakes.

We cruised around near the second campground and mostly hung out there for the day. We put up the hammock right there by the water, and a little before half past twelve Marley was down at the edge of the lake. She stood on the grass in her harness while the lake moved behind her, and we had a towel spread out on the shore.

Marley swimming.

The time standing still is where the day happened.

Under the tree and over the lake.

After that I sent the drone out for one more long look back down a valley of pines between gray slopes, past the edge of a rock outcrop, then over both lakes again and out over a valley to the west of them. Then we rode our bikes back.

The numbers

Coming down the hillside towards the upper lake.

The numbers: about 8.7 miles, about 1,200 feet of climbing and about the same back down, an hour and six minutes of moving time, and three and a half hours out in total. Most of the day was the stops, and the photos show why. We just had a fun time, and everything went right.

Both lakes.

What I learned: on a ride like this the moving time is the small number. The time standing still is where the day happened.

The photo spread

Sage slopes, scattered pines and ridges under a clear sky, 11:31.
Sage slopes, scattered pines and ridges under a clear sky, 11:31.
A dry draw running down through the pines toward the far ridges.
A dry draw running down through the pines toward the far ridges.
A deep blue lake ringed by pines, a dirt road along its right shore.
A deep blue lake ringed by pines, a dirt road along its right shore.
A green lake under bare slopes, a road along its edge, 11:33.
A green lake under bare slopes, a road along its edge, 11:33.
A blue lake past a dry meadow, peaks behind it.
A blue lake past a dry meadow, peaks behind it.

Real photographs