A dusty old trail

[ErickWeinstetter]

Years ago I moved to California with dreams of becoming a factory rider.
I found out life on your own wasnt so easy and couldnt afford to race, but rode and built jumps as much as I could.
One of my favorite places was called “Killer Hill”. Thats where they would test my bike for “American Bicycles” in Snap. The kids that ride there today and rode there back in 98 when the bike was tested, had no clue we were riding that spot since 1981. I have no clue how long it was there before I moved to California.
Not far from there was a place called the “The Lakebed” and also known as “Collusus” for this natural pit jump area. It had three lines, Collusus was the favorite. “Jawbreaker” was named for a kid who broke his jaw off of it.
“Suicide” was the steepest. Unfortunately not long after I moved to California a neighbor built a custom home right above this natural pit and made the city fill it in. Us “Kids” were making to much noise.

Just across the lakebed not 100 yards was a place we called the track. Basically it had one huge downhill jump and a table top and berm. But we added more jumps and berms thanks to a natural spring.
The City stepped in and let a local guy, whose house we got water drinks from a hose he left out for us- a backhoe.
Well we all worked hard and had some cool jumps, including “Volcano”, which can be seen in alot of old Mags as it became one of the favorite spots to to photo shoots.

Today i got tired of dreaming about how BMX used to be and went out to
the garage, grabbed my bike, threw it in my SUV and was off. 10 minutes later I was unloading my bike next to “Killer Hill”. The city just a few years back tore down all the jumps. But way back down below a few more have risen. I wonder if the kids have any clue that we have ridden our bikes in that ravine for some 30 years now?

No one was riding and most of the jumps were small do or die doubles with too washed and rutted landings, for me to jump, but still the thrill of being out on the bike and riding in the dirt was fun.

I loaded up the bike and headed over the the Lakebed. As I rode thru the entrance on the way into the lakebed, this dusty old trail was like an old freind. Like it had been there all this time waiting for me to come back.
It had been one year since I rode here and was hoping some jumps had sprung up.

the old track area last time was completly grown over and all the jumps gone. Now a whisper of hope as some paths had been recleared thru the brush. I stopped to survey the area that used to be my playground.
I heard squirells running thru the brush. Nothing rideable but still, the days spent here were fun ones.

I continued over to the old waterhole jumps. They have been eroded and most everything gone. One new hip jump had popped up that BITD I woulda hit. But it was a left hander (my weakside) and a lil too rutted for me to chance.

Finally I headed down the dustry trail to the Dam Jumps.
Everything was rutted, but a few jumps remained.
I was soo out of shape and winded. It was a dry hot October afternoon today with temperatures around 88.
I didnt jump anything, but headed back to the truck exhausted and sore.
I think Ill go back soon, maybe next rain, I’ll go buy a shovel.

This site has a video of the Lakebed, it shows mostly the “Watering Hole” area. the area with the fence thing and the kid whos bars went down, is the “Dam” area.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6103140265470837609&pl=true

All those jumps are pretty much gone.

[RaidenHayden]

Surprisingly, I found out that the trails we rode behind the elementary school in the 80’s were still there!! Now I have to take the stroll just to see whorides there, and what they are like now.

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