Beautiful fall colors - the vine maple is amazing right now, and the views of the Stuart range were breathtaking.

I had hoped the recent rains would have made hero dirt, but no such luck. It was over 80F today, and there was no moisture anywhere. Definitely some moon dust in places, but the real trick is the needles - plenty of speedy two-wheel drifts!

I took the same route as last October (I need to ride here more than once a year!), more or less the one described in the GPS track.  The first part (climb on the west end) is really brushy; a classic XC bushwhack. The descent of Rat Pac proper was, as always, a grin-fest.  Most of the features have continued to fall into disrepair, which is sad. But the jumps and drops are all in!

Saw only one other person - a moto rider taking in the view of Stuart at the top - the whole time.  Plenty of grasshoppers and hawks to keep me company.