Kathryn's route was fun, especially the beginning when it was the best tootle we may have ever done. On Lower Summit Fire Rd. we came across this Labrador that sat down in the one patch of sunlight in the middle of the trail. Pretty cute how it found the spotlight. I suggested turning south and ending the ride when we got back to Larkspur so as not to ruin the tootle but I guess we needed to do some climbing too. First time doing the upper part of Eldridge - the infamous rocky part. It would've sucked on a gravel bike but it was fine on my gravel bike - Epic EVO! It did require a lot of concentration though. It was cool until we starting climbing Eldridge from the bottom and the temperatures just kept rising. When we got to East Peak, we opted to cut out Laurel Dell and just descend Railroad Grade and Old Stage to Coast View Trail. It was my first time descending it on my MTB and it was a lot more fun. I did almost eat it Devery's Rut. I had stopped a little bit before to get some photos so I wasn't going that fast when I got to the corner. I was on the wrong line but was able to stop in time. We descended Coast View into the fog but by the time we got to Middle Green Gulch, it was sunny and hot again. We had one more chance to cool in the fog through Tennessee Valley. Finished the ride and got lunch at Sol Food. A pretty perfect day except for the nasty horse flies. They're so bad this year.