This ride was in danger of getting canceled again. So glad we went. The weather was perfect and the conditions were near perfect. There was fog in the forecast to start and on the drive down there was some thick fog north of Salinas but luckily it cleared before getting into Salinas. The sand had a bit of moisture in it which is why I said "near perfect" conditions. Overall, it meant the trails were riding slower than normal and there were definitely some that would've been more fun if we were going faster or didn't have to pedal as much to keep up the speed. Even so, we all had tons of fun! And the rain main everything green and the low sun made for some beautiful light through the trees. There were a couple of trails where Derek was right behind me and I could hear him whooping it up in joy. Love to hear that. Because of the rain, there were a lot more technical sections than normal - more ruts and more exposed rocks but it actually made it more fun. My legs were slightly tired, or maybe tight and not warmed up, at the beginning but that went away after the first bit of climbing. After the first couple of single track trails, when we got back onto Sandy Ridge Rd. (fire road), Derek actually found a tick on his inner thigh right by the bottom of his shorts. Luckily it hadn't bitten him yet. It was probably on its way to his nethers! :) We went to El Chilacatazo (first time) for lunch after that was pretty good.