"Easy Ride"

So this morning I was tired. I thought to myself, "I want to do an easy ride. Something different." So I remembered that bikes are allowed on portions of Henry Cowel and decided to check that out (especially since it is part of my impending long ride to the ocean). The ranger at the entrance was bordering on hostile when I asked if bike were still allowed. He shoved a "Trail Use Guide" at me and then told me to "ride carefully." Obviously I am the psychotic mountain biker out to maim and Pillage! MUHUHAHAHAHA! The trail is paved for the first few miles. I run into few hikers (Who were friendly with the exception of one older couple who picked up their little rat dog, scowled and shot daggers with their eyes as soon as they saw me). What I learned riding the paved section, is that steep is steep no matter what your riding on. I thought my lungs would explode. I turned onto the unpaved fire road for.... More climbing! In sand! yeah! I struggle up up...up... and up. Near the top there was a forest service truck with a couple guys doing road/trail maintenance. They seemed impressed I had ridden up that far. I got to me destination. The overlook. From there I could see all the way to Monterey. I sat for a while, enjoying that I was there by myself, and resting, for I was sure my legs would take a beating on the way down. Some German tourist showed up and were amazed I had ridden up. They had a lot of questions about my bike and if there were other place I rode in the area. I told them about Wilder Rand and Niscene Marks. And then I was on my way for some sweet, rocky, down hill... or not. I came down a different way than I cam up. The trail map the ranger had given me indicated it was open to bikes, and the trail book I have described it as "A moderate decent with a few patches of sand and rock drops no more than 8". Things must have changed... It was like trying to ride on the beach. I gave up and assumed that the sand would end and the down hill fire road would be a thrill. When I got out of the sand, the drops started.... 1'-3' drops. There are people, I am sure, would have eaten it up, but at my skill, on a hardtail, 1' is about as high of a drop as I will do. So I walked down through that. Finally the trail developed into what I had been lead to expect... for about 30 yards until it met up with the paving again. So I rode out. The decent on the pavement was as steep as I had remembered, but I stayed on the brakes a lot more than usual because of the number of pedestrians and blind turns. Toward the bottom of the hill I had to grind to a halt for a family our for a Sunday hike. When I started moving again I hear CHING*CHING*CHING*CHING every time the wheel goes around I hear it. I remember a problem I had with my shoe earlier (The cleat that clips to the pedal came loose, no problem, fixed with ease) and thought to my self I should have turned around then. At first I thought some of the sand had gotten into something, but everything felt OK. Then I hit the front brake and the noise stopped. So I stopped spun the wheel by hand, and... nothing. I get back on, and it starts going again. And the noise is back. I give up and think maybe the heat had warped the brake rotor. Visions of having to pay someone to fix it dance in my head. I get to the parking area thinking, on the up side I had not startled a single pedestrian because of the noise. So I spend time carefully eyeing the rotor trying to tell if it is warped. It looks straight to me. I re align the caliper. Still making noise. I look real close at the rotor... and see something... I get real close to it and see.. a tiny fleck of molten metal, no bigger than the tip of a ball point pen... maybe half that stuck to the rotor. I take my leatherman and use the knife to scrape it off. It pops off easily leaving only a shiny metal spot where it was. I try again. No noise... Yay! I load up the bike and head out. I am so going to get an 8" rotor to replace that 6" when I buy a new fork, it won't heat up as fast and will dissipate the heat better. All in all my easy ride turned into a bear.