Since my hiking and backpacking season are on the injured reserve list, the 2026 JP Memorial has been transformed into a classic McCall Area mountain bike ride. The ride starts off with a 40 minute drive to the trailhead and it’s not unusual to see wildlife along the road. I managed to snap this image right as mamma moose was about to dart into the woods. Her calf was just too fast.
Today’s crew honoring John, (The flightless) Bird, Rich, and myself.
John delivered us a perfect day with a touch of fall colors.
Ruby Loon is an IMBA epic from early on…. what does that mean? Well, in this case, about 30 miles of incredible single track and about 4 hours of ride time.
Bird!
It was at least 30 minutes into the ride before the morning chill faded. Start temperature was about 29 degrees.
Single-track at its best.
The final drop into the lake. You can just make out Loon Lake through the trees and the hazy dirty lens.
Turns out Loon Lake is pretty popular these days.
Bird had never been to the plane crash so we needed to make the obligatory side trip.
Bushwhacking! Somewhere John has a big smile knowing we found a bushwhack on our mountain bike ride.
De plane De plane!
Lunch.
Time to manger our lolly pop.
The Secesh River.
From this point on I was in survival mode and didn’t take anymore photographs. Trust me, the last third of the ride is every bit as epic as the first two-thirds…… Happy Birthday John! We miss you.
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