January 13th  Garapito Trail
A beautiful morning greeted us for our always tough Garapito Trail.  And Piotr returned after a year's absence due to a leg injury.  Evidently, he will have to get used to following the arrows again.  We had a pretty big turnout for this popular run.
 

Westridge in the rain
We made the last minute decision to change the scheduled run to Westridge due to the high chance of rain and extremely muddy conditions on the Ray Miller Trail.  It poured on the drive up to the trailhead but let up just as we were getting out of our cars.  Not another drop fell confirming that we were meant to run that day.  Some of us dove into Sullivan Canyon and were treated to a hearty, babbling brook that crossed the trail more than a dozen times along the way up to Mulholland.  The rocky soil guaranteed no mud and the dampness killed any chance of dust.  I can't remember a better day at Westridge.

Secret Trail  12/16/2007
 Our run Sunday was slightly chilly, but gorgeous. The use of the trail by mountain bikers is exacting a toll on the condition of part of this course.  As a result, many of us find it safer to concentrate on our feet rather than the scenery when running.  We missed Kai, because of  back problems, and hope he will be back soon in his usual great spirits.
 
Santa Ynez/Trippet Ranch/Musch Trail  12/23/2007

Ernie's Run/Westridge
It's amazing how a slight variation to a mundane run can make it seem new and exciting.  This is definitely the case with Ernie's Run.  Westridge is a nice enough out-and-back, but adding in the long, gentle downhill of Sullivan Canyon turns a pretty plain run into one of my favorite keyhole courses.  That last little climb back up to Westridge always seems longer than I remember, but still completely worth it.

Chantry Flats
How about that Chantry Flats run last Sunday?  I guess there wasn't anything flat about it.  Thanks to Ernie for that tip about the "little" hill at the end  ;)