Spring and Oak Canyons are the best rides in Mission Trails Park. Here are some of my experiences on those trails.

Rick Rider?...Are any of you Rick Rider? ... Does anyone here know Rick Rider? ... Hi, do you guys know who Rick Rider is? I rode up and down Spring Canyon 2 1/2 times asking everyone this question. Why? Read on to find out.

San Diego River Crossing

I parked in the Old Mission Road parking lot, like usual. After riding down the road about 100 yards I turned right through the gate (#9), then swooped down the trail through the cool damp air in the river bed. I could hear the San Diego River (creek) passing under the trail. One must be careful when "swooping" down through this area as it is very popular for all types of users.

The Spring Canyon trail starts out within the Mission Trails Park boundaries and quickly heads into lands of questionable use status. It is almost exactly a mile before I passed under Highway 52's sleek bridges.

Spring Canyon Bridges

While I still marveled at these architectural feats, they also reminded me of the time I came across two riders with a million "Goat Heads" (a type of southern California thorn) in their tires.

I was rushing down the Spring Canyon Trail toward my truck, trying to avoid being late to Bubby's (my grandson's) soccer game. I was probably doing 20 mph going under the bridges when I saw a young couple, not on their bikes, with both bikes upside down and the tires off of both. I always stop to offer help to anyone who looks like they need it and this was no exception. So I quickly slid to a stop, and offered my assistance.

They said they were from out of town and had rented their bikes. The bike shop had supplied them with a little fix-it kit, including patches. The major problem was the shop had not supplied a pump. I lent them my pump. Of course that meant pumping the tubes to find the leaks, patching them, letting the air out, putting the tube and tire back on the rim, then inflating the tires. Fortunately they were experienced riders and flat fixers, and I managed to make most of the soccer game.

Spring Canyon Trail in April

Once I passed the bridges and head another 100 yards north I made a left turn and climbed up the flanks of the canyon 40 yards or so. That is where the single track is. I can ride single track almost the whole length Spring and Oak Canyons. As I told the flat-tire couple, the best riding when going up Spring Canyon requires a person to always stay left, yet remain within the main canyon. There are many side canyons (some of which are good rides) that branch left. Don't accidently take one of them if you want to do the ride I am suggesting.

Click Spring for a larger map. Click back-button to return here.

I was looking up one of these side canyons one time when I saw a Coast Guard helicopter hovering over that canyon. I asked a ranger who was driving up Spring Canyon what was going on. He said a man had fallen off his mountain bike and broken his leg. I guess the Coast Guard chopper came because the accident happened on military land. I wondered if that biker's helicopter ride was going to be any better than mine was. Click on Crashes for more details on my emergency helicopter ride.

After gradually climbing on this single track for a little over one mile I dropped back down to the floor of Spring Canyon, as there was no more trail on the sides. The best single track still lies to the left ... to the left of the creek bed ... winding through the chaparral, changing direction every bike-length. I stayed left and rode as fast as I could to see if I could make all the abrupt turns. Occasionally I don't turn quick enough and end up lodged in the bushes, laughing loudly at myself. If anyone were following they might think me crazy.

Wallet Site

At about 2.5 miles from my truck the narrowness of Spring Canyon forced me to ride across the dry riverbed. One day I was in this exact spot when I spotted a man's wallet in the middle of the wash, right under the power lines that cross Spring Canyon. I rode over to it, looked all around to see if anyone was heading toward it, and picked it up. My dilemma was ... what to do with it? I usually can get cell phone reception in Spring Canyon, so my first thought was to see if there was a phone number somewhere inside. Maybe I could call the person before they drove home or panicked when they discovered it was missing. When I opened the wallet I immediately saw several credit cards. There was also a business card, and a driver's license, and $30 cash. They all had the same name on them ... "Rick Rider." (That was not the actual name of course). I tried calling the number on the business card but could not get a clear signal. I rode a half mile south toward the bridges ... still no coverage. I rode all the way back to the bridges and called ... it rang ... no one answered. I left a message telling "Rick" his wallet was safe and I was going to the parking lot to look for him.

Mission Road Parking Lot

I walked around many vehicles in the parking lot and saw not a single person. I rode to the other parking area on Mast Boulevard, but saw no one around those vehicles either. I tried calling him again, got no answer, then left a message that I was going back up Spring Canyon to look for him.

I rode right up the middle of Spring Canyon and asked every party I saw if they knew "Rick Rider." At the very top of Spring Canyon I met two mountain bikers that were getting ready to head down. They said they had just spoken with a biker who said he had lost his wallet and keys. They said he had just headed down the canyon.

The top part of Spring Canyon has only one trail ... I don't know how he could have passed me on my way up ... but he had. I turned around and zigzagged all the way back down the canyon ... asking a dozen people ... with no results. I stopped at the bridges and called, then called from the parking lot, then typed his address into my GPS.

I rang the doorbell a couple of times before a guy opened the door. "Rick Rider?" I said. "That's me," he nodded as he spoke. "Here is your wallet," I said as I handed it to him. "I didn't see any keys." He told me he had checked his bag more closely and found his keys. He wanted to give me a reward, but I told him no. Why had I turned down the reward? Click Spring/Oak Canyons (part 2) to read why.

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