The first Mountain Bike Ride in Napa-I will never forget this day!!!
We were high school students at Napa High. One of our close friends-Jon Barnes- rides up on this strange contraption. Another friend-Eric Borenor spurts out “What the Hell is That!!!â€
Jon sits up straight on the bike and gives him a mischievous grin and states “It’s A Mountain Bike.â€
We gathered around, all taking turns to ride this amazing bicycle. The first thing we all noticed was how powerful the brakes were which reason told us was a good thing if it was to be ridden in the mountains.
Jon had been working at “Smorga Bob’s and unbeknownst to us he had visited the local “Schwinn†dealer-“Bettencorts.†Note that “Schwinn†was a quality bicycle at that time and only available from franchised dealers. Jon told us that he went into the shop looking to buy a beach cruiser. The owner said “hey check this out†and let him look at the catalog and a new type of bicycle that had not been released yet. He put his money down and waited. As far as I know he had the first Mountain Bike ever in Napa County. And considering that none of us had ever seen one before I think that is a good bet!
After school that day we headed up to “Westwood Hills.†We each took a turn riding it in a loop on what is still today one of my favorite trails. It was amazing the way it raced across the rocky dirt trails. That the brakes could actually save you from the brink of disaster. Those who know the brakes on old school BMX bicycles should understand what I mean by that!!!
For me personally this was a life changing experience. I am still involved with bicycles. I loved bicycles before this but this was a game changer. It changed where you could actually ride a bicycle. I always loved the outdoors and hiking this however allowed me to explore much greater areas in a shorter amount of time.
I want to thank Jon and everybody for allowing me this experience!
It was a day I will never forget and an experience that will last a lifetime!!!
Justin
