Mongo dropping into The Slime King on Rock 'n Roll, just off the Pipeline Rd. / 1000 Rd. aboard his personal Titus Switchblade.

Why? Well, I guess I'd have to say that it's the way the ingredients mix in the pot. Deep vine maple and hemlock woods; big old growth cedars lying scattered here and there in the shadows; a lot of swoopy use of the terrain spiced with the inevitable Galbraithian log roll overs, root punchups and an occasional slow, tight switchback or a low, slimy catwalk over a bog.

This is a trail with technical moments, but it is not a scary trail. There are really only a few memorable stunts per se on Rock 'n Roll. One is a sluiceway / loose log ride (see below), and another is a root crown punch up that's situated in a narrow pass between two trees (see below).

The best, though is at the very end or the very beginning, depending on which way you ride Rock 'n Roll (which was originally called Polka Dot Trail because it was flagged with polka dot flagging in 2003). On the southern most end, just where it leaves the Pipeline Rd. and starts into the trees, there is a cedar log / slab combo that is a real hoot. It's easiest if you start on this end because you have a little bit of downhill grade to work with, but it's not a piece of cake this way by any means. And ridden the other way, at the end of the whole Rock 'n Roll rip and climbing to boot, it's a challenging piece of technical trail riding.

And either way you've got to handle some nice drops and then be able to climb, scamper, hop or somehow get up and over some serious technical climbing obstacles, all at slow speed with some exposure and a serious slime factor waiting there in the shade. I rate climbing the Big Drop on Evil Twin about equal to climbing the Slime King on Rock 'n Roll (see photo of Mongo above), except that the Slime King is more extended.

Apart from this consideration, the Rock 'n Roll rides just as well in either direction, and makes an excellent connector to get from the South Side to the North side when you hook it up with Cedar Dust.

THEN IN THE FALL of 2009, master Galbraith trail builders Guano and Legendary David built a very useful new trail that connects Rock 'n Roll with Lost Giants, making it possible to ride singletrack (no roads!) almost all the way over Galbraith, from the South Side to the North Side, or vice versa.

Called Mole Trap, this new trail laves Rock 'n Roll at the huge old growth cedar stump near where Rock 'n Roll meets the Pipeline Rd. / 1000 Rd. From there it heads south, paralelling the road as it skirts a swamp, and then break free to run snakey and unfettered to meet Lost Giants not too far from its junction with Evil Twin. Sweet!

As of 2010, Mole Trap is still pretty raw in places -- the trail bed has yet to set -- but it promises to be a great compliment to the other standout cross country trails on the South Side.

The following are some of the scenes from the trail. Click on the thumbnail images to view a larger version...

Old School and New School -- James Taylor (LEFT) riding a hollowed-out log ramp (yea, it rocks, literally) that has been a beloved feature of Rock 'n Roll from the begining. Guano (RIGHT) scooting down a sturdy new ramp on the new Mole Trap trail.