Oct 6th - Babysteps

We had planned on doing Porcupine Rim but after waking up to rain we opted out of getting the shuttle and instead headed out on Babysteps once the weather cleared up later in the day.


There were some nice play sections in the first slick rock area.


Near the start of the first single track section.


Amber cleaning a fun section at the top of the first hill.


Heading out the start of the second single track section.


The second section has a lot of really nice sequences.


This is a much steeper and looser than it looks section.


That finishes with a fun obstacle.


Another much steeper than it looks move.


Babysteps is a great moderate trail that has lots of nice single track riding on it. It was very different being in the open desolate terrain and be riding single track after spending the summer riding single track amongst the trees or above the tree line.

Oct 5th - Gold Bar Blue dot & another unamed trail

Day 2 we decided to head out and do Gold Bar single track - or Blue Dot as is now starting to become known as. This was an "illegal" trail put up a few years ago that is in none of the guide books but that is very well known and regularly ridden. It has is now in the preferred option management plan proposal by BLM to be a part of 70 new miles of official single track riding if the plan is passed.

It also happens to be one my favorite rides in Moab!

As we were getting ready a large group of riders went by and headed up the same trail. As Amber and I started up the trail we came across someone swearing at his bike as he changed a flat tire.It was Lee Lau from British Columbia. I had long been a fan of his posts on MTBR and his blog spot and he constantly adds more to my mental checklist of places to visit and ride. Apparently he was having a bad stint of flat tires on the ride ride up Gemini.


Amber starting into the trail. Just out of the picture is a steep off-camber section of the trail that Amber had always struggled with because it looks intimidating - this time she cruised it until she hit her pedal on the rock. It was a good sign of progression.


This is the tail end of the Canadian crew that caught up to us as we realized Moab had dropped a doggy shoe and Amber went back to look for it. It was great to watch their lead rider Kevin clean this section and also to make it look easy. I did the best I had ever done on it but was still unable to clean the last piece. Hopefully by the end of this Moab season I will get it as well.


Amber approaching another nice technical section where you have to clean each piece of it and keep momentum to have hope for the next. It is probably my favorite sequence on the trail.


Scenic views are part of the ride.


Another nice technical move on the way out.


Our dog enjoying a cool break and a drink. We carry water for her but we are always looking for pools that she can cool down in and have a nice big drink from.


Another steep move up near the rim.

At the rim we got chatting with a local rider. Originally I had been contemplating riding all the way out along the rim to the Portal section and then returning but I just wasn't feeling that energetic. The local gave us another option entirely that was just impossible to resist.


On the way back, Amber lifting a section.

In the afternoon we headed out on a trail the local described. I deliberately left the camera at home as I figured I would be tempted to post photos that can't be posted.

Suffice to say the riding was really great single track that was made even more interesting by some really strong winds that kept blowing Amber and I from our lines. I will probably post photos later in the season as long as I can get some that show the riding without showing anything about the location.

Friday night was an interesting night as the winds blew all night and later in the night the rain started. We had gone to bed planning on getting up and doing Porcupine Rim.

Oct 4th - Moab, Moab Rim & Sovereign

Amber had a few days of from work so I opted to take Thursday and Friday off as well. With the temperatures in Moab looking perfect for riding we headed out there Wed Night for a long weekend and our first trip there since early Spring.

Day 1 started with it still being a little warm coming in at mid 70's and sunny so we decided to start out with a ride we have never done in all our time visiting Moab - the jeep trail up to Moab Rim. We had been trying to motivate for a while to do it, but the initial brutal climb had always lent it itself to us finding excuses not to ride it.

With it being in the shade most of the day and with us having ridden most of the summer and feeling like we might actually be in decent shape our excuses were gone and ride it is what we did!


Make no mistake, the first mile is absolutely brutal. They say the average grade is 22% and there is plenty of technical sections as well. We rested, we rode and we pushed - but at least it was in the shade!


The views were also awesome as you stopped to recover breath.


At times it felt like it was never going to end.


And it seemed like it just got steeper the closer the summit was.

The climb up was actually pretty enjoyable and the ledges down in the lower sections were great to try and find a path of least resistance through. It was brutal, but in a good sense of accomplishment sort of way.


The ride itself was much more than the climb with us doing it as a 5 mile out and then back ride. Across the rim you followed a jeep trail with some slick rock domes and assorted technical sections. All in all, not bad riding at all.


It was also pretty fun to think how much easier things seemed after our summer of riding and downhilling. The theme for both Amber and I across the weekend is that Moab just seemed a lot more doable than it ever had before. We were riding sections much faster and more confidently than we had in past trips. Good times indeed!


And, as usual, the terrain was just good to be on and around.


Heading back after the turn around point.


Amber rolling down one of the slick rock domes.

In the afternoon we went out and did Sovereign but neglected to take the camera with both Amber and I thinking the other had grabbed it. As always it was a great ride, although it is disappointing to see the number of ride-arounds and cheater lines to some of the more technical sections.

Sept 29th - Camp Dick

Amber had to work so we stayed around town. I decided to head up to Camp Dick and since I had been having a lot of fun on the Buchanan Pass single track and had always enjoyed the Sourdough section I figured that connecting them via the Coney Flats jeep rode could only equal even more fun - right?

Have you ever had a ride that when you do it, you say to yourself that you probably won't go back and do it again? But the years pass and then you forget what you told yourself? Doing sourdough into Coney Flats is one of those rides for me. The jeep road sections are loose rocky riding that is just not fun and all the time you are telling yourself that out and back on either Sourdough or Buchanan Pass is just a lot more enjoyable.

The one redeeming feature for me is how nice it is out the back. The ride was also kinda fun because the first snow for the season had fallen and riding on snow and ice is always fun for me. But in general I just am not a fan of the loose climbing you have out there.

Oh well, I expect in another 2-3 years I will forget again and perhaps next time have a different perspective.

No photos as I forgot to take the camera.

Monarch Crest - 09/22/2007

I had really wanted to do Monarch Crest this summer but the logistics of needing a shuttle had always kept getting it moved further down the list. It finally came together that Amber and I got to head out there and do it - just in time for the Aspens leaves to be turning.

I asked around work to see who else might be interested and we ended up with a perfect little crew with Jon and Dave joining us.

We got going a little later than we had originally planned but it worked out really well as the trail head had a lot of people when we first arrived and they were well ahead of us by the time we finished driving a shuttle car back down to Poncha Springs (where we would finish).

Monarch Crest is 35miles of mostly single track. From the trail start at Monarch Crest Pass to the end of the trail where it joins highway 285 is 29miles of simply awesome riding. You have a few sections of fire road but even those are great fun as most of it is fast descending with lots of little whoop sections to play on.

This is the end of the first fire road section, it gives you a great chance to warm up and throws in a taste of the views to come.


One of the many, many scenic vistas you encounter as you ride across the crest.


We played leap frog with a couple of other groups as we alternately all to time to stop and take photos or recover our breath. Here above the tree line the riding was simply gorgeous.


The weather was perfect with blue skies and fluffy white clouds setting an amazing frame to the scenery.


It is sights like this where single track just disappears over the horizon that keeps me constantly searching for the next perfect single track ride. Monarch Crest is easily one of the best in the country so far from my experience.


A little game of leap frog never hurt anyone. The other groups we constantly passed and were passed by were all fun people and easy to chat to.


The conditions of the trail were perfect across the whole ride which somewhat surprised me since it was the end of the summer - but it really doesn't get any better than this.


Climbing one of the last sections of the crest.


Above the tree line.


Once you top out from the Crest you are rewarded with great downhill sections. Don't be tricked by the ride though as it has climbing all the way along the trail right to the very end. Fitness and strength are a good thing to have to make sure that the last part of the trail remains fun.


We didn't get very many photos of the descent sections as it was just to much fun to stop, but this section was great example of the faster non-technical sections. In and amongst the trees the trail tended to be steeper and more technical.


This is the end of the Silver Creek section and just before you join onto the Rainbow Trail section of the ride.


I really enjoyed the Rainbow trail section this time around, last time Amber and I rode it (2 years ago) we were physically wrecked from the previous sections. The riding had a great mix of fast flowing sections and fun technical pieces.

Oh, and it was pretty as well.

Amber


Jon


Dave


We were all starting to feel fatigued by the end sections of the ride as you were constantly riding up steep sections before flowing quickly down the other side.


The great riding literally just never stopped.


Neither did the smiles.


Although, we did have some mighty tired legs.


Back at the shuttle vehicle!

What an amazing ride, I can't remember a ride as epic as this or where you spent so much time with a smile from ear to ear.

Picasa Gallery: Sean & Ambers Monarch Crest Gallery

Steamboat Springs - 09/16/2007

Amber and I had originally planned on heading to Vail for some downhilling but Amber had been fighting a cold leading into the weekend and we opted to wake up Saturday morning and make a call on what to do.

I had wanted to get over to Steamboat Springs for a while since we have never been there let alone ride there so we decided Saturday to pack up and head to Steamboat.

Saturday we drove out there and just checked out things, the town was a great little town and Amber and I picked ourselves up a cowboy hat each.

We camped right near the start of the ride we had picked out to do - Rabbit Ears/Mountain View. This is a trail that follows the Continental Divide trail (1102) going past 4 high country lakes and the photos I had seen made it look like it would be great fun. It also had the advantage of being an out and back trail which I like when riding an area for the first time as you can always just turn around and head back the way you came at anytime.

I had hoped to follow the trail and then continue onto the Buffalo Pass section of the trail.



The trail started with a pretty steep descent away from the camp site with a great mix of rooty and rocky trail. It was very encouraging, but was daunting to know we would have to ride back up it on the way back.


Most of the ride was under dark timber and it constantly threatened to rain on us.


This is the first lake we came to - Fishhook Lake - very scenic!


The trail mostly was uphill on the way out with the surface mixing between loamy soft soil to rocky sections to rooty sections - amazing variety.


I wore an orange shirt because we camped amongst Bow Hunters. We didn't see any along the trail but near the start there was the constant call of Elk which I assume was actually hunters.


This is the second lake we came across - Lost Lake.


Throughout the entire ride the quality of the riding was amazing. I really enjoyed the rocky sections (of which we didn't get many photos).


About two thirds into the ride the rain started. We managed to stay ahead of the worst of it as once we returned these sections were flooded (and it was cold riding)


Single track in Steamboat springs is going to grow on us quickly, I expect we will spend a lot of time there next summer - hopefully in July when Crested Butte is overwhelmed by bugs.


This is the 3rd lake - Lake Elmo.


This is the last lake - Round Lake.

With the bad weather we decided to turn around and head back rather than continue out the Buffalo Pass section. Not a bad thing as it means we have to come back and do it again. There are a lot of great trail options from where we turned back.


The trails were pretty wet as we returned back to the car, Amber and I both ended up with cold, wet fingers and toes. It was evidence that Summer had past and Fall was here.


This was a great little section of trail both on the way out and the way back.


Most of riding on the way back was fun downhill sections.

Overall it was a great ride and if the other trails in the area are anything like this one I expect to be spending a lot of time out here next summer.