riding round valley again

After several weekends in which we did not go MTBing, we definitely had it on the schedule for Sunday.  And even though I suspect H is getting a little bored with Round Valley, that's where we went, so I could do some skill-building.  We stopped for breakfast first and thus didn't get on the trails until 11:30 a.m.  It was a little cooler in Park City than in the Salt Lake Valley but we're still talking 80s (as opposed to 90s).  S'okay. It's not the heat, it's the humidity and there just isn't any out here - it's been averaging 8%-12% humidity lately.

Don't stop now!

We were out for two hours this time, with only fifteen minutes of that being standing-around time to look at the trial map / allow me to catch my breath (I'm still having difficulty controlling my breathing on hill climbs) / etc.  We did 15.88 miles with 1,147 feet of ascent, but since Round Valley is all rolling hills, the climbing wasn't too bad, my breathing issues notwithstanding.  We did one trail (I have no idea what it's called) that climbed a bit, with tons of switchbacks: since it was mostly dirt and not too steep, I was proud that I only had to walk through one section that was rockier, and then put my foot down on one switchback that was a ledge.  And that was the uphill trip - I successfully rode back down it without falling over into the sagebrush. Yay me!

Nice day out to Round Valley

We mixed it up a little bit for the post-riding beers, opting for people- and hoopla-watching up at Park City Mountain Resort as opposed to our usual quiet, sit-on-the-tailgate in the Deer Valley parking lot.  We found some tables in the shade up on an ignored deck of one of the lodges where we were able to watch the chairlift riders, mountain coaster goers, zip-line riders, alpine sliders, MTBers, mini-golfers and carousel goers.  There is a lot going on up at PCMR!  That must be what Snowbird is hoping for but frankly I like the mellower vibe at the Bird.  We drank our PBRs, demolished a couple of burgers from the snack shack and rested up for the drive back down Parley's Canyon.

I felt pretty good about the MTBing - cute little Round Valley is excellent for building confidence - and I think we're going to try a different trail next time we head that way.