dry enough to ride

Sunday was beautiful - sunny and mid 80s in the valley - and so we got right up to enjoy it.  First off, we headed up Big Cottonwood Canyon for breakfast at the Silver Fork Lodge, getting there just a little after 8 a.m. so as not to get caught in the Mother's Day rush.  We opted to eat inside, since the temperature up there was 52 in the sun, and enjoyed our chile verde omelet (H) and oatmeal with strawberries, bananas and walnuts (me) very much.  By the time we were done, the lounge/waiting area was packed with folks waiting for a table.

We went back home and got our MTB gear together, H checking over our bikes after their long winter in the basement, then headed to Park City and the Round Valley trails.  Whether because of the lovely weather or the fact that it was Mother's Day, those trails were as busy as we've ever seen them with lots of folks out enjoying them, including a number of families with little kids.  The trails were perfectly dry, dusty even in spots, and there had been some improvements made over the winter, including the addition of a bike repair station.

Back on the bikes

We did our regular 19-ish mile loop, H easily cruising up the innumerable switchbacks up Rambler.  I was pretty chicken on the rocks and ruts since it was our first time out for the year BUT I managed to stay upright and on my bike for the whole ride.  As we got on the Silver Quinn trail for the return, we discovered another improvement to the trails: Silver Quinn is now paved!  While this lessened the quaintness of a dirt road ride, it certainly improved our overall speed.  Park City does a wonderful job on their MTB trails - they're really wonderful to ride.

Afterwards we drove up to Deer Valley and enjoyed a couple of PBRs and the view.  I should have reapplied sunscreen after the ride but slight sunburn notwithstanding, it was a great re-entry into mountain-biking for the summer.