fly like an eagle

It rained and rained and rained on Saturday.

Just kidding!  It hasn't rained in weeks and Saturday was no exception, so we loaded up the MTBs and headed back over to Park City to put together a new route at Round Valley.  There were some clouds in the sky, and probably some drifting smoke as well, and it was pretty breezy.  Even though we didn't get onto the dirt until 10 a.m. - we waited for it to warm up to around 60 F - the temperatures were very pleasant.  There were lots of sports happening at the Quinn's Trailhead, so parking was at a premium, but since everyone was either participating or watching the soccer and/or lacrosse, the trails were sparsely populated.

Super-happy riding on Happy Gilmor

H had put together the route, consisting of trails we'd ridden before but put together in a new series.  We started by going up the Practice Loop, then taking Rambler out, down the Staircase and to the paved bike path.  We rode on the paved path for a little while, making our way out to the northern trailhead where we jumped back on Happy Gilmor and Tin Man to climb back up to Rademan Ridge.  We really like those two trails: you gain a lot of elevation but the trail surface is mostly smooth, with very few rocky sections.  From the ridge, we continued down the other side on Rambler, then climbed Rambler back up (via the Sagebrush Switchbacks) to the very highest point of Round Valley.  Next was a smooth descent on Down Dog (where we barked at the doofuses who weren't paying attention to the "NO UPHILL TRAFFIC" signs.  We climbed back up to Seventy 101, then climbed back up the hill we'd just ridden down via PorcUclimb - still love that one. Then, to round things off, we rode down Rambler about halfway, then took High Side to Kari's and back to the truck.  A really good ride.

The coolest thing about the whole day, however, were the two golden eagles we stopped to watch.  We were halfway down Down Dog when H saw these two HUGE raptors dive down into the sagebrush.  We couldn't see what they had gone after but we stood there for a number of minutes as they flew back up and started circling overhead.  We stopped again as we were working our way back up to PorcUclimb because they were still there, swooping low enough overhead that we could see their talons and sharp, curved beaks.  Their wingspans were probably close to six feet.  These eagles were huge - big enough that I was just a little nervous that they were scoping us out as potential tasty treats.  It was a real gift to see these creatures so close.

Ride stats:  15.7 miles; two golden eagles