desert trip, part 6

All desert trips must come to an end, it seems.  We slept in a little Tuesday morning, then walked to the Moab Diner for breakfast (oatmeal, hash browns, English muffin with peanut butter and fruit).  We cleared out of our motel room and drove up to Dead Horse Point State Park.  The skies were mostly clear, just some light, thin clouds, and it was cool but not cold at about 54 F.  There were a few other cars in the parking lot with MTBers getting ready to hit the trails. 

Intrepid trail system

Once we got out there, however, we really didn't see more than a handful of other people - just the way we like it.  We did the Big Chief loop, which has a couple of hike-a-bike sections at first but then is rideable and fun for the rest, then across the sagebrush flats on Crossroad to cross the road to the newer trails.

Scenery for days

We were both riding better than we had been and I had my best ride ever on Whiptail and Twisted Tree, never even putting my foot down on Whiptail except to let another rider go by.  Maybe fresher legs (from not doing double sessions the day before) helped?  Regardless, we felt good and it was wonderful to be out there under those desert skies.

I mean, look at that

We finished up our ride and had snacks/beers while people-watching and putting our gear away.  Then it was time to say farewell to Moab once again and, with a stop in Green River at Ray's Tavern for veggie burgers and beers, our desert trip was done.  Until the next time!

Finis

Ride stats:  16.41 miles; 2:21 hours; 7.0 avg. m.p.h.; 16.9 max m.p.h.

desert trip, part 3

Another sunny and cool morning in Fruita found us breakfasting at Camilla's Kaffe (open 7 days/week, breakfast and lunch only), then packing up our room and heading a little way out of town to the Kokopelli trail system.  The trail head was very busy with lots of MTBers buzzing around but once we got out on our trail - we did the Rustler's Loop - we saw no-one.  The trail was great: flowy and mostly hardpack, with fantastic views over the Colorado River.

The Kokopelli trail signs were very funny

We did just one circuit (about six miles) and then moved on to the third major Fruita trail system, Rabbit Valley, not far from the Colorado/Utah border.  The Rabbit Valley trails are mixed-use, having originally been established for dirt bikes and OHVs but with the addition of MTB access with the rise of cycling's popularity.  The singletrack is for MTBs and dirt bikes; doubletrack is for everyone, including ATVs and jeeps.  This means that the trails are a little more chewed up than those that are MTB-only.

Rustler's Loop view (Kokopelli system)

We did a combination of Trail #2 and the Kokopelli Trail, getting out to the state line and back, and passing tons of primitive BLM campsites.  The ride had nice rolling hills but a real mix of surfaces - hardpack, red sand, gravel, loose rock and slickrock.  Sand usually freaks me out but at this point we were riding through so much of it that I started to figure it out: shift down and keep the revs high, relax the deathgrip on the handlebars, stop holding my breath.

Rabbit Valley singletrack

It was also terribly windy, like, crazy windy and the blowing sand got in our eyes and mouths.  By the time we got back on a firmer gravel road, however, I was so grateful to be off the sand that I refused to complain about the headwind, even when it almost stopped me cold.  We had quick beers and sandwiches back at the truck, huddled down beside the wheels to keep out of the wind, and then continued west.

Sandy section

To mix things up just a bit, we took the scenic Route 128 to Moab, past Fisher Towers, through Castle Valley and along the Colorado River.  At this point (midafternoon), all the riverside BLM campgrounds were full; Moab itself was jumping, with NO VACANCY signs at most of the hotels on Main Street.  Made me glad for our reservations.

In another wash, this one rideable

We checked in at the Kokopelli Lodge (we figured this was our tenth time staying there!) and did our usual clean-up/do laundry/put together a plan for the next day before walking to the Moab Brewery.  It was super-busy as usual but we scored seats at the bar pretty quickly.  The bartenders were outstanding, managing the crowds with finesse and good cheer.  We ate (veggie burger and veggie burrito) and enjoyed our beers (Johnny's IPAs) and had a good time people-watching.

Route 128 is scenic all right

The day finished up with us adjourning to the chairs outside our motel room for one more beer whilst wrapped in fleeces, warm hats and wool socks.  That night's forecast was for 30 F and the temperature was falling fast.

Ride stats:  14.9 miles total (both rides); 2:05 hours; 7.1 avg. m.p.h., 23.3 max. m.p.h.

further afield

As we weren't really sure what we would do for the entire day on Friday in scenic Beaver, Utah, while H went for a twenty-mile morning road ride before it got hot, I searched the internet/gazetteer for something for us to do.  First off, we went for breakfast (oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar; and homemade cinnamon rolls) at El Bambi, as recommended by our bartender and her husband from the night before.  El Bambi was just up the street aways, easily walkable.  We noticed several other Crushers in the little truckstop/diner (breakfast all day, 6 a.m.-2 p.m., closed Sundays, open at 5 a.m. for the Crusher in the Tushar by special arrangement) and ended up talking with Dan from Phoenix, who turned out to be our next-door-neighbor at the motel.  He had driven the course on Thursday so as to know exactly what he was up against; this was directly opposite H's approach where, in a departure from his usually wanting to know absolutely everything about anything he's getting into, H preferred to not know and just deal with things as they came up.

I love this sign

Since we had some time to kill before we could pick up H's race packet, and since I really had been unable to come up with anything better (there is definitely hiking in the area but (1) it was already getting hot and (2) H, wanting to focus on the race, hadn't brought hiking boots with him), we drove west on Utah Route 21 through Minersville and Milford.  We were in search of a ghost mining town, Frisco, which from 1880-1885 had around 6,000 (!) people, hotels, a hospital, a weekly newspaper and schoolhouse, a red light district (!!) and some twenty-three saloons (!!!).  We found it, in the middle of absolutely nowhere, about fifteen miles from Milford, carved into the side of the hill.  We drove in a ways but the road was rough and our aging truck's suspension is not to be trifled with; we considered getting out and walking in further but ultimately decided not to since the temperature was flirting with 100 F.

We retraced our steps, pausing for a beer at a picnic spot alongside the Beaver River, then headed south on I-15 for a couple of exits before heading east on Utah Route 20, a pretty road through the mountains that goes through Bone Hollow and Bear Valley.  This road ends at US 89 (which runs south to Panguitch, not far away, or north to Circleville and Junction, which H didn't want to go to because he'd be riding his bike there the next day).  So we stopped at an RV park for drinks and to take a photo of the smoke from the still-lingering Brian Head fire, at this point 70%+ contained but still smoldering.  The air was thick with smoke and we felt grateful that it was not finding its way up to Beaver.

Such a bummer

When we got back to town, the place was starting to get busy with cars/vans laden with bike racks.  We hung out at the room for a little while, waiting for it to cool down a bit, then walked to the center of town to pick up H's race packet at the visitors' center, a really cool old log cabin.  The packet pick-up was scheduled from 2 - 9:30 p.m., so while the influx of racers was constant, there was never a long line.  Amazingly, I even knew one of the volunteers: my old massage therapist who left Salt Lake City about 1.5 years ago when her husband got a Forest Service job based out of Fillmore.  The scene was super-chill with a couple of food trucks and a band, Mad Max and the Wild Ones.  We went and picked up a pizza from Freestyle Pizza - which took an hour and seven minutes (!!!!) because they were getting slammed by all the Crushers - and ate it in the park while Mad Max et als. wrapped up their set.

Pizza al fresco

There really weren't that many cyclists hanging out (which is what we had expected), so when the band quit at 7:30 p.m., we walked back to the motel, stopping first at the grocery store to pick up a Gatorade for H.  At this point the motel parking lot was full, with what were obviously Crushers' vehicles.  The rest of the evening was organizing for the race and then, once that was done, out on the motel balcony, drinking beers and chatting with neighbor Dan.  Early to bed, though, for tomorrow we would crush!

Mellow vibe at the packet pick-up

peace out, moab

Since we haven't yet figured out how to live in Moab full-time, we had to at last pack up and go home.  But not before hitting the trails one last time.  First, however, we had breakfast at the Peace Tree Cafe (fruit, yogurt and granola; and a quinoa bowl with brown sugar, walnuts and dried cranberries).  Peace Tree is also a juice bar and they had some great-sounding smoothies on their menu; I was really tempted to get one but wasn't sure a smoothie would give me enough get-up-and-go for getting around the MOAB Brand Trails.  Perhaps next time.

Here comes the weather

When we got to the trails around 9 a.m., there were only ten other vehicles in the lot.  It was overcast and the cool temperatures meant that lots of desert cottontails were out and about, getting bunny things done.  As it turns out, even my non-smoothie breakfast didn't give me enough energy to combat the cumulative fatigue in my legs and I only made it once around our loop.  H went around again (much faster, as it turns out, when he doesn't have to wait for me) while I read my book, perched on the truck tailgate.  He finished up just as the rain started.  We tried to wait it out but the clouds looked like they were settling in for the long haul so we took that as a sign to hit the road.  We stopped in at Ray's Tavern - they are very busy during the mid-week lunch hour! - for a beer, garden burgers and fries, then continued on our way.  The red dust will wash out of our clothes but the memories of yet another successful Moab trip are here to stay.

It's like this sign was written for me

april visitors: the rest of the days

We got to keep our houseguests for another three days and although I had to go back to work, the rest of them found fun things to fill their days.

Living Room

Day 3:  Tuesday was cloudy and cool.  H, K and D hiked to the Living Room, finding the trail mostly dry and practically empty: there were hardly any other hikers/walkers and once they got to the Living Room, they had it to themselves for nearly a half hour.  There were lots of animal tracks but no critter sights, other than a deer on a golf course.  After their hike, they swung by Ruth's for lunch on the patio (taking advantage of the propane heaters, of course).  They reported that Ruth's was busier than you might have thought for a Tuesday.  They kept driving up Emigration Canyon after lunch but, as suspected, the road to Big Mountain still closed for winter.

Lunch at Ruth's

Day 4: Wednesday was a gorgeous day, sunny and low 70s, and I was very envious that I had to work.  Especially since H, D and K went to breakfast at Silver Fork where all three had oatmeal with brown sugar, bananas, strawberries and walnuts (!!).  There was still lots of snow and plenty of skiers at Brighton and Solitude.  Next, the crew drove to Millcreek Canyon, where they parked at the Burch Hollow parking lot and went up the switchbacks to the Pipeline Trail to hike to Elbow Fork (and back).  Midweek, the Pipeline Trail was not heavily used, where they only shared the trail with a couple of runners and couple of dog walkers only.  The canyon road was still covered with snow; the trail was wet and muddy in a few spots but never impassable.  When I got home from work, they were out on the patio, enjoying the mild temperatures, and I gladly joined them.

Still a fair amount of snow in Millcreek Canyon

Day 5:  Thursday was D and K's last day in Utah and it was another nice one, mostly sunny and low 70s, but windier.  I slaved away at work again while H, D and K cruised on over to Park City.  They hiked at Round Valley - H reported that D and K have a very fast walking pace - and then lunch at Squatter's.  They were on our patio when I got home - but it was slightly less pleasant than prior days since it was very windy and the valley had filled with dust.  By the time we left for dinner at the Porcupine, however, the temperature had dropped 20 degrees and the dust was clearing.  By the time we left dinner and headed for the airport for D and K's flight home, the air was clear and we were all wishing we'd brought jackets.

K and H, Millcreek Canyon

We had a wonderful time with D and K.  They were great (and easy) houseguests, psyched to do anything we suggested.  It certainly helped that we had one of the best days conditions-wise for our ski day too!  Come back ANYTIME, D and K!

new mexico: around santa fe

Harry's is a great spot

After leaving the inn at 7:45 a.m., we had another terrific breakfast at Harry's Roadhouse, a breakfast-lunch-and-dinner place that seemed to be serving an equal number of locals and tourists.  H had a well-stuffed breakfast burrito with green chile while I went with chilaquiles verde with over-medium fried eggs. Mmmmmmm!

Base elevation of 10,350 feet

Hiking was on the agenda for the day so we headed into the mountains, driving up to Ski Santa Fe through the Hyde Memorial State Park.  A lot of the resort had been roped off for "filming" so we couldn't walk around much.  Instead, we got our hiking stuff on and headed off into the Pecos Wilderness Area with a goal of Nambe Lake off the Winsor Trail.  It was cool (51 F at 9:45 a.m., per my notes) and overcast but the rain held off until just after our 6.87 mile roundtrip hike, which was fortunate.

This is where it got steep

Here's a description of the trail:  up, down, steep up, lake, steep down, up, down.  The portion of the Winsor Trail we walked was broad and had pretty good footing, not too rocky, passing through pines, aspens and lichen-draped evergreens.  Once we turned off the main trail towards the lake, it got very steep and very rocky for the duration, following the lake's outlet as it cascaded over the rocks.

Cloud ceiling was low at this point

The lake itself is fairly small, located in a steep-walled cirque.  We heard (but did not see) pikas and marmots calling warnings at our approach; we heard (but did not see) other hikers above us on the ridge.  Although there were lots of vehicles parked at the trailhead, we really didn't encounter many other folks, just fourteen hikers and three dogs, most as we were on our way back.

H by the lake

It was just starting to sprinkle as we downed our post-hike beers.  That was encouragement enough to move on so we drove to the other side of the mountains to the Pecos National Historical Park to check out the ancestral ruins there.  Unfortunately, it was just 45 minutes until closing so we rushed through it; although the entry to the park was free, there was a charge for the self-guided tour brochure, which we were unable to get because of some chatty retirees monopolizing the park ranger's time, so we didn't really have any information about what we were looking at.  (We felt like we got the gist of it, however, having seen so many ruins already.)

Obligatory entrance sign photo

There are a couple of below-ground restored kivas that visitors are allowed to climb down into, so we could get a sense of just how dark it must have been in there.  In addition to the ancestral Puebloan buildings, there are also Spanish ruins: the foundation of the first Franciscan church, built in 1621 and then destroyed in the Pueblo Revolt; and some of the walls of the second, constructed after the Reconquest (1692).   Research at the park is ongoing as well:  there was a group of twenty-somethings clearing brush from old walls and a scientist-type walking around taking measurements with a very fancy GPS system.

There are two fully excavated kivas on the grounds

but the others are mostly filled in, like this

When the park closed, we headed back to Santa Fe.  The afternoon thunderstorms had really moved in at this point and by the time we got back to the room, it was downpouring.  We waited out the weather and when the clouds had moved on, we went out to find dinner.  My first thought was well-reviewed local favorite Tomasita's but when we got there, it was packed full with at least fifty people waiting ahead of us (you couldn't even get into the bar).

The remains of the second grand church at Pecos NHP

Undaunted, we continued into the trendy Railyard area and ended up at the Second Street Brewery.  A couple seats at the bar later, we were happily downing IPAs and English milds, a green chile stuffed burger, green chile chicken stews and street-style tacos.  It was an eclectic mix of folks in the joint, made perhaps even moreso because it was the Geeks Who Drink-sponsored trivia night.  We stayed long enough to hear the first three rounds of play, then headed home in the light rain.

Second Street Brewery, Railyard location

new mexico: taos to santa fe

After another fabulous Casa Benavides breakfast, we were on the road at 8:15 a.m., pausing only for a few stops around town for photographs, gas, beer and ice.  We decided to take the long way between towns because, as H said, "Only we could take eight hours to do [what would normally only be] a seventy mile journey."

Actually had a fair number of expert trails for such a tiny place

Our route took us through the forested hills and canyons of the Carson National Forest, where we stopped at the adorable Sipapu Ski Area:  marketed as the first NM ski mountain to open and the last to close (if you can find it, that is), both H and I were instantly enamored with it.  Then as we continued south, we consulted the gazetteer and started taking trips up little side roads that wound narrower and twistier before fading out entirely in someone's dooryard.  We were pretty much looking to see what we could find: farms, old cemeteries, adobe ruins, elk crossings.

Out where the deer and the antelope play

After spotting it on the map, we pulled in at the Fort Union National Monument, which holds the ruins of three forts (log construction, begun in 1851; an earthen fort built in 1861; and the impressive stone and adobe construct still visible, put up in 1863 and finally abandoned in 1891), built to protect travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. Over 150 years later, the ruts of the Santa Fe Trail are still there, testament to the thousands of people who traveled it.  This is a very interesting and well-presented site, with a self-guided tour winding in and around the remains of the fort.

The low spot where I'm standing is where the

Santa Fe Trail is, perpendicular to those paths

While the rules of this national monument explicitly prohibits any reconstructions of the buildings, it allows for repairs and there were many workers out there, propping up leaning walls and slathering period-specific adobe, mud and plaster on the stonework.  Critters in the immediate area included pronghorns, turkey vultures and a tiny baby rattlesnake, curled up on a stone wall near where the guys were working.  Other than that, we mostly had the whole place to ourselves.

Jail house - built to last

From there we continued to Santa Fe, skirting enormous, lightning-filled thunderstorms: our weather had definitely changed from the clear blue skies at the start of our week.  We checked into the Guadalupe Inn, got cleaned up and headed to the historic Plaza, armed with a street map on which the inn's clerk had helpfully circled points of interest.

Mechanics corral

We walked around the Plaza, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and the surrounding neighborhoods, crossing over the dry-as-a-bone Santa Fe River several times.  For dinner, we ended up at the Blue Corn Cafe & Brewery: IPAs and ambers, a burrito for H and tamales with "Christmas" (both red and green) chile for me.  This was a newish place, close to the Plaza and so with a slightly touristy feel, although there were definitely some locals at the bar with us.  The food and beers were decent - but we noted that we had yet to find a brew that matched the Kaktus Brewery's IPA from our first day in New Mexico.

Not as fancy as the Chacoans, even made with better tools

It was full dark and raining as we headed back to the inn.  This was not keeping folks from going out, however, and we noted a couple of busy, fun-looking bars and restaurants as we passed, just keeping our options open for the next night out.

Our room at Guadalupe Inn: cool and very quiet

new mexico: around taos

Let me tell you about the amazing breakfasts at Casa Benavides: coffee, juice, homemade muffins, the most incredible chewy homemade granola with peaches and yogurt, and your choice of pancakes, waffles or a baked egg dish served with red or green chile and homemade tortillas.  All included with your room.  Wow.  Absolutely delicious.  (They also have afternoon tea with a variety of homemade cookies and dessert bars.)

Taos looked SO steep (I mean, not right here)

After calorie-loading, we drove up to Taos Ski Valley.  The canyon up there looked a lot like Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons at home so the drive felt familiar.  The resort's base area is a mix of old chalet-style and new buildings; there was a huge construction project going on so we didn't get to walk around there much, plus it's shoulder season and everything was closed except for an espresso stand.

Bold jays

We followed the signs to the Williams Lake/Wheeler Peak trail head up a crazy-steep dirt road, which is apparently open in the winter although we don't see how you could possibly get up there with any snow on the road if you weren't in a snowcat.  Wheeler Peak is the tallest mountain in New Mexico at 13,161 feet of elevation but we were just going up to the lake at 11,022 feet.  Perhaps next time we'll tackle Wheeler.

And pikas that let us get within ten feet of them

The path was rocky where it followed an old road but smoothed out further on, wide and obviously well-traveled.  There were a fair number of small critters: Canada jays, marmots, chipmunks, chickadees, ground squirrels and the bravest pikas we've ever seen.  There were some other hikers out there and we spotted some up above us, heading for Wheeler.  It ended up being a 4.7 mile out-and-back, taking 2.5 hours including standing around looking at stuff.

Williams Lake

After our hike, we kept an eye on the cloudy skies and decided to go around the Enchanted Circle, a scenic drive that loops around all the Taos area ski resorts.  First stop was Red River Ski Area, a wonderful throwback where the whole town is the resort, with lifts right off the main street.  It looked tiny and very old fashioned.  It looked great.

Established 1959

We continued around the Enchanted Circle, over a very high mountain pass and then through a beautiful wide open valley to Eagle Nest.  At that point we weren't far from Cimarron, which is where the Philmont Scout Ranch is located.  Established in 1939, it is truly an impressive operation, encompassing 137,000 acres.  H had been a camper there many years ago so we drove out there.  It wasn't in session but you could tell that it probably hadn't changed much from when he was there, once upon a time.

Campers' meeting area

Our last stop was Angel Fire Resort, a bigger mountain than Red River, and a world-class mountain biking facility.  Strangely, it didn't seem to have a base lodge so we weren't such how much of a locals' mountain it is - it seemed like it was more for destination skiers as opposed to daytrippers.  We returned to Taos on County Route 64, another narrow, winding canyon road that climbed and dropped quickly.

Pretty long chair at Angel Fire

There was a Mexican place I had intended for our dinner that night but as we were walking there, we spied Eske's Brewpub (which had also been on my list of possibles).  For us, when in doubt, go to a brewpub.  Eske's is a half-block from the main street through Taos and, as such, gets scarcely any tourist business.  We sat outside on the large patio, patting the local dogs as they cruised through, looking for bellyrubs.  H had a couple American pale ales and I had first an English pale ale and then a local hard cider; the beers were not quite as good as some we'd had earlier in the trip.  H's dinner was a burrito smothered in green chile and I had a fantastic bowl of green chile stew, fairly spicy and with lots of chunky vegetables.  It was definitely a weird little place, very local, but being able to sit outside with decent beers and good food made it a good choice for us.

land of enchantment

Sorry for the recent absence, but H and I just got back from a great trip to northern New Mexico, exploring Chaco Canyon National Historic Park, Taos and Santa Fe.  We saw ancient ruins and petroglyphs, hiked in the desert and the mountains, collected a bunch of ski areas, ate a lot of green chile and drank some good local microbrews.  Right now we're deep into unpacking, doing laundry and sorting through all our photos but we'll get posts up here soon, the first one tomorrow.  Until then,

echo reservoir to park city to echo reservoir

Well, that was a big one!  A couple of weeks ago, before we watched the final stage of the Tour of Utah, we did a MTB ride on a portion of the Historical Union Pacific Rail Trail, going ten miles out from Park City and then turning around and heading back.  We did some research on the trail and, after thinking about it a bit, decided that we should do the whole thing.  But because we didn't want to shuttle cars, we would have to do an out-and-back; and because we wanted a downhill finish, we would have to start at the far end, climb to Park City, and then coast back down to the truck.

Ready to ride.  Also, brrrrrr

We got up around 5 a.m. Saturday morning, driving out and getting onto the trail at Echo Reservoir around 7 a.m.  The sun was just coming up and it was a chilly 40 F.  A couple of osprey, one with a fish clutched in its talons, circled above us; on the trail, desert cottontail rabbits bolted for cover; and a little further on, from down on the shore of the reservoir, two mule deer bucks stared at us.  In less than two miles my fingers were so cold that I couldn't move them, despite having taken precautions to wear my long fingered bike gloves.  We stopped for a few minutes and then continued on, wishing the sun would come up just a little faster.


Sunrise on Echo Reservoir

This rail trail runs from Echo Reservoir, along the Weber River through the farming valley communities of Coalville and Wanship, then up the canyon (below I-80) alongside Silver Creek past Tolgate Canyon, to finish up in Park City.  The Union Pacific Railroad built the railway in 1880 to transport silver and coal, but abandoned the line in 1989.  The converted dirt and cinder double track rail trail was opened in 1992 as the first non-motorized rail trail in Utah.

Halfway up the "steep" section

Because it is an old railroad line, the grade is very gentle (trains don't do steep) and with few curves.  It is, however, about twenty-six miles long and since we were doing it as an out-and-back, I was a little concerned about the distance.  H had a plan for me, however, with regular stops to stretch and eat a little (half a Payday candy bar every five miles on the way out), and lots of hydration.  With my bonk on the hike last weekend, keeping my energy up was going to be important for this distance.  We also planned to get into Park City in time to get something to eat at Squatter's - and Utah beer totally counts as hydration.


Made it!

After the sun came up, we could see the surrounding farm country.  We had the trail nearly to ourselves: seeing just a few walkers and cyclists near the Coalville and Wanship trail heads, and then a few more around mile 18, in the middle of the "climb" from the valley to the outskirts of Park City.  It was a gorgeous morning and we made good time, the even double track allowing us to ride next to each other and talk for the duration.  The closer we got to Park City, the more recreationers we saw, and it felt busy when we got to the paved part of the trail towards the end.

Beer - it's what's for breakfast

We had made such good time (3.5 hours for 26+ miles) that we were fifteen minutes ahead of our planned arrival at Squatter's - and worse luck, an HOUR before they were allowed to serve beer.  We made the most of it, however, getting seats in the bar and absolutely devouring our breakfasts.  We'd never had breakfast at Squatter's and the menu was terrific: Since I try to avoid egg/cheese during warm weather exertions, I went with a side of bacon to go with some "Utah scones," which are fluffy bites of fried dough, served with warm jam.  H had a fabulous looking omelette with ham, bacon, sausage, cheese and two kinds of peppers.  The joint was hopping and it took a while for our breakfasts to come out of the kitchen.  We were fine with that because that meant we could drag our feet just a bit and get a couple of Full Suspensions as soon as they were available.  It was the right thing to do.  As H remarked, not many people would ride 27 miles before 10:30 a.m. for beer and breakfast - but we did.

Huge golden eagle


Thus sustained, we got back on our bikes and retraced our route, this time much faster because it was noticeably downhill from Park City.  Before we knew it, we'd gone six miles, and then ten, and then out of the canyon and entering Wanship.  Our pace slowed a little there because the trail flattened out, plus we stopped to take photos of the scenery, wildlife (golden eagle, kingfishers, killdeer) and farm life (alpacas, cows, horses, goats and sheep).

The Tiny Ass Ranch

I had one candy bar left so we also stopped for snack/stretch breaks at mile 10 and mile 18.  By the time we got to the far side of Coalville, with only a few miles left, I was starting to feel it.  My neck and shoulders were tight from leaning on my handlebars all day; my sit bones were getting sore; and I was feeling some fatigue in my legs.  The very last bit around the shore of the reservoir was just slightly uphill too - normally, it wouldn't have been a problem but after 52 miles, I was feeling it.

Alpaca farm

But we made it, getting back to the truck after 54.39 miles in six hours (5:10 of riding and 50 minutes of resting/taking photos) (not including our brunch stop).  This was by far the longest ride I've ever done, certainly on a MTB and probably ever.  It felt great to have a beer, looking out over the reservoir.  It felt even better to have accomplished that ride.  It wasn't technical but it was long and I'm so glad we did it.

Made it!

P.S.  I crashed hard that night and went to bed before 8 p.m., well before the sun went down.

Bridge at the trail's terminus