Friday, July 2, 2010

Rocky Mountain High


Life has been kicking me in the teeth lately. Mainly just working really hard, training too much and not resting enough. Doing a lot of overtime without getting my 6-8 hours of sleep to keep me sane. I'm not even joking, I was on the verge of wigging out from a panic attack.

THAT'S WHAT VACATIONS ARE FOR! I really needed it. It was so great to head out to Colorado with Bridget's family and be reminded of what's important in life (Family, Love, Babies, Beer, Da Earth, Trails, Sunshine, La Copa Mundial, in no particular order).

Highlights:
1) Trail run of terror with Bjet! We were running in WestCliffe, CO at about 8,000 ft on these small mountains. We got about a quarter mile up the trail when I saw this thing walking on all fours. It was a teen brown bear. Bridget tried to throw her arms up and roar, but the bear kind of laughed at her and got bored.
2) ATV with Bro-in-Law's Dad. I bet that guy can really throw down on some technical shit. I was scared shitless the thing would roll. I drove so slow that I could have MTB'd it faster!
3) Trail Run and Hike with the Fam. We ran through this "Sound of Music" meadow. The hills are alive!
4) The family that bikes together stays together. Mountain Biked with Bjet and the Bro-in-Laws. Everyone kicked some ass! We climbed some singletrack switchbacks up Chris Mountain outside Pagosa Springs. Really fun!
5) Took a wrong turn and got lost in Martinez Canyon! Rode MTB solo one day. Lovely ride, it was late afternoon. Summited Chris Mountain again, and rode through some cattle pastures. Passed 2 herds and rode right through the middle of one! Scary! Saw 2 foxes, one white fox and the second was pretty tame and super cute!
6) Stayed in Gunnison for a night. Found out there was an MTB race in Crested Butte, the birthplace of mountain biking the next day! Such a tease. Would have loved to do it but not time!
7) Trail run on the Colorado Trail at Kenosha Pass. It was so cool. You run along and suddenly you are overlooking the entire South Park Valley.

Dream Rides for the Future:
– Mountain bike the Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango
– Do Ride the Rockies or Tour of Colorado someday. When I feel like suffering!
– Cross bike all over Pagosa Springs. Piedra and Four Mile roads offer some incredible scenery, CX bikes would be perfect!
– Ride Wolf Creek Pass outside of Pagosa. Nosebleed!
– Stay in Ouray and ride the Alpine Loop.
Fat Tire Bike Week in Crested Butte

Resources for cycling in Pagosa Springs:
– We rented bikes from Pedal and Powder and newly launched Trek dealer.
Pagosa Trails, rode out of Gate 5 area a lot
Pagosa Rides
Pagosa Cycling Tourist page

No comments:

Post a Comment