Where in the hell is Pumpkin Center?

I have been trying to ride a bunch this week and have even rolled out of here on the skinny tires once or twice. Today I just had to get out early and check a ride off the list of must dos. I really had no idea whether there was still a tower at the Red Hill Lookout or if it was just a high point with a good view but I had to check it out. I rode a bit of pavement to connect with the Forest Service road route that I had planned to get to my destination with a estimated distance of 70 miles round trip. It was a beautiful ride through the Kendrick Peak area to Pumpkin Center and then out to and up Red Hill. The views were amazing and the recent lightning activity was readily apparent by the 2 fires that were visible from the lookout. I noticed some damage from some atv traffic going around the locked gate and a message written on the gate itself by some sort of English scholar but the point was made I guess. I arrived home with 67 miles under my belt for the day which was close to my original estimate which was good. Good mainly because it ensured that I had enough food and water to get me through.

Back from a last minute trip to Colorado

Saturday morning we loaded up some gear, a couple of bike and some food and headed to Pagosa Springs for a few days. We were headed to spend some time with Anne's dad and I was sure to have time to ride everyday. I had an incredible time riding in the general area around Wolf Creek Pass both on the road and on the dirt. The first ride was a road ride up Wolf Creek Pass itself. 60 miles with about 5000 feet of climbing by the time I rode back up to the house. The next day I went exploring some old mining roads in the East Fork of the San Juan river drainage. The roads went up pretty quickly and were super rough but the scenery was amazing and I had no problem filling up half a day with that ride. The third ride I did was a mixed bag. I decided to head out to ride an official mountain bike trail on the San Juan National Forest. The only problem is that most people shuttle up and ride down from just about the top of Wolf Creek Pass. I decided to ride up the pass and then come down to make a loop out of it. Everything was going smoothly until I actually got on the Treasure Mountain Trail which turned out to have downed trees all over it. It quickly turned into a frustrating hike a bike which included lifted the bike over tree after tree after tree. I was having a hard time accepting the fact that the FS hadn't cleared their only MTB trail when I know that this particular district has done a ton of work on their wilderness trails. Why not prioritize the MTB trail near the top of the list in the spring to share the love with all trail users?

Before we went to Colorado

I just thought I would post some photos of last weeks events before Anne and I headed to Colorado. I was down at AZ Bikes and found Bryce's new sign to be quite impressive. Not just a sign but a pretty labor intensive work of art in my opinion. I went for a long ride with the Gnome last Wednesday that went around the peaks and hit some new AZ Trail on the way back around. I got some photos from that day but since I have been taking all photos with my phone I am usually disappointed with the results. Tomorrow I am going back to the real camera. Anne and I then headed out to do the Abineau/Bear Jaw loop hike. We took Yampa with us and she was crazy as ever but settled down due to the warmth of the day. She looks pretty tuckered out in the photo but shortly there after she was back in the shade and her energy returned rapidly.

Finding my way back to the same place

Sometimes I wonder why I head back to the same areas that I have just been to recently. I am soon to figure out the answer to this question. These areas are F*****G AWESOME. I was up on Freidline Prairie Road where the ferns wanted to take my bike and not let go. The next day I was up in the Inner Basin with incredible conditions just soaking it all in.

One year ago today

One year ago today I rode my Coconino 29er for the first time. Today I decided that I needed a long ride to commemorate this occasion. I headed out this morning after another exciting Tour de France stage and multiple cups of coffee. I decided to go up Schultz Creek, down the backside of Schultz Pass then up to Lockett Meadow. Lockett Meadow awarded me with spectacular views of the peaks and Inner Basin where I was headed next. I decided after refilling my Camelbak to head up to Abineau and the end of the road where I found some more decent views. I hung out for a few and then it was all downhill from there.

A few more links on this page.

I just updated my links on the side of the page to include some super discount sites administered by backcountry.com. Everything on the 5 sites is at least 50 percent off and they have an interesting way of listing items one at a time for a set amount of time. Check them out they are Steep and Cheap, Bonktown, Tramdock, Brociety, and Chainlove. It's all about saving some dough.

A week of riding ending with Cruiser Nation

This past week I got in a fair amount of riding with the highlights being a trip up the Waterline Road to Abineau Canyon and then checking out a cruiser/one speed race down Moto that traditionally starts at high noon on the 4th of July called Cruiser Nation. I also was stoked to receive a new front triangle for my Turner in just 13 since I spoke with them about the crack in my frame. Now off to check out some fireworks apparently being shot off at the mall of all places. I almost forgot about the abandon campfire I came across and dumped my camelbak on and then stirred it up to put it out. Oh the memories.