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JJonas's mountain bike blog 
June 25, 2007
With temperatures into the upper 90's, it was time to see how much this warm weather has melted the snowbanks in the high country. I ended up not too far from home off the south side of Guanella Pass. I spent most of the day exploring the jeep roads (which at times doubled as the creek), and a little bit of time exploring a new trail: Burning Bear. I didn't get to finish off the 6.5mile out-n-back trail, but it was plenty tough enough just getting to the top. Between the creek running down the trail, a flat tire, the chewed up trail from horses, and the mosquitos, I just couldn't get myself to drop down the other side of the saddle just to climb back up again through the mosquitos to make it worth my while.
Note to self: BRING BUG SPRAY!!!!
Very surprisingly, I saw NO BIKERS the entire day. A few jeeps, a few motos, and a few hikers.
I also did a little hike-a-biking (a must-have skill to dominate the CO high country) and a little snow climbing with my bike. Here's a couple tips:
(1) Always keep two points of contact (e.g., the bike+one foot) with the snow while you move the third
(2) Kick in good steps
(3) Turn your crank so that the pedal digging into the snow is up
(4) Turn your seat so that it can also dig into the snow
1 comments
June 11, 2007
Exploration...I'd never spent any time riding around Ft. Collins but I'd heard a lot about it and figured it was time to go try out the trails up there. I wanted to get a good long ride in, so I went to an area that had multiple parks connected. This adds another 5 new trails for me.
The trails for the day included:
Devil's Backbone
Blue Sky
Coyote Ridge
Horsetooth Mountain Park
Lory State Park
The ride ended up being ~50 miles, ~8,000 vertical feet, and 7 hrs. The route was Devil's Backbone to Blue Sky, out-n-back on Coyote Ridge, continue on Blue Sky to Horsetooth (there was water available at Inlet Bay which worked out great as a refill spot), Horsetooth along the edge of Horsetooth Reservoir to Lory, loop in Lory, up Mill Creek to the top of Horsetooth, down Spring Ck then Stout then Sawmill to Nomad to finish off the lollipop of the ride, and finally Blue Sky to Devil's Backbone and back to the car.
There was little shade until I hit the long climb in Horsetooth and it was a HOT day. I was glad to find water at Inlet Bay on Horsetooth Reservoir that I didn't have to filter or treat (it came out of a spicket). It came in handy on the way back as well. I came around a corner on Blue Sky on the way back to find a snake on the trail. It all happened so fast, I saw it as I came around a corner (a bit too fast), it coiled and hissed at me, I almost ran over it and tried to pull my leg up but I was still in the clip, and ended up pulling a calf muscle. Although thereís all these signs on the trail warning about rattlers, I donít think it was one (thank God), because it sounded more like a hiss than a rattle. I had to stop until the pain in my calf went down some and I had to chuckle because I could only imagine the pain I would have been feeling if it was a rattler and I did get bit. Plus, riding solo always makes me a bit more cautious and I was miles away from the car.
Devil's Backbone is VERY ROCKY and TECHNICAL once you get past the first climb.
Blue Sky is SMOOTH and CURVACIOUS
Coyote Ridge is ROCKY with a few climbs and one short HIKE-A-BIKE
Lory is SMOOTH and CURVACIOUS
Horsetooth is LOOSE, ROCKY, STEEP, and TECHNICAL
3 comments
June 4, 2007
I wonder how many mountain bikers have passed by this place without really knowing what exists beyond the edge of the I-70 pavement? If you're a jeeper, you'd be pretty darn close to heaven. There are so many jeep roads around Georgetown due to all of the historic mining operations and camps littered across the mountain sides. With each mine comes a wagon or rail trail that they used to move their ore to the smelters. Some of these trails have been maintained for jeeping, very few for singletrack, and many more that have overgrown, washed away, or otherwise been left dormant. A few years ago, we even saw a mountain lion to the west of Georgetown not more than 1 mile from I-70 (but 3,000ft up).
I figured it was time to revisit one of the trails I'd done before and try to find a new one. I didn't have time for an all day ride, so I opted for two out-n-backs from the vistor center just off I-70.
The first trail was Silver Creek Trail. A somewhat technical trail...more so because of the exposure factor than tricky rock gardens or drops...that is tenuously contoured around the mountain. It is obvious it was a rail or wagon trail to bring ore from the mine into Georgetown but many sections have washed away and the singletrack is held in place with a couple of logs and a couple of rocks. There's very little vertical gain or loss on this trail but it's a slight continous climb all the way out from Georgetown (with a couple of steep-short sections). There's even a couple of log bridges and ramps along the way. The ride back was so much fun because it's almost all slightly downhill.
The second trail was Argentine Pass. Another railroad grade but not as difficult as Silver Creek Trail that technically starts at Silver Plume, but I opted to ride it from Georgetown via the Georgetown Loop paved bike path that goes by the famous Georgetown Loop railroad (still operating on a seasonal basis for tourism) and then parallels I-70 to Silver Plume. The climb starts off as doubletrack but once you get past the ore hopper the singletrack begins. A couple of very short technical sections and you're at the ridge. The singletrack ends here and the jeep road begins. I continued up the jeep road until the snow got too difficult to continue (~11,000ft), but the downhill on the jeep road and the singletrack was phenomenal!
Silver Creek Trail
Argentine Pass
4 comments
May 28, 2007
I had plans of riding from Waterton Canyon to Buffalo Creek and back again, but after hearing about all the downed trees on segment 1 of the Colorado Trail I decided to go back for seconds on Segment 2 and 3. PLUS, I thought I'd add in a couple of places I haven't ridden before. All in all, it ended up being a 62 mile ride in 9 1/2 hrs with over 9000 feet of climbing.
Here's the trail list for the day:
Colorado Trail-South Platte to Buffalo Creek
Buffalo Creek
Colorado Trail-Buffalo Creek to Kenosha (partial)
Redskin Mountain
Buck Gulch
Sandy Wash
Colorado Trail-Morrison Creek
I was feeling pretty good for most of the day, but I ended up with a sour stomach at the 8hr mark. I'm not sure exactly what I did wrong...maybe it was the climb up Buck Gulch without water since I was waiting for the iodine to take effect, maybe it was the food I chose to take...I think it was a combination of the two actually...At least I was able to continue to pedal and climb well with that feeling that I was going to hurl the harder I pushed. My legs hurt more during the first 20 miles than the rest of the ride...I guess I pushed too hard on Thursday at White Ranch.
Now I'm stuck at a conference in Orlando, FL for the rest of the week. Maybe I'll be able to get in a run around Lake Buena Vista since I don't have a bike handy.
Well, here's some pictures...
Sunrise in Golden
In the grus that is the Colorado Trail-South Platte to Buffalo Creek
A sage grouse...Yum
Near Buffalo Creek campground
Singletrack on Colorado Trail-Buffalo Creek to Kenosha (partial)
My companion at lunch
Colorado Trail-Morrison Creek
Colorado Trail-Morrison Creek
Colorado Trail-South Platte to Buffalo Creek
2 comments
May 21, 2007
It was a beautiful weekend along the Front Range and after being on the road for work the past few weeks, I just had to get out onto one of my most favorite parts of the Colorado Trail: South Platte to Buffalo Creek. This ride was about 50 miles with 7,000 vertical feet and I completed it in 7hrs. Right on my average of 1,000 vertical feet per hour.
The trails on this ride included:
CT: South Platte to Buffalo Creek
CT: Old Scraggy to Green Mtn
Green Mtn
Old Baldy
Charlie's Cutoff
Sandy Wash
Shinglemill/Morrison Creek
This ride cuts in and out of the major burn that happened in this area a few years back. The geology of this area yields a trail covered in pebble-sized rock (grus) that can be quite slippery to the uninitiated. But for those who know how to work the slide vs. grip this area can build some of the best memories.
Starting at the South Fork of the South Platte adds about 20 miles to the typical Buffalo Creek loop that I do. The hardest part is the climb up from the South Platte on the grus through the open burn area. If you hit it during the heat of the day, the climb is brutal (done that before). But the flowing, curvy, loose singletrack on the way back down will put a huge smile on your face.
The next step will be to start at Waterton Canyon and add an extra 30 miles plus double the vertical to 14K ft.
The Gudy bridge at the start
Grus
The lollipop trail
Pikes Peak in the distance
How people treat the pristine SF S Platte
2 comments
April 21, 2007
I reached my goal of 10,000 vertical feet in a day too early in the season...Help me come up with a new one!
The ride was a combination of open space parks in the Golden CO area:
White Ranch
Chimney Gulch
Apex
Red Rocks
Mount Falcon
Bear Creek State Park
Green Mountain
North Table Mountain
for a total of about 72 miles.
Here's a Google Earth image looking south (White Ranchis in the lower right, Mount Falcon is in the upper right).
There were a total of 12 people that started, 6 did not finish. The best time was 7hrs 30 minutes.
My time 10hrs 15 minutes.
Sunrise
4 comments
April 19, 2007
Here are some more pictures of my trip last weekend. This time from the day spent in Fruita.
I started out with a voyage over to the crux of the Edge Loop...The 30 foot waterfall downclimb with the bike. I wanted to see for myself what all the talk was about and if they had actually built an alternative route around the waterfall as I had read elsewhere. Last year's attempt around this time of year looked like this:
I didn't feel like a big day riding around the back side on roads to run into that again so I decided to take the lower route and maybe climb UP the Edge Loop as an out-n-back. That thought quickly faded when I realized my rear shock was blowing oil everywhere and the last 3 days of riding with all that extra gear had worn my front brake pads down to almost nothing. I found that the singletrack leading over to the bottom of Lippan Wash was probably the least used and smoothest singletrack of the day.
Here's the crux of the Edge Loop...Can you see the ropes for rappelling?
And here's another look from the alternate route
And looking down the alternate route
Zippity Do Da has also seen some re-route work since last year. The first technical section has been re-routed to wrap around the point. Adrenaline raising in it's own right and probably for the best to avoid erosion. They also have been working on a re-route on one of the lower sections too. It's a good thing because this trail has seen a lot of traffic and it is starting to show. The lower steep sections either are all torn up from people walking them or people skidding down them causing loose erosion gullies.
0 comments
April 18, 2007
I just got done with a few days on the Kokopelli trying out my new gear too. I was planning on a trip out of Gateway, CO but the probability of snow near the La Sals and Uncompahgre Plateau made me opt for something lower that I knew.
I specifically decided to pack heavy to see how the bike would handle and how I could cope. I think all my gear and water totaled to 40-50 lbs. That was definitely more than I needed but I had enough food to last easily 4-5 days and enough warm clothing to be toasty at night.
I started at Dewey (pic 1) and rode to the top of the Bitter Ck descent on Day 1. I didn't drink enough the first day and was feeling the effects that first night (pic 2). BTW, the pump at Westwater was working so I didn't need to pull any water out of the Colorado. Day 2 I rode back to Dewey and then up a few miles on the Entrada Bluffs road (pic 3) until the sandstorm hit. Day 3 took me up and over Rose Garden Hill (pic 4). There was a decent amount of water flowing in Cottonwood Canyon before the climb back up to Entrada Bluffs Road but I didn't even check by water supply because I had just filled up the night before at Dewey. I think the sandstorm increased my water consumption and I started running low before I topped out on the climb. When I reached the top and looked over at the La Sals (pic 5), the snow and the thunderstorms helped me make the decision to drop out of Fisher Valley (pic 6) and hit the road back to Dewey.
Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3
Picture 4
Picture 5
Picture 6
0 comments
April 18, 2007
More pictures of the Kokopelli experience...All in all, 130 miles of riding and 2 nights in the bivy sack. I'll share my pictures of the 18rd in Fruita next.
Onion Creek TH sign:
Rose Garden Hill
Singletrack through McGraw Bottom
Cisco Desert
The Nav center
Fisher Creek Canyon
Looking at the climb west of Hwy 128
0 comments
April 12, 2007
Looks like it's raining in Fruita on the 18rd trails.
NWS is now supplying radar overlays for Google Earth. Pretty cool and they update every two minutes. Here's a link
2 comments
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