Oct 25 - In Landscape Awe: By Bike and Car

Joe's Ridge Trail at 18 Road in Fruita, CO

We are in awe driving through yet another variation on land formation on the western edge of Utah. So many incredible shapes and colors we have seen particularly since arriving in the mountains.

The view from our car window in western Utah

I went on an overnight mountain bike trip to the Fruita, CO area last week and rode in three landscapes, all about 30 minutes from each other and all with very different terrain. Below is photos of the Horsethief Trail - cliffs overlooking the Colorado river, slick rock.

Next was 18 Road north of Fruita, more desert, riding the spines of ridges (see top photo). The exhilaration of riding in these places was remarkable. It evoked spontaneous uncontrollable hoots and hollers.

I camped at 18 road which wasn’t such a lovely experience. I was surprised to see hundreds of people had arrived by nightfall this Friday night in late October. At 1am after 3 hours of thinking their consideration for others would soon kick in, I had to get up and ask my neighbours to be quiet — a group of 15 or so twenty-somethings drinking, smoking, joking and farting around a fire.

The next day I rode at Lunch Loops, east of Fruita. Rocky and dry - on the ridges and down and up a series of canyons. This was 3 hours of the most technical and physically demanding riding I have ever done. I was grateful to be to be invited to tag along with Burke and Jerry who ride there often and would call out, “gnarly section coming up!”

I was struck by the sense of community on the trails. Earlier in the week I had gone to ride the Ridgway Area Trails, another incredible set of trails about 40 minutes from our housesit. Another local named Mike invited me to ride with him and then proceeded to ride hard and fast for an hour and half. A couple times I pleaded for a break particularly from the climbs citing my Ontario legs. I was grateful for the training because I certainly wouldn’t have been able to ride as much as I did around Fruita otherwise.

Working up a sweat keeping up with Mike in Ridgway, CO

I was also grateful to be back in the coolness and moisture of our heavenly mountain house sit particularly after Lunch Loops. I had misjudged how long it would take me to do the loop by 2 hours and ran out of water.

Ahh, the moisture!