Jul 15th 2008martyUncategorized
It’s easy to get geeked out on traveling to great locations and then forget the little gems at home.
Betasso Preserve is still a great place to squeeze in that after-work ride.
Now, who’s racing the Winter Park Super D this weekend??
Jul 8th 2008martyTrails & travel
Don’t even bother going there. It’s ugly, with crappy trails and boring views.
But if you feel you must make a trip there, try the Deer Creek trail. It was a new one for me; I’ve always bypassed it to ride 401. But that trail is still closed due to snow, so Deer Creek was the option for seeing the valley from above. Outstanding! The wildflowers are pretty awesome, and the weather is balmy perfection. Just be sure to take some bug spray. The mosquitoes are enjoying the place as much as everyone else.
The Reno/Flag/Bear/Deadman’s loop is also not rideable, at last reading. Apparently it’s been pretty torn up by motorcycles while still wet. Bummer. I’m busy planning a return trip to hit that and 401 later this month; hopefully the buff smoothness will be back by then.
We also rode the Dyke Trail, which is pretty great. Lots of fun downhill paired with some steep, tough climbing. (Wait, that describes every trail in Crested Butte.) But I recommend parking at the bottom of the singletrack and getting all the yucky dirt road climbing up Kebler Pass out of the way first. It involves a bit more driving, but I suspect it would be more than worth it.
Strand Hill, Upper/Upper Upper, etc. and Snodgrass are also in good shape. Doctor Park is ready to ride, but word has it that the Spring Creek crossing is burly. Bring a life jacket! Lastly, Teocalli Ridge is still closed. Those of you who really like to suffer will just have to wait.
I’ll post some CB video here soon…stay tuned.
Jul 4th 2008martyTrails & travel
Okay, folks, you have to add the Rainbow Trail to your list, if you haven’t ridden it. It is STELLAR. It’s great to ride whole thing, or even tack it onto the fabulous Monarch Crest ride. But you can also just ride sections of it, which is what Rob and I did on our pass through Salida earlier this week.
On Monday we drove up County Road 101 to the pullout before the cattle guard, then continued on our bikes. Unfortunately, we were not warned that this was a long-ish, rocky, climb that demanded a lot of effort to ride up in the loose conditions. The information we’d gotten made it sound like the singletrack was just a “little way” up the road. Uhhh, not exactly. We nearly lost patience after about 50 minutes of this, when finally, blessedly, the Rainbow Trail sign appeared. We stopped for a snack and to admire the columbines, then ripped along the narrow, forested trail, which undulates along the top of Monarch Crest. It’s mostly smooth but has lots of twists, turns and exposure to keep things interesting. We eventually turned around to head back to the car, and as we did, the heavy clouds parted and the late-day sun came blazing out. It was gorgeous.
Then on Wednesday we took on another section, this time driving past Poncha Springs to park along Hwy. 285. There’s a trailhead sign at the pullout, which is about four or five miles out of Poncha. This section is pretty money, folks. Do this loop, now. Drop what you’re doing and get in the car. After you park, you start up County Road 200. Stay left to get onto County Road 201, and keep going until you get to the Rainbow Trail, which is clearly marked. The dirt road portion is very pleasant, easy climbing, with nice views of the valley as it narrows down to a final homestead. There are eight relatively short miles of this, and then when you get to the singletrack, you have eleven miles to look forward to. And whoa nelly, are they nice. They flow and undulate with no heavy climbing; there’s just a handful of short, steep hills out of gullies. Then you get to descend or contour for long stretches, all with nice views of Poncha Mountain. Ahhhh. A few rocky bits follow, then a loose, steep descent back to your car. I have to say it’s one of the nicest trails I’ve ridden in a long time. Kick it!
