Tag: Colorado

Biking and hiking in Durango

After an early start to the summer rainy season, the pattern reverted back to hot and dry across the southwest. And not just for a day or two but for more than a week. Two weeks, even.

With continued warm and dry weather expected we headed to Durango, Colorado, for a few days of mountain biking and hiking. We already had a few ideas for trails and we figured we’d get more while in town.

On our first day of riding we did the Dry Fork–Colorado Trail–Hoffheins loop with an extension on the Colorado Trail to the local “high point” giving us a total of about 17 miles. There were plenty of wildflowers along the Colorado Trail section along with occasional views of distant peaks. We also saw a family of wild turkey but, as usual, they were easier to see than to photograph.

The start of Dry Fork Trail under a stand of oak trees.
The start of Dry Fork Trail under a stand of oak trees.
Dry Fork and Colorado Trail intersection. The map says this is "unmarked" and "easy to miss." Need to update the map!
Dry Fork and Colorado Trail intersection. The map says this is “unmarked” and “easy to miss.” Need to update the map!
The wildflowers were fabulous!
The wildflowers were fabulous!
Climbing through the ferns and aspen on the Colorado Trail.
Climbing through the ferns and aspen on the Colorado Trail.
Love those cattle guard crossings!
Love those cattle guard crossings!

Our next ride was Lower Hermosa Creek trail. We opted to hire a shuttle to drop us off at the high point. From here, it was a 5-mile downhill cruise on well-maintained Forest Service roads along East Hermosa Creek (and within sight of Purgatory Ski Resort) before hitting the actual trail head for Lower Hermosa Creek. From the trail head it’s about 19 miles to the trail terminus.

An easy cruise above East Hermosa Creek.
An easy cruise above East Hermosa Creek.
Smooth and flowy double-track along Lower Hermosa Creek trail.
Smooth and flowy double-track along Lower Hermosa Creek trail.
Single track along Lower Hermosa Creek.
Single track along Lower Hermosa Creek.

Wildflowers were in abundance and water was flowing down the creek. The first third of the trail was a double-track and open to motorized vehicles although we saw none. We stopped often to enjoy the scenery and I took many photos along this section. The middle third was narrow single track with the creek far below us. And the final third may have had more uphill than downhill resulting a lot of HAB (i.e., Hike-a-Bike). Alas, there are no photos from this section—we were too busy trying to ride!

And the final stretch was a fast downhill on gravel and paved roads from the trail terminus to where we had parked our car earlier that morning.

Larkspur along the Engineer Mountain trail.
Larkspur along the Engineer Mountain trail.
Engineer Mountain from the meadows.
Engineer Mountain from the meadows.
Wildflowers and mountain.
Wildflowers and mountain.

For our final day we decided to put the bikes away and hike up Engineer Mountain from Molas Pass. Our goal was fairly modest; we were not seeking to hike to the summit but only to the wildflower-filled meadows. We were not disappointed with the wildflowers. No, not at all!

Mountain Biking at Phil’s World

Earlier this year we had a chance to share a day of mountain biking with a visitor from southwest Colorado. She told us about the great mountain biking trails in Cortez, Colorado, and we knew we would have to visit this place.

As spring rolled around and the snow retreated we found ourselves in Cortez and riding the well-designed “Phil’s World” system of trails. These trails were designed for mountain bikers and flow with the contours of the land. While the terrain is truly hilly, there are few tough hills to climb. An interesting aspect of these trails is the one-way flow of traffic. This allows the trails to remain narrow since all traffic flows in the same direction and groups do not pass by each other — although faster groups will pass slower groups in the same direction.

Rib Cage, Phil's World, Cortez, Colorado.
Rib Cage, Phil’s World, Cortez, Colorado.
Happy smile riding Ribs Cage.
Happy smile while riding Rib Cage.

Since we started our riding day early we were able to ride the trails with few other riders out and about. This gave us a feeling of isolation instead of the normal congestion of many popular trail systems.

Coco Race, Phil's World.
Coco Race, Phil’s World.
Stinky Spring Loop, Phil's World.
Stinky Spring Loop, Phil’s World.

Our favorite section? Rib Cage! Described as “…a highlight of the system for its whoops and spines and a thrilling series of jumps, banked turns and steep drops. It’s an exercise of inertia and physics performed on a bicycle…”

Congratulations and Thank-You to all those who helped to conceive, develop, and maintain these trails.

Mountain biking in Fruita, Colorado

/ 1 Comment

It was a great weekend for mountain biking in Fruita, Colorado. Daytime temperatures were in the 60’s in the morning and 70’s in the afternoon. Abundant sunshine, blue skies, and light winds all contributed to wonderful conditions.

The Fruita Fat Tire Festival was held the previous weekend. We have attended that biking party several times in the past (great fun most years) but this time we were interested in riding without the festivities. Or the crowds.

So we met in Fruita for three days of riding. We split our time between the trails near Loma and those located off of 18 Road north of Fruita.

 

Kessel Run. A fast trail.
Kessel Run. A fast trail.
Kessel Run with one of its many banked turns.
Kessel Run with one of its many banked turns.
Frontside Trail. The long way to Joe's Ridge.
Frontside Trail. The long way to Joe’s Ridge.
Joe's Ridge. Justifiably one of the favorite trails in the area.
Joe’s Ridge. Justifiably one of the favorite trails in the area.
Traffic jam on Horsethief Bench.
Traffic jam on Horsethief Bench.
Collared lizard.
Collared lizard.

It’s been a long time since I have been able to get a photo of a collared lizard. Not that they are rare — they aren’t. It’s only that I haven’t had a good opportunity. Until this weekend when one lizard sat perfectly still and allowed me to take a couple of photographs.