Burnin' in da Voodoo Fire!

Sometimes a race can be just the excuse to explore a new destination. I mean what better way to get to know a trail system then by doing it at race pace. So when Warriors Cycling announced an inaugural event on their Rocky Mountain Endurance Series, I was intrigued.

Warriors Cycling is well known for the Breckenridge B100. As they say; “when you’ve tried the rest, take the test!" It is arguably, one of the toughest Endurance Races around. So if it’s a Warriors Cycling event, I’m really intrigued!

This race was billed as the Voodoo Fire and it was to be located at Lake Pueblo State Park in Pueblo, CO. I think many of us have driven by Pueblo on our way to or from Denver and didn't think much of it. It does have somewhat of a reputation for being the industrial heartland of Colorado. But still, I had heard of some good trails nearby and this race sounded like just the ticket to go explore.

The trails at Lake Pueblo State Park are extensive and the Voodoo Fire Race Course was supposed to incorporate 35 miles of their veritable trail system. The terrain reminds me somewhat of Phil’s Whirld in Cortez and many consider Phil’s to be a Southwestern Gem. So hear me when I say Lake Pueblo is like Phil’s times two with much better views.

Stretched out to the west are the snow covered peaks of the Greenhorn and Wet Ranges of the Sangre de Cristo Mts. The Lake is fed by the Arkansas River and the drainages have created the rocky bluffs and narrow technical canyons that provide a perfect setting for a series of trails to wind through.


The Outer Limits and Voodoo Loops have that nice middle ring series of undulating terrain that gets the mojo going. And the views over the lake with 50 to 100’ cliffs are just amazing. The only thing that sucks about racing is I didn’t have time to take many pictures from the overlooks. But they were everywhere. So trust me when I say the scenery is awesome.

The canyons at Lake Pueblo are not built from the sandstone outcroppings so common at Phil’s. Instead the drops are eroded from ledgier shale canyons and contain some steeper grunty climbs. There are no half pipe arroyos that give rise to names like Vertebra and Rib Cage, but there are some interesting areas like the Waterfall, Stonehenge, Skull Canyon and Staircase. Many of these trails were not part of the XC course for safety reasons, so suffice it to say, there’s a little bit of everything for everyone at Lake Pueblo.

The thing that the park has over Phil’s is a great campground. Full hookups with a boat ramp, showers and even a laundry room. You could hang at Lake Pueblo for weeks and not even have to venture into town. And if you do fancy a dinner at a local brew pub, the Shamrock Brewery is just 15 minutes into downtown Pueblo. Can’t beat that!


The original Voodoo Fire Race Course incorporated 35 miles of the extensive trail system at Lake Pueblo State Park. The race was billed as incorporating 2 laps around that course for a total of 70miles. A nice Marathon Distance. Because of some permitting issues with the Colorado State Police, the 12 mile Voodoo Loop had to be removed and we did 3 loops of the 23 mile remainder. As everyone commented, it was probably tougher because we had to tackle trails like Rock Canyon and Roller Coaster three times in this setup rather than just twice. A fellow racer made the observation that Roller Coaster could have used a bit more Coaster. There were some grunty leg burning climbs on this section of trail.

But all in all, the race was awesome and the trail system proved to be another hidden Southwestern Gem. I always gauge an area that I’ve raced at with “would I go there to free ride”? And the answer to that question for Lake Pueblo is... hell yes! It helps that Sandra and I like to Windsurf, so if the wind isn’t blowing or you're sick of your jet ski, you can always do a real nice ride. And if you’re sick of a campground you have a small city 15 minutes away. And finally, if you like to race, I can’t say enough about the Warriors Cycling Events and the Voodoo Fire in particular.

See ya there next year! And they assured us, the Voodoo Loop will be on the ticket!

Git ur Jambalaya ready!

Here's a helpful link to the Lake Pueblo State Park Web Site.

Here's a link to the Trail Map!

And to the Warriors Cycling Course Layout.

And of course my meager pictures!

Enjoy the ride!

There’s “Mountain Biking” and then there’s “MOUNTAIN” Biking!

Many people consider mountain biking to be an activity. They ride for exercise, to enjoy the trail experience or to have some social engagement. Some race XC or DH or do free ride stunts, activities that border on the heroic.

It truly is amazing the range of experiences that folks choose to pursue on a Mt. Bike.

We all have our passions when it comes to riding our bikes, but there is one aspect of our sport that many overlook. Mountain biking can be a vehicle to experience places that can take days and a heavy pack to get to. Some of us use our bikes as a tool for ascending into the high country and aren’t so much focused on the quality of the “ride” as we are enthralled with the quality of the “experience”.

It’s one of the reasons I’m willing to slug it through scree fields and rock gardens, hoof it up steep slopes and suffer through oxygen deprivation. It’s all about the experience of facing the challenges and feeling like you’re on top of the world. And the bike? It’s just a vehicle to get you there and back. Yeah, you have to push it, carry it and you may even get to ride it, but it isn’t all about the ride in my book. It’s about the visual beauty of being way above the mundane world, in a place you know you can’t stay, and the feeling for at least one moment, that you have conquered the “Mountain”.

So it’s with this in mind that we ventured to probably one of the most scenic but lightly ridden areas of Colorado; The northern San Juan’s and the Colorado Trail on the Spring Creek Pass. Situated between Creede and Lake City, it is far removed from any major population centers and provides a unique experience of being way away from the hordes. This remote area has always intrigued me with its looming peaks and huge expanse of Alpine Parks. The Colorado Trail hits its highest point on Coney Peak at 13,300’ and it presents a unique experience of being challenging but relatively ride-able.

We spent two days riding off of the Spring Creek Pass on the Colorado trail during the Labor Day weekend. Even this late in the season you can get some gorgeous days up high and we were fortunate. This pass and the Slumgullion Pass to the west form a high mesa that extends out to the overlook of the Lake San Cristobal valley. The lake is actually formed by the slumping of the Slumgullion massive. Wiki has a write up on it for those who are curious.

The first day involved a roll to the north on Section #21 of the Colorado Trail. This leads towards the LaGarita Wilderness Boundary at the Miners Creek Drainage across Snow Mesa. Since it is only about 8 miles out to the boundary, we decided to try to make it a loop. We parked a shuttle vehicle about 5 miles down from the pass at the road out to the Continental Reservoir.

We rode up the trail from the pass and within the first mile the route got steep and rugged. It’s a slog for the next mile or so until you climb up the face of Snow Mesa, but from there on out it is just wide open tundra. Some of the most gorgeous riding terrain I’ve ever ridden. Undulating, rolling single track for close to 6 miles, all at 12,000’.

We got to the Miners Creek drainage at the edge of the Wilderness Boundary and climbed up to the saddle. From there we descended back down off the ridge and headed east out on Snow Mesa exploring our way on a pack trail that leads down the Willow Creek drainage. This trail was not a solid tread but rather marked with cairns. Not the kind of trail you would want to climb, but descending it was a blast.

And this is when Mt. Biking really does become “Mountain Biking”. As the venerable Sheldon Brown once said "Do not follow where the path may lead! Go instead where there is no path, and leave a TRAIL!" And this is what we did!

The next day we rode Section 22 of the CT to the south off the pass, on to Jarosa Mesa and out to the Carson Saddle. This section is much more scenic than the Snow Mesa area with its extensive
views down into the Lake San Cristobal valley high above the Alpine Loop Jeep Road.

The first part of the ride up onto Jarosa Mesa is basically a two track, but when the trail turns off up towards the Mesa it gets rocky and rugged. It wasn’t what I would call great single track, with buried baby heads and some steep slogging. Once up on the mesa the views open up and you realize why you’re here. It’s gorgeous.

From there you drop off the mesa and the trail becomes a lot smoother. The ride to Coney Peak involves numerous climbs and descents. Once on the cusp of the Coney Peak climb you realize that you haven’t been dropping as much as you’ve been climbing. Yeah, 13,300’ kinda sneaks up on ya.

The view from Coney Peak is one of the more spectacular views I’ve taken in, with broad expanses of Alpine Parks stretched out below you. Up this high everything is above timberline. Take your time to enjoy the scenery because with the work it takes to get here, you deserve it.

We dropped off of the ridge down to the old mining town of Carson via the Wagner Gulch jeep road. From there we rode the Alpine Loop Road back to Lake City to complete a nice 35 mile shuttle.

An intriguing option is to continue on the CT after crossing the Wagner Gulch Road and do the Cataract Ridge, dropping down the Cataract Gulch or even head further out and do the Cuba Gulch trail down to the Alpine Loop Road. I haven’t ridden either of these routes so follow wise back country practice and check the Topo maps carefully.

Another interesting option is to shuttle from the road to the Continental Reservoir up to the Spring Creek Pass. This allows you to drop off the Cataract Ridge to the east and exit on the West Lost Trail. And if you want to go HUGE, I guess you could make a loop using the Middle Pole Trail out to the Rio Grande Reservoir, but you better do that one in July and hope the snow has melted out. Check out the Cataract Reroute Map for some more detail.

The Colorado Trail offers up so much, and these sections are some of the more remote and scenic areas. They are wonderful Mt. Biking terrain but not meant for the faint of heart. They will work you, so bring the A-game and lots of Back Country savvy, it’s a big world out there!

Here's the Links to Day #1 Picts and Day #2 Picts... Enjoy!

If it ain’t dirty, it might as well be wet!

Yanno… this blog is all about adventure and where you find it. Usually for me that is high on a mountain either ripping up some single track or sliding around on frozen moisture. But wind and water can be just as much fun, if not more so, than dirt or snow.

I learned to windsurf many years ago when I lived in New England. It was the early years of the sport and it was a time when folks looked at this activity as part of a lunatic fringe. Kinda like the early years of Mt. Biking!

A friend of mine gave me an old “Windrider” he had hanging around in the garage for helping him move. There were very few people who actually knew how to sail at that time, so I was pretty much on my own. Yeah, I got rescued a few times by ski boats, but I stuck with the steep learning curve of figuring out how to steer, getting back in the straps and using a harness.

Over time I got more proficient and it wasn’t long before I was sailing on Buzzards Bay and heading to Cape Hatteras, some of the most scenic sailing spots in the country. Since I’ve moved to New Mexico, I don’t sail near as much as I used to, but sailing is kinda like riding a bike. Once you learn the balance aspects and the basics of water starting and jibing, you may not have sailed for quite some time, but it will come back to you to pretty quick.

My girlfriend Sandra and I have become more or less destination sailors. We like to go to beautiful places and experience the joys of sailing in different conditions. Without a doubt, one of the most interesting and intense places to sail in the country is the Columbia River Gorge in Hood River, OR.

What makes The Gorge so unique is the dynamic of the "Wind Machine". You see the desert to the east of the Central Cascades heats up into the triple digits during the months of July and August. As that hot air mass rises it draws in the cooler air from the Oregon Coast. The temperatures on the coast during the summer can be as low as the 40's and 50's, so the air that is drawn towards the desert it is moist and heavy. And it has really only one way to get there; straight up the Columbia River!

We like to call it the conveyor belt because as the wind comes to the east, the current in the river is moving west. Think of it as Oregon's version of the "Albuquerque Box". The wind can gust to 50mph here and pushing against the mighty Columbia River creates the "swell" any good windsurfer loves to play around on.

So this summer we decided to do a 3 week vacation and drive to Hood River. I’ve covered some of the “Bucket List” Mt. Bike rides we did along the way in an earlier blog post, now here’s a recap of our July trip to “The Gorge”.

One of the best feelings I had on this trip is waking up on the shoulder of Mt. Hood and driving into Hood River early on a Sunday morning, knowing we had 2 weeks of big fun ahead of us. Two of the greatest aspects of The Gorge apart from the wind, are the flowers and the fruit. Cherries, apples, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, you name it, it probably grows on the shores of the Columbia River. And one of our favorite places to get fruit is the “Draper Girls Farm”.

This is a beautiful little orchard stand on the way into Hood River that is obviously family run and trusts in the good intentions of people. We rolled in at 7:00AM in the morning and it was sort of open. I mean they run the stand on the honor system. You go in and bag what you want, weigh it on the scale and leave money in a lock box. Now how many places like that do you find any more? Truly the vanishing aspect of small town America.

Once in Hood River we settled in for 2 weeks of fun in the sun. The weather was beautiful even if the wind was a little on the light side. We did a good bit of sailing and spent some time site seeing. We went to Multnomah Falls, drank some great beers at the Portland Brewers Fest and went down to the coast to see the Big Ocean! We even took some time to ride bikes around the well known Post Canyon area, home of Family Man.

So without further delay, here are the pictures in separate links for all to enjoy;

The Main Gorge Pictures... Need we say more?

The Oregon Coast... As pretty as you can imagine!

Family Man and Post Canyon... It wouldn't be a trip if we didn't ride our bikes!

You know how much I love Rocks and Mountains... Here's some views along the way!

Now get out there and get wet!

What’s in your Bucket?

There are rides everyone has on their bucket list. Some of these might be considered epics. Reno-Flag-Bear-Deadman in Crested Butte comes to mind.

Monarch Crest might not be what I would call an epic, but it is without a doubt a bucket list ride.

What separates a bucket list ride from an epic in my book, is that bucket rides are usually much shorter and really don’t present a major challenge. But they are some of the most scenic and enjoyable rides on the planet. They are also rides that most everyone has heard of and wishes they someday could ride. They're in the bucket!

With this in mind I endeavoured to ride some of my bucket list on the way to the Columbia River Gorge this summer for vacation. Since we would be traveling through areas of the country that I wouldn’t get to under most circumstances, I wanted to take the time to ride some of the trails along the way. It was a great opportunity to empty some of the bucket!

The first trail we pulled out was the Thunder Mt. Trail outside of Bryce Canyon Utah. This trail is considered by many to be one of the most unusually scenic Mt. Bike trails in the country. It truly is the land of the Dream-sicles.

Thunder Mt. or Red Canyon as it is called is part of the Claron formation that make up the Bryce Canyon rim. Wikipedia actually has really good write up on what makes up the geology of the Bryce Canyon area and you can read more about it here.

There are also a couple trails in the area that provide a great multi-ride opportunity. The Cassidy-Losee Loop is part of this. You can find out more about these trails at the great Utah Mountain Biking Website which has Thunder Mt. written up here and the Cassidy Loop described here.

Thunder Mt. did not disappoint, after a quick 7 mile ride up the paved path (in our case a wee bit longer after getting lost) you arrive at the Coyote Hollow Trailhead up on the shoulder of Thunder Mt. The mountain is actually more of a bump that drains off into the Red Canyon area and has created much of the scenery we rode in.

The trail starts off in what I would call a High Desert Pine Forest and descends gradually through multiple drainage arroyos. The builders of the trail did a good job of following the contours and utilizing the drainage's to create drops and climb outs that slowly descend into the sandstone canyon.

The trail conditions were superb. I will admit, however, that the upper sections in the pines do suffer the effects of horse traffic, but I wouldn’t call the trail pummeled. Lower down the trail is solid and smooth as it rolls through the sandstone formations that make up the best of Thunder Mt.

The scenery seems to transform from a rolling trail in the pines to seeing more and more sandstone outcroppings. There comes a point where the trail seems to cross a ridge line and before you stretches the expanse of Red Canyon. Truly spectacular!



As for the quality of this ride as part of the “Bucket List”, I’d rate it a solid “A“. It is incredibly scenic and has a great trail track. The fact that you have to ride a paved trail to create a loop might detract a bit, but you can also consider it a warm up. The fact that you can combine this with the Cassidy Loop means it has an “all day” option to it.

But be forewarned, this area is NOT an area you would want to ride wet. I did the Cassidy in Mid-April of 2007 and it was still thawing out. Not fun!

See more of our photos for this awesome bucket ride here.

The next destination we pulled from the list was the famous Flume Trail above Lake Tahoe. This trail has been written about many times in the magazines and it is considered a must do scenic adventure. I have skied around Lake Tahoe before and know that the Lake can provide a truly scenic backdrop. That’s what I was looking forward to.

We were fortunate to hit the trail on a Friday which was a good thing. The Tahoe Rim Ultra Marathon was scheduled for Saturday and that probably would have been a problem with packs of runners to deal with. I also hear that the crowds on the weekend can degrade the flow of riding the Flume. However, we rode it at a good time and maybe ran into 10 other riders up there.

I have heard various comments about the Flume being a scenic stroll and not much of a challenge to ride. However, I will say that it starts with a nice 7 mile roll up a forest road that might surprise you.

It starts out as a gentle incline that gets steeper and steeper as you go. It turns into quite the workout if you just go for it. I almost cleaned it but had to stop near the top to let the lactic acid flush from my legs. Being use to riding at 8,000' meant we weren't starved for oxygen, but that doesn’t make the climbs around Lake Tahoe any less steep.

Once you make it to Marlette Lake though it’s all easy riding from there. A “Flume” is a wooden structure used to transport water and timber from a mountainous area into a city. To control the descent of the huge logs the Flumes were built on a real gradual pitch. Consequently, most Flume Trails provide a pretty easy descent or climb. The Flume Trail at Lake Tahoe was used to carry water to Virginia and Carson City during the Gold and Silver Rush. So it's got some history to it! You can read more about the origins of The Flume Trail here.

What makes the Flume Trail at Lake Tahoe so spectacular though is the views. You can’t beat riding 1000’ above the Lake and looking out over that expanse of water. The trail itself can be tricky though. It is narrow and the penalty for exiting stage left can be huge. You definitely want to ride the Flume slowly and take in the scenery.

We rode it around until it met the Tahoe Rim Trail which takes you up to the ridge line above Marlette Lake. We thought about making it a loop but decided the views were so spectacular that it warranted doing an out and back. The ride back was actually incredibly enjoyable. We had already taken all the pictures we wanted and knew the trail, so we could just do a slow roll and enjoy the views from on top the bike. Spectacular!

As for Bucket Potential, I would rate The Flume a “B+”. It requires riding a forest road to get to and doesn’t have much in the way of challenge, but it is without a doubt one of the more scenic rides I’ve done. The fact that you can combine it with the Tahoe Rim trail means it has potential for some extended riding. I’ll say we only scratched the surface of the Flume when it comes to making it more epic and I’d consider doing it again if I ever get back to Lake Tahoe.

Here’s some pictures of the most awesome day of riding we could have ever hoped for.

All I can say is that you have to empty the bucket every once in a while. And it makes it that much more special when you have weather like we enjoyed. So, what's in your bucket? Thunder Mt. and The Flume wouldn't be a bad addition to the list!

Enjoy!!!

Drank the Kool-Aid and liked it...

I first got intrigued with the Lefty after doing a quick parking lot roll on a 2009 Cannondale Caffeine conveniently parked in the bike rack at our local bike shop; Bikeworks.

The dampening action seemed smooth and responsive and the dual crown front end seemed solid. So I did a little reading on this thing called a Lefty and I became more and more impressed.

No seals to cause "stiction", just 88 smooth rolling needle bearings supporting the travel with a Rock Shox Cartridge Design for dampening. A "25mm to 15mm" Tapered Roller Bearing front wheel hub provides a smooth rolling wheel with lots of rigidity. And a carbon design makes it really light. Like 2.5lbs light!!!

So I decided to take a chance and swap out my Reba on the Orbea Alma 29er Race Rig with a Lefty. I found a deal online for a 29er ready fork and contacted the folks at Project-321 to procure a wheel hub and a 1 1/8" steerer tube. A little magic wheel building by Dan "The Man" Swinton and yes, some fussing and fidgiting, and low and behold, I have a Lefty on my Orbea.

So what's the bottom line here Goat, you may ask? Well first off I dropped a whole pound off the bike. I went from 23lbs-10oz down to 22lbs-10oz, right off the bat. Not bad! I also lost 20mm of travel from 100mm down to 80mm for the Lefty. But the Orbea is a Carbon HT Racing platform that is designed around an 80mm travel fork, so no sweat there. The Axel to Crown dimension did change by 20mm, so the geometry was impacted.

Now when I rolled out the other night on my initial ride, the first thing I noticed was this change in geometry. I had gotten use to the 100mm Reba and with the Lefty I could feel that I was weight biased on the front wheel a bit more and felt a little more on top of it. Not a bad feeling mind you, just different. I was wondering how that would impact the feel of the front end; the stability, the control and the dampening. So I took note and off I rode.

The first thing you notice about riding the Lefty is it's solid feel. The dual crown design and the large diameter strut combined with the square shaft/needle bearing design are rock solid. I could detect NO flex what so ever in the front end. Definitely more solid than the Reba or the Fox 29er I've ridden previously on this bike.

Those who know me, know I am a real believer in "dual crown" XC forks. Going back to my experience with the early days of the Maverick DUC 32 and up to my current favorite all-around trail bike, the Spez Enduro SL, I have always felt that a dual crown fork is way more rigid and solid than any oversized 1.5" or tapered headtube will ever be. And the Lefty just re-affirms that belief in my world. If I have an option, I'm going dual crown!!!

The geometry change did liven up the response of the steering, but I wouldn't call it hyper-active or twitchy. In fact, I think the solid nature of the fork actually compliments rather than counteracts the "responsiveness" of the steering. You can literal put this bike where you need it at a moments notice and not have it go swinging it's head in reluctant disregard. It is very confidence inspiring when you know you can truely point and shoot. Combined this with the "demands" that a 29" front wheel places on the handling and I think its a winning combination of strength, response and traction.

So the handling is great but what about the dampening. This is where I think this fork really shines. The needle bearing design and lack of seal stiction come together on the trail in a very real way. Almost instantly I could feel the response of the fork to small bumps and trail undulations. It's almost hyper-sensitive to trail input in a way that is surreal. You actually feel all of the nuances of the ground below you. It "ground tracks" in a way I have never felt on another fork. The best way I can describe it, is that with conventional seals and stiction there is a delay in feedback from the trail to your hands. This delay causes a lack of connectedness that can be interpreted as poor small bump compliance and feedback. With the Lefty's design its like a veil has been removed from the reponse to the trail and you are now in a hyper-aware mode of judging the traction and response of the front end. It really is that significant!!!

So how does the dampening feel? Well it uses a proven design in the Reba Cartridge Technology but they actually take it one step further. Maybe some would call it a limitation, but I actually think of it as added simplicity. With the Reba you can add Negitive and Positive air pressure to not only change the spring rate (rate at which the fork stiffens up under compression) but to also change the initial ride characteristics from firm to plush (slow speed compression dampening).

With the Lefty they have combined the Negative and Positive Pressure adjustment into one valve. So you don't have as much adjustability, but it is simplier to set. In effect they have taken a middle of the road approach to setting the folk dampening and they seemed to have guessed(?) pretty well where that is at. I put 120PSI into the fork for my 175lb weight and the fork rode somewhat firm, but ate up all of the admittedly limited ruggedness of our North Foothills trails. To challenge it a bit, I threw some "Bunny Hops" off of ledges to flat and the fork compressed well, ramped up smoothly all without bottoming. In other words, it felt pretty spot on which is a testament to how much design and development has gone into the Lefty over the 10 years or so that Cannondale has been developing this thing.

Now you may wonder, with the reduced travel and the forward weight bias, did I ever feel like I might go over the bars? Did I feel the fork might have limitations on what it could absorb. I didn't push it that far, but I never got that feeling.

I ride pretty smart so I know how to keep the front end from getting over whelmed. Not that I never endo, but for the riding I would do on this rig, I wouldn't say the fork would be a limitation. It ramps up smoothly and feels pretty bottomless. It's interesting because if you do the "Handlebar Push" test, you might think the 80mm fork travel would be a limiting factor. This is something I was initially concerned about. But when you are on the bike with your weight balanced, the fork travel really isn't something I would consider an issue.

So what is the REAL bottom line? I have a bike that is a full pound lighter than before. I can feel that weight reduction when I ride; the bike is livelier. The handling is more responsive and much more solid than before. The fork dampening has a much improved tactile feel and ramps up in a smooth progressive manner. Bottom line? This is a modification that has tranformed the way I feel about my bike.

I didn't go into this with some sort of Lefty bias, but more of wondering what it would be like. All I can say is it has proven to be one of the best modifications I have ever done to a bike. That's how strongly I feel about this.

Next up will be a conversion of my Titus Racer-X 29er with a Lefty 130 PBR stepped down to 100mm. It will be interesting to see how a Full Suspension Lefty 29er feels!!!

If you want to get another perspective of the Lefty, read the AngryAsian's Bike Radar Review. Never thought I'd see a Lefty on a Trek!

Now get out there and ride!!!!

It’s not a Trip unless you see Colors!

There are a few rides that you can only do at certain times of the year and it’s these rides that I look forward to all year long. It’s the “Fall Foliage” ride. I’m sure different parts of the country have variations on this theme, but here in the Desert Southwest that means Colorado Aspens.

Now everyone has their favorite place to go to experience this type of scenery. The top in my book has to be the Southern San Juan Mts. The Cumbres Pass East of Pagosa Springs is a classic, with the Cumbres to Toltec Steam Railroad running through it. Something about hearing the wail of that locomotive as it makes its way up the pass in the golden glow of Autumn.

Another favorite of mine if you really want to experience the colors of Colorado is the La Plata Mts. (West of Durango) and specifically the Dolores River Valley. The Stoner Mesa area has to rank up there as one of the most spectacular stands of Aspens in all of Colorado. It is huge and covers such varied terrain.

We have trek-ed to Dolores the last couple years to enjoy the experience of this spectacle and it never fails to impress us. This year was a little disappointing in that the Autumn hit cold and hard early on and the leaves literally got burnt on the trees. We saw many Golden and Green colors from the stronger stands, but many leaves were also brown and still on the trees. It’s no matter though, the colors that were to be had always leave me feeling like I am experiencing the end of another beautiful season of riding. It may signal the end, but it also represents the best.

A couple years ago we did a ride up Eagle Peak Trail and then came back down the Stoner Mesa Trail. I wanted to duplicate this ride with more of a “through ride” experience and I wanted to stay longer up high. Pouring over the maps, I decided that gaining the Eagle Peak could be done from a number of directions, but the one that made the most sense, based on where we were camped, was to head up the Johnny Bull Trail to the Calico Ridgeline and across to the Eagle Peak Trail descent.

It was a shorter approach to the ridgeline than the actual Eagle Peak Trail and I knew how rugged that trail was. I was a little nervous about how difficult this approach would be. It would be a leap of faith, because we could end up having to sling our bikes up steep ledge climbs. And people wouldn't have been too happy about that. But then again, it is an epic!

Pouring over the maps seem to indicate a stout initial climb up some switchbacks and then a climb along the contours up to a steep climb to the peak itself. That’s where the uncertainty lay.

I put a shout out to "El Freako from Rico”, Mr. Jeff Hemperly, but he had never attempted a climb up that side of the Calico Ridge. He did give us feedback that a friend of his who had ridden it, didn’t suggest doing it. Ok, not quite what I wanted to hear, but that's just one perspective. And they ride Single Speed and we were "Geared" so maybe it wouldn't be too bad. At least that's what I told myself for reinforcement. With little in the way of local knowledge, and sharing what Jeff had to say, we decided to go for it. Isn't that what an adventure is all about after all?


We drove up Denton Road from our Camp Site at the West Dolores Campground and found the vaguely marked sign for the Johnny Bull Trail about 3-4 miles up from the Stoner Mesa Road cutoff. We geared up and off we went.

First we had to get across the Dolores River. It is shallow here but somewhat wide and you had to roll it because there is no rock walkway. Just be prepared for that initial challenge. Then sure enough the first mile or two were climbing up a steep well defined trail through worn but ridable switchbacks. A couple miles up the trail leveled out and sure enough climbed slowly up along the contours. Aren’t Topo Maps great!

We rode along through some nice meadows and before we knew it we had reached the intersection with the well known Calico Trail. I guess the best I can say is the Johnny Bull is not an easy trail to climb, but it is a nice track and it isn’t what I would call heinous by any stretch of the imagination. I guess we lucked out, or was it good map reading? Ah, what do goat's know anyway.

From here we encountered a stiff hike a bike for about a mile or less up a skree field to the ridgeline below the Calico Peak. The scenery up on the ridge was spectacular! The views across the valley of Anchor and Expectation Peaks, with Calico and Eagle Peak along the ridge, were all about why I ride my bike. Some folks may find their thrills in other places, but mine is on top of the world!





From the top of the Calico Ridgeline we had a mostly downhill run to look forward to from here. About 20 miles of downhill fun! The ride down the Eagle Peak Trail to the Stoner Mesa Trail is one of the best downhill adventures this side of Monarch Crest in my book! It really is that awesome.




This was an epic ride no doubt. Not as daunting as the Wheeler Trail adventure but the altitude gain will challenge you. However, the variety of terrain is spectacular and with the Fall colors it just seems to come alive. Once pointed downhill, the 5-6 miles of pain that Johnny Bull provides begins to fade into the splendor of the season. Autumn doesn’t get much better than this!

Here’s a link to our pictures at the Stoner Mesa Photo Album.

There are long rides… and then there are Epics!

Everyone has their own idea of an “Epic”. For some it is moving back and forth along flowing fast single track for miles on end. For others it is managing to survive a long technical descent or powering up a long sustained climb. And yes, I guess any real Epic will incorporate all of these attributes.

However, for me, the basis of any true Epic is the scenery. And in my mind the greatest of all scenery starts above Timberline. I have a saying on MTBR that “something changes at 12,000ft”. And no doubt, there’s a whole other world up high.

The problem with these types of “adventures” is many times they are not the most ridable of Mt. Bike trails. Unless you are doing a downhill bomb of Monarch Crest, much of what is above timberline will be somewhat marginal when it comes to riding. The trails tend to be what I like to call “Rocky Mountain Single Track”, which is usually a deep trough of crank busting notchy trail with areas of tufted grass meadow over growth separating some pretty stiff steep climbs. And as we all know, there is a difference between a “hiking trail” and a Mt. Biking Track. Many times these adventures include a healthy dose of “Hike-a-bike”. However, my objective is to try to find those gems that are ridable, scenic and provide a variety of experience, while minimizing taking my bike for a hike! Of course, that which goes up, must come down!

Now these types of adventures are surely not for everyone. Although those who have hung in there and finished them will after some time admit that the effort was worth the experience. And maybe after some recovery, they’ll actually get bit by the “Peak Bagging Bug” and go in pursuit of “High Alpine Adventure”. So attitude is everything. The other thing about being a “Peak Bagger” is it requires a dedication to amping up your game down low in order to be able to survive and perform above timberline. It's the main reason why I race and train. Gotta have a motor at this altitude. It also takes experience to understand the limitations and warning signs of trouble up high. You can die up there if mistakes get compounded. Injury, physical exhaustion, weather and mechanicals can all turn a wonderful, exciting outing, into a life threatening situation. I guess the best I can say, is Epic’s of this proportion are not for the meek of heart and take lots of preparation and training. Be safe up there!

So with this in mind we went off to complete what has to be close to the avowed Breckenridge Epic. The Wheeler Pass Trail is well known to those of the B100/Breck Epic Racing crowd. Many ride over Wheeler Pass into Copper Ski Basin and do the paved “Bike Trail” around to Dillon and back to Breck. But why miss out on all that high country. Instead you can circumnavigate the "Ten Mile Mountains" by linking the Wheeler Trail to the Miners Creek Trail and then down to the Peaks Trail. If you’ve found your fill up high you can always drop right down the Gold Hill Trail and call it a day. This is what we ended up doing, since we had ridden Gold Hill to the Peaks Trail the day before. Now if this doesn’t qualify as an “Epic”, I’m not sure what does.

The riding combines quality single track with the ascent up the Burro Trail out of the Breck Ski Basin. Once up to the Crystal Creek area you are then faced with some more lung busting climbing on the actual Wheeler Trail up to a “Leadville Columbine Mine Verified” hike-a-bike to gain the ridge. In reality, I’m sure Lance or Dave could clean it, but yours truly hiked it.

Once on top, you can then ride much of the lower alpine meadows up to the Wheeler Pass ascent. I made a bit of the switchbacks to the pass but my lungs finally gave out and it was back to walking. The view from the pass is awesome. In my book, well worth the climb! Once off the backside towards Copper, it was a hairy bit of a descent with some exposure, until you hit the intersection to the Miners Creek Trail. Then it was more hiking combined with some wheeling until we finally got to the Miners Creek Pass. From here it was all sweet downhill.



OK, a few get offs to clear skree areas and swamp meadows, but can you visualize 12,400’ to 9,800’ in about 6 miles or so. Yee Haw! We then had to climb up to the top of Gold Hill Trail, which after our little adventure seemed to go on forever. It’s one of those climbs that isn’t steep and isn’t really hard. It’s just a grind! However after all day at +12,000’ you just want the pain to stop. You know you have to keep going though, because the beer is calling you. Finally we got to the top of the “hill” and it was truly all downhill from there to the paved bike path. A nice little 5 mile ride up to the town and back to the condo and we were some spent but happy puppies.

Doesn’t get much better than this in my whirld. On the Epic Scale I’d give it a solid 8 out of 10. The scenery was some of the best in the “WORLD”. And the trail conditions were not that bad. Hike-a-Bike rating was about a 15%. Which is a decent amount of it, but the views more than made up for it. Downhill component was about a 7 out of 10. I would have given it more because hauling down the Miners is way cool, but then you have to climb up to Gold Hill. Climbing quotient is about a 6. The Burro Trail is a solid climb and my honey Sandra is the “Queen of the Burro”! Beyond this the climbs get pretty tough and although the quality of the Gold Hill ascent is awesome, when your legs are running on mile 20 after significant altitude, it’s hard to appreciate it.


Now the big question; is it better to do it in the opposite direction? Hmmm, the climb up out of Miner's Creek is rugged, but I guess not quite as long and arguous as going up the Wheeler side. You will have to climb up to Wheeler Pass from the Miner's intersection as well, but again shorter and steeper (I'll take shorter!). And I think the downhills might be better coming off the Miner's in that direction and also to the south side to the Burro Trail. I'd like to try it someday to see!

And the all important last question; would I do it again? I'd say heck yeah! I have other peaks I want to bag, but I would consider coming back to do Wheeler again, especially in the opposite direction!

So if your objective is to get to the Top of the Whirld, I’d say go for it! The Wheeler Pass is definitely “Goat Approved”!

Check out more pictures at the Picasa Album for the Wheeler Pass Epic