schnauzers.ws

Hauling the camper to the Arkansas River headwaters.  A bastion of recreational goodness in the heart of Colorado.  A mere three hours from the hot and smokey air of the Front Range to the sound of the rushing river and unique community that is Salida.  A very livable community at the base of several 14,000′ mountains.  I camped, I ate, I fished, I drank beer, but the best part of it all, was riding the Monarch Crest trail.

I guess my goal in going it alone, wasn’t to score any brownie points.  When I am alone, that usually means the horse blinders are on.  Not this time.  I got thrust into the limelight as soon as I registered for the campsite.  Do I give off some kind of computer geek aura?

“Do you want wireless access?”, the clerk said.

Sure.

“Do you know how to enter the password?”, she quipped again.

Sure.

“Do you know how to fix a computer, because I can’t get one of our seasonal retirees laptop to work”.

Huh? Now why do you think that? Let me see. Um, you have to push the button to turn the wireless card on.

Ding ding.  Score a karma point.  The first of a few, I hope.

Saturday morning I ponied up my $20 for the shuttle ride to Monarch Pass.  This was the sky that greeted me at the top.  A sight that would not change throughout the five hours and thirty two some odd miles of the ride.  I had thoughts of completing this in three, but who was I kidding?  Monarch Crest, Silver Creek, and the new to me, Rainbow Trail (it’s always been sketchy weather every other time I had gotten to that point before).

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As temps soar, so does the altitude. Sure, we are never alone. Everyone has a similar idea, but two thousand feet can mean as much as twenty degrees cooler.

We started earlier than usual. I guess we were afraid of those afternoon thunderstorms that haven’t materialized here in a while. We are in a drought and half of the State is on fire. I am exaggerating a little, but when you can see and smell smoke from everywhere, that’s sends a chilling message.

As with everything in Colorado, we started with a climb. We shuttled the first few miles. But there is still a three mile dirt road slog to the top.

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A dry Winter brings early riding to the Colorado high country. A lot of people were heading to the resorts, but I wanted a less crowded experience. I decided to try my luck on the Gold Dust Trail. A twenty some mile out and back up Boreas Pass, on some of the best singletrack around. Did I mention there was climbing? A bit of climbing, to get to 11,400′.

I shot a lot of video, but It’s terrible. I used a new video camera for the off bike shots and it was a piece of junk. It never auto white balanced correctly. I may try to doctor it up, but for now all I have for my efforts are tired legs and iPhone pics. Ok, and a great big smile from the fun.

Aside from one older couple hiking up as I was heading back down, I never saw another soul. A few people up at the top who climbed from Breckenridge, but no one else on the gold dust trail. It was kind of spooky on the way up.

I was being overly cautious on the ride.  No cell phone coverage, no people, and every sound made me think of momma bear and her cubs.

Eventually, I get into a rhythm and relax.  At the first clearing, I am in the zone.  This is why I chose the trail.

This was the first time I brought the rocket to the high country.  I thought I would regret it through the boulder field, but it was actually comfortable.   It was also pretty sexy to look at.  Lusting over a bike.  I’ve been married too long.

More flowing singletrack ensued as I continued the climb.

Eventually, I reached my favorite part of the ride.  I’m fascinated by these old flumes used to bring water to the mining operations.  All the work that went into miles of .8% grade.  It’s fun in both directions.

The real task began on the last 500′  of vertical.  I procrastinated a few times on the way up.  Gee, I just reached 11,000′, that should be enough.  Alright, only another 400′.  I’m so tired on pedaling so slow.  Maybe I should turn around now? If I head back down, I can be at the car within an hour.  I need to eat the lunch I bought, I should go to the top.  I made it this far, there’s only another 200′ of vertical.

Yup, those are the thoughts in my head with every pedal stroke.  Maybe that’s my coaxing?  I just keep talking about it, until I get there.

Bam!  Just like that, I’m there.

What goes up, must come down.  Down is the fun part.  I lose my fear of disappearing as I fly back down the trail.

Now that’s a great way to get high!

It’s 6:30 AM. Wait, I know I didn’t set the alarm. Sure, I have my drug induced slumber to blame for a lot of things, but the alarm was clearly off. Why are the dogs barking so loud, I can’t even hear myself dreaming. Was that the doorbell? Damn! I try to close my eyes, but it’s just a continuous noise filled morning. Where’s the snooze button?

Ok, ok! I’m up. At least the sky is blue. Not a cloud in sight. Wow! No procrastination, either. Riding gear on, I fill the camelbak, load up the truck, and head for the hills.

Maybe, I am still dreaming. It’s a beautiful morning. I look at my watch as I open the door to the Clevus storage. Eight o’clock! Yup, that’s what I wrote on the sign-in sheet as I hang the “Patroller on Duty” sign.

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Perfect rain singletrack
Hummerbirds sing
Tires roll on descent