M
Mattb
Guest
Got out for another quick ride tonight after work. I headed
for the nearest dirt, the Signal Peak Area (less than a Mile
from home, NE of town). It starts with a good 800 Ft. climb
over about five or six Miles that is just gradual enough for
me to make it on the SS. It's a jeep trail with a couple of
nice single tracks dropping off the ridge, and a bunch more
singletrack up top near Signal Peak and Signal Mesa. Lots of
sage and prickly pear up here. After the first 1/2 Mile I
came across a (garter I think) snake sunning it's self in
the trail. I tried to get a photo, but he must have absorbed
a bit of warmth to speed him up and was gone in a flash.
Here's a pseudo panoramic looking back towards town from
about 2/3 of the way up. Hartman rocks lays beyond and the
San Juans are beyond Hartman's. http://mattb.net/images/2004-
04/signal%20climb%20pano1.jpg
From that point I continued the climb, just working the bike
back and forth, picking my lines and knocking out the
pitches one by one. It felt good despite the cold I seemed
to have picked up in the last few days. Hopefully this will
work it out of my system.
The next wildlife sighting was a small group of mule deer
crossing the trail ahead of me. I tried to get a little
closer and get the camera out quickly, but they spooked
easily. They ran down the side of the ridge and I snapped
this shot. They ended up just looking like white specs on
the hillside. http://mattb.net/images/2004-
04/signal%20deer.jpg
Continuing on, I eventually push my bike up the last steep
pitch (haven't been able to do this one without gears - yet)
and peel off the two track on to some nice buff singletrack.
It's a little soft from frost lift, but very ridable and
only slightly wet in a few spots.
Using a highly controversial method, I snapped a couple of
shots from the bike. First is a self-portrait (cheese!) http://mattb.net/images/2004-
04/self%20portrait.jpg Next was a perspective looking up the
trail http://mattb.net/images/2004-
04/signal%20trail%20perspective.jpg
This singletrack follows the contour of the hillside,
winding through the sage and occasional rocky section until
it winds up directly below (to the North of) Signal Peak.
Here's a shot of Signal looming ahead (it's small, but
bigger than it looks here). http://mattb.net/images/2004-
04/signal%20ahead.jpg
I kept on going and climbed up the north side of Signal Mesa
which is just beyond the peak in the previous photo. The
trail climbs across the side of the mesa as the flora
changes from open sage to pine forest. After a Mile or so of
that the trail became too wet and snowy to continue and make
a loop of it, so I turned back.
One final shot is looking up the Ohio Creek Valley with Mt.
Carbon and the Anthracites in the distance from the upper
singletrack (Kebler Pass and the Dyke trail is on the other
side of those mountains). http://mattb.net/images/2004-
04/signal%20carbon%20view.jpg
The downhill was fast and fun. No time for photos on the way
back. I took the ridge jeep trail until I could peel off on
the Rasta Gulch singletrack. Rasta was super-buff and seemed
particularly swoopy tonight. I felt a great sense of peace
and belonging here. This is my neighborhood and I like it. I
connected back to the (lower) contour trail and wound up
back home about an hour and a half after starting, just in
time for dinner.
Matt
for the nearest dirt, the Signal Peak Area (less than a Mile
from home, NE of town). It starts with a good 800 Ft. climb
over about five or six Miles that is just gradual enough for
me to make it on the SS. It's a jeep trail with a couple of
nice single tracks dropping off the ridge, and a bunch more
singletrack up top near Signal Peak and Signal Mesa. Lots of
sage and prickly pear up here. After the first 1/2 Mile I
came across a (garter I think) snake sunning it's self in
the trail. I tried to get a photo, but he must have absorbed
a bit of warmth to speed him up and was gone in a flash.
Here's a pseudo panoramic looking back towards town from
about 2/3 of the way up. Hartman rocks lays beyond and the
San Juans are beyond Hartman's. http://mattb.net/images/2004-
04/signal%20climb%20pano1.jpg
From that point I continued the climb, just working the bike
back and forth, picking my lines and knocking out the
pitches one by one. It felt good despite the cold I seemed
to have picked up in the last few days. Hopefully this will
work it out of my system.
The next wildlife sighting was a small group of mule deer
crossing the trail ahead of me. I tried to get a little
closer and get the camera out quickly, but they spooked
easily. They ran down the side of the ridge and I snapped
this shot. They ended up just looking like white specs on
the hillside. http://mattb.net/images/2004-
04/signal%20deer.jpg
Continuing on, I eventually push my bike up the last steep
pitch (haven't been able to do this one without gears - yet)
and peel off the two track on to some nice buff singletrack.
It's a little soft from frost lift, but very ridable and
only slightly wet in a few spots.
Using a highly controversial method, I snapped a couple of
shots from the bike. First is a self-portrait (cheese!) http://mattb.net/images/2004-
04/self%20portrait.jpg Next was a perspective looking up the
trail http://mattb.net/images/2004-
04/signal%20trail%20perspective.jpg
This singletrack follows the contour of the hillside,
winding through the sage and occasional rocky section until
it winds up directly below (to the North of) Signal Peak.
Here's a shot of Signal looming ahead (it's small, but
bigger than it looks here). http://mattb.net/images/2004-
04/signal%20ahead.jpg
I kept on going and climbed up the north side of Signal Mesa
which is just beyond the peak in the previous photo. The
trail climbs across the side of the mesa as the flora
changes from open sage to pine forest. After a Mile or so of
that the trail became too wet and snowy to continue and make
a loop of it, so I turned back.
One final shot is looking up the Ohio Creek Valley with Mt.
Carbon and the Anthracites in the distance from the upper
singletrack (Kebler Pass and the Dyke trail is on the other
side of those mountains). http://mattb.net/images/2004-
04/signal%20carbon%20view.jpg
The downhill was fast and fun. No time for photos on the way
back. I took the ridge jeep trail until I could peel off on
the Rasta Gulch singletrack. Rasta was super-buff and seemed
particularly swoopy tonight. I felt a great sense of peace
and belonging here. This is my neighborhood and I like it. I
connected back to the (lower) contour trail and wound up
back home about an hour and a half after starting, just in
time for dinner.
Matt
