Doctor ordered!
After spending a week working (and riding, but not enough) in Taos, it
was good to be back home again. After a full day playing with my boy I
was scheduled to have a day to ride, so I called my buddy Steve and we
made plans to meet Sunday morning for a classic ride that had just dried
out enough to be ridable without damaging it.
I got to the appointed place a little late, but Steve wasn't there. I
saw another group of friends heading out for the climb as I got ready to
ride. But where was Steve? I gave him specific instructions on where to
meet. Could he have gotten mixed up and gone to the old meeting spot? Of
course he did! So once we got that straightened out we started the 13
Mile climb spinning along and chatting.
It was a beautiful sunny day but early enough that the sun wasn't really
cooking us. We climbed and climbed. We both noted how we forget just how
long the climb is after not riding the trail for a few months. We
continued to climb until the big creek crossing.
After a cold, painful and shoeless crossing (to keep the shoes dry) we
continued climbing, but now it got steep. There's even a section that
requires use of the granny gear. Steve was riding really strong. Yeah Steve!
Finally we topped out and took a little break.
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Then we headed down the trail. I love how it starts, as if you're riding
off the edge of the world.
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It rolls up and down for a bit and there was some horse damage that made
it a little rough in spots as we came in and out of the trees.
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Fortunately it got smoother and fast for the really fun part. The DH
just seems to go on forever, sort of like the climb.
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Then we climb a little more for the final steep and rocky descent down
to the river and trailhead (and beer!).
We paused to take in the views before the last descent and got buzzed by
this little guy who seemed to be attracted to my red jersey. Then he
hung out on a branch long enough for me to snap a good portrait before
we moved on.
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It was a good day and just what I needed!
Matt