HAB goes funemployed
- Thread starter HAB
- Start date
Moab! I got a couple rides in here, but have at this point pretty fully destroyed my rear rim, so I'm going to call it a trip. I'm tired as hell and need to be back in Seattle by Tuesday at the latest anyway. An extra day or two at home to relax will be nice.
If you can find one! I'll swing by Enve tomorrow since they're directly en route at see if they can do anything for me, but the wheel is out of warranty by now and they haven't made anything 26 in a while so I'm not holding my breath.
I've ridden 18 of the last 21 days anyway, I'm pretty gassed.
Bump. Some things happened with my schedule, and suddenly I'm going to be somewhere in the Salida / Buena Vista area the next couple days, and looking to ride. Very last minute, but any of you CO monkeys happen to be in that neck of the woods?
Possibru.
Given the last couple days weather, conditions might be iffy for a day or three yet. Hero dirt afterwards though.
Edit: Possibru not. Just remembered I have CT and blood work thurs/fri.
Given the last couple days weather, conditions might be iffy for a day or three yet. Hero dirt afterwards though.
Edit: Possibru not. Just remembered I have CT and blood work thurs/fri.
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Hmm.
Tomorrow and Thursday would be my days to ride. Maybe also Friday morning, but it wouldn't be an all day affair.
See edit. Cancer stuff I forgot about.
What the hell? @HAB how are you just randomly in Salida?
High country is still a month out, I'm sure. There might be some mid-country open, but I haven't really been keeping up with conditions down there too much. Regardless may I direct your attention to the following...
Elevation Brewing in Poncha Springs has tasty beer, as does Eddyline in Buena Vista. Soulcraft in Salida is less good, but still pretty dang good with a great (but odd in a way) atmosphere. House Rock Kitchen in BV for good lunch food. Lots of good food options in Salida for dinner and/or lunch. A friend who's a killer rider owns a couple joints: Sweetie's Sandwich Shop, Mo Burrito, and The Biker and The Baker. I'd of course encourage you to check any of those out, but there's several other good spots.
High country is still a month out, I'm sure. There might be some mid-country open, but I haven't really been keeping up with conditions down there too much. Regardless may I direct your attention to the following...
- Vitamin B — This is the trail @Nick referenced. Super fun, lots of steep rock tech moves. Accessed by either climbing or shuttling up 6-1/2 miles of really decent dirt road. My new favorite in the area. I can't imagine it wouldn't be good to go, given how much rock is on this trail. 10/10 go ride this fucking trail.
- Beasway > Rhumba > Cottonwood — This is kind of the classic Salida in-town long shuttle ride. It's not terribly rowdy or technical, but it's a super fun ride. Can be shuttled or looped using CR175. If you're pedaling it and want a bigger day, pedal Frontside > CR173 > North Backbone and then bang a right on CR175 for 5-6 miles to the start of Beasway. At the end you have options, lots of people (Like MTB Project) would tell you to take Sweet Dreams to Chicken Dinner, I'd say either Mesa or Lower Sand Dunes are mo'bettah.
- Gutz — This trail is badass. It's an old school pirate DH trail that's been legalized and wasn't fucked with too much... it's still plenty steep and super fun. Some of the jumps still remain, but overall the trail is mostly better than what it was as a pirate trail because it's not littered with golf ball sized gravel. The only problem is that it's short, and kind of a pain to get to. You can pedal/push up FR108 to the Rainbow Trail to get to Gutz, or you can be an idiot like me and ride a big loop of CR49 > Rainbow > Gutz. Rainbow is actually fairly entertaining, but it's just a nice singletrack ride. Up and down, in and out of draws, repeat. It's interesting as there was a massive burn there a few years back, and the difference before and after (having ridden it a couple-three times over the years) is striking. Not that you've been there before the burn, I guess. Anyways, the Methodist Mountain system below Gutz is largely uneventful and not really worth your time, Sol Train East to Racetrack is what I have ridden to finish a Gutz lap. Those two are fun and fast with rollers and jumps, everything else is pretty meh IMNSHO IIRC.
- S-Mountain Trails — one can just dick around for an entire day riding various loops on loops on loops here. Easy to explore stuff here, trails to not miss that I personally know and have ridden are The Dude Abides, Unkle Nazty, and Upper/Lower Sand Dunes. I think Hooligan and El Duderino are probably worth getting tires on as well.
Elevation Brewing in Poncha Springs has tasty beer, as does Eddyline in Buena Vista. Soulcraft in Salida is less good, but still pretty dang good with a great (but odd in a way) atmosphere. House Rock Kitchen in BV for good lunch food. Lots of good food options in Salida for dinner and/or lunch. A friend who's a killer rider owns a couple joints: Sweetie's Sandwich Shop, Mo Burrito, and The Biker and The Baker. I'd of course encourage you to check any of those out, but there's several other good spots.
To this incredibly well thought out list, I can only add Amicas. The pizza is awesome, though the seating arrangements are a bit odd. The sangria is also amazing.
Honestly it's kinda difficult to swing a dead cat in Salida without hitting a decent to amazing-ish restaurant... Amica's is great (though I liked it more when it was Il Vicino) as is Moonlight Pizza, really. The Fritz is fancier but tasty. Ferraro's is killer fine dining Italian. Even the Boathouse has decent pub grub, though don't tell that to @6thElement as it was apparently the "worst burger he's ever had" or something like that.
To this incredibly well thought out list, I can only add Amicas. The pizza is awesome, though the seating arrangements are a bit odd. The sangria is also amazing.
Oh and @HAB if you brought skis, you could probably bag Shavano, Antero, or one of the 13ers in the area. The rain the past couple of days might have refreshed the high country for skiing, it should mellow out safety wise over the next day or so I'd guess... probably would need to see what night time temps are getting down to and if there's an overnight freeze or not.
Why are we listening to an Englishman's opinion on food? They didn't boil it long enough for him or something?
Apparently I pretty much had the same recommendations 3 years ago as I do now. 
But since he didn't ride Vitamin B on his last trip, that's gonna be my Numero Uno recommendation.
Also shit dude, stop visiting Salida in May. Start visiting in the second half of July, so we can get you to the real good shit.
But since he didn't ride Vitamin B on his last trip, that's gonna be my Numero Uno recommendation.
Also shit dude, stop visiting Salida in May. Start visiting in the second half of July, so we can get you to the real good shit.
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Didn't bring skis for this one unfortunately.
I am in favor of this happening.
I think it was 2014 or 2015, for the visit I'm thinking of. Fritz was great, Boathouse burger at that time was definitely terrible - the guac was definitely not authentic.
5th-6th or 12th-13th?
Hmm, might be able to swing it. I'll let you know later in the week.
...what the hell did I miss???
Just me bumping the thread from when I quit two jobs ago and went full dirtbag for a couple months.
I am presently employed, just in a capacity where working remotely is viable and riding bikes is part of the job description.
Barrel-Aged Oil Man appears to be on tap at Elevation... if you're interested in such nonsense.
Just sat down with a really good hazy IPA at Tres Litros (after doing Rhumba / Cottonwood / Sand Dunes), but maybe I'll end up over there later.
Stand by.