So we did an impromptu ride yesterday afternoon here on the Front Range. Morryjg, a couple other buddies, and myself had all gotten together yesterday a.m. for a local pancake breakfast at a summer-end festival and the wives were on board with a late afternoon escape for the boys.
So we got together around 3 p.m. and drove the short ways south to the trailhead at Waterton Canyon. We made short work of the 6 miles up to the dam and decided to do the Indian Creek loop "backwards" - which just means that *nobody* does it in this direction.
The initial climb was pretty loose and seemed to go on forever. We reached a section of "dark woods" and continued the climbing. At the top of the forest section was an old abandoned jeep road that kept climbing.
Finally, at about 14 miles, we reached the "top" of the climb. The singletrack that is usually the climb now became the descent. And what a blast! Rocky, dusty singletrack through nice tight forest. Lots of threading of trees, swooping curves, and rocky stretches. And this down goes on for a *long* ways.
Another short climb brought us up to the top of a ridge where we were treated again to swoopy riding through trees and on open ridge top. Then another screaming descent through trees off the end of the ridge on loose and dusty singletrack brought us to the Colorado Trail junction where we had another fast-as-sin descent back to the dam.
6 miles of road and we were back at the cars. We headed back to join the wimmen for chicken wings, salad, green beans, and beer.
I'm pretty sure the 4 of us polished off almost 100 chicken wings.
Ride was ~29 miles. Took us about 3-1/2 hours. We now have *two* completely different 29 mile singletrack rides right outside town.
So we got together around 3 p.m. and drove the short ways south to the trailhead at Waterton Canyon. We made short work of the 6 miles up to the dam and decided to do the Indian Creek loop "backwards" - which just means that *nobody* does it in this direction.
The initial climb was pretty loose and seemed to go on forever. We reached a section of "dark woods" and continued the climbing. At the top of the forest section was an old abandoned jeep road that kept climbing.
Finally, at about 14 miles, we reached the "top" of the climb. The singletrack that is usually the climb now became the descent. And what a blast! Rocky, dusty singletrack through nice tight forest. Lots of threading of trees, swooping curves, and rocky stretches. And this down goes on for a *long* ways.
Another short climb brought us up to the top of a ridge where we were treated again to swoopy riding through trees and on open ridge top. Then another screaming descent through trees off the end of the ridge on loose and dusty singletrack brought us to the Colorado Trail junction where we had another fast-as-sin descent back to the dam.
6 miles of road and we were back at the cars. We headed back to join the wimmen for chicken wings, salad, green beans, and beer.
I'm pretty sure the 4 of us polished off almost 100 chicken wings.
Ride was ~29 miles. Took us about 3-1/2 hours. We now have *two* completely different 29 mile singletrack rides right outside town.
ink:
