July 5th - Spruce Creek hike & Keystone Recovery ride

On July 5th we slept in a bit, both exhausted from the previous day's Firecracker 50 race. After breakfast we went headed about 3 miles south of Breckenridge to the Spruce Creek Trail where we saw wonderful wildflowers. The trail was beautiful - and just what we needed to flush all of the lead out of our legs.

In the afternoon we returned to camp to read and take naps. In the early evening, we braved the rain and overcast sky to take our final ride in Colorado. It was cold, as you can tell by our riding clothes.

We went for a short recovery ride on bike path that connects many of the ski towns. We rode from the Lake Dillon area to Keystone Ski Resort. The ride followed the Snake River for most of the way. Simply beautiful! We returned to camp and Rob cooked dinner under a tarp because the rain just wouldn't quit! Early to bed, as we planned to wake at 4am to pack up and head home.

July 4th - Firecracker 50 Mountain Bike Race

On the 4th of July, Rob and I participated in the Firecracker 50, a 50 mile mountain bike race in Breckenridge, Colorado.

The race was composed of two 25 mile laps, with 10,800 ft of climbing. Since I really enjoy enduro events, this seemed like the perfect way to end our Colorado vacation. Additionally, it would be great training for the highlight of my race season, the Off-road Assault on Mt. Mitchell (ORAMM) which was three weeks away.

The race began in a unique way. We were part of the annual 4th of July parade down Main Street in Breckenridge. My age group was lead through the parade by a woman on a cruiser bicycle with her two little girls in a kiddie trailer on the back. As we made our way down Main Street, the crowds cheered as if we were professional cyclists. Kids begged you to high-five them from the sidelines. I slapped as many hands as I could. One little guy high-fived me with such gusto, I nearly fell off the bike.

The course began with a 9 mile climb on mainly forest service roads. A sweet singletrack descent followed, but shortly after, the next climb up “Little French” began. It was steep, rocky and arduous. This was my least favorite part of the course. A sweet downhill with amazing views followed. One downhill was so tricky (Nightmare on Baldy) that they placed a first aid station at the bottom. Glad I didn’t need any assistance from them. There were aid stations set up every 6 miles, which was very nice. No hydration pack needed! Volunteers simply handed you a full bottle of either Gatorade or water. You threw your empty bottle on the ground and they picked it up for you. They were also handing out Clif Shots at all the stations, so it wasn’t necessary to carry much food along. Excellent idea! There was some more climbing up until we reached mile 21. Four fun miles of downhill followed, complete with tight slots through trees, steep switchbacks and boulder gardens that rattled my teeth. I rolled into the transition area with a lap time of 3 hours, 13 minutes. After my first lap, I was completely unenthused about going out for another. However, I turned on my MP3 player and that seemed to do the trick. Aside from uttering some obscenities on Little French again, I was smiling through lap number two. I came through the finish line and was so excited to see Rob, who greeted me with a hug, lots of praise, and an offer to go anywhere I wanted for dinner. Rob had a strong race. He completed one lap, but had some mechanical issues (including a ripped tire) which precluded him from finishing. Grrr!

After the race we hung out at the post-race bbq for awhile and watched the other racers trickle into the finish line. In the end, I ended up placing 11th out of 15 women with a time of 6 hours, 34 minutes, but I was still very pleased with my result. I didn't taper or pre-ride the course since this was not an "A" race for me. Additionally the Colorado girls I competed against were amazingly strong - billygoat climbers and kamikaze downhillers! I was very happy. I’m still smiling!

-Aimee

July 3rd - rest day

On July 3rd we drove from Estes Park to Breckenridge. Today was a rest day, as we were both going to ride the Firecracker 50 mountain bike race the following day.

On the way to our camp at Lake Dillon, we stopped at Meadow Mountain Cafe for breakfast in Allenspark (thanks for the recommendation, Julie and Paul!). It was one of the best breakfasts we've ever had. The cinnamon rolls were the size of dinner plates and the omelets were to die for. Yum. On the way to Breck, Aimee suggested a shortcut that didn't quite work out. On the flipside, we were able to see a big coyote up close which was super cool.

July 2nd - Hall Ranch and Rocky Mtn National Park

We had a great time on Sunday. We woke early and headed out to Hall Ranch to ride with Julie and Paul. After riding Trail Ridge on the road bike the previous day, Rob and I needed something a little easier. By mtbing, Paul could join us as well on his mountain unicycle, which was great! Paul is an amazing athlete. He had us mesmerized by his technical skill on the tough trail. Julie looked great on her mountain biking - riding with total style. Rob had a blast on the technical stuff and was riding stuff that blew me away.

After riding we went back home, showered and loaded up the kids for a hike in Rocky Mtn National Park. Our first attempt was hampered by showers, but we were able to take a second hike around Sprague Lake. It was a beautiful spot and we enjoyed watching the boys make a beaver dam. ;)

Julie and Paul cooked us another fine meal and we relaxed on the back porch which afforded wonderful views of the mountains. A perfect day indeed!

July 1st - Trail Ridge, Rocky Mtn National Park

Today Julie took us on a killer road ride called Trail Ridge in Rocky Mtn National Park. The ride was 51 miles and involved THREE straight hours of climbing. We went from 7,000ft in Estes Park to 12,000ft with some more ups and downs in the middle. It was a tough climb, but a wonderful way to see the park, some wildlife and catch up with Julie. The descent was amazing - it lasted about an hour. We didn't bring a camera with us, but Paul snapped some photos as we slogged up the hill toward home. The amazing part is that Julie usually does this very ride, but adds on an additional 49 miles to cap it off at 100. Oh, and she does this at least once a week. Yow!

After the ride we hung out and watched the rain come down. When the rain stopped, we headed into Estes Park to check out the town.

June 30th - Turquoise Lake Ride, Leadville

On Friday we packed up camp in Buena Vista and headed north to Leadville to do the Turquoise Lake road ride. The route offered amazing views of the deep blue mountain lake and the rugged mountains of Leadville. It is said that Leadville is the closest thing you'll find to Alaska in the lower 48. We believe it.

After riding we headed to Boulder by way of US 70 and then Clear Creek Canyon Road (US 6). Rob snapped some photos of the gnar that this creek had to offer. Imagine it with more water!

We stopped for dinner in Boulder, walked around Pearl Street for a bit, checked out a University Cycles (awesome) and then made our way to Estes Park to visit Julie Gaz and her family.

June 28th & 29th - Brown's Canyon & The Numbers - Arkansas River

We spent a few very fun days with Terry and Mike McGhee and Oklahoma Jeff on the Arkansas river. Yes, these are the same legendary McGhee boys that frequent rivers in the good old Southeast!

Aimee, Rob, Mike, Terry and Jeff paddled Brown's Canyon on Wednesday. Brown's is a picture perfect class III run with non-stop play and very friendly rapids. This truly marked Aimee's return to paddling as she looked confident and cleaned all the lines.

Rob, Mike and Terry paddled the Numbers section of the Arkansas on Thursday under sunny skies and a great water level. The Numbers is a nice class IV run with fun pushy rapids that made for a very fun run.

The Arkansas has something for everyone with miles and miles of quality water.

June 27th - Monarch Crest Trail - Ponch Springs

On Tuesday morning at 7am, Rob and I met our shuttle driver in Poncha Springs, which is just outside of Salida. It was suggested that we ride early because of the daily afternoon thunderstorms. He took us to the top of Monarch Pass, which was at 11,312 feet and we would then climb for another hour before starting a mostly downhill ride.

At the top, we encountered snow and some amazing views! We kept checking over our shoulders, as the thunderheads were forming early. We managed to make it off a high ridge before the storm started cooking, but we didn't dodge the rain and the wind. We had intended to ride the Rainbow Trail on the way down (44 mile option), but due to weather we went with the Silver Creek Trail, which was around 35 miles. Another amazing, epic ride that we loved! This is a must-do ride if you're anywhere near Salida!

June 26th - Colorado Trail @ Junction Creek

On Monday we packed up our camp. We would have liked another week in Durango, as the area was rife with amazing trails, road rides, good restaurants, river playspots, etc. Before departing, we squeezed in one final ride on the Colorado Trail, starting at Junction Creek to Hoffheins Connection and back on the Colorado Trail. This was a favorite trail of ours for sure.

We then headed east on 160, passing through some small mountain towns. We stopped in Pagosa Springs to eat our tailgate lunch and check out the hot springs and whitewater park. Pagosa was a very cute town - next time we'd like to spend a day or two here exploring. In Pagosa we stopped at the Choke Cherry Tree shop, which was filled with jelly, jerkey, chocoloate, etc. Check out the photo of their sign. We've been enjoying Deer Droppings ever since we stopped by. ;)

June 25th - Mesa Verde National Park

Here are a few photos - more details to come about our visit!

June 24th - Horse Gulch Trails & Durango Whitewater Park

On Saturday we saw the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge train pass right behind our campsite. We didn't have time to take the train trip, but would love to do it next time we're in the area.

We decided to take it easy with a short ride at Horse Gulch. This trail system is blocks away from Durango's downtown and is filled with 40+ miles of singletrack. We were so jealous of the locals.

After riding, we went to a local coffee shop and over to Durango MTB Specialists to have Aimee's brakes checked out. Then we drove less than 2 miles to the Durango whitewater park where Rob played on the Animas River. He had to dodge the local college kids who were floating down the river on giant turtle and sea horse pool toys. After the play session, we drove to St. Columbia so Aimee could attend mass. Afterwards we hit the grocery store, cooked dinner at camp and did some laundry!

June 23rd - Hermosa Creek Trail - Durango

On Friday we arranged for a shuttle to Purgatory Ski area which is 8 miles from the start of the Hermosa Creek trail, making this a 31.5 mile ride. The first 4 miles involved a steep forest service road climb, the following 4 were rolling hills and the remainder was sweet singletrack that generally flowed downhill. There were three tough climbs at the end, but they were over soon enough. We enjoyed the beautiful views of the creek, alpine meadows and mountain vistas. Beautiful!

Later that day we drove out to Lake Vallecito with intentions to camp. We decided that the lake was too far from town, so we headed back to a campground closer to Durango. On the way, we got caught in a traffic jam caused by an enormous herd of sheep. These guys smelled awful and were quite vocal when we tried to drive through the chaos.

June 22nd - On to Durango

On Thursday morning, we packed up our gear and left Crested Butte. We hated to leave our little campsite at Lake Irwin, as it was so peaceful and pretty, but it was time to cover new ground. On our way out of town, we went for a road ride along the Taylor River in Almont which was beautiful. After the ride, we continued on through Gunnison to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River National Park. The canyon was absoultely stunning - dark canyon walls that make Tallulah look tiny. The Gunnison River rages through this canyon and you could easily see the busy class V whitewater below. If you're ever in Colorado, this is a must-see.

After checking out the canyon we continued south to Durango, passing through Montrose, Silverton, and Ouray. Rob gets props for driving on US 550, it was the most scary road I've ever seen. Hairpin turns around the mountain and no guard rail! I had a hard time looking out the window.

We arrived in Durango around 9pm and decided to crash at a hotel instead of setting up camp in the dark.

June 21st - Summer Solstice

To celebrate the true beginning of summer, we decided to ride the 401 trail in Crested Butte. Alison told us this was her favorite trail, so we decided to check it out. Rob and I both agree, it was the coolest ride we've ever done. The trail began with a long, grueling 7 mile climb on forest service roads and tight singletrack dotted with snow patches. The following 7 miles contained the most epic singletrack we're ever seen. Wildflowers up to your hips, amazing views and ribbons of singletrack etched into the side of the mountain, and outstanding views.

After the ride we headed into CB to do some laundry and then headed back to Lake Irwin to have dinner. Post dinner, Rob went for a paddle on the Lake. A great day, indeed!

June 20th - Crested Butte & Gunnison

Today we decided to take it easy with an hour long mtb ride at one of the local trails in Crested Butte. You could reach this trail by riding right out of town - the locals do this one after work. We are jealous! Wild flowers, great climbs and views of Oh-be-Joyful Creek - which has some sick class V drops in it. Little Mark, this has your name written all over it. ;)

After riding we headed over to Gunnison to play at the whitewater park in town. Rob played until his arms fell off and I practiced ferrys and rolling in the eddy. Yow, I am rusty.

We finished the day with showers (we were stinky!) at the local hostel and dinner at Donita's.