Dry Creek

Bruce and I at the Trailhead. Bruce was actually happy.

Riding in the snow is fun, as long as you stay on the hardpack, Dwight!

Dwight and Bruce.

Two weekends ago I rode my single speed with Dwight Hibdon and Bruce Lyman around Round Valley and had a blast. The trails were hard packed snow and the temp was just right. I was a little disappointed cuz all the trail users were real friendly and didn't seem to mind our bikes on their trails. It was a surprisingly pleasant blend of hikers, skiers, dogs and MTBer's enjoying an absolutely perfect day. I was looking for someone to get pissed off at and take my Leadville frustration out on, but there were absolutely no opportunities. The great day made me forget about Leadville and the purge is now complete.

My next obsession will be the Park City Point 2 Point race in September. Nothing like a homegrown, classic epic right in our own backyard. Mark my word. This race will be on every serious endurance junkies bucket list. It has more climbing in less distance than Leadville, and, much of it is technical single track. I'll be spending a lot of summer time in PC getting ready for this bad boy. It really threw me for a loop last year so I'm gonna be better prepared in 2010. I hope.

This past Saturday was MTBing on the Shoreline Trail and Dry Creek Canyon. BIG MISTAKE!!! Shoreline was dry really fun. I didn't go into Red Butte but I suspect there is mud back there. But Dry Creek is anything but dry. The snow began immediately and was only briefly interrupted with patches of dirt and MUD. I should have know better, but I needed 2+ hours and I was gonna it no matter what.

I was riding my HiFi 29er with a Stans Crows on the back at about 25 psi. I was able to clean everything up to the steep switchback except the rock garden, but after the SB it was a mess! The flat traverse to the overlook was ice and mud with a little water running along the side. The temptress was after the overlook looking towards City Creek the trail looked great. Dry dirt! But around the first corner it turned to sticky mud. I rode through it and around the 1st left hand turn and decided I'd had enough. I turned around and couldn't even move my wheels the mud was so thick. IDIOT! I retraced my route cuz I at least knew what I was getting in to, and, I got my 2 hours in. But this was a day of quantity, not quality. And it's gonna take me all week to clean up the mess. Enjoy these pictures of my stupidity - ROOKIE!

This is the switchback.

Just around the corner of the switchback. I walked this too.

This looked pretty inviting to me. Just get past a little mud and it will be smooth sailing. NOT!

When I looked down at the mud on my tires I thought I was riding a Pugsley.

And then the wheels stopped turning, and I was done.