Up early and off by 6am stopping at the store for some Honey Crullers and gatorade and a banana for breakfast. My Iphone played me tunes thru the car stereo to keep me company on the next 3hrs road trip to Grand Junction REI. There I stocked up with a rented tent and sleeping bag, plenty of Clif bars and shots and a new Gerber multi tool and something to start a fire. I will start my own camp fire this trip! I hadf to resist temptation to buy a stove and pots pans etc- I want to cook in the camp but actually it will be cheaper to eat out than buy all that.
Next stop was Fruita, heading up 18 road to the Book Cliffs Trail head. I got there by 12 noon and boy it was so damn hot! I hastily built my bike up while listening to the other riders tell of the trail conditions out there. Fortunately nothing was bent or bumped on my bike and it went together first time no tweaking so then I was off. First descent was fast and flowy heading into climb up Prime Cut to Joes Ridge past all the camp sites where I hoped to stay tonight- this looked a great campsite, even toilet pits!
Joes Ridge was even more magical than I recalled, you climb a little way on harpacked narrow singletrack and crest the brow of a hill to see strung out before you a narrow strip of singletrack marking the tip of a long ridge that swooped left and right and up and down as far as your eye could see. Oh how I want to video my run down this! This was fast, flowy, singletrack heaven but keep your eyes on the trail or one of two hazards will get you if you veer off either a catus or a sheer drop down off the ridge to either side. I guess its like riding a long skinny piece of North Shore – you MUST stay on the line or else...!
Phew what a great start, next I climbed back upPrime Cut and this time took Kessel's Run. I remember it from last time we stumbled upon it as it was not on the map and it snaked left and right from berm to berm. Imagine those berms on Golden birdies or the Yoghurt Pots/Parklife start but 10 times as many and 10 times as long- sweet sweee fun- this is what I came here for!
Not satisfied yet I came back up the whole of Prime Cut and decided to go for the double diamond black run of Zippety Do Da- at the trail head a very olde faded wooden sign hada the black dimanonds marked and “Experts Only”- apparently this one has some steeps and should not be ridden alone- oh well I'm here already and I'm not missing out!
This was like a repeat of Joes Ridge but higher and with a couple of really steep descents on ridges with drop offs to either side meaning you really really must stay on that singletrack strip Claire- you MUST! What an adrenalin buzz! Zippety chucked me out at the Trail head car park and I was donw for the day. 3Hrs and 25km of fun under the belt and a feeling of sun exposure, altitude and hunger inside me – time to hit town for food and supplies.
Stocked up in town with a full belly and snacks and beers for tonight and brekkie- it was back up the 4 mile dirt rod to my camp spot. I'm wild camping tonight- no fees, no showers just a pit for a toilet and a bencha nd grill plus a superb sunset view. All for free - this place is amazing! I read til 9pm and then as the darkness descended retired to my tent and was asleep in 10 mins! Only to wake at 2am- damn it.
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