The mountain biking in Fruita, Colorado is a little slice of heaven baked by the sun and carved from the desert. Singletrack trails crisscross the desert around the now-famous 18 road and even more trails skip along the spiny backs of nearby ridges that protrude from the mountains. Unless there’s a storm clouding the sky, sunsets light up the horizon nightly and stars blaze from one side of your vision to the other.
On this particular day I chose to do some trail running just south of The Canyons resort and discovered that the snow hadn’t entirely melted yet. This makes for the best kind of dirt, though: tacky and fast.
Our long Memorial Day weekend was a little chilly but the sunset views from our campsite on Bear Lake were fantastic. If you decide to visit the lake I would recommend staying at the south end—and bring your rain jacket.
At least downtown, anyway. Every year The Bike Collective in Salt Lake holds an annual fundraiser and people get really, really into it. Over the years it’s grown in size and so has the ride through downtown that kicks things off. It’s a rolling celebration of bike culture and one that everyone should have the opportunity to take part in at some point.
It’s unusual that Re and I camp so close to home (or at a campground) save for one or two long weekends a year. A few friends had grabbed a site along the shore of Bear Lake in northeastern Utah, so we loaded up the truck and joined them for some barbecuing and beers—and a little paddling.
Read a little more about Bear Lake right here. It wouldn’t hurt to get a huckleberry milkshake when you’re in town, too—they’re worth the drive from Salt Lake City.
Masked by a cloudy veil, the lighthouse at Point Reyes stands tall. We were in the Bay Area for a wedding so we figured it was worth doing some of the more touristy things, too. This lighthouse has been on the list for a while.
Years ago the camping around Stanley, Idaho included a small, secluded site atop one of the ridges just above town. It took a heavy foot on the gas pedal, four-wheel drive, and a little bit of faith to climb the rutted and dusty road up to this site and it was worth the trouble. This is just a portion of the 360-degree view of the star-filled sky over this small Idaho town flanked by the Sawtooths.
Visit Stanley for the rafting, mountain biking (send me a message for some beta), and hot springs. You’ll never want to leave.
|| The heat has returned to Utah. The dirt is dry and mountain biking season is back in full foce. In honor of the heat, I decided it was time to post these POV mountain biking photos. This is a continuation of the series I started a couple years ago during the winter. All of the bike photos were shot on the trail in Corner Canyon in Draper, Utah. I rode the same bike for every shot, a Civilian Bicycles Young Turk, and used the same camera rig described in my winter post.
With the explosion of HD resolution helmet cameras, this point of view is nothing new. No matter, as cliche as it sounds, this project was about trying a new technique and having fun. I accomplished both missions and came away with a series of photos that I find interesting. Years from now, when I’m old and gray, these photos will remind me how fun it was to ride my bike. My hope is that they’ll do the same for someone else too. ||
A season of riding my Civilian Young Turk hooked me on the idea of 29ers. With parts from my Santa Cruz Heckler and the Young Turk, I was able to build this Diamondback Mason. I was attracted to this particular frame because of the slack head angle (66.5 deg), 12×142 rear axle, and dimensions that closely matched the fit of my Heckler. Thanks to Mr. Brian Bernard for the wrench time, the teachable moments in the shop, and a general beardiness.
Look for a mid-term review once I’m able to ride the Mason a little more. Bike Magazine posted a review here.
For the stats nerds: this is a medium frame with 750mm bars, 70mm stem, a 140mm fork with 20mm thru axle, a 1×10 drivetrain, and one seriously long rear brake line.
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