A spectrum of shoes

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Snazzy shoes at the Lunch Loops!

One of my trailbuilding compatriots made the observation, “It seems like no matter what you are doing, it comes down to shoes.” For any specialized pursuit, there is a corresponding niche of footwear, whether it be flyfishing, rock climbing, skiing, running, or mountain biking. Specialization in mountain bike shoes has largely been in the vein of stiff, shiny slippers replete with buckles, straps, and cleats as a means of attaching yourself to the bike. As platform (or flat) pedals have become a more ubiquitous choice for mountain bikers, the market for shoes designed for flat pedal riding has grown by leaps and bounds.

Teva

After over a year of almost daily wear, the Tevas are showing signs of relentless use. The fraying around the ankle can largely be attributed to the sharp edges on my Suntour Duro cranks.

Though I had been riding platform pedals for several years, it had always been on second hand shoes – Goodwill finds, or Wal Mart brand Chuck Taylor knockoffs. Last year, James Flatten hooked me up with a pair of Teva shoes through Grassroots Cycles while we were building for Singletrack Trails last year at Granby Ranch. The difference between the mtb specific Teva shoes and the clapped on Wal Mart kicks was absolutely amazing. The Chuck Taylor knockoffs I had been wearing were not much more substantial than cardboard slippers, and I had come accustomed to my feet blowing off the pedals half a dozen times on any given run. With the Links shoes, it felt like my bike gained another two inches of plush travel in comfort and control. Instead of bouncing off the pedals, my feet stayed planted, and cushioned footbed absorbed many of the shaper impacts I felt before. The hex pattern in the sole interfaces very well with the platform pedal pins.

After almost a full year of riding and near daily wear, the Teva Links are reaching the end of their useful life. While the outside construction is still holding quite solid, the shock pad in the heel has collapsed, and the ankle nub padding has ripped out. The blown ankle padding can largely be attributed to my lazy habit of slipping shoes on and off without untying the laces. As in every shoe with a cushioning heel pad I have owned, the pad eventually collapses, leaving a cavity in the heel area, and followed by an aching in my feet and knees from the awkward fit. The Tevas have gone the same route, which seems the inevitable demise of any shoe so cushy. For as haggard and clapped out as the inside of the shoe is looking, the outside has been remarkably durable. The tread has worn down, but only a small chunk has been been ripped out by pedal pins. The Ion-Mask technology that is supposed to keep the shoe’s material from absorbing water on a molecular level didn’t do much for actually keeping my feet dry, but it is worth noting that after a year of relentless trail builder bachelor use, there is no undue funk emanating from the shoes.

5.10

The righteous zebra stripes combined with the sticky Stealth rubber have made these my go-to shoes of late.

When climbing shoe company put their super-stick Stealth rubber on a pair of beefed-up skate style shoes and Sam Hill began slaying World Cup downhills in them on flat pedals, the market for platform specific shoes began to take off. This spring was my first chance to rock a pair of 5.10’s, and I was excited to try out their famous rubber on platform pedals. There have been a lot of comments that 5.10 shoes with quality platform pedals are “almost like being clipped in.” While I’m not quite certain I would go as far to say that, they do feel very solid on the pedal. Solid is definitely the overall feeling of the 5.10 Freeriders. The footbed does not have the comfort & support of the Tevas, but the fabric lining of the interior is much heavier material, like Carhartts v. yoga pants. All this contributes to the legacy of durablity 5.10s are renowned with. The heavy duty construction feel makes it more likely I will use these more as riding only shoes, compared the new cushy bedroom slipper feel of the Tevas that invite you to wear them everywhere.

Airspeed

The Airspeeds have a conservative, yet stylish look, suitable for Mormon missionary hipsters. At under $20, they also fit into the Mormon missionary budget. Ride On, Elders!

Recently I made a trip out of town, bike in tow with the idea of hitting up some trails on the way. About an hour down the road, I realized I had forgotten my new to me 5.10 riding shoes. After berating myself for overly rushed packing, I decided to see what might be available in the wondrous aisles of Wal Mart. For $19.98, I scored a pair of Airspeed skate shoes, with a promisingly sticky sole. Though I have only had a few rides on them, I am impressed so far. They are just as sticky on my Straitline pins as either the 5.10’s or Tevas, and feel quite similar on the foot to the 5.10’s, but with noticeably less insole support than either shoe. While it hasn’t been a factor on short trail rides or dirt jump sessions, I would be reluctant to take them on long, rough, rocky rides or lift served resort riding, where too much pedal sensation underfoot becomes painful rather than pleasant feedback.

“Vanity, vanity, everything is vanity,” the Teacher of Ecclesiasties tells us. So let us take a moment to consider these shoes from the vanity standpoint. In this case, the flashy 5.10′s with their grey and white zebra stripe pattern win for me. I never really cared much for the purple of the Teva, though I do find myself partial the alternate grey/blue/yellow color scheme. The Airspeeds are definitely the most subdued of the three, and could be mistaken for your grandfather’s slip ons. Some people are into that, especially if it matches their sister’s jeans…

Of the three pairs of shoes, the Teva Links were by far the most comfortable. While the cushiony feel may be connected to its eventual demise, it seems a reasonable tradeoff, especially considering that the comfort directly correlates to control. This comfort, combined with the diamond shaped pockets in the tread pattern make for a grip easily on par, if not greater than the less comfortable, more durable 5.10’s. As for the Airspeeds? At $20, you can’t really consider them a waste of money, as the sticky sole adhered to the pedals just as well as either bike specific shoe, but lack the support to make them suitable for extended wear, and durablity remains to be seen. Of all three shoes, I would be most likely to buy the Tevas again, as they could well be the most comfortable shoes I have ever slipped my feet into; that carefully engineered comfort resulted in a very perceivable increase in control on the bike, and the life span is reasonable, considering how relentlessly I used them.

 

How being raised by a farmer-carpenter makes one “atheletic”

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My dad, raised as an Iowa farmer, and a self-employed as a carpenter for much of his adult life, hated sports with the sort of vehemence one normally associates with jihadists for infidels, or the IRA for the English occupation. Any interest we expressed being like the other kids and playing the normal array of stick and ball sports usually elicited impassioned polemics as to the senselessness, lack of moral fiber, and unalloyed degeneracy that were the natural and unavoidable consequences of taking up such ungodly pursuits. So I didn’t play sports much as a kid. When it came time to divy up teams for gym class, I was one of the last to be chosen; the four eyed nerd waiting at the end of the line with the fat kids and the mentally handicapped. Actually, they usually got chosen before me because at least they knew which way to run with the ball.
Instead of playing sports, most of my childhood was spent in a form of indentured labor. Any of my own plans were superseded by my dad’s directive to assist him in any variety of projects, from digging footers by hand for additions, reroofing houses, or hauling hay. Little did I know at the time, but this rural raising was laying the foundations for an adult life of adventure.
This winter when I finally got around to trying out snowboarding, it was a very odd and curious thing to hear so many of my friends here in Colorado say, “Oh, you’ll pick it up no problem, since you are so athletic!” Granted, I am more active than most of the team captains from my days in the halls of the Cherryvale public school system, but I still don’t think of myself as athletic. I ride bikes, hike across unknown terrain, and move boulders simply because I find it rewarding and enjoyable, not as part of any training regimen. The health benefits of such activities are trivial side effects in comparison to the joy they bring to my soul.
As I was teaching myself how to make it down the mountain without cartwheeling into a snowball, I found several elements of my non-athletic upbringing coming into play. The feel of the board underfoot while carving a controlled turn is the same sensation as spreading sheetrock mud a drywall knife. When I found myself getting bucked by rough, bumpy snow, I reverted to the loose, flexible stability I learned loading swaying hay trailers in rough pastures. Choosing my line down the mountain required the same basic vision scanning skills as piloting a tractor and trailer through the Southeast Kansas woods.
I shared this irony with my cousin as we were riding the lifts at Snowmass on an epic spring powder day where I finally began to feel that I was in control of the board, and falling in love with the mountains and winter all over again. While I was wondering why I couldn’t have a normal, sports-filled childhood as I was digging ditches, hauling hay, and building barns, little did I know my dad was actually preparing me for an adult life of adventure. So thanks, Dad, for all the athletic training.

Starting the cycle again

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Juniper branches scratch and claw at me as I drag their severed limbs away from the trail corridor. In a densely choked declivity between lichen covered boulders, I arrange the branches to lay flat as possible against the dark duff of needles, branches, and bark, and wonder how many cycles of rainstorms, erosion, and decay it will take for this collection of disparate organic material to turn into dirt.
As a trailbuilder it is our medium, the corpus of our work. Sure there are wonderful creations of wood, and signature slickrock rides, but dirt is the sine qua non of mountain biking. Cutting a trail through the landscape is akin to process of surgery & dissection, abliet with picks and McLeods. Excavating by hand through the landscape, one is exposed to a very intimate and detailed natural history of erosion, decay, and life. One sees what an incredibly slow process by which dirt is formed here in the arid mountain west.
Growing up in the fertile pastures and fields of Southeast Kansas, I took the existence of dirt and green growing things rather for granted. When I moved to the high desert of Western Colorado, it was a shock to realize that every green and growing thing existed only because someone had brought water to it. Then I began to understand the miracle of life in the desert more, and appreciate against what incredible odds it survived against, whether it be a juniper tree, a chunk of crytpogram, clump of cactus, or fragrant sage. The smallest difference, a dead juniper branch laying across a steep slope, creating a miniature terrace for rabbitbrush to take root, the shade of a boulder protecting a deep bed of moss, all random elements coming together to support life, and by their own cycle of life and death, enriching the earth for those to come after them.
And then we use it to play on. So I think about the gravity of my acts every time I prune a juniper limb to blood red purple eye, hack through the bed of rootbound organic matter that vacuum seals Wyoming rocks in place, or crush lichen covered rock into backfill, and make sure that I am doing my best in the cycle of life and death to make this world a better place for those that come after me.

Early Season Stoke

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Saturday night I went to the Endoholics season kickoff party in Grand Junction. Social opportunities can be rather limited here in Rifle, so it seemed like a good excuse to get out of town and party down.

As per my usual, I was one of the early nerd on time kids to the party, standing in the stiff awkward pose of not knowing anyone, looking for a comfortable corner to hide myself in. But the great thing about being at a mountain bike party is that there’s always a common topic of conversation, and I was soon meeting many new fellow riding compatriots, catching up with old friends, and telling everyone the good news of Rifle. Things followed after the normal party parabola as more guests, food and libations began to flow into the Spyglass Ride Community Center. Blank had put together a highlights edit from the past season’s ride that quickly got everyone stoked on the season to come. Ruby Canyon Cycles donated several choice pieces of gear for a silent auction that raised $500 for the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Alliance.  Following the natural order of parties, people were soon standing on tables next to empty tequila bottles, delivering heartfelt encomiums of how much mountain biking means to us all.

The next morning, having limited my intake to avoid an early morning headache, I took a detour through DeBeque on my way back to Rifle. The network of moto singletrack near DeBeque has been getting a lot of attention lately, and is one of the key areas under review in the BLM’s new travel management plan. I have ridden a few segments of the 50+ miles of trail in the area (techy moves abound, but flow can be found) and was curious to see what else might be around. Though I heard a few motos out on the trails, there was still too much mud and snow on the trails for my tastes. A short distance down V.2 Rd from our usual one car parking spot, I came across a slickrock drainage that made for an ideal early season play zone. Snow on the shady side of the slickrock made a few areas off limits, but there was plenty of dry dirt and rock to make for a great afternoon of sessions. The echoes of the motos soon dispersed and I was left alone in the silence of a gathering storm to find my own lines in a playground set in the vastness of the Colorado Plateau.

Click below for a link to short iPhone video:

 

DeBeque play area

In Praise of Simple Things

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Most reviews are written about the latest and greatest. The bike I’m about to review isn’t even in production any more. But having ridden it all of last season, and in various iterations before that, it is one I am very familiar with and have come to admire its simple, basic reliability. The Soul Cycles Matador is a conventional single-pivot design, billed as dual slalom/4x/compact trail bike. At the time I acquired the Matador, I was riding a second hand Uzzi VPX which had become too portly for general trail riding. The Uzzi was great when pointed down with a head of steam behind it, but uphills or even flats required a considerable amount of wattage just to keep moving. As I love my flowy jump trails, but still enjoy a good trail ride, the Matador seemed like a nice balance of compromise.

 

An early version of the Matador, minus drivetrain (a.k.a. pumptrack special) after blowing it apart in Rabbit Valley mud. That racy-looking Bontrager saddle with its speedbat wings projecting out the back tore holes in every pair of shorts or pants I rode in.

The first edition of the Matador sported a short stroke DHX air shock, which promptly blew out, resulting in a wallowing, uncontrolled ride. In search of  more controlled and reliable suspension, I picked up a Manitou Swinger 3 way coil shock on ebay for $50. It worked decently, but soon went the way of the DHX Air. Part of my reasoning in choosing the Swinger was its cheapness & availablity, as its platform damping design has fallen out of favor, but lends itself to aftermarket modification through Avalanche Downhill racing’s rebuild program. For far less than the cost of a new shock, Craig Seekins at Avalanche downhill racing rebuilt my shock with better than new internals, and customized the valving for my weight and riding style.

The Manitou Swinger 3-Way post Avalanche rebuild. Pirate flag endorsed.

This modification, along with Craig’s advice about shock tuning and limitations, made the Matador into the bike I was hoping it would be. Last summer I took it on everything from epic trail rides to dirt jumping sessions, gnarly rock garden bashing, and floating over table tops on jump trails. It would be asking too much of your credulity, dear readers, to insist that it was excellent at everything. The geometery is a bit too tight (14.5” seattube, 22.5” top tube”) to make it comfortable for extended pedaling, and the 5” of single pivot suspension is quickly overwhelmed in rock gardens and chunder. It has a bit too much squish for pumptracks, but as someone who is still learning dirt jumps, it is very forgiving when coming up short (or overshooting) landings. On lift-served jump trails such as Rain Maker at Winter Park or Vahalla at Snowmass, the Matador is completely in its element. Braking bumps can be unsettling though, and on narrower, technical trails such as at Crested Butte, holding your line requires complete, clear headed Jedi mind focus.

The Matador in its current build. The KS seatpost has given it a whole new element of trail riding aptitude.

Acknowledging the limits of the bike, I am still impressed with its solidness, versatility and reliability. In rock gardens, high speed berms and sideways landings, the bolt-together rear end with the scissors link has proven solid. Sure, I have had to tighten bolts from time to time, but most are fixed with a dab of Loc-Tite. Any bike disassembled, reassembled, and ridden hard is going to have some loose bolts.

With a 410 mm Thomson seatpost, I was able to get enough leg extension to make for reasonable efficiency in seated pedaling, but the KS remote adjust seatpost is a bit shorter, and compromises seated pedaling. James Wilson of Mtb Strength Training Systems advocates riding with the seat low to develop core strength and bike handling skills, so now I just think of how much more of a badass I am going to be with all the standing pedaling I do on the Matador.

The clean, simple design allows a wide variety of potential configurations. It was designed to run either 24” or 26” wheels, and given the amount of clearance it has  with 26” wheels, it is safe to bet one could fit 650b in there as well.

Another simple, unique features of the Matador is how the rear triangle bolts together. This makes for great traveling bike setup. Instead of having to deal with a bike box and oversize luggage fees, I simply bought the largest suitcase I could find at Ross, disassambled the Matador and stuffed it in.

Soul Cycles has a new design in the works, the Analog, which appears to everything I would wish for to make the Matador a more well-rounded trail bike: longer seattube, longer toptube, 1.5 headtube to fit any fork & headset combo you like, ISCG tabs for a chainguide, and a smidge more travel (140mm v. 130mm), and multiple options for rear axles and shock position.

The Gumption Wagon gets new shoes

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Over the past year, I have dumped quite a bit of money into the Gumption Wagon, having the good folks at 4 Play Offroad install a Trail Gear lift kit, hi steer set up, and dual transfer cases. While the mechanical underpinnings of my 4Runner are solid, the rubber connecting it to the road has been anything but. For the 4 years I have been piloting the Gumption Wagon across Colorado and beyond, the tires and wheels have always been sub par. The first set featured a bent wheel (in one of my least favorite wheel styles) and unevenly worn tread.

The Gumption Wagon in an early explore on the north side of the Grand Hogback.

Two years ago, I purchased a second hand set set of shiny wheels from mountain biking bad ass Ross Schnell through a random craigslist ad. The wheels were certainly a style upgrade, but the tires were a significant size downgrade. And if you live in Rifle, CO, putting smaller tires on your vehicle is certain to get you a lot of suspicious stares.

The Gumption Wagon, pre-op at 4Play Offroad, with embarrassingly undersized tires.

Financing the mechanical work and upgrades drained my budget to the point I wasn’t able to afford tires that would really round out the build. Lance was able to scrounge up a well-used set of 35″ BFG mud terrains that held air, but the cracked and bulging carcasses made for an unnerving wobble at anything above 35 mph.

I was finally able to afford a new set of 35×12.50×15′s  for the Gumption Wagon, and decided to pick the cool new kid on the block, the General Grabbers with their attention-grabbing red-lettered sidewalls, suitable for rednecks & the KJV. The blocky parallellogram tread pattern has definite desert racing roots, and I was a little concerned about how they might handle the snow and ice of Colorado compared to the more elaborately siped and shaped lugs of most modern mud terrain tires. I’m not much of one for hardcore mudding, but I do live by the Dirt Every Day principle, so as soon as I had them mounted up, I headed out to some of my regular off road routes to see how they fared in the mud, snow, and slop that make up Western Colorado winters. I was stoked to discover that they handled the meltslop of local two tracks with aplomb, tracking well even in 2wd, and cleaning out very admirably. Admirably enough to move fender flares up on my priority list… I didn’t get stuck messing around in 2wd until I came to a steep, snow covered climb that I spun out on while putting my way up. Simply shifting into 4wd, the Grabbers dug in and I made it to the top with no puckering slides or undue wheel spinning.

I detected a definite increase in top end speed due to the red lettering.

 

Deceptively simple, desert racer cool.

Though the tread pattern looks simple at first, there is quite a bit going on in these basic shapes. It almost appears as an illusion of curvature or perspective, the but the channels between the the tread blocks actually change width, tapering in a very flattened ellipse shape, being narrower at the edges of the tread and wider in the center. The larger center blocks also have chamfered edges, effectively increasing the volume of the center channel. This is what General calls their “strake & chamfer” design. The chamfered-off edge combined with the strake pockets in the tread blocks effectively increases their off-road traction while delivering a very smooth and quiet ride on the road – no more than an aggressive all terrain tire.

 

The Gumption Wagon lookin’ good in new sneaks!

These tires made the Gumption Wagon drive like it was 20 years newer. All the work that 4Play had done installing the high steer set up and front end alignment had been masked by horrible tires I had been running before. Taking my hands off the wheel simply was not an option, now it tracks true down the road with no hint of wobble, shimmy, or drift. The subdued road noise is a welcome civility in the poorly insulated Wagon cockpit, and as an added bonus, it drives around corners much more smoothly without the awkward, hopping, chirping dance I had become accustomed to with driving a spooled rear axle.

Between the much more civilized pavement ride and enhanced off-road performance of the General Grabbers, I have fallen in love with the Gumption Wagon all over again, and am finally able to reap the benefits of all the work 4Play has done on it. 4Play Offroad was able to offer a price very competitive with any internet deal you might scrounge up for a set of new tires, especially when shipping and mounting and balancing prices are figured in. The support and knowledge I get when dealing with 4Play gives me a peace of mind when making major purchases for my 4Runner that cannot be had by internet scrounging. GIve 4Play a call at 970-625-2300 to see what they can do to put a little more Gumption in your Wagon.

12 nuggets from 2012

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In all honesty, I think the notion of January as marking the beginning of New Year is bogus. How many people make effective new beginnings in the middle of winter? No matter whether the impetus is a fiscal cliff or a flabby belt line, few people are capable of  doing more than making ludicrous promises or buying exercise equipment they will sweat on for a few weeks, then use as an elaborately inconvenient means of hanging laundry for the rest of the year.

Fall has always been my time of new year observations, taking stock of the year that passed, making plans for the one to come. But since everyone else is tuned up to make New Year’s lists and reviews and such, I figured I’d play along and put together my own retrospective of 2012.

1.) Gene Hamilton’s Better Ride Camp: This was a great way to start the season, as it improved my riding far more than I thought it would. Gene was right, the real benefits came later, from practicing the drills. Whenever I find my riding getting stale, reviewing the drills and principles I learned in the Better Ride camp is a great way to refresh and recenter myself. Keeping these fundamentals in mind has also helped me to ride safer, instead of pushing myself to ride harder out of frustration.

2.) Yoga: Becoming more regular in my yoga practice has paid dividends in my riding and general sense of well-being. I love the life I find myself living these days, and practicing yoga is a great way make sure I continue to enjoy it

3.)Valhalla trail at Snowmass: Normally I am terribly biased towards trails I have built or worked on, but no trail gave me such huge grins as the new Valhalla jump trail at Snowmass. The variety, flow, and confidence this trail inspired were unmatched by anything else I rode this summer, including the renowned Rainmaker trail at Winter Park. Big Props to Gravity Logic and Snowmass for having the vision to make this happen.

4.)Flyfishing: I bought a flyrod shortly after I moved to CO six years ago, made a few forays at learning creative ways to tie knots in my leader without ever touching it, but since then it has largely gathered dust. Thanks to James Flatten, I got out on the river more this year, and actually caught some fish. There is something very cleansing about standing in a river for an extended period of time, and feeling the fight of a fish at the end of flyrod is more exciting than can be explained.

5.) Wilderness First Responder class: I am grateful to Alex Norton for partnering with me in accomplishing what had been a long-standing goal for both of us. It was a lot to absorb in 10 days, but it gave a new confidence for venturing into the backcountry and was a reminder of the joy that comes from stretching one’s mind. Both the instructors and the classmates were very inspirational. I definitely plan on taking more NOLS courses in the future.

6.) Descending the Roan Plateau via the JQS trail: At first, I had dismissed the old JQS road cut coming off the Roan Plateau, thinking it would be too broad and boring. Curiosity finally overcame prejudice this summer, and I discovered the forces of time and erosion had transformed the former sheepherding path into a steep, skinny, loose, drifty extravaganza. Three thousand vertical feet of descending is nothing to dismiss, especially on a largely overlooked route that encourages you get your best sideways Graham Aggasiz impersonation on the whole way down.

7.) Realizing it is better to upgrade yourself than your bike: The Better Ride camp opened my eyes to the fact that the best way to improve my riding is by upgrading my skills rather than my bike. James Wilson of MTB Strength Training systems gets big props as well for providing so much valuable free information on strength training and riding skills via his daily blogs at www.bikejames.com

8.) Getting to be part of building the PBR trail at 18rd: The trails at 18rd are an iconic part of mountain biking history as they were some of the first trails built exclusively with mountain biking in mind. When I moved to CO, 18rd was the first place on my list of riding destinations to check out. The roller coaster flow and people I met there confirmed I made the right decision in moving out West instead of simply moving across town. So it was a great honor to be part of building the first new trail in nearly a decade at 18rd, and such an incredibly fun one at that.

9.)Mansfield Ditch: Sometimes it is embarrassing how long it takes to get around to riding trails in your own backyard. I had been looking at Mansfield Ditch on maps for years, but was never able to put together the combination of local knowledge and shuttling logistics til this year. Though much of the trail is relatively flat, the views are stellar and the final descent is rowdy fun.

10.) Getting a KSI dropper post: I had one of the first generation Maverick Speedball dropper posts, and my main complaint with it was that 3” was an insufficient amount of travel to be practically applicable for mountain biking. This fall I scored a second hand KSi 950r post for the Matador, and it has brought a whole new world of fun to trail riding. Most complaints about dropper posts are valid only if you principally ride your bike on bathroom scales and/or take most of your bike handling tips from the Tour De France. If you are interested in more effective, fun riding on actual mountain bike trails, dropper posts are every bit as revolutionary as effective suspension.

11.) Trim life down to the useful and meaningful. I am not a man of extravagant possessions, but even so I am beginning to see I own more than I need. Living out of a suitcase during the trailbuilding season has taught me to get by with less than I possess, and I am working towards trimming my collection down to quality items that serve me well, rather than a broad array of relatively meaningless stuff, no matter how cheaply I may come by it.

12.) Be the change you wish to see in the world: The Hubbard Mesa Open OHV just north of Rifle is one of my favorite local places to ride and recreate. However, it also happens to be the favorite area for many less conscious locals to dump their trash, usually followed by shooting it up. So I bought box of heavy duty trash bags and put it in place of the center console of the Gumption Wagon. My goal is to pick up one bag of trash every day I go out there. Has mindless littering stopped since I started this personal mission? No, but that really isn’t the point of it. What matters is doing what is in my power to make the world a better place.

Summer Photo Dump Part 4: Mansfield Ditch

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Since I first started exploring Rifle, I have been intrigued by the Mansfield Ditch trail. The 9.5 mile trail was originally built as in irrigation ditch in the early 1900′s, by the Manfield brothers, who started from opposite ends with mule-drawn plows and worked towards each other, but something was off in their math. The ditch did not flow water as planned, and despite repeated attempts to make it work, the loss in gumption was simply too great, and the ditch was abandoned to become a trail.

Wayne Edgeton of the Rifle Recreation department has been riding the trails in the Flat Tops for nearly a decade now, and invited me on a fall ride to enjoy the unique scenery of the Mansfield Ditch trail.

This is one of the first views alerting you to the spectacular scenery you are about to enjoy. Fall is a prime time to enjoy this ride, as the breathtaking views are accentuated by the changing leaves. Splitting your concentration between the views and narrow trail is the most challenging part of this ride.  For the most part, the trail isn’t particularly technical, but it is narrow, and pedal catching stumps can hide in the grass to the side of the trail.

This is one of the wider sections of the trail, carpeted in the signature colors of fall. The Rifle Ranger station has dedicated a lot of work to reclaiming this trail, which had become impassable in parts to encroaching vegetation, and the slow work of erosion. Big props to Ranger Grambley and the Western Colorado Conservation Corps!

Further down the trail, the vistas open up into sweeping views of the granite walls of Deep Creek Canyon, which contains Fortress of Solitude, one of the most difficult and renowned sport climbs in North America. At this juncture, there is a largely overgrown trail that drops into Deep Creek (going out the right side of the picture), while the more frequently traveled trail splitting off directly behind the picture drops down to the road where our shuttle vehicles were waiting. In contrast to the fairly level riding that characterizes much of the trail, the final descent is an absolute hoot, weaving through oak brush, railing sweetly banked natural turns, and generally enjoying the labors of the Mansfield Brothers in ways they never would have imagined.

Summer Photo Dump Part 3: Monarch Mondays

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One of my summer highlights was getting to frequent the Gunnison/Crested Butte area. Several of the guys from our trailbuilding crew live in the valley, providing glorious couch surfing opportunities.

Alex Norton and I completed long-standing goals in successfully completing a NOLS/Wilderness Medicine Institute Wilderness First Responder course this summer at the Western State College University campus. Being in the classroom was a fresh challenge,  the instructors were engaging, and the classmates diverse. I learned a lot in 10 days, and feel much better prepared to handle backcountry emergencies.

This summer one of our crew members, Justin Varaljay, retired from full time trail building to pursue the culinary arts  as cook for the Dogwood Cocktail Cabin in Crested Butte, where I was treated to heretofore unimagined libations and gastronomical delights. Justin had made many amazing meals for us with our rudimentary camp kitchen, and having a more professional kitchen at his disposal has allowed him even more creative freedom.

 

The Beetnik is a signature piece of mixology genius from owners Doug & Phoebe; a beet infused vodka , lemon, ginger martini. One may not neccessarily think of pairing “earthy,” and “refreshing” together to describe the same drink, but the Beetnik makes it happen.

Justin’s presentation of mac and cheese was wonderfully imaginative. When he came out carrying the plate, I was about to be like, “No, man, I ordered the mac and cheese. I didn’t even know you had fried ice cream on your menu.” Once I got my mind around the fact I was looking at deep fried balls of elbow macaroni with sage and gruyere cheese on top of crisp granny smith apple slices, separated by an arugula salald dressed with truffle oil and matchstick apple slices, my appetite rallied ’round and I set to with gusto.

Thanks to fortuitous scheduling, I was able to join Justin and Caleb for several episodes of “Monarch Mondays” during the summer.  My first ride off Monarch Pass, I used the “I had to stop to take a picture” excuse quite liberally as I acclimated myself to the notion of starting a ride at 10,000′ and climbing up from there on a 38lb single ring machine. The climbing portion was actually fairly mellow, once I used to the bile rising in my throat and spinning sensation in my head. Eventually the climb flattens out into an above treeline cruise, dancing between boulders as you try to take in roof of the world views.

When I finally managed to pedal my beefy rig well clear of treeline, I had to stop and take a pic to record the moment. And to catch my breath.

We pause before the descent into the Foose’s Creek trail to drop our seats, pad up,   and prepare for a rowdy, epic descent. Foose’s Creek packs about just about everything you could imagine into a 5 mile long trail off the crest of the Continental Divide. Rock gardens, techy moves, natural booters, high speed Jedi antics, everything that can make you say “Wow!”  We are riding our bikes, going downhill, and grinning like idiots, what more could we ask for?

 

Summer Photo Dump Part2: Estherbrook, WY

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During our off days, Estherbrook, WY, on the northern base of Laramie Peak, became one of our favorite spots for exploring. On one of our first visits to the area, a local confided in us, “We’re all here because we’re not all there.” Words of welcome to anyone inclined to the eccentricities of mountain life.

Out here, there are more pronghorns than people. Little did we know it, but this road would take us to one of the largest, tastiest burgers we have ever encountered.

This is the standard size Estherbrook bacon cheese burger. The options only get larger from here….

On one of our first expeditions to Estherbrook, we scrambled a small peak we had camped beneath. Laramie Peak dominates the background.

Norton checks out a turkey vulture that was circling the small peak we had climbed. While the turkey vulture may be homely, they certainly have the art of soaring mastered well beyond any other bird.

A large fire had ravaged much of the land on the south side of Laramie Peak, leaving behind a surreal, charred landscape interrupted by startling signs of life.

Buffalo Park is quite aptly named. I can’t imagine a landscape where a herd of bison would fit in more naturally.

I have a particular weakness for old, contraptionified trucks. This one struck an immediate chord of longing in me….