[Part 1]
[Part 2]
10/17-18/2009
Mountain Biking 80 miles of the Kokopelli Trail
For
several years now, Eric and I have talked about mtn biking the Kokopelli Trail
in anywhere from 1 to 3 days. We have arranged it, set dates, and packed.... yet
never got to the trailhead for various reasons on atleast 4 other occasions....
but this time we finally got started. I did the 5hr drive out to the Loma
Trailhead on Friday night and shortly after, Eric and his nephew Billy arrived
who was kind enough to meet us along the trail to refuel and camp. I was feeling
guilty for leaving Jean and Miles at home, but
needed to put this bear to rest. Ultimately we only made it through the first 4
(of 7) sections and bailed after 80miles at Dewey Bridge. It was our planned
halfway point, and I pulled the plug on finishing the last 60miles on Sunday
mainly because it would've been impossible to get home after the ride. Besides,
I don't think my ass could've handled the abusive 6K of elevation gain! So now
we've got some unfinished business to come back and take care of.
Section 1, Loma to Rabbit Valley; 21miles; 3hrs: 7:30am on a chilly
Saturday morning we were on our bikes and 
finally
about to start this thing! This part was quite familiar as I've ridden these
trails several times before. The first 13miles are the most technical and your
ride could end real quick with a crash. Mary's Loop to Lion's Loop to Troy Built
Loop contours along the rim with the Colorado River below. The willows and
cottonwoods looked awesome with plenty of yellow and greens dotting the
riverbank. Lots of bumps, jumps, exposure, and drops that you've gotta pay
attention to! The broken branch of a
tree decided to jump out and rip my shirt and leave a bloody reminder on my
shoulder. Time quickly passed between Eric and I as we swapped baby stories and
got caught up on months of laughs and making fun of each other. Along Troy Built
we dropped down to Salt Creek and had to hop off our bikes several times on both
sides to hike-a-bike over obstacles. After about 13miles we joined the Rabbit
Valley access road and cruised some easy miles to the I70 exit where Billy was
waiting for us so we could drop off some clothing and grab some more food/water.
Section 2, Rabbit Valley to Westwater; 18.5miles; 2.5hrs: After a
20min break we were back on the bikes and 
cruising
through some campsites with plenty of folks getting ready to bike or ATV for the
day. The riding was much easier along this section and the sun was warming up
the day nicely. A few rough spots along the 4x4 road dropping down into the dry
McDonald Creek. Some cool Moab-esque rock formations as we crossed the invisible
Colorado/Utah border following the Entrada formations. Mostly double track
trails that we cruised along knocking off the miles with the occasional surprise
of loose rocky descents or stiff climbs. The only folks we saw were a couple
ATV'ers and a large group of mtn bikers that seemed to enjoy
hooting and hollering! The 400ft climb up Bitter Creek Mesa wasn't bad, and in
typical fashion we were wishing it was longer and steeper. The next few miles
down to Westwater road reminded me of the Porcupine Rim.... downright abusive!
It was a sweet cruise, but bone-rattling and really bounced my eyes all around
my head. Once on the road, we had an easy few miles on pavement to Westwater
boat launch where Billy was waiting again for another refuel spot.
Section 3, Westwater to Fish Ford; 26miles; 1.5hrs: Alot of biking
under our belts, alot more to go. This section 
cruised
by pretty quickly, though I was starting to feel all the miles in the saddle. We
pedaled a couple miles back up Westwater road and hung a sharp turn under the
trestle bridge. All 2wd roads along the RxR and powerlines in the middle of
nowhere surrounded by nothing. A great place to zone out or sing Elmo songs,
like we did! The LaSal mtns still looked far far far away. Out of nowhere, an
18wheeler
fuel truck came up behind us and disappeared down the road leaving a cloud of
dust, strange, what the heck was he doing out here?! Another couple miles of
road where we talked about how bad it would suck to be lost out here in August
with no map or water!
Section 4, Fish Ford to Dewey Bridge; 13miles; 1.5hrs: No support
between these sections and our last miles for the day... thankfully! This
section is kinda a blur, but it was some rocky uphills and single track before
getting real close 
to
the Colorado River and cruising through willows that smack ya head to toe. The
colors really made this a special place, and like Eric pointed out... how many
people have seen this section of the river? It would either have to be by boat
or bike. Close to the river were some muddy sections with giant dinosaur
footprints.... well, not really, but looked like it to us at the time! A few
more hike-a-bike sections and a break to toss rocks into the river from the
trail high above. Another few miles of teeth-rattling
downhills to McGraw Bottom and popping out on 128. Here we had the choice to
cross the highway and continue through the tough Yellow Jacket Canyon adding on
another 2hrs, or an easy 5miles on pavement to Dewey Bridge where food, beer,
and camp were waiting. Not a hard decision as we hid in the shade of a telephone
pole, and before long we were in camp. Funny that we had no mechanical problems
all day until 25ft away from camp when Eric got 2 flat tires!
Whew,
an ass-whoopin' ~80mile day and 8.5hrs in the saddle (9.5 w/ breaks). Definitely
tougher then I imagined and not all relatively easy 2wd dirt road cruising like
most of the White Rim. Beers and spaghetti
tasted damn good! I was sore head to toe from all the jarring around, and while
Eric changed his tubes and Billy played guitar, I loaded up my pack and bike for
the second half on Sunday. After crawling in the sleeping bag and falling asleep
fast and hard, at some point during the night I woke up and
couldn't stop thinking about how bad it would suck to not get back to Colo Spgs
until ~1am after a 60mile, 10hr, 6000ft day on the bike. Seemed impossible. So
in the morning I proposed the idea to Eric that we come back in the Spring to
finish off the Kokopelli, but for Sunday just go back and ride the section of
Yellow Jacket Canyon that we skipped. After weighing both sides over and over,
and a long period of indecision, we decided it would be best to go that route. I
felt like a wuss, but also didn't want to fall asleep and die on the drive home!
Yellow
Jacket Canyon; 15miles; 2hrs: After a leisurely Sunday morning and watching
the start of the "Moab Other Half Marathon" that started at Dewey
Bridge, we gingerly put our sore asses back on the bikes for the 5miles of
pavement back up 128 to the start of Yellow Jacket Canyon. The first couple
miles of climbing the rocky double track went real slow as we worked out the
kinks and tried not to
sit as much as possible. Rocky up's and down's led to some fun slickrock and
deeper in the giant sandstone walls growing around us. Just as I stated that the
sand wasn't too bad, like mentioned in the guidebook, viola.... tons of sand!
Rock drops and pockets of sand kept our full attention, as did the awesome views
all around of colorful walls and arches, and Fisher Valley with the LaSals
behind. Double track sand helped to steer our bikes all over the place, and we
took break in a giant rock amphitheater with several precariously placed
boulders all around. Too Cool! A few more miles of bumpy downhill brought us
back to 
Dewey
Bridge where we packed up and headed out of town.
All in all, another fantastic self-induced ass-whoopin' with Eric and
Billy to put in the books. But we've gotta come back in the Spring now to finish
off the Kokopelli Trail as it climbing thousands of feet into the LaSals and
spits us out into Moab.
05/01-04/2010
Kokopelli Trail, Part 2; Moab and Arches National Park
By the numbers: 66miles; 8000’ gain; 7600’ loss; 8hr 45mins riding;
10hrs 20mins total; 6600 calories burned
Since the Fall, I’ve kicked myself for bailing on the second half of the
Kokopelli Trail. Luckily, Eric and I were able to plan a weekend to finish it
off and bring the families along to spend some time exploring Moab and Arches
National Park. After a long butt-kicking day on the bikes I’m GLAD we bailed
on the second half in the Fall! It was tough even getting to the trailhead since
it was quite a snowy drive between Breckenridge and Vail Friday night, raining
and cold in the morning, then due to a “mechanical issue” at the start we
almost didn’t get to start! Just as we were packed up and ready to go, I sat
down hard on my seat to check my rear shock…. And my seat broke off! The bolt
snapped right in half. By some strange occurrence we had Eric’s 4yr old
son’s bike in the Yukon, so we were able to borrow a bolt from that. I added a
socket wrench, adjustable wrench, zip ties, and duct tape to my already heavy
pack, just in case. My bike computer decided not to work, but Eric had a brand
new one, then we had to turn around to get my bike tool off the bumper! A rough
start, but we were on our way just after 10am……
Section 5, Dewey Bridge to Fisher Valley; 18 miles, 3000’ gain,
1200’ loss; 3hrs 15mins: We had an idea what we
were in for, and the climbing right from the start did not disappoint as we
started the long climb towards Fisher Valley and two Cottonwood Canyons. It got
progressively steeper and rockier as the fractions of miles went on,
occasionally pushing up a hill to save a bit of energy while the Entrada Bluffs
were easy on the eyes. The temps were about perfect, though carrying 140oz of
water and a 
bunch
of other crap was tugging on my shoulders already. Pinon and flowers lined both
sides of the 4x4 road as we joined the Top of the World Trail. Some cool
campsites on either side of the road along the way. At the top of the first
climb we could see the theme of the day…. Gain a ton of elevation just to lose
a ton of elevation. A rocky descent followed by another climb brought us to the
top of Seven Mile Mesa. A few rollers then the famous “Rose Hill Garden”. In
order to keep our teeth in our mouths, we hike-a-biked most of this downhill
section as we could see the trail on the other side of the valley climbing (once
again) towards Onion Creek Rd. The last couple of miles of this section were
just plain fun and fast. At the road intersection we came across a Team
Evergreen supported group doing the entire trail in 4
days. I asked about snow and the one support guy just pointed up waaaaayyyyy
into the distance at the incredibly snowy saddle that we would be heading
towards and mentioned that this is the most snow the La Sals have had since the
1970’s. Oh shit. He didn’t seem hopeful that we would make it to Moab before
dark.
Section 6, Fisher Valley to Rock Castle CG; 24 miles, 3220’ gain,
2250’ loss; 4hrs: Man, that snowy pass looks far away, so off we
go! A couple good things going for us though… the book describes this as
“many riders rank this as a high point of their trip”, supposedly some
middle chain ring climbing, and the potential of 
delirious
conversations and lots of “your mom” jokes. On Onion Creek Rd for about a
mile before turning off towards a saddle with some prime redneck viewing…. A
guy flyin’ down the trail on an ATV with his very young kid riding on the gas
tank without a helmet. While biking past their camp, an even younger kid was
throwing knives at a piece of plywood with a target spray painted on it. The
climb to the saddle wasn’t bad, but another downhill to dispose of all the
elevation gained. Here we found it beneficial (and
just plain comical) for Eric to read off every 10ft gained…. sucks when ya do
the math for 3K to go! Lots of gear changing for the non-consistent slope and a
couple breaks for gu’s and grub. At one break Eric was off the trail and
started yelling “I NEED A WIPE” just as a couple folks from the supported
group pedaled by. They didn’t quite know what to make of his comments, but we
found it hysterical! Great views of Fisher Valley and Fisher Tower off in the
distance. I was starting to fade fast and found myself in 
granny
gear more times then not. The higher we got the cooler the temps and the
trees/bushes changed as expected. Along with that comes the first sighting of
snow along the trail and a touch of mud to ride through. Cool Colorado-esque
camping spots everywhere. Lots of rollers then false summit #1…. false summit
#2. From North Beaver Mesa it was unfortunate that we could see the long,
snowy/muddy trail heading up the other side of the valley. Then the fun
begins…. As we descended towards a ranch the tire ruts got deeper and the mud
turned to the concrete-type that stops ya dead in your tracks. There was no
easy way except straight through and we had to do a combo of pushing our bikes,
then when the tires wouldn’t turn we had to carry them despite the extra 50lbs
of mud and our feet getting sucked into the muck with every step. This was the
longest quarter mile of my life! Finally we got to a spot where we could ride a
bit and the mud was flying everywhere. On some gravel roads we attempted to
scrap more mud off with sticks and rode past the Team Evergreen support vehicle
that was waiting with a hose to wash off their bikes…. Talk about cushy! A
couple miles of climbing on gravel and we were at the highpoint, 8620’. It was
a relief and the views were awesome…. Then it started snowing. We put on all
of our extra clothes for the 5 miles of screamin’ downhill to Rock Castle
Campground. The snow didn’t last long but the wind stayed around and we
finished the section just shy of 4hrs.
Section 7, Castle Valley to Moab; 24 miles, 1800’ gain, 4200’ loss;
3hrs 15mins: We thought we had an easy 4K downhill cruise to Moab,
pizza, and beer. A peek at the map and description showed us just how wrong we
were…. 
after
another stout climb, we would then
have the 4K downhill. As Homer Simpson says best, “D’oh!” This really took
the wind out of our sails…. not much we could do but pedal, and fortunately
the climb was on pavement, though mostly steep. Climb climb climb climb. We
must’ve looked pathetic because a guy in a van stopped and asked if we needed
water. We each chugged a much-needed pint, and took a pint for the road. Eric
was still going at a pretty good pace and my pace was almost backwards. At
another false-freakin-summit, there were only some tight switchbacks remaining
and then (finally) all the downhill we dreamt
about. On a side note, the area sure was cool! A large section of burned out
scrub oak in Miners Basin, several stands of aspen trees, and lots of snowy
chutes to higher places. A fist-bump was in order as well as a call to our wives
letting them know that it’d certainly be dark before we got to the hotel….
They weren’t overly surprised given our history of adventures together. The
postcard views included Castleton Towers, Fisher Towers, Castle Valley, Moab,
and the Colorado Riverway. Jokes about Brokeback Desert were in order then miles
and miles of Sand Flats Road. It was easy to skip Porcupine Rim and just
continue blasting down Sand Flats Road despite numb fingers and toes. There
must’ve been 2000 people camped along here! Eventually 
we
hit the Slickrock TH and town was just another easy 3.5miles away. We got to the
hotel parking lot at 8:20pm, just in time to not need our headlamps. Despite
wanting to leave my dirty and beaten bike out in the parking lot to be stolen, I
loaded it on the back of the truck glad to finally have this ride behind us
after years of talking about it. Sunday I gave the bolt back to Eric’s 4yr old
son and we all spent the next few days playing around Moab and Arches.
05/02/10
After gorging on the hotels free breakfast we loaded up and headed out to Arches
National Park. Miles’ occasional cough and sniffles grew into a hack and snot
factory, though it didn’t seem to bother him too much. It was an overcast and
chilly morning, but we headed right for Balanced Rock area. Miles loved walking
all around on his own, but didn’t always want to hold our hands. Turret Arch
was cool as 
were
the North and South Windows. Miles decided he had enough on this short section
and laid down in the middle of the trail. Like all good parents, we giggled and
took pictures! He fell asleep on the drive back to town where we all took a good
long nap then took a stroll through town before an awesome dinner at Pasta
Jay’s. The kids had a great time coloring, knocking things around, and sharing
food. On the walk back the kids danced in the windows of an open-air bar playing
live music.
05/03/10
Miles was coughing and restless most of the night, so none of us slept real
well. After a gallon of coffee we went
back into Arches to the Delicate Arch area, while the Dec’s packed up to head
back to Boulder. Blue skies all around and much warmer then Sunday. Miles rode
along in the Kelty Kids pack the entire way, then practiced his slickrock-walking
once at the arch. We kept a hand on him at all times since there were some
pretty big drops around. He napped on the hike back while we stopped to look at
the petroglyphs then back to the hotel after lunch at the Slickrock Café. Miles
slept away most of the afternoon and we 
took
a dip in the pool before dinner at Zak’s. During dinner, Jean and I took turns
picking up crayons off the floor as Miles thought it was much more entertaining
to fling them around then it was to eat!
05/04/10
Miles seemed over the worst part of his cold, so we packed up and went to the
Devil’s Garden area of Arches before
the drive home. Miles was quite the little hiker here and happily tromped away
standing on every little rock, stick, and pile of sand that he saw. It was funny
to hear him grunt if the steps were bigger then a few inches high! When he was
tired, he started to drag his feet, so into the Kelty Kids pack for a nap on the
rest of the hike to Landscape Arch. Holy crap, this was a giant arch! Sure looks
like it’s about to drop any moment. Taking our time and soaking in the awesome
desert environment, we stopped at Tunnel Arch and 
Pine
Tree Arch on the hike out. The long drive home was uneventful except for a few
stops to stretch our legs and let Miles out of his carseat to get some ants out
of his pants. Another family vacation for the books and already looking forward
to the next one!
