The Hall Ranch Report

Hall Ranch located in Lyons, Colorado.  A trail we had read about and always wanted to ride.  On the way back from Estes Park we decided today would be the day.  Only catch we need to get up early and get the ride in before the rains came.

There are three trails that make up the Hall Ranch.  The main trail is Bitterbrush - single track that has a little bit of everything including this nasty Rock Garden section.  If you are good and in shape you can clear this section but only after you learn the lines.  The Antelope Trail begins at the second trailhead and is only a mile long.   We started Antelope at the top and rode down to this second trailhead.  One of the best one mile sections of trail I ever rode.  I had a blast bombing down and did not even care that we would have to be climbing back up the same trail in a few minutes.  The final trail is the Nelson loop.   A fun loop which can be ridden in either direction with equal amounts of joy.  I vote for the Nelson loop as the best part of Hall Ranch.  Do a couple of laps each way when you make the trip up.  The descent down Bitterbrush is also a blast.  You will be testing the traction of your tires for sure as you really pick up a lot of speed.

 Carolynn and Christopher before we begin our little ride.

 Hall Ranch was Christopher's favorite trail in Colorado.  He was really flying on the day, especially downhill. 

 The first miles of Bitterbrush are a blast to ride.

 Once you find the lines, riding the Rock Garden section was not that bad.  It is a climb so you really have to be in good shape (and used to the high altitude) to enjoy it. 

 Christopher climbing up Bitterbrush.  He had a scary moment at the end of the Rock Garden section.  His heart rate got so high and he just stopped breathing for a few sections.  He had to stop for a few minutes and was actually really scared because he could not breathe.  I think this happened because he was trying to climb all the big rocks in the "Rock Garden" section and really had to attack each section to clear them.  His effort level was a little too high considering he still wasn't used to the high altitude.

 The historic Nelson Ranch Farmhouse.  Some great views when you make it up to the Nelson Loop.  You can see Twin Sisters and Longs Peak.

Carolynn riding up the first section of Bitterbrush from the parking area.  She enjoyed the trail except for the short Rock Garden section.  Next time she will take the gravel road on the way up and down.

The trail was very fun and we had a great experience but the one the thing I will remember most about riding at Hall Ranch is the thunderstorm that came rolling in towards the end of the ride.
Christopher bombed the last few miles of Bitterbrush Trail (which is very, very technical) and made it back to the car before the real rain came.  I told Carolynn to take the gravel road (which is only for hikers) to bypass the really technical parts and I would meet her where Bitterbrush crosses the hiking trail.  I foolishly tried to ride down those slick rocks which comprise the last few miles of the trail.   The rain made them super slick and unrideable - at least in my mind they were unrideable and I got off and walked.  It was starting to thunder and I was getting worried about Carolynn.  Just as I got to the gravel road I see her coming down and felt  relieved.   With only about a mile of trail left I told her to get off the hiking trail and ride the single track back to the car.  The last mile was a little tricky as the rain started to fall harder but we both made it back to the car.  Christopher was already cooled down and resting under the shelter house talking to some riders who had just arrived to go riding.  Once I get back to the car I called to Christopher to hurry up and get changed before we get struck by lightening.   Carolynn arrives shortly after and starts to change.   The rain is really coming down now and we are all trying to change as quickly as possible.  Keep in mind that our car is completely packed and we have gear and clothes all over the place.  I get changed and start loading up all our gear and clothing.  Carolynn is the last to get changed and is in fact running around half naked in the rain.  She gets her top on but has lost her skirt and is butt naked.  I yell to her to jump in the car and she can find them in safety.  She jumps in the front seat and realizes her skirt is in the back and then reaches over the front seat to grab it and put it on before Christopher catches a glimpse of her naked ass.  When it was all said and done she just laughed and said well the full moon came out early today after mooning all the riders under the shelter.  We all laughed and talked about what a great ride we all had.  

A Climb to the Heavens

 I will confess that one of my current fears in life is heights.  I was not always fearful and as a child you would most likely find me climbing up the tallest trees with ease and without trepidation.  When I used to race motocross I would be the one jumping the biggest jumps and entering jumping contests.  Heck, I once won this long jump contest in West Palm Beach, Florida against a young Tim Ferry.

That was many, many years ago. Now I seem to get dizzy and experience Vertigo when I try to balance on obstacles (there really is a reason I do not ride the Skinny's out on the trail) or when I get more than a few feet off the ground.  Roller coasters are also off my list of fun things to ride.   I personally think it has to do with my inner ear and some old head injuries (I have had more than a couple of skull fractures in my day...). 

I bring his up because while out in Colorado I had an opportunity to climb a 14er with Ben Reeves and Christopher.  While at the time I would have much rather gone riding I decided to attempt climbing Bierstadt Mountain.  Ben said it was one of the easier 14ers and I knew I would most likely not ever climb one by myself.  Climbing a 14er has been on my "Bucket List" for years and it was time to put a check mark next to it.

 The view from the trailhead on the route up to Guanella Pass. I know it does not look that high, but trust me it is. The first mile is kind of easy and very enjoyable.  Soon the green trees and grass that surrounded us would turn to dirt and rocks.

 Youth and experience lead the way.  Ben and Christopher set the pace.  When we arrived at the trailhead the parking lot was full.  By the time we reached 1/2 way up I could swear we passed everyone.

 Ben is training for the Leadville 100 mile trail run so he is in superb shape right now.  He spent the majority of the morning waiting for my fat ass to make it up the climb.  Next time I am going to make him carry my water and food. This way it will slow him down some.

 "It is an easy hike, you do not need any special equipment or clothing" - this what Ben told me the night before we departed for the climb.  I get near the summit and all I find is a bunch of huge boulders and jagged rocks that looked impassable.  Plus it is very cold and I was just wearing shorts as I was told to do.  Luckily we did bring our cycling jackets and were able to keep from freezing to death. At this point of the climb I would have gladly called it a day and turned around.  But seeing Ben and Christopher making the climb over those boulders gave me some motivation. 

 Christopher on top.  14,060 feet.  He enjoyed the day much more than I.  I was glad I was there doing the climb with him, but I did have a rough time.

 After about 30 minutes of slowly climbing up the final 1/4 mile I was able to join Christopher on top.  The views are magnificent and just Heavenly.

 On a clear day you can see Kansas from the top of Bierstadt.  There was some haze today so views were not that far away.  Still awesome to be on top of the mountain.

I am very glad I did not turn back early and continued on my climb to the heavens.  A 14er is now off my list. I may do another one when Carolynn is ready to attempt one. 

Carolynn Conquers Centennial Cone

On the way to Estes Park, Colorado we stopped by a new trail for us.  Centennial Cone Park is rated by most as an intermediate level trail and is about 13 miles in length.  My main goal today was to have Carolynn ride the entire trail system.  On past rides out here in Colorado altitude seems to get the best of her and she ends up not riding the entire planned route.  Today would be different, I could just feel it.

Located in Idaho Springs, Colorado, Centennial Cone Park is a Jefferson County Open space park.  We decided to run the trails clockwise and started with some easy double track across some open fields and ranches.  There was some climbing, but nothing bad.  It was actually a little boring and Christopher sure did not look like he was having fun.  For a few miles there I was thinking "how did this trail get such high rankings?" 

We made it across the old homesteads and fields to another trailhead.  We decided to wait until Carolynn arrived and regroup. Travois trail was up next.  This is the main trail and hopefully it was single track because I could tell Christopher's motivation was lacking after he completed the Elk Range trail.

Luck for us the Travois trails is awesome.  Plenty of great single track with great views.  Some of the trails are rather technical and Carolynn did a great job on her new Giant 29er.

After taking the Evening sun loop we caught up to Carolynn.  Just 10 minutes prior Christopher was ready to head back and now just look at him - all smiles and ready for a great day of riding. Carolynn continued on the Travois trail and we opted for another quick loop of the Evening sun.  

 Christopher settled into the climbs and I had a very hard time staying with him.  I did very well on the steady climbs, but the step rocky stuff he left me behind (hence no pictures of him climbing the rocks).

The climbs are not bad on the trail which was good for all of us.  Like I mentioned before, I really wanted Carolynn to do the entire loop by herself.  I think my positive reinforcement before the ride really helped.  On top of the second climb she was doing great and riding strong.

Yes I made it.....it is always a great feeling reaching the top of any climb.  Time to celebrate for sure.

A short stop on top and then we headed back downhill for a couple of miles of just beautiful riding. We really got hauling on these downhills.  It scared the heck out of me a couple of times.  I put a good gap on Christopher on one section, but later found out it was because his rear end broke lose due to over braking and he nearly went off the side of the mountain.  After that he took it easy the remainder of the ride

Carolynn continued to ride well and handled the fast descents well.  

    

A the bottom we were treated to a little rest and a cool bridge.  Time for a few photos and refuel for the next long climb. 

The next few miles were all up hill.  Plenty of switchbacks which caused me trouble.  Christopher seems to handle them much better.  Balance is key and commitment is key to make them, especially  if you crash you could fall a few hundred feet.

Another fast and very fun descent was the reward after our long climb.

The views are great and every couple of miles I would stop and wait for Carolynn, and let my brakes cool down just enjoy the view.

Carolynn at the finish was tired and her legs were dead, but she did it.  She kept her fuel intake up and stayed hydrated just like I told her to and she was able to conquer Centennial Cone and most importantly high altitude riding. 

A Ride on the Buffalo Creek Trails

This week we are in Colorado for our annual summer trip out west. Ben and Allison have again welcomed us to their beautiful home in Highlands Ranch, Colorado for us to stay.  With so many trails to ride it is hard to decide where to go.  Originally we picked Three Sisters to visit again.  We went there last year and sometimes it is nice to know where you are going instead of always having to stop and look at a map.  Do to some of the rather technical sections of Three Sisters and the fact that we were all going to try and stay together the choice was made to go to Buffalo Creek Trails in Pine, Colorado.

Carolynn's weak point in riding is climbing, especially in high altitudes.  The trails in Pine, Colorado are between 7,000 to 9,000 feet.  With this being our first day and not used to the altitude we all had trouble breathing, but no one more than Carolynn.  Luckily for us Ben let us use his tow rope and Christopher stepped up and offered to help his mom with the first two miles which were the steepest and would give her the most trouble on the day. 

We came to another steep section of Buck Gulch and I insisted she let me help her to catch her breath, I encountered a little mechanical difficulty. While shifting down to the small ring my chain somehow derailed - most likely due to the extra torque from taking off before she was clipped in and ready to go.  While derailed chains are usually not a big deal, they are when the chain gets wedged between your frame and linkage system.  For the life of me I could not get the chain out - the linkage while compressed allowed the chain to slide between the link/frame and when I got off the bike this unloaded the suspension system and put a death grip on my chain.  I had Carolynn continue up the climb to where Christopher was because he was riding ahead of us.  I had just told him to ride to the top and then come down and enjoy the downhill until he met up with us again.  I always make fun of Christopher because he carries this huge knife with him during rides.  What I would have given for the knife (or a screwdriver) on the mountain side. As crazy as it sounds,  I ended up having to remove the shock and part of the linkage system to remove the stuck chain. 

Yes I love Colorado and the views that you get on top of the mountains.  The Buffalo Creek Trails have some great trails with killer views.  I now see why they are on IMBA's Epic list.

Part of the trail system goes through some areas that were damaged by recent fires. It's a unique feature which offers some great views, but does allow you to get full sun exposure.  It was in the 90's today so while these open areas were nice to ride through I was looking forward to the cooler single track sections. 

Carolynn rolling along on her new 29er.  She really enjoyed the ride of the Women's Anthem 29er and handled the technical sections of the trail with more confidence. I was actually shocked while riding behind here on this descent.  There was this large log with a drop off and she just rode right over it. 

Buffalo Creek has a wide variety of trails including some nice single track.  The majority of it flows really well and is in the shade which is nice on a hot summer day.

Christopher and I  decided to try out Raspberry Ridge.  We would soon find out this was a rather technical section of trail.  Carolynn proceeded down the flowing Homestead trail which leads to Sandy Wash and some epic views and yet more climbing.

If you like technical trails and rock then you will like Raspberry Ridge. I grew up riding on sandy dirt so these types of trails are always a challenge for me. Christopher had little trouble on them and his Kenda tires were hooking up as usual.

Some great views on top. I could spend all day up there just chilling out and dreaming of living in the mountains.

Yes this is part of the trail.  There were rocks placed out on the top that you were supposed to follow.  Some sections were easy, but others were just plain crazy.  I could not imagine someone actually riding these.  I could barely walk up them and my shoes were slipping at times.

At the end of nearly 4 hours of riding I was done.  The altitude and heat had taken its toll.  We descended back down Raspberry Ridge to meet up with Carolynn. 

After nearly and hour of looking for Carolynn we came up on her bike.  Where was she?  Chilling under a tree enjoying the views.  She was also done, but we still had to make it back down the mountain to the trailhead.  A very fun descent down Strawberry Jack ended a great day of riding at Buffalo Creek. We did not get to ride the entire trail system, but the trails we did ride were very fun and well worth the trip to Pine, Colorado. If you are ever there be sure to check out Buffalo Creek Trails which in my eyes earn the Epic standard from IMBA.