Heil Ranch: Green River

"I can hear the bullfrog callin' me.....come on home to Green River"

My musical tastes vary having grown up in the 70's and 80's but nothing takes me back more than the great 60's band Creedence Clearwater Revival. John Fogerty sings often of his roots in the south and those songs ring true like a lost Mark Twain novel.  I stare at a computer screen 8 hours a day trying to make sense of flashing numbers but there are days that I can hear the bullfrog calling.  The bullfrog in this case is my mountain bike and yesterday I just couldn't wait to get home and slip out of my split toe oxfords and into my Scott MTB comps.  Thoughts of grinding gravel and rock on a bed of Rocky Mountain Dirt passing under the rolling rubber of my Schwalbe Nobby Nics is like coming home for me and Heil Ranch was my Green River.

It was 6:45 pm by the time nobby met Dirt and if I was going to complete the Wapiti trail and Ponderosa loop I was going to have to pick up the pace to beat nightfall.  My goal was to pick one gear between easy and hard and stick with it through the whole ride.  I am happy to report that I succeeded and made my best time ever.  Sadly I forgot my Garmin Edge so I have no official record of my performance.

The neat thing about riding with a goal is that you learn a little bit about your equipment and about yourself. For example, I learned how to use my suspension more effectively and that I can ride on a higher gear than I'm used to.

It was a great ride, the sun was setting so the temperature was cooling, there was enough shade that I didn't need sunglasses and this time of day there were few trail users. Ponderosa loop is under construction but the parts that are completed are sublime. Ponderosa loop always seemed a bit rocky in the past but the latest trail work is changing that.  Nice rolling trail on gravel instead of rock will make this section of Heil passable for riders of any skill level; you just need to make your way up here via Wapiti or Picture Rock.

We owe a bit of thanks to the Boulder Mountain Bike Alliance for all their hard work and dedication.  For those of us who struggle to find the time to volunteer a tax deductible donation to the BMA would be a tremendous help.  Consider joining the BMA and if you're already a member don't forget to renew your membership, I certainly will.  You can find the BMA on the web at www.bouldermountainbike.org for more information.

You can find this trail profile on my Garmin page at connect.garmin.com/activity/244741357 and don't forget to check out my website at www.dirt-life.com for trail updates.  Mountain bike tours are not quite ready but keep checking back.  Thanks for checking in and I hope to see you on the trail.

Alan