Meyers Homestead: Get Shorty

Trailhead:  N39°57.551’  W105°20.282’

Meyers Homestead may be overlooked by most hardcore riders because its big brother, Walker Ranch, is located just across the street (see blog post Sept 25, 2012) and that’s a tough act to follow.  Homestead may not provide the challenges you’re likely to find across the street but this trail has an indefinable charm and there is a great chance you won’t have much company.

The trail is up and back on hard pack single-track; say that really fast 3 times!  It begins with a mild descent followed by a mild but steady climb.  On this day I decided on a late start to beat the heat, which almost left me in the dark; I won’t forget my light next time.

The scenery and fragrance is amazing and surrounded in a blanket of cool air certainly left a lasting impression.  The trail carries you through Walker Ranch Park and gracefully ends at a resting point sure to make a great photo to share on Facebook.  The last climb to this point is perhaps that hardest but of course that’s all relative.  While you’re catching your breath you’ll notice a great view of Twin Sisters Peak off to the west.

The ride down is one heck of a ride.  Be careful and watch out for hikers.  If the coast is clear, let it rip, the turns aren’t all that sharp but at times the tread does loosen up a bit so be ready to slow down.  Always ride in control and be extremely mindful of the trees and rocks that line the trail.

This is a very short ride but in my opinion it’s one of the nicest easy to moderate trails in the area.  If you just have an hour or so for a ride and you’d like some scenery, make your way up Flagstaff Road and give this one a try.

Check out the trail profile on my Garmin page at connect.garmin.com/activity/355723552

The fall riding season is approaching and we are so lucky to live in a place where scenery is abundant.  Enjoy your rides and I hope to see you on the trail.

Alan

West Magnolia | Corps of Discovery

West Magnolia Trailhead:: N39°57.009’  W105°30.275’

In May 1804, following the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon Bonaparte, Thomas Jefferson commissioned the expedition of Lewis and Clark to explore the west.  One can imagine the excitement felt by the Corps of Discovery as they set out to explore a new land with nothing more than apprentice knowledge of astronomy and a helpful native named Sacagawea.  Riding a trail system for the first time can be just as exciting, a variety of unknowns, new landscapes, new challenges and up here on our mountains there’s always the possibility of losing your way.  Armed with my satellite tracking I set out on a solo exploration mission of West Magnolia near Nederland, CO; what I found was a maze of mountain bike trails of varying terrain sure to satisfy riders of all abilities.

The maze began at the 925A trailhead, located at the intersection of W. Magnolia Road and Hwy 72.  The tread was mostly dry but hardly dusty.  At the 925A/925 split I went right on a moderately difficult descent to some horse stables.  There is a lot of exposed rock, much like an eroded river bed so be careful.  At the stables you’ll reach a split with 925B, keep your eyes peeled because you could miss it.  Trail 925B starts mild enough but the climb that comes later is pretty tough.  Trail 925B intersects with Trail 342A at about 1 mile and I went right - this section was one of my favorites.  You will reach some good speeds on even tread so stay in control because there are some areas that loosen up a little and require some skillful braking.  You reach a split with 342A and 342 (Aspen Alley) and I stayed straight on 342A.

I came up to a link at 1.32 miles that took me to 926A then I went right to another trail split with 342 and continued on 926A.  At 1.55 miles I came to a split with 926B and 926A and set off on 926B to the right.  Now at 926B and 926 at 1.64 miles I went right on 926.  At 1.68 miles I reached another split and stayed right – from this point to 2.04 miles was the coolest part of the ride by far; you’ll reach another split and I stayed right.  At 2.17 miles (Sugar Mag Trail) I stayed right and at 2.33 miles you reach another West Magnolia trail head with no parking – N39°57.271’ W105°31.442’ where I turned around.  

Now back at the 926 and 926B split and continued straight on 926 at 3.06 miles.  At 3.16 miles you reach the 926/926A split (drop off point – N39°56.925’ W105°31.358’).  Back on 926A I headed right to 3.30 miles and 926A/926B split and continued on 926A.  At 3.41 and 926A/342 split I went left on 342 (rough and rocky at first) and one word to describe this trail; SAND.  I began my trip back from here but what an amazing adventure.

The most difficult section was easily the climb on 926B early on my ride because it was really loose river bed type tread and coupled with the grade made this quite challenging; it will take some strong legs and strong lungs.  I stayed for the most part on marked trails but you may be tempted to try the more discreet options; my guess is that they’ll link you up to a marked trail at some point.

Deforestation removed a lot of the shade so bring your sunscreen.  I was lucky, clouds hovered above for most of the day so direct UV’s were not much of an issue.

To get through the sand sections, switch to an easy gear and power through.  I was surprised to find how much of this route was relatively flat.  Other than the climb up 926B, the climbs were rather mild but some of the rocks and loose tread made it a bit more difficult in sections.  This is a multi-use trail so you may want to dodge the horse patties along the way.

I didn’t want it to end and it seems that there were a couple of other options I missed (Whoop Di Doos) but weather was approaching and I didn’t want to worry about lightning.  The trail was mild by Nederland standards but the fact that it was new to me made this a pleasure on many levels.  One quick note, from 0.88 to 0.93 miles there is what appears to be a spike in elevation perhaps due to interference.  This spike was non-existent; I don’t recall any climb that steep on my route.

You can view my route at http://connect.garmin.com/activity/361918960 and don’t forget to check twitter updates at www.dirt-life.com.  Complicated directions for sure but you should get a sense of West Magnolia’s characteristics.  This was a welcome adventure and if you’ve never tried this trail system you must put this one on your ‘to do’ list.  I had a great time and you will too; thanks for checking in and I hope to see you on the trail.

Alan

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

Betasso Preserve 3.0 | Crash n Burn

Photo: mountain bike action rider photo

Funny thing about safety equipment; often it's only the really good riders or the really bad riders that ever get to test the equipment in action.  For the rest of us we could go months, if ever, without even a scratch but if you ride regularly it will happen to all of us at one time or another and my time was this past weekend, the trail was the triple threat out at Betasso Preserve.  

Just a side note.  I'm not a big fan of spandex shorts, probably because I feel funny in them but this past weekend I decided to give them a try again.  I was surprised how efficient they were plus my legs have never felt cooler (temperature), almost seemed like that made the difference on this ride because I could have gone non-stop the whole way, if not for my Superman spill on Canyon Loop.

For those unfamiliar, the trails in Boulder and most of Colorado are high in altitude so the trails tend to dry up leaving quite a bit of the loose stuff to roll on.  Feathering the brakes on the quick descents seems to work most of the time but if you're not careful that front wheel will sneak out from under you and cause all kinds of havoc.  Canyon Loop was running counterclockwise while Benjamin Loop was running clockwise this weekend.  Betasso is a blast in either direction and you're sure to catch one heck of a thrill ride on any day, other than Wednesday's and Saturday's - closed to bikes.

The scenery is great out here and the singletrack is just what we fat tire enthusiasts dream about; 8 miles of some of Boulder County's finest twists and turns.  The Four Mile link trail is certainly a highlight, heavily wooded and a great creek crossing towards the end.  The shade is abundant and the rolling creek adds so much to the ambiance of this trail.

The Four Mile link in this direction is downhill at first until you come to the bridge crossing at about 4.80 miles. A short distance from here you'll come across a staircase of rock.  You will have to dismount and carry your bike up the well placed natural stairs before catching the trail again.  The trail climbs for another quarter mile or so before you reach the last staircase that takes you to Four Mile Canyon Road.  There is no parking up here so if you start from this end you'll need to ride up or down to this point.  The climb back isn't difficult in the right gear plus the TwinLoc system on my Scott Genius worked like a charm.

This time out was a breeze, it must have been the 14er a couple of weeks ago and the mid-week ride up Four Mile Canyon Road that helped with my conditioning.  So I'm rolling pretty smoothly back toward the trailhead, threading through the dense pine, careful not to hit most obstacles head on.  I can feel my wheels slip from time to time so I watch how I'm shifting my weight and paying close attention to my braking when in an instant my front tire loses traction sending me into my best Superman impression onto the singletrack, right around the 6.86 mile mark.  Narrowly missing a tree to my left and a boulder to my right, I was lucky to come away with just some cuts and bruises but it could have been much worse.

Don't take your safety equipment for granted, make sure it's in good condition and don't skimp on gloves.  I flew head first onto the trail with only my hands to stop me and my hands came out without a scratch.

You can follow along on my Garmin page at connect.garmin.com/player/346213964 and don't forget to check out my website, www.dirt-life.com, for trail updates. Thanks for checking in and hope to see you on the trails.

Alan

Winter Park Outfitters: Icebox Mountain Sports

On my recent visit to Winter Park I had a chance to drop in on a local bike shop in Fraser Colorado.  There are a few in the area but one in particular caught my eye; Icebox Mountain Sports.  Icebox offers rentals, sales and service to outfit any of your high country sports activities.  At first glance you’ll see that Icebox offers the necessary equipment to get you on your way to your next mountain bike ride but don’t rule them out for camping, rafting, skiing and climbing gear because they have it all.

I had the pleasure of meeting Daisy and she seems happy to help you find the right gear for your next outdoor activity.  If you need to save space in your car to get your friends to join you for a day of mountain biking in Winter Park, you can feel confident leaving your gear at home because Icebox has everything you need.

Visit Icebox the next time you’re in Winter Park and tell them Dirt Life and Alan sent you.  You can reach Icebox at (970) 722-7780 and they are located just off Hwy 40 in Fraser Colorado.  You can visit their website at www.iceboxmountainsports.com for more information.

Don’t forget, I have a website too at www.dirt-life.com where you can contact me about trails in our area or to schedule a mountain bike tour.  Thanks again for checking in and I hope to see you on the trails.

Alan