the WickedChickenz road trip, continued...

[mohshee]

So we pulled into Grand Junction, CO on saturday and I was surprised to finally be in a "big" town. We are staying with a friend and her 2 dogs and 2 cats (one cat, Marvin, insists on living down the street at another lady's house and hisses and runs away everytime his mommy comes to get him).
My friend Julie and I rode in the Tabeguache mountains yesterday morning, and I don't think I have ever tried to ride a more technical trail in my life. We did 9 miles in about 3 hours and it is primarily slow, steep, super technical uphills, followed by slow, steep supertechnical (short :( )downhills and flats. No rest for the weary. But I was surprised in that when I heard people say they were "going to ride Fruita", it really means they are riding in/near Grand Junction. There doesn't seem to be a much of anything in Fruita other then a very publicized bike shop that helped advertise the trails in the "Fruita area".
Today we may ride part of the Kokopelli trail after TBFKAHG gets his wrist x-rayed. We spent three days in Moab, two of which we rode the LPS-Porcupine Rim trail, which was awesome! We took our DH bikes, since it is primarily a downhill ride, but it is a very gradual downhill; 20 miles you descend something like 4000 feet. But it is super fun, rocky, technical and has quite a few drops and ledges. Anyways, poor TBFKAHG fell near the end of our second trip down the rim and may have broken his wrist, since the pain hasn't really subsided. Hopefully not, since he really wants to race Deer Valley this weekend (and hasn't had a chance to race DH yet this year b/c of injury).

LPS-Porcupine technical rock garden: sizing it up (day1) (there is a really trickey switchback where I am standing)
http://www.wickedchickenz.com/photos/139CANON/IMG_3946.JPG

A Local shows how it's done (he did get it on his 3rd try):

http://www.wickedchickenz.com/photos/140CANON/IMG_4003.JPG
http://www.wickedchickenz.com/photos/140CANON/IMG_4004.JPG

Kit (TBFKAHG) takes a go at it (he made it almost all the way down):
http://www.wickedchickenz.com/photos/140CANON/IMG_4033.JPG
http://www.wickedchickenz.com/photos/140CANON/IMG_4037.JPG

Most of us decided to walk:
http://www.wickedchickenz.com/photos/140CANON/IMG_4028.JPG

My friend Julie mastering the trail on a 3" travel bike (ouch! she was feeling it the next day!):
http://www.wickedchickenz.com/photos/140CANON/IMG_4060.JPG

Kit hucking:
http://www.wickedchickenz.com/photos/140CANON/IMG_4067.JPG

[stephanie]

thanks for the cool pics and updates, mohshee :) can't wait to finally see you guys this week...we'll be getting a nap wednesday after dan works, then heading out for the overnight drive :eek: eta is sometime thursday morning! hope kit checks out okay and that nothing is broken!

[starrbabes]

Wow! Great pics.

[weimie]

Awesome pics and I hope his wrist is okay!

Yeah, nothing much happening in the actual town of Fruita but the riding is incredible! That descent on Porcupine rim looks tough....I'd want my DH bike, full face helmet and body armor on before I tried riding it :rolleyes:

[mohshee]

We just got the x-rays done and it looks like his wrist is fine. We might just take a rest day though.

[weimie]

That's good news!

Sounds like you guys could use a break from all the incredible riding your doing :rolleyes:

I hear there's some pretty cool things to hike around the Grand Junction/Fruita areas.

[SuperKat]

Nice pics....Glad the injury isn't too bad!

[biggins]

cool. keep the reports comin

[redFoxx]

Cool pics! That brings back some great memories of our last year's trip to Moab where we did a Porcupine Rim...guess they're not the same or I would have remembered that section you were trying to get down. wow, steep! It is so much fun riding that kind of stuff where you can huck off of everything and anything. But ouch, if you fall...no nice pine needles or soft dirt to go into. One woman fell on a barrel cactus and had to get the spines pullled out of her butt...

[laura]

we were in moab last week. no riding. looks like you guys had fun.

[zoey]

Sweet! That would be soo cool to be able to ride down a rocky trail like that. You all are having a great time!

[TBFKAHG]

Cool pics! That brings back some great memories of our last year's trip to Moab where we did a Porcupine Rim...guess they're not the same or I would have remembered that section you were trying to get down. wow, steep! It is so much fun riding that kind of stuff where you can huck off of everything and anything. But ouch, if you fall...no nice pine needles or soft dirt to go into. One woman fell on a barrel cactus and had to get the spines pullled out of her butt...
The rock garden wasn't on Porcupine but the LPS (or is it UPS). We shuttled up to the La Sals and took the Kokopelli to the LPS cutoff to Porcupine. About 26 miles with about 1 mile or so total of climbing.