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Mike's Journal, Day 0 Loaded
with bikes, camping gear, and four psyched soon-to-be-riders, our sag wagon rolled out of
Fort Collins Wednesday afternoon. We never made it out of west Denver. Car trouble struck
early, but we were able to catch a ride back to Fort Collins and pick up our backup sag
wagon. The last of our nine riders crawled into the sack at the Super 8 in Loma around
2:00 am. Seven hours to Kokopelli.
We sagged our gear to Rabbit Valley and said goodbye to the Suburban until lunch time.
Nine happy riders stretched, checked out bikes, loaded packs, took a last look at
civilization, and headed out.
Click on the images below for larger versions.
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Last minute adjustments are made in the parking lot at the Loma Boat
Launch. I think Jake (a.k.a. Mr. Scary Fast) is trying to get a good grip on his shorts
because he'd just become the first casualty of the trip, dumping his bike in the parking
lot... |
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Wind-carved slickrock above the Colorado River. There are many impressive
sandstone canyons in the first 10 miles of the Lion's Loop Trail. It also offers some of
the most technical riding on the Kokopelli, which for me translates into pure fun. |
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Henry (the Hammer) takes a break to enjoy a sharply-cut sandstone canyon
on the Lion's Loop. You can see Henry smiling in the picture, and I'm not sure he stopped
until we were crossing Vail Pass in the snow on our way home. Heh. |
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Group photo-op above the Colorado on the Lion's Loop. What a
fine-looking, optimistic bunch. |
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Look Ma--a bridge across Salt Creek! When I did this ride in 1993 we had
to strip down and carry our bikes over our heads to get across. Glad we didn't have to do
the same this year as the Creek was flowing fast and muddy. This shot is taken from the
top of a series of technical switchbacks that had every one of us off our bikes. Those
"dots" are actually riders crossing the bridge. |
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Time to climb. Again, riders are visible peaking out from between trees
as the trail angles up along the top of this shelf. This was the last big climb before
lunch. Mike's Journal, Day 1 after lunch |
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After lunch, day 1 gets a lot less technical and there's time to just
spin and look around. I actually drove the sag wagon ahead on this segment so I missed out
on the big climb from the sheep-covered valley floor to the rim of a big box canyon.
Somehow we never quite lost the sheep, and we were actually happy to see one at the end of day 2. |
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Terry and I dropped off the sag wagon
and rode back towards the main group. We found them just as they crested a big climb up
from the valley floor. They had a few harsh things to say about the fact that we (purely
by chance) met them at the top of the climb and not the bottom. Did I mention that I rode
this trail once before? |
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Time to phone home. The first time I rode Kokopelli our group camped a
little further down the road...right next to the railroad tracks. Not to say that being
awakened at 2:00 a.m. by a train thundering past 30 feet from my tent was a bad
experience, but this time around I decided I needed to save all my adrenaline for riding. This
camp was right at the point where the dirt trail meets the gravel road that connects this
trail segment with the next. We set up camp in a very pleasant grassy spot ringed by
gentle hills. This was a great camp site! I spent my first night outside in a bivvy sack,
and falling asleep looking up at the stars is a Good Thing.
This trip represented a technological break with the past as we had no fewer than three
cell phones with us. No more being out of touch with the Fam for four days--we phoned home
every night to regale our wives and kids with the day's exploits. (I'm sure they were
suitably impressed.)
Mike's Journal, end of Day 1 |
 
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