Grand Junction, an interesting town on the central western side of Colorado, clearly shows cyclings influence in the area. This statue, just one of several relating to cycling, sits square in the center of the main street in GJ. I found a local brewery in this fine town as well; it just so happened to be where I caught game 1 of the Stanley cup final. Though we ended up losing, the young bartender was also a Pens fan and bought be a beer halfway throught the game. Cheers to Grand Junction!
Fruita, what a place! The town is quirky, a tiny town with a clear influence from mountain biking. The town made itself known in the mountain bike world way back in 1995, largely due to the hard work of bike shop employees at Over the Edge Bikes. The Kokopelli trail connects Fruita to Moab via nearly 150 miles of sweet singletrack. Fruita now boasts several trail networks specifically built for mountain bikes. I was lucky enough to spend the night at the 18 road trailhead camping- free camping year round- and the next day was spent exploring the incredible trails. Riding in the desert is unlike anything I've yet experienced. The terrain is so huge, it's like moving among giants. Utilizing the unique-ness of the terrain, trails such as Zippety Do Da and Joe's Ridge follow wild, intensely exposed ridgelines. I spent a couple hours of my day climbing up 1500 feet directly above the trails for a spectacular view; from up there it feels like you're on top of the world.
View of Zippity Do Da, the most incredible trail at 18 road. This trail was so exposed I can't even describe it. Imagine riding along a footwide trail with 60 degree slopes on each side, no trees or shrubs, and incredible views all around. Resisting the urge to look off to each side was near impossible, yet one false move and you're tumbling hundreds of feet. This trail has claimed collarbones!
These lizards were so incredible! I watched them dart out from rocks, scurry alongside my bike for a fraction of a second, and dissapear into the sagebrush all day before this one gave me the chance to capture a photo. Such cool colors, and the way they run on their hind legs is just too cool!
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