So yesterday, Bill Porter, his trusty sidekick Billy and I take a ride
on the Colorado Plateau. They arrived in the area about an hour after
I did and since it was already afternoon, we busted butt to get going.
The planned route didn't appear to be getting any weather, though we
could see some of the high locations around were getting snowed on.
The point to point ride required leaving a shuttle vehicle for time
saving purposes to beat the Sun's race to the Western horizon.
We dropped my truck off at the first point and drove to the start point
in Bill's 2004 Ford Ranger. The road back was a little rough in a few
places, but easily handled by the 4x2 conveyance we were in. It was
somewhat cool and windy at the start point, so little time was wasted
in getting ready and onto the trail.
Now I know what it's like to be a sea-level dweller again. Halfway up
the initial climb, my wind went kaput. I'm not sure if the lung burn
was from the altitude, or abnormally fresh air that I have not
experienced since moving to SoCal. Either way, it was great to be out.
Bill and I let Billy run up and away from us a bit, though we were
pretty evenly matched and there wasn't much waiting at all throughout
the whole ride.
The trail was in pretty good shape in light of the area's unusually wet
winter. Some of the flatter spots on top were a little damp and a few
required a portage to keep the trail in good shape. As soon as the
trail started a steady downward trend it was in really shape, though
overgrown in places from lack of use and the proliferation of native
grasses.
Bill's rear shock was lacking air for some unknown reason and none of
us had brought a shock pump because of our hurried departure forthe
trail to race the sunset. The lack of air obviously messed with his
bike's geometry and made his pedals much lower than one would want on
any rocky route. That being the only mechanical issue on the ride made
our time on the bike as minimal as it could be and the race easily won.
The ride was not without adversity though. On top, the wind was very
cold and at one point the skies opened up with a small dash of
horizontal white stuff. The best part about the wind was that it was a
tailwind most of the ride and gave a pretty good assist on the flatter
portions. This is where the first crash happened. I had led out where
the trail really opened up and decided to just let my bike "go".
Everything was fine until a ghostly babyhead in a shaded section
decided to deflect my front wheel enough to send me over the bars.
Damage was minimal, though my right arm was numb for a couple of
minutes from banging my Humerus on a rock. Recovery was quick and I
caught up to the Bills quickly after recovering on the bike for a
couple of minutes.
The ride out on the doubletrack that is normally deep sand was packed
in from the rains and an easy trek out. We arrived at my truck,
leaving Billy with the bikes and headed up to fetch Bill's truck.
Since there were no bikes in the back and Bill had an OSB at his
disposal, I didn't waste much time getting to his truck. I dropped him
off and headed back down, watching him follow in my rearview. After a
bit, I didn't see Bill's truck anymore and thought it was strange.
When I got to Billy and the bikes, we waited for a few minutes and
after Bill didn't show, loaded the bikes and drove up the road to see
what was up. About three miles in, there was an unscathed Bill in the
road and his crippled truck in the bar ditch. He front flatted while
in motion and the rim broke on a rock, causing him to careen into the
bar ditch. He was skilled and fortunate enough to not have rolled it
and get away with no apparent body damage to the truck.
After Billy and I did a little running around to get a tow truck up to
Bill's truck, he had it towed out and arranged to get it back on the
road today. The three of us left from what is now known as "the site"
and headed into town for a giant burritos that hit the spot which
required hitting.
I must say that I am impressed in how Bill handled his portion of
adversity, especially in the forst day of a multiday roadtrip. He took
it in stride, got done what needed doing and is ready to ride today. I
think I'll whine a little about the scrape on my leg and banged up
elbow now...
JD