Riding Fruita Colorado

South of Grand Junction riding the Lunch Loops

I've been back and forth between Colorado and Utah over the past few weeks and fortunately for me my route has taken me right through Grand Junction and Fruita.  Not only is this a good half way stop between my destinations, I have the added bonus of having a friend living in Fruita who has been kind enough to let me stay for a night two weekends in a row.  Doubling as a host and tour guide,  he gave me a tour of some of the favorite trails in the area.  Having ridden them now and knowing the goodness contained therein, it's a shame I've been driving by year after year missing out on these amazing trails literally in some cases right off the freeway.  I've heard many times that Fruita is as good as Moab and after experiencing a sample, I'd have to agree.

Lunch Loops trail system.

Kokopelli's Trail Loops

Lunch Loops.  You'll find chunky drops like this one around every turn.  Moab has nothing on this place!

Checking Out My New Digs

A quick break at Ghost Falls  on my ride in Corner Canyon.  I think I can get used to this.

The view around every corner.

Leaving

I have just given up my residency in Colorado for the second time in the past 11 years.  Last time the move was for a career-starting job in California.  It was a hard move for many reasons but the biggest one was simply that I (we) love living here.  Now years after my first farewell, I am again moving on for career advancement.  It is hard to drive westbound past that familiar sign on I-70 for  the last time with no certainty of return.  Over the years I've driven by countless times with little fanfare always knowing that I will soon be passing the east-bound sign welcoming me back to Colorado, back home.  Colorado has a way of placing a hold on it's residents that is hard... make that painful to break.  The state is rich in everything that makes life worth living and has given me experiences that will last forever.

Lloyd was in fact mistaken... John Denver knew exactly what he was talking about.

Stay tuned for my new adventures of riding fun as I mingle with the Saints one state to the west.

Dawn Patrol

Dawn Patrol cockpit with optional "critter bell"

I pulled myself out of bed at 4:30am this morning.  Just like I have been doing regularly 3 times a week since late August.  With rare exception (today being one of them) I have been riding the same route every morning on my single-speed.  With the kids starting back to school the first of August I had to keep riding time on a tight leash.  It also felt good to have the training pressure off and drop back into a holding pattern of sorts, almost mechanical in nature, and something I could repeat with timely accuracy to keep my spirits up, legs fresh, and family routine on schedule.  I have grown to tolerate early mornings over the past 2 years.  I say tolerate because I do not enjoy getting up anymore than the next guy but I do it out of necessity.  Over time it has become mechanical and sometimes I don't remember the specifics of leaving the house, just that I'm on the trail riding.  My body comes alive and faculties engage.  There is a relaxing simplicity in riding without shifting gears,  taking the same route, no need to think too hard, just pedal and drift off where the mind wonders.  Indeed, I've had some of my best mind sessions cranking away with headlights showing just enough of the trail to keep going.

It's therapy for me, the sun yawning as the first light crests over the horizon,  Deer eyes reflecting in my headlamp,  Coyote howl, and the winding trail.