After arriving, I was greeted with strong winds from the north and cooler temperatures then expected. Despite the high winds, I quickly changed into my riding gear and hopped on the Single Speed. I was a little hesitant to ride the SS at Gooseberry. The trails at Gooseberry are fairly technical and the lack of suspension made me nervous. To my surprise, the SS was a joy to ride. Having a stiff gear available at all times paid off on many occasions. I was able to power over the various sections and the 29er wheels allowed me to take hits without too much discomfort.
Riding Gooseberry is a unique experience that cannot be duplicated. You never really climb or descend. Instead, you roll along the trail tackling rocky obstacles and following the white dots spray painted on the rocks. Although you do not ride a long distance, the miles you cover are difficult and quickly sap your energy.
Jeff, Julie, and I rode the South Rim Trail Thursday evening. Julie had a freak accident that sent her down hard into the rocky ground. She was not injured, but the fall ended her ride for the day. She decided to peel off the trail and rode the White Trail back to the truck. Jeff and I continued on and had fun chasing each other.
The next day the rest of the San Diego crew arrived and we all rode Gooseberry again. Peter, Mark, Alan, Gerry from San Diego and Pat and Annie from Fresno. I decided I wanted to ride platform pedals on my SS instead of my Crankbrothers Mallets. Just before our ride I swapped pedals and began to warm up for the ride. Jeff wanted to explore the new trail that splits off of the Windmill trailhead. The trail was a mixture of dirt and rock and had the same feel as Little Creek. We rode several miles before my left pedal loosened. I thought I had bent the axel decided to keep riding. I tried to continue on, but within a mile or so, the pedal would no longer stay in the crank arm. At that point, I turned around and limped back to the trail head. Jeff was able to wrangle a tourist into giving me a ride back to my car. The tourist was very nice and even fed me some fresh veggies. Later in the day, I took the bike to Zion Cycles. The owner of the bike shop was wonderful and replaced the crank arm on the spot and had me back up and running in 30 minutes.
On Saturday we decided to ride out at Little Creek. I again opted for the SS but quickly realized it may have been the wrong choice. The bike handled the terrain just fine, but the rough riding was hard on my body. Luckily for me, the gearing on my SS was spot on and I was able to climb almost all of the features. We rode the entire Little Creek loop in the counter clockwise direction and accumulated a total of 15 miles of total riding. 15 very technical, rocky, and sometimes sketchy miles.
On the way back to the hotel, Mark's car was involved in a collision with an ATV. The accident resulted in a broken tie rod, which forced Mark to have his car towed off of the mesa. We eventually made it back to the hotel happy that everyone was safe and uninjured. We ended the day barbecuing tri-tip and pork loin. A great meal to cap off a great ride.
Sunday we again returned to Gooseberry and rode the Hidden Canyon, YellowTrail, South Rim and North Rim. This time I took out the Pivot Firebird. I've had the Firebird for a little over a week but have not had any quality time in the saddle. After hours of exploring the Gooseberry trails, the Firebird and I bonded, and I started to really get in sync with the bike. Having the extra travel made the riding much more comfortable. The Firebird begs to be ridden hard and it ate up all of the technical descents.
Late Sunday afternoon we drove over to the Jem Trail. Pat and I raced down the 8+ miles of buff downhill single track. Again the Firebird killed it. Pat is very strong and fast. He held a solid lead on me until we reached some technical sections. That was where the Firebird shined. I was able to just let go of the breaks and let the suspension suck up whatever the trail threw at it. The ride was fast and thrilling and both Pat and I loved every minute of it.
On Monday, I said goodbye to my California friends and began the 6 hour drive home. I decided to stop off in Sedona for a bit of red rock sweetness. I parked at the Bike and Bean and rode Sim Shady, Templeton, Highline Waterfalls, and the Baldwin trail. The ride was only 13 miles, but after 4 days of hard riding, I was spent. I drove home that night tired and sore. I laid down to watch some Monday night football and was sound asleep minutes later.
This year's trip to Utah was amazing. Like last year, I left Utah feeling that I was a better rider then when I arrived. With the trip behind me it is time to focus back on school and get ready for midterms. Thanks again to Jeff, Julie, and the entire CA crew for inviting me on the trip. It was unforgettable.
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