Hurrah

Sunday was a down day for me. I was just tired. I layed around in tPOD II letting food, water, and oxygen help me recover from Saturday. Mid-afternoon I rode my bike into town from the north side to visit Radio Shack for the cig lighter cell phone charger I've always wanted.

Just as I was leaving Dave Nice called me. He was done riding Slickrock with the Arizona Boys, was hanging at Poison Spider. He was planning to catch a ride back to Salida with me so I went and met him and took him back to camp.

We ate bratwurst and potato slices grilled with cheddar on top then hit the rack. Dave started out under my truck since rain was imminent, but wound up crashing on the floor of the mens room since the weather turned really nasty. I never knew anything was happening outside the tPOD. I was out like a light.

Monday morning was beautiful and Dave and I hit the Moab Diner for the special (2 eggs, bacon, blueberry pancakes: $5.50).

I suggested Hurrah Pass-Jackson's Hole-Amassaback. Dave didn't know if he'd seen any of that other than Amassaback, so it was a plan. We parked at City Market and suited up. By then the pretty weather had left town, and there was just the lightest drizzle under overcast skies. We briefly considered scrubbing the mission, but of course that was just crazy talk.

Rolled out the Kane Creek road into a normal headwind, onto the dirt and past the Amassaback trailhead, on out to where the Kane Creek canyon opens out wide and beautiful. Skies stayed overcast, but the weather seemed more or less stable.

As we turned off the Kane Creek road toward the approach to Hurrah Pass it began to sprinkle again. Five minutes later it was non-trivial rain. We didn't really talk about it, just kept going. I wanted to at least get to the top of the pass before considering turning around.

When we got to the pretty and interesting part of the climb the rain stopped. There was sunlight lighting up some of the buttes and mesas in the distance. Soon there was a little blue sky showing. By the time we got to the top, the sun was out.

Here are some photos from the Hurrah Pass part of our little tour:


Dave on the Kane Creek side climbing toward Hurrah Pass


another one of Dave climbing toward Hurrah Pass


yet another of Dave climbing toward Hurrah Pass


cookin' it down the Chicken Corners side

Once we got to the bottom of the descent on the Chicken Corners side of Hurrah, my memory of the route finding started to fade. It had been maybe 10 years since my last trip over. We came to a big sign announcing a bed and breakfast that I did not remember being there. There were private property notices. The entry to this B&B looked an awful lot like the turn I vaguely remembered. But it seemed like it must be on down closer to the river, so we went past.

After a mile or so it became clear that we were on the way to Chicken Corners and not the turn-off to Jackson's Hole, so we turned back and into the B&B entry. Sure enough, a couple hundred yards in there was a gate and sign saying "stay on the road through private property--Jackson's Hole access". Coolio. Through the gate and on our way.

in Jacksons Hole making for the ladder

The ride through the Jackson's Hole was nice and scenic. Dave was digging the new horizons. Always nice to take someone on a ride they haven't seen before.

Climbing the ladder reminded me that my legs are tired. But I took my time and got up there.

Then it was an uneventful trip down off Amassaback. It had been a while since I did that too. Seemed about a quarter of the distance that I remembered. I guess we used to do short little things like that back in olden times. Silly rabbit.

The plan had been to roll over to Fruita or Rabbit Valley, camp and then hit the Mack Ridge trails on Tuesday. But when we got back to City Market, I asked Dave whether he thought maybe we should just head right out and make for Salida, since I figured we could be home by 10. Dave had been thinking the same thing. Both of us were tired and kind of ridden out, and being home sounded good. So we made some sandwiches, picked up malted milkshakes at Moab Diner and got on the road.

Only blip was some pretty serious icy travel over Monarch Pass. We got home at 10. Dave crashed in my apartment and I racked out in the tPOD out in the street. This morning bumped into my friend Greg who was headed to Pueblo to ride. He offered Dave a ride to Penrose where Dave could pedal up to C. Springs and catch the bus to Denver. We said our goodbyes a while ago, and now it's time for me to do laundry and start putting my life back together.

Nice trip. Good 'n tired.