Kokopelli Trail Days 1 & 2 - a story told with photos!

John, Heidi, Matt and I did the 4 day mountain bike trip from Fruita, Colorado to Moab, Utah. Between the 4 of us I think we had a complete training program! Injury, work, travel and a host of other excuses kept any of us from really focusing on mountain biking in preparation for this trip...but when has that ever stopped me in the past! Ha!
If I were to do it again, I might check out the profile for the ride...but I knew I was going to do it either way so it didn't really matter...but HOLY CRAP! The "little" hills you see on the profile were hard enough but the 3rd day was crazy hard and beautiful!

Day 1 we left from the trail head and rode Mary's and Lion's loop and followed the rim above the Colorado River. Just gorgeous! I knew my cycling legs were weak so I would jump off my bike at any sign of danger..it was going to be a long trip and I didn't need to get hurt! We hike-a-biked 3 or 4 times that day. Some of the climbs were hysterical because I could see no chance for a bike to cover the terrain.  

The rest of the story is best told with photos!

A beautiful view from high above the Colorado River

We were trying to climb as much as we could without hiking!

Heidi took a pretty good shot to the axle. Day 1 damage!

John and Heidi hiking up another climb.

Checking out the view from my campsite.

Making it to the top after a long day!

John hanging on for dear life at the campsite night 1!

Day 2 started dark and wet and never got much better!

A wicked hail storm moved in on us faster than we expected!

Holding up in a vacant van while the storm hammered our bikes!

My hero!

Hail creating a wicked gully washer in the desert!

All the water created a clay soup that we COULD NOT ride or walk through!

This is just stupid...40+ miles of this crap! Oh my!

 

Finally got to dry land! The road was long and hard too!