Joomla! site syndication http://www.bicycleutah.com Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:19:44 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.bicycleutah.com/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.bicycleutah.com Joomla! site syndication http://www.bicycleutah.com/content/view/13/37/ The State of Utah offers an incredible variety of bicycle recreation. This site includes articles and information on mountain biking, road cycling, races, festivals, trails, and much more. Places to stay .....things to do ....divided into 5 geographic regions with a variety of commercial services in each. Articles - Mountain Biking in Utah Mon, 12 Jun 2006 23:08:49 +0100 http://www.bicycleutah.com/content/view/82/29/ Senor Rojo’s Epic RideThe Great Western Trail is a unique corridor of braided and paralleling trails traversing through five western states, bisecting Utah from its borders on the north with Idaho and to the south with Arizona. Mile after mile of stunning desert and canyon landscapes, plateaus, woodlands, dense forests and alpine meadows. GWT links 18 National Forests, Tribal, State and BLM administered lands and encompasses the most diverse vegetation, topography and wildlife in the western United States; 4,455 miles, over 1600 in Utah. This is a story of but 75 of them.Skyline Drive in Central Utah, part of the Great Western Trail and one of the highest all-purpose trails in the United States, winds along the broad summit of the Wasatch Plateau, affording magnificent views of Sanpete Valley, mile-deep canyons, lake filled basins and delightful alpine meadows and forests. Views from Skyline along the steep spine of the Wasatch Plateau are of alpine vistas and granite mountaintops towering over tall pines. On the horizon one can see the Oquirrh Range, the Tavaputs Plateau, Mount Nebo, the San Rafael Swell and the spectacular Roan Cliffs. Traversing 10,000-foot high ridges barely wider than the road itself, Skyline intersects two other scenic drives, and all three offer developed campgrounds, lakes, fishing, hiking and (drum roll) mountain biking. Mountain biking? No less of an authority than Dirtworld.com says on its website under Ride Summary: ”Skyline Drive is for the sick and twisted! You have to be in awesome shape to complete this ride.” And in its Trail Description: “This trail is a long smorgous board (sic) of terrain. Your best bet is to do it in two days. If you can finish the ride in one you are a complete stud! You'll find long climbs, screaming downhills, ruts, mud holes, and technical sections.” Finally, describing Skyline’s Skill Level: “Masochistic.”Senor Rojo awoke without the aid of an alarm clock at 4:30 AM. The day before, he and his amiga, Senorita Monique, Publisher of the Outdoor Utah Recreation Guide, had shuttled his vehicle to a remote spot in Willow Creek Canyon near Salina and returned to Fairview’s only motel, aptly named Skyline Motel. After enjoying a pleasant barbecued salmon dinner, salad and a fine Chardonnay, Rojo tuned his mountain bike while Monique arranged and layered trail food, bike tools, spare tubes and gear into Rojo’s Deuter Trans Alpine hydration pack and cameras and lenses into hers. Then off to their adjoining rooms for, hopefully, highly necessary siesta.Rojo stumbled out of bed and dressed quickly. As predetermined the night before, he knocked on the wall separating the two motel rooms, anticipating that Monique would still be dormido. “I’m up” came the immediate reply. “I’m not only up, but I’m ready to go. How ‘bout you?” Rojo mumbled that he probably would never be ready for what the day had in store for him.Rojo’s amigo Glen Zumwalt and his wife Judy own and operate Big Pine Sports in Fairview at the base of Fairview Canyon that snakes its way up to Skyline high above. The drive up onto the Wasatch Plateau is indescribably beautiful, Hermoso! Preciosa! Three days before, Glen had offered his valuable time to ride with Seńor Rojo on one of Big Pine’s rental ATV’s the length of Skyline Drive to scout the condition of the trail and, most importantly, to stash water in collapsible containers along the route. The smooth, powerful yet surprisingly quiet ATV covered the route in a little over three hours, and Judy was waiting with truck and trailer to hall the machine and riders back to Fairview.“Caramba!” Rojo muttered inaudibly as they drove to the trailhead. “You’ll do fine” replied Monique. “Take your time, ride easy, drink plenty of water, take lots of short breathers and remember to snack along the way. You’ve trained hard and are in reasonably good shape for a man of your age!” “Gracias, for reminding me” grumbled Rojo.“I’ll see you at the intersection of Skyline and Ephraim Canyon road at around noon. I’ll have your lunch. Happy trails!” she called out, leaving Rojo alone with his mountain bike and pack. In the dark and cold of an early September morning. At 9700 feet. Temerosa. Mucho temerosa!!No choice. Start pedaling. The surface is hard and good. The morning air is still and crisp as the first light of dawn illuminates the gorgeous landscape of the Manti La Sal National Forest. Below and to the left several glistening lakes appear and to the right, far below, the placid Sanpete Valley, Fairview and, in the distance, Mt. Pleasant and iconic, majestic Horseshoe Mountain. The sun is up and warming the beautiful late summer day. Time to hydrate and remove a layer. First water cache just ahead so hydrate big-time, grande.Two hours in. No problems, rolling smoothly along the rolling terrain. Climb, cruise, uphill, downhill. Twisty turns. Let ‘er rip! But don’t get too cocky. Lots of miles ahead. Not the time and place for an end-o. Big climb ahead. Gear down.“Arrrgh! That was tough, duro!” Better rest, save some energia, snack. Monique makes the world’s best trail mix. We call it “Mo Made” and it really hits the spot. Check the time, better get moving. She’ll be waiting at Ephraim Canyon, ten miles ahead.Ten grueling miles. Steeper, longer climbs, some hike-a-bikes and rutted rocky downhills, one after the other. This is getting tough! Legs OK, but hard to breathe. More stops, more and ever-changing spectacular views of Horseshoe Mountain in the distance. Finally, that must be the Ephraim Canyon spur road ahead, 30 miles in. Glen said there’ll be lots of activity there. ATV’s and bow hunt weekend.Finally, there’s Mo’s car and she’s got lunch set up in a shady spot. Turkey sandwich and rest. So tired, Rojo considers quitting. Mo gives huge encouragement and says eat grapes. “Grapes? Why grapes?” Rojo wonders. “Instant energy” she replies. “Okay, okay, I’ll give it a go” and off Rojo rides, pack loaded with grapes and more “Mo Made”. “You’re on you own now” she shouts.Did Glen say activity? These ATV folks are friendly; give a wave and a “Hi” as they pass, but the dust! Hard enough to breathe with the climbs, altitude, stress. Mile after beautiful mile and finally reach the sign at the side of the trail, “Highest Point on Skyline Drive – Elevation 10,897 feet.” All downhill from here? Not on your life! The next several hours and miles are what Dirtworld must have been talking about. Ten hours and 53 miles in. Not a good average speed, but with all the climbs and rests in between, to be expected. Barely a sip left in the Deuter hydration pack when Rojo reaches the final water cache around a bend with an unobstructed view of a landmark peak called “Molly’s Nipple.” Now it is all downhill. But steep, rutted, rocky and turny. Be very careful. Nobody around to help. Don’t fall, don’t take any chances. A mountain biker almost never gets hurt on a climb. But here, and dog tired, fraught with peril!Finally, finally, there’s the car. Nothing around it when we shuttled two days ago, now it’s surrounded by campers and motorhomes. Bow hunters partying and one jovial reveler says “Where in hell you been on that bicycle, boy?” Rojo replies, “I rode from the trailhead of Skyline up Fairview Canyon.” “Hell, damn! That’s prob’ly sixty, seventy miles away!” Rojo checks his cyclometer. “74.7 to be exact. Can you spare a Cervesa?”EPILOG:Seńor Rojo rode Skyline Drive solo, on a hardtail, almost 75 miles with over 5000 feet of climbing, in 13 hours on his 70th birthday. He lost 12 pounds and slept 20 hours the next day. Skyline is spectacular and, unless you’re a glutton for punishment, that’s not the way to enjoy it. Do it over two, three or even four days. Bring along a sag wagon, camp out, hike, fish and enjoy this Utah treasure. Or do it in sections, staying at B and B’s, comfy motels or lodges in Sanpete Valley’s small towns of Fairview, Mt. Pleasant, Ephraim, Manti and Spring City. Here’s some suggestions and travel information offices:Skyline Motel, Fairview – 435/427-3312Manti Country Village Motel – 800/452-0787 or manticountryvillage.com (http://www.manticountryvillage.com) Horseshoe Mtn. Resort, Mt. Pleasant – 435/462-9339 or horseshoemtnresort.com (http://www.horseshoemtnresort.com) Osborne Inn, Spring City – 877/462-1894 or osborneinn.com (http://www.osborneinn.com) (bike rentals available)Palisade State Park (camping) 435/835-4653 or stateparks.utah.gov/parks/palisade (http://www.stateparks.utah.gov/parks/palisade) /Sevier County Travel Council – 877/47-EVENT or visitsevier.com (http://www.visitsevier.com) Juab Travel Council – 800/748-4361 or juabtravel.com (http://www.juabtravel.com) Sanpete Travel Council – 800/281-4346 or sanpetecounty.org (http://www.sanpetecounty.org) If you fall in love with the countryside and want information on cabin property, contactLegacy Mountain – 866/5MT- LOTS or legacymountain.com (http;/www.legacymountain.com) One last thing: Glen and Judy Zumwalt are most helpful. Visit them at Big Pine Sports in Fairview for gear, supplies and for all, and we mean all, you need to know about Skyline and the area. Go to bigpinesports.com (http://www.bigpinesports.com) or call at 435/427-3338. And tell ‘em Seńor Rojo sent ‘ya. Adios! Articles - Mountain Biking in Utah Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:44:01 +0100