The Ride

I went on the single greatest ride of my life this past week. I was in Rocky Mountain National Park with my family and I had a new goal, to ride up Fall River Road. I have done the main pass, Trail Ridge Road, about 10 times so I thought it was time for something new. Fall River Road is the original pass and is still gravel and has minimal up keep.

I started out Thursday morning from Estes and the sun was just touching the tops of the mountains. If you start from Downtown Estes you quickly realize that you are going to climb a bunch before you even get to the park entrance. I got to the entrance at 6:30 AM and there was no park attendant so I got in for free. Then I rode up to Horse Shoe Park. It is a beautiful valley that is known for big horn sheep and elk. I took a right and went past the alluvial fan from the 1982 flood and was soon in the picnic grounds. I knew the road was near.

I had the typical bike rube thoughts go through my head as I approached the road. I was not going to use my granny gear even though the sign boasted 9 miles of gravel. Well, I went to my granny within a city block and I never left it. I suppose I could have but all the macho riding stuff quickly faded away. The ride was surreal. There were views that I simply could not take in. I was climbing up the side of a canyon, literally. It was awesome!!

Some things I remember are the incredible switch backs while looking across at the other canyon wall. I remember riding next to a stream and then getting above the stream and looking down the canyon at the falls that dropped about 200 feet. I remember the sun light reaching around the valley and finally coming through the trees. One of the switch backs brought you out to an edge where you felt like you were looking all the way back to Estes and the starting point of the ride. I shouted out “Holy S***!” about three times on that corner I just couldn’t believe it.

I got to the top and thought of John as I pounded my Starbucks Double Shot and ate a couple of granola bars. No one was in the lot yet so I headed to the top of Trail Ridge Road and through Rock cut. More incredible scenery. I sailed down, riding the brake of course. The clouds started rolling in and I descended out of the sunlight into the cloud and back into the sun below. Wild. I was back to the hotel by 10. I thought Bear Tooth Pass would be my greatest ride ever... not so. I don’t know if I can beat this one.

The rest of the trip was great. We hiked as a family and Belinda and I rode up to Bear Lake on our anniversary. Thanks to my sister we were able to enjoy some riding together and were able to go out to eat at the Dunraven. What a great trip!