Friday Jake came home on his lunch break like usual. We were sitting there chillin’, chatting about Rebecca Rusch’s Kokopelli Trail record attempt, when out of the blue he says something about why don’t we just go down to Colorado this weekend. Sunshine! Bikes! Siblings! Heck yeah, sign me up! Twenty minutes later I’m in a whirlwind of gear and food, rounding up the necessities for the weekend. Our best adventures are spur-of-the-moment decisions so there was no doubt that this was the perfect weekend plan. Besides, although the weather was supposed to be “nice” at home it wasn’t going to be 80-degrees and blazing sunshine nice! This girl was in serious need of some sunshine!
We rolled out later Friday evening after I finished my first 5k in two years. A cup of coffee, some open highway and off we rolled into the night. The exhaustion of the week struck sometime after Casper, WY so we found a suitable stealth camping site and crashed out under the light of the full moon. The frosty night was short and soon we were back on the highway. Around mid-day Saturday we rolled into the Kokopelli Trailhead with an hour to spare before Rebecca made her grand entrance. Once we’d cheered her across the finish line we headed out for some singletrack of our own. 1.16 miles into the ride, your’s truly had minor mechanical that turned into a memorable crash. Brand new pedals that optionally release and new drivetrains that are still breaking in apparently aren’t a highly recommended combo. I found myself resembling a turtle on its back, stuck in my bike, hoping I wasn’t broken. After remembering how to breathe I took my shoe off, released them from the pedals, got up and assessed the damage. All appeared well so onward it was.
We met up with the siblings shortly after the crash and it wasn’t until we were loading the bike that I notice my new front shifter seemed a bit cockeyed. After some closer examination, somehow my left forearm tangled with the shifter and managed to bend the hanger. Shimano 1-Rochelle 0. Had it not been for the incredibly awesome folks at Over the Edge Sports in Fruita hooking me up with new parts and the speedy repair by the Shimano guys, my weekend adventures might have been limited to camping and beer drinking with the little bro and sister-in-law.
Not that there wasn’t some of that to go around as well! Camp stove quesadillas, Keystone Light and s’mores were shared as stories flowed. Somehow life shared ’round a campfire has a lot more meaning. Saturday night was spent under a full moon, no tent necessary. After two late nights it was a lazy Sunday start before Jake and I hit the bikes again. Time to wear the pups out before the long trek back across Wyoming. All too quickly goodbyes were said and northward bound we headed. It seemed ironic and telling that as we crossed the Colorado-Wyoming line gray skies and rain showers greeted us. Apparently winter just can’t let go of its hold in the north. With sunburned necks and tired smiles we greeted Monday morning, knowing deep in our hearts that it was all worth it and we can’t wait to do it again.
