Storms & Trails

On Friday and then again last night we got heavy rain (enough to erode a parts of our backyard) so I am curious to see what some of the trails will be like on the Mesa. I would expect that portions of Dead Cattle Loop to be pretty heavily eroded and muddy with puddles.

Two Wash Loop might not be too bad except for that one low spot where I got into bunch of mud last week. An alternative would be use the four wheel track that goes under the power lines and gets you to the same place.

7/30 Ride - Dead Cattle Loop & Nessie's Humps

There are a couple of variations of the Dead Cattle Loop so on July 30 I thought I would ride one of them. Loaded the hydration pack more than usual because I wasn't sure how long it would take me. Dead Cattle Loop is 12.5 miles in length and crosses washes that feed into two big arroyos the Calabacillas and the Montoyas which the trail also crosses.

About two thirds through the ride the front tire went flat but not totally. The stiffness of the Continental X-king and what little air was left kept me going but I hadn't reached the toughest part of the ride, Nessie's Humps so named because the up and down remind me of classic photos of the Loch Ness Monster. I walked around one of the hardest sections, (I didn't think the front tire would hold up).

On the fast downhill mostly straight sections towards the end of the ride I slid my behind almost off the back of the saddle to take pressure off the front tire and made back to the car for 14.5 miles.

One of these days I rally do need to learn how to change a tire!

7/28 Ride | Two Wash Loop

Got an early morning start and the did 10 mile Two Wash Loop. While there was the barest evidence of wet and mud caused by the much needed rain we need on the first half of the ride there were couple of places where the thick gooey stuff was almost rim deep.

Everything got clogged up, shoes and cleats and chain and derailleurs. Otherwise the trail, where it is normally soft & sandy, was firmer and made for a fast ride.