Today was a banner day! We arose early(ish) and called the office to extend a day as our plan had solidified. Luckily, there was a no show right across the street so we had a home for another night. We took the 15 or 20 minutes to move the trailer about 75 feet, took care of the boys then loaded up to go over to Whitefish where Jack and Trish got married at the tippy top of Big Mountain which is the local ski resort. Well, it's summer and you know what ski joints do in the summer right? They tote mt bikers up to the top and let them ride downhill for a lot of miles. This particular place has several trails but really only one that interested us. It's considered a difficult trail which it really isn't but it's 8 miles long. I don't know if previous posts have conveyed accurately just how amazing it is to ride downhill for that long but just in case you aren't getting it...it's amazing.
The view is spectacular in all directions. That happens at the top of a mountain. The weather is generally cooler and today was perfect and just a tad cool at the top. I wore a long sleeve black slippery shirt all day and was totally comfortable the entire time. We bought our passes and headed to the lift. We rode an open quad up and the view as you climbed was just awe inspiring. Although not nearly as high as Bald Mountain in Ketchum, ID, this is still a stunning area and the view from the top was breath-taking. We looked around a little and took some pictures of where Jack and Trish had their wedding pictures taken. Cool story: They went to the top of this mountain, got married, then bailed on everyone and snowboarded down the mountain while making out...or something like that. :) I wish we'd had the money at the time to make it out here. We have pictures for you guys.
We took a gander at the skills area at the top and decided that we aren't hardcore downhill mountain bikers. Our bikes are 10 and 12 years old both with V brakes and our bodies are a little older than that. Kim brought up a good point today about how difficult it would be to hitch and unhitch the trailer with a broken arm. It was at that point that we released any illusions of doing the most difficult trails. This is not the time, the place or the bike to push limits. So off we go down the summit trail. There are some nice jumps right away then all of a sudden, we're zipping across the slopes at pretty brisk speeds. Luckily the trail is marked with signs about the switchbacks that are coming up or a lot of people would get hurt. Good signs. The trail was largely without "features" as we know them on the east coast but at those speeds, a stack would kill you so it's probably better that way. And again, this is the side of a mountain which is very steep. The price for any mistakes would be very very high. Let the idiots with the 50 lb long travel bikes and full face helmets and full padding have their fun on the black trails. This blue trail is the way to go. The trail dipped in and out of the woods and almost all of the turns were 180 degree high bermed switchbacks. I love that though they kinda scare me. Again...consequences... There were some small jumps, several pretty rocky sections and only a small section of roots with drop offs and some standing water and a few rocks. :) Good stuff.
We did three consecutive runs on the same trail. Each time we had to stop for a couple people coming up the hill (though why you would do that is totally beyond me) and a few people we were faster than going down the hill. One couple had 2 very small boys on very small bikes on this trail. We passed them on all three passes. They were still doing their first :) So stinking cute to watch though. And if you gotta have kids, that's the way to do it. No offense to those of you raising lazy boring kids.
We were both beat after three runs so we went to the truck for lunch in the form of Pringles, Mt. Dew, Animal Crackers and Fruit and Nut mix from Costco. Yum-O.
I put the GoPro on my helmet for our last run. We figured it would be a nice leisurely run to show the sights etc... Whatever. We were freaking flying down that hill!!! It hurt so bad. My back was locking up and my shoulders were on fire. On the previous three runs, I'd had a little time to rest when I'd stop and wait for Kim to catch up. Not much time but enough to shake out my arms, crack my neck, twist once or twice then go again when she caught up. On the fourth and final run, Ms. Kim decided that there wouldn't be time for me to shake or stretch as she was on me like white on rice. The first time I stopped to wait, she was right there. That was the last time I stopped to wait as she was hounding me like a hungry lioness. Now I know what a baby zebra feels like. I don't know where she got the legs, lungs or fortitude for that ride, but she worked me hard for 8 straight miles. Luckily, the camera caught about 26 minutes of our 30 minute run before reaching it's one gigabyte max even though there was a 2 gig card in it. Grrrr.
We were both skunked after that run and couldn't stop smiling...until the adrenaline wore off and the pain set in. No more smiling. We packed up and headed into Whitefish to check out the local flavor, figuratively and literally. We weren't going to stop but I convinced Kim she needed a smoothie. We got Gelato instead. Everything around here is huckleberry this and that so Kim got Huckleberry and I got chocolate cherry. Yum. We walked the streets for a bit. The town is really very quaint. We just missed some event or farmer's market or something as everyone was packing up their tents. Oh well, money we don't have to spend. As we were turning a corner heading back to the truck, we passed a little pizza joint. The sniff was powerful. I know what the dogs feel like when they suddenly jerk to one side and go after a smell. Can you guess what we had for dinner? So good. Back to the truck, back to the trailer to happy dogs and here I sit typing as my shoulders and back are on fire and I can't stop smiling thinking about the day.
Tomorrow, we roll out to destinations unknown. I love this trip. I know we're going West. Soon we'll be at Jack and Trish's for a bit. Can't wait for some charred flesh from the grill of Jacko.
(Kim's Perspective)
I am exhausted. That may have been the most fun I've ever had on a mountain bike. On one of the downhill runs, I was thinking "we should extend our stay here and see if Whitey and Jack and Trish can come play with us." Then I remembered that Whitey is busy at work and what would Jack and Trish do with the girls? Sigh. More people should be irresponsible - it's so much fun. Heeeheeee. Anyway, 32 miles of downhill is SICK and just a kickin' good time. Riding my own bike was so much better. I think Bald Mountain was far more technical but I can't say for certain because what seems technical on an unfamiliar bike may not even phase me on my own bike. Bill said something about how fast I'll be able to ride Schaeffer when we get home. I replied with how BORED I'll be at Schaeffer. Mountain biking will never be the same again. Primarily because we don't have MOUNTAINS at home. Not real ones anyway. ;)
Here are some random pics from the ride. Going to try and upload video if possible...we'll see.
The ride up...
The "skills park" at the summit. Kind of lame.
The view was pretty amazing...
Whitefish...and our lunch spot...
While having pizza, we saw an old guy who was all hip wearing his cargo shorts, Keens, and t-shirt. He was probably late 60s or early 70s. You could tell he was still in great shape - he was all lean and sinewy. I told Bill "that's going to be Whitey in another 25 years". :)
Like Bill's shirt says...
It was just a really great day...
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