IntrepidXJ's Adventure Blog

Sunday, September 25, 2011

After my float down the Colorado River in the afternoon, I came home and relaxed for a little while. About an hour before sunset I decided to head out and do a little mountain biking near home. Not too far away is a part of the Old Spanish Trail, and it’s open to bikes, so I headed over there for a short and easy ride as the sun was setting. I took a few photos along the way…

Long Shadows

The shadows were starting to get long when I started.

Old Spanish Trail

Plenty of signs along the way to keep you on the right track.

Road Ahead

It’s a pretty desolate-looking area….and only a few miles from home.

Old Road

Part of an old road through the badlands….the Grand Mesa peeking up in the background.

Gunnison River

The trail connected up with the Gunnison Bluffs Trail for a little bit where I had a view down onto the Gunnison River.

Grand Valley View

View of the Grand Valley from where I turned around. I could have gone just a little further, but would have just ended up in a subdivision.

Since I wasn’t planning on going anywhere with the Jeep today, I decided to get up early and head over to the Kokopelli bike trails near Loma to check out a popular trail named Rustler’s Loop. It was a great 3.5 mile loop with excellent views over Horsethief Canyon and the Colorado River. Here’s a few pictures from along the way….

Sun coming up over the Grand Valley

Nice overlook over the Colorado. The trail follows the edge of the bench below

It was a great way to start the day! Now it’s time to get some yard work done around the house….

After work I decided to head out on my first mountain bike ride of the season. I ended up heading to the Spanish Trail and Gunnison Bluffs area and rode one of the loops. Here’s a few photos from my ride…

At the trailhead with my new, but temporary bike rack. The spare tire bike rack I had on my XJ would not fit on the JK.

Gunnison River below

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What a great day! Amanda and I woke up early this morning and headed over to McDonald Creek for a little hiking. This is a nice easy hike that starts out near Castle Rocks and then heads down to the Colorado River.

There are also some pictographs along the canyon.

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I decided to take my bike out for a short ride on the Gunnison Bluffs trail that is only a few miles from home. Amanda and I hiked part of this trail last spring, so I knew it would be relative mild to test out my bike off-road.

Start of the trail, headed towards the Gunnison

Grand Mesa in the background

Gunnison River below