Cross USA Road Trip Starts May 31st: Who wants to ride?

General
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We are leaving from Tennessee tomorrow (May 31st), driving through MO, KS, CO, UT, ID, with our final destination being the Bellingham Munifest on June 7-9. This is a three week trip so we have lots of riding to do!

The plan is to ride or ski each day, except for the first and last day of the trip; unless I get sparkly and hit up some trail in MO or KS :roll_eyes:

Drive Fri May 31- Sat June 1
Ride Colorado Front Range late on Sat May 1
Ski Loveland Pass or A Basin on Sun May 2
Ride Fruita on Mon May 3rd
Ride SLC Tue May 4
Ride Boise Thu May 5
Ride or Ski Cascades Wed May 6
Ride at the Bellingham Munifest Thu-Sun May 7-9
Ride Vancouver Island Mon May 10
Ride or Ski Hood Tue May 11
Ride Corvallis Wed May 12
Ride Eugene - Oak Ridge Thur May 13
Ride Ashland Fri May 14
Ski Crater Lake Sat May 15
Ride Bend Sun May 16
Ride SLC Mon-Tue May 17-18
Ride Utah -> Western Colorado Wed-Thu May 19-20
Drive May Fri-Sat 21-22

There is some flexibility in the plans IF I have riding partners, hint, hint.

In Colorado: Aspen Mike is going to meet me to ride, but he has a job and we may be slow to get going on day one, so a group ride with bik Mike would be cool; he will atrash us for sure :slight_smile:

In SLC: It’ll be mid week, but Killian is up for riding, hopefully Burt can take a day or half day, it’d be fun to ride the Crest Trail :slight_smile:

Any riders out in Boise??

In Washngton State: We are all about the Bellingham Munifest!

In Oregon: We are going to be “college shopping” for the boy, but we will surely find time to ride and ski (Timberline and Crater Lake). We want to ride in Corvallis, Oakridge, Medford/Ashland, and Bend.

Back in SLC: More riding, maybe even head to Moab!!

Back in Western Colorado: More Fruita or something spicey mid state…

I will have email and internet access on the road, so post potential meet up plans :smiley:

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If ya want to make a trip to Ohio I’ll be there!

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Yeah I’m up for it! :smiley: I will say if it’s Salt Lake area or further south, it’s a bit more iffy, but might be able to get it to work. That place you were looking at the brakes is right out my back door though… Will it be mid week next week? Or the week after? All them there dates got me confuddled…

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@ Killian:

Midweek in SLC coming and going.

Have you ridden the Crest Trail from Guardsman? It’s a perfect 29er muni ride, not that hard, medium distance, nice views, should be free of snow and not have as many bikes as a weekend ride. We might be able to get my daughter and her bf to join us on bikes, then Karen will shuttle :slight_smile:

If it’s coolish, I suppose I could be talked into an early ride on Antelope…or maybe something in Ogden since that’s where they keep the brakes :roll_eyes:

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Never ridden it, though I’ve heard plenty about it. I think Bert mentioned it last time…

Also, be aware: http://utahmountainbiking.com/UMBphpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=11912

It sounds like there still may be snow.

The biggest problem I’d run into is just driving down. I’d have to talk to my parents about it, since I’m still a relatively new driver, they’re a bit aprehensive about longer drives for me. :slight_smile:

I’d be good for Antelope again, but it would have to be early like you said. I’ve done a lot of riding out there since we last rode, and there’s some other decent medium tech. trails. And there’s always Ogden BST or Wheeler/Snowbasin trails (busy though).

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If you find yourself in southern colorado region in Pueblo, Colorado feel free to stop by! :slight_smile:

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Ben, I don’t think I’ve got the skills to ride with you, but I’d be glad to take you out to a trail near St. Louis. Mostly I frequent Greensfelder Park, which is close to I-44 (and Six Flags if you want to give the rest of the family something to do for a few hours). If that’s too far off the beaten path, I can recommend something close to I-70 or I-64.

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Yes!

We are all about the Bellingham Muni Weekend too! Looking forward to you having a great time! The line-up has some great riders sharing the fun.

JM

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Ben,
Yes, let’s definitely get together here in Ashland on the 14th. Lots of great trails to ride. I’ve also been considering climbing and skiing (telemarking) Mt. Shasta that weekend. We’ve had some late season snow and the conditions should be perfect. Crater Lake is stunningly gorgeous and does have some decent skiing, but if you’d like to go up a 14er instead then we should talk and plan accordingly.
What time do you anticipate arriving in Ashland? Which unis are you bringing?

Geoff

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Ben-

In your posted schedule do you want everyone to pretty much substitute “June” for all of your instances of “May” after the first line, “Drive Fri May 31- Sat June 1?”

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@geoff, yes I was planning to call you when we get closer and yes I’d takr 14er Over crater :slight_smile:

Hey kc, did bert call you about doing a group?

Jacob we’re Going skiing sunday, then riding grand junction monday. Maybe we can ride on the way back?

Yes harper :wink:

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Not sure if this was aimed at me, but I haven’t heard anything from Bert since our last ride…

Also, I won’t be around when you pass through SLC on your way back, going camping with the fam during that week.

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Yeah that would work out good! Work is coming to a slow down right now. This following weekend I have EUC America at my house so there will be a handful of riders in pueblo.

Let me know what day you would be coming down :slight_smile:

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hey Kiefer call bert for plans to ride Tuesday

Geoff , I lost your number

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Ben, talked to Bert, sent you a PM.

Maybe ride Ogden Tuesday and SLC Wednsday? :thinking:

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Rode Sandy Ridge yesterday, skied Timberline today, now in Corvallis, planning to ride Mcdonald Forest tomorrow, then heading Ashland to ride with Geoff. Send a PM if you can ride Corvallis.

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Hey Ben, thanks for coming up to ride! Had a blast and look forward to riding again sometime, hopefully Bert can come along. :slight_smile:

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Well, we’re back, it was a really looong trip, three weeks on the road, but well worth it.

Here’s some stats:

Muni Days: 12
Topeka KS, Softball Field Trails with Karen, Oregon 29+
Grand Junction CO, The Ribbon with Aspen Mike, Oracle 29
Ogden UT, Shoreline Trail with Killian, Oregon 29+
Bellingham WA Munifest with “the crew”, Oregon 29+/Oracle 29/Oracle 36
Sandy OR, Sandy Ridge Trails with Karen, Oregon 29+
Corvallis OR, Mary’s Peak, Oregon 29+
Ashland OR with Nature Quack, Oracle 36/Oracle 29
Bend OR with Lance, Jason and Karen, Oracle 36/Oregon 29+/Oracle 36
Laramie WY, Happyjack Trails with Karen, Oracle 36

Ski Days: 2
Loveland Pass CO, Arapahoe Basin
Mt Hood OR, Timblerline

Hike Days: 2
Olympic National Park, WA
Elko NV, Anglel Lake

Rest Days/Drive Days: 6

Miles Driven: 7,950

Laundry: Once!

Longest time without changing clothes… a while

Favorite Trails:

Bellingham is amazing, steep stuff, so beautiful!
Grand Junction, crazy hot, awesome riding, who needs Moab!!
Bend trail system, so many choices, a must visit, the best 36er muni ever!!!
Happy Jack, a great trail system that is right off the Freeway, go ride it if you’re passing by, it’s like Bend and Grand Junction combined!!!

Thanks so much to everyone who met me for a ride, it was awesome to ride with folks I new only from the forum, and to have such great trails, it makes me want to move…in fact that was part of our “trip work”, to scout out places we can move to in Summer 2014 :smiley:

Drum roll…

Number one: Bend, Oregon:
Great trails
Great skiing
Great weather
Good town, kinda touristy
Fair location, kinda isolated…

Number two: Bellingham, WA
Great trails
Great skiing
Great town
Great location, on the coast, near the montains, near Canada, far enough from Seattle that we can visit without being “annexed”, what more can be said.
The weather, well, they say it’s cloudy and rainy “sometimes” :wink:

Number three: Corvallis, OR
Good trails
No skiing, it’s a drive, good be a deal killer…
Great town
Fair weather, about as rainy as where we live now.
Good location, central to a lot of good stuff, has a nice “Leave it to Beaver” kind of vibe.

Runner Ups: Ashland, Ogden, Durango, Klamath Falls

Biggest Surprises:
Bellingham, what a wonderful place!
Meeting and riding with Kris, he’s the real deal!
My wife (Karen) still loves me after three weeks in a car :stuck_out_tongue:

Biggest Disappointments:
Boise, ID, I had hopes of staying a while but it was way to friggin hot!!
The Seattle Megalopolis, dang people, ain’t you ever heard about limits to growth??
Not being able to find decent camping :frowning:
Sleeping in a Walmart parking lot in Elko because all of the hotel rooms were taken up by miners :astonished:

Best part of coming home:
My bed and my pets :smiley:

Pics to follow…

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Pictures from our Summer road trip:

First ride of the trip, behind the “softball fields”, Topeka, KS

Riding with Aspen Mike, Grand Junction, CO


Looking back at where we started, far top left, looks like a wine glass, called The Ribbon Trail.

Cute little critter:

Pretty flower

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More pics from our Summer vacation:

Our “turn around point”, Bellingham Munifest, WA


You all know the guy on the blue muni :roll_eyes:

Mary’s Peak, near Corvallis, OR

Sandy Ridge Trails, West of Govt Camp

Bend, OR

The chicken points the way, go West!