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| Moore Fun
Peter Beers 8/28/2005 PedroGringo@yahoo.com |
One look at the contour of this trail tells you that there are some steep ups and downs. This trail lives up to its name as it climbs to the top of one of the most prominent ridges in the Kokopelli Trail Area. Its also quite rocky.
If your lungs or legs are not ready for climbing, then you'd better head back to Rustler's Loop for a little warm-up. Though the lower sections are not terribly technical, they are tough enough to make our flat-land lungs and legs work for each pedal stroke.
You can tell a few things about the photo above. One is that it is quite rocky. This section goes over broken sections of slickrock that make you wish you had a full suspension bike (if you happen to be on a hardtail). The other thing is that Julian came prepared for this ride.... Knowing it was a bit more technical, he wore the arm and leg armor. He was very happy that he did.
Eventually the trail heads back to the north side of the ridge. This makes the final climb to the top possible since the south side is almost a vertical cliff. There is a lot more plant life in this area. The trail is still quite rocky though.
After a lot of climbing, you finally get to enjoy the view. The top of the first ridge is absolutely breathtaking. It makes all the work you've done well worth it.
Eventually you have to stop baking on the rocks and continue riding. The trail heads down the ridge and towards the second peak in the ridge line.
The rocks along the trail make for a great place to take some photos. I don't think Julian realized how close the trail gets to the edge. At some places it is only a few feet away from a pretty healthy drop.
The trees in this area are tough. Julian will attest to that. He just brushed up against this tree... thinking it was like the trees we have back in Virginia. Instead of the branch bending and letting him pass, it grabbed him and sucked him in. He was nice enough to allow me to photograph the aftermath.
Coming down the back side of the second peak is way too much fun. There are tons of switchbacks and rock gardens on the way down. It is the kind of descent that makes you feel GREAT when you get to the bottom.
This is one of the last switchbacks before the trail meets up with the frontage road. The cool thing about it is that the radius of the turn is about 2 feet shorter than the wheelbase of your bike. Some people hop the ridge of rocks early in order to clean this section. I got my front wheel up but couldn't make the pivot. It will make for a great try next time.
This ride was definitely one of the more technical rides in Fruita. There are some sections that are really rocky and tough to get started on once you stop. The way to deal with that is obvious... just don't stop. Next time I'll try and bring the lungs that allow me to ride like that.
This is definitely one of my favorite trails in Fruita. Its got everything I like!!!!
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