Archive for May, 2013

Playing by the Colorado River

Dry, dusty, desert winds. Warm, green, apple orchards. And the massive river that connects both worlds.

Western Colorado is a world of micro climates. The north face of each hill is different from the south. If there is water coursing through a valley, it’s lush and green. If not, it’s brown, dry, hot and harsh. We spent a long weekend camping in the Grand Junction area of Western Colorado, and managed to experience nearly all of the Colorado River basin extremes.

Our original plan was to camp at the 18 Road bike trails all weekend, but 8p rolled around on our drive out I-70, the sun was setting, and our tank was almost out of gas. We filled up at a station right across the street from the Island Acres Campground, which is the eastern-most part of the James M Robb Colorado River State Park system.

Our Campsite at Island Acres

They had plenty of sites, all with either electric or electric/water hookups, nestled in a grove of just-green cottonwoods on the banks of the Colorado River. The valley was filled with the haze of campfire smoke and the smell of fresh green grass – something we don’t have much of on the Front Range this spring.

Since we thought we would stay only one night, we took a slightly cheeper electric-only site on the river-side of the park. We let G out of the car while Mark leveled the trailer, and he took off through our neighbor’s site and immediately found a new friend. The little boy, we’ll call him B, was almost the exact same age as G, with the same long curly blond hair and the same happy, wild, spirit. They played in the dusk of the campground that night until we pulled them apart to sleep.

G spent a lot of time playing in this ditch with his friend

The next morning, G and B played and played. Mark and I enjoyed hanging out with B’s family, and the lovely green campground, so much that we payed for another night. We mountain biked all day on Saturday and then came back Saturday night to enjoy another evening at Island Acres.

This campground has quarter-operated hot showers and nice, clean bathrooms. There are lots of ponds for fishing, a nice playground, and even a sandy swim beach (that wasn’t open this early in the season). The sites are level and great for even big-rig RV’s, and far enough apart that it doesn’t feel cramped at all. The campground is a little expensive because you are required to buy a daily pass for the state park with each night of camping. The electric only sites are $20/night + $7/night entry fee. The electric and water sites are $24/night + $7/night entry fee.

Island Acres is just a few minutes from Palisade, Colorado, which is the heart of Colorado wine country. The wide valley is filled with peach trees, apple trees, cherry orchards, and grape vines. A number of California-style wineries have sprung up in the last few years, and Palisade now boasts a Fruit and Wine By-way chocked with sun-kissed love in fruit form.

Camping in the Unrestricted Zone at 18 Road

The free camping on the BLM North Fruita Desert Special Recreation Area is on the exact opposite side of the camping spectrum. This high desert sits at the edge of tall sandstone mesas that mark the transition from the Rocky Mountains to the canyons of the desert southwest.

There are two main areas for camping on this land. The first is the marked pay-for sites that sit near the top of the area hill. These sites are in a great location for the biking area, and are a little outside of the worst of the dust. But they also fill up quickly and cost $10/night.

The Free Camping in North Fruita is nearly empty during the week

The other main area for camping is the Unrestricted area. This is a branching 2 mile long dirt road in a valley below the main mountain bike trails. There are probably hundreds of campsites in the valley, and on Saturday the place was hopping full with mountain bikers camping and partying and having a great time. There is virtually no shade, very little grass, and plenty of swirling dust and dirt.

But you can camp for free, ride as much as you want right from your site, and our trailer made it up the road without a problem. After the campground emptied out on Sunday evening, we felt like the only people in this wide open, beautiful desert.

Riding back to camp in North Fruita

So that was two very different camping experiences. The Island Acres campground is full of amenities and green grass. It is easily accessible from the interstate and can cost nearly $30 a night. The North Fruita Desert camping area is full of sand, sun, and desert dwellers (mountain bikers and lizards and such). The camping is free and convenient and very, very dusty. We had a good time in both places and managed to experience the full spectrum of Western Colorado climates in the space of three nights camping.

Riding with Daddy

This is a blog post I never thought I would be writing, for a couple of reasons. The first is that I continually describe myself as a “rock climber” and mountain biking was low on our list of things to do with a toddler. The second is that I never thought I would have a two year old capable of mountain biking!

Cruising down the little dips and bumps around Fruita

After a spring of snow in along the front range, we have been desperate to get out to the desert. We had such a good time in Pueblo that we decided to make the five hour drive out to Fruita and do it all over again. It turns out, even a rock climbing family can have a lot of fun mountain biking. And it might be time to add another chapter to the story we tell about ourselves.

We chose to spend our weekend riding around the trails at 18 Road, in the desert north of Fruita, because they include smaller loops that allow Mark and I to take turns while the kiddo plays at the trailhead. Also, because the Kessel Run is the most fun I’ve ever had on two wheels.

Hanging with new friends at the trailhead parking lot

The Kessel Run – Miles and miles of just plain awesome

And on Saturday, we got to do just that. Mark and I took turns riding the Kessel Run while the other parent played with the G-kid around the trailhead. Early in the afternoon, though, G made friends with a 4 year old girl who was camping with her mountain biking parents and riding her own pedal bike all around the trails that day. G hopped on his strider and they took off on some of the smaller hills and flat trails around the unrestricted camping area. I had to run hard to try and keep up with him. He is really getting fast!

Taking the Strider out the Vegitarian trail

The little girl’s family had a sweet camp set up in the campground, and they offered Mark and I a place to relax out of the sun and away from the dust and noise in the parking lot. G and his new friend painted rocks (and each other) with water colors, played with shovels and toy construction equipment, and generally had a great time.

While they were relaxing and playing, I took a trip up the Vegitarian loop and around Down-Upity. These trails weren’t on my map or in our guidebook, suggesting some new trail building in the area recently. I had a great time. The technical curves and steep hillsides around Down-Upity were full of delicate, precise riding that helped me feel like I am building more control in my biking. These trails are less popular, and I saw more desert wildlife. Several large lizards and interesting birds ran from the sage along the edges of the trail.

Intersection of Vegetarian and Down Upitity

The Down Upitity Trail

On Sunday we came back with our trailer and nabbed a free campsite as the campground emptied (I’ll write more on camping in future post). G napped in the shady trailer while Mark and I took turns cranking out miles. Mark rode down PBR (Pumps Bumps and Rollers) which was full of whoop-di-whoops and giant bike jumps. I rode up Prime Cut for the first time and remembered how to shift appropriately on short, steep, up-hills. I rode down Kessel run for a second… ok, maybe third… time. Mark took a loop through the Vegetarian to Down-Upitity landscape and enjoyed it immensely.

Up the Prime Cut

And as soon as the Go-Kid woke from his nap, he was demanding bike rides. He probably spent 2 hours flying around the Fruita landscape, scooting, riding, rolling, running, and squealing with joy the whole time.

Go-Kid on a Desert Landscape

Riding around 18 Road

When I was pregnant, I read stories of family adventures and imagined what our story might be like. I imagined sport crags and climbing gear, a kiddo who loved rocks and dirt and sun and … climbing. But what we have is even better! A kid who loves rocks and dirt and sun, and bikes as well, and I never knew it was possible.