After getting the bikes on, and paying the $4 fare (it has gone up since last year) we settled into our seats for the 35ish minute ride up the canyon. Once at the lot, we all filed out/off the bus and the excited scramble of bikes, wheels, and camelbaks begun. My buddy and I found our rigs, quickly readied them for the day, and were quickly off to start the ride. No sooner did we leave the pavement did the trail start to climb upwards. It was a steady climb and really not that long; at least, not like the trails closer to Boulder/Golden. We meandered our way through pine and aspen groves and came across a single speed race taking place on the West Mag trails. On we went and finally hit the new "Re-Root" trail that we were really looking forward to. This thing doubles back countless times and has so many cool twists/turns/jumps that makes it a great way to wrap up this portion of the ride. We got out to the main trailhead and decided to head back in the front trail to hit up another favorite trail, Aspen Alley. After about 10 minutes we were facing the Continental Divide to the west and dropped in 'the alley'. Another week or so and the canopy will be full and it'll be like riding through a tunnel of lush greens and white bark of the aspens that line this short strip of singletrack. Back on the road we made our way to the trailhead/parking lot for a short break and a bite to eat. Next up, the Dot Trails to the north of Magnolia road. These are somewhat new to me, but brand new to my buddy, so off we went. More great singletrack that wound it's way through lodgepole pines and more aspens. A couple of fun sections later and some short/techy climbs and we were at the anticipated "Car Wash". This section of trail was put in a replanted section of harvested pines. The trees are probably 20 feet tall and the trail goes straight down a row that is maybe 3 feet wide at the widest spot. Don't even think about sitting up on your bike, you'd be spitting out pine needles and picking sap from your nose-hair for days! You have to get low, yes, like the song, and try not to clip your bar-ends on the trees. As you might imagine, this trail gets it name from the trusty gas-station style car washes, you know with the big blue and red brushes that spin around. The pines slapping your arms/legs/face resemble what I imagine walking through one of those washes as being. What a way to wrap up the trail portion of the ride! Out to the road we go, and the next item to sort out was where we'd enjoy a 'trail/road side' beer. Yes, I packed in 3 cans of Upslope's Brown Ale and it was time to enjoy one. No the ride wasn't over, we still had around 15 miles ride back to town. We found a nice shade tree and plopped our asses down for a refreshing beer. That Brown tasted so damn good! We reflected the trails we had just ridden, and threw a couple of 'first time to get drunk' stories before climbing back on the bikes and making our way back to the car. The remaining road felt longer than I remembered, but it was definitely a good spin.
Once back to the car, our total time on the bike showed 4 hours, but with the beer/snack/rest breaks, it was probably more along the lines of 3.5 hours of actual ride time. At this point, it was now time for a proper meal and a proper beer. We made our way down to the Walnut (as usual) and settled in for a burger and a couple of mugs. Not a bad little Saturday!
Here's a pic of me on one of the techy climbs...
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