Mesa Weekend

Drove south Friday afternoon for a weekend of mountain biking with Mark, Alex and Chris.

We arrived with an hour of daylight left so we did a quick out-n-back on the JEM trail along the Virgin River Gorge. Felt good to stretch the legs.



We camped near JEM. It was windy all night. I didn't get much sleep. Saturday we got up, ate breakfast (Alex's breakfast burritos were tasty), and headed to Gooseberry Mesa.

The weather was nice - cool with bright blue sky and scattered puffy clouds. We all enjoyed the riding. I botched a few stunts in Hidden Canyon, but since we did a figure 8 I got a second change and nailed them all on the second run through. Such good flow and variety on Gooseberry, I really enjoyed it.

(A few times we thought of Elden, Lisa and Fish doing the Ironman just to the west.)



After Gooseberry we took a break, then drove down and made a loop of upper Goulds and JEM. Some sweet single-track and the fast flow of JEM put smiles on our faces.

Next we drove to Little Creek Mesa* to camp and met up with Cory and Jill. Mark did tinfoil salmon with butter and lemon slices - it was beyond delicious. Chris' potato salad was the perfect side. We circled around the campfire and ate and talked as the wind howled as it bashed against the rim 20 feet away. It was breezy and gusty at camp, but not bad and I slept better.

* Yes, it's Little Creek Mountain on the map, but come on, it's clearly a mesa with steep sides and a flat top.

The morning was cold - even a skiff of snow. It got a little warmer by the time we headed out to ride.

I enjoyed Little Creek, but the wind and cold dampened our spirits.





Here's Cory punching up a steep and tricky climb. I happened to be on and made it up.



We went part way out the North Loops, but when the little snow flurry hit we decided to cut it short. We'd had some great riding so didn't feel too bad about it. My wife was happy to see me home before dark.

Today I've got that tired, worn feeling that reminds me I had a good mountain biking weekend. Big thanks to Alex, Mark and Chris for a fine, fun time.