It's hard for me to tell which is taking my breath away when I'm in Crested Butte, the scenery or the extreme lack of oxygen.
I never ride very well up high, as the above pictures can attest. Keith had time to snap four pictures and probably eat a PowerBar by the time I caught him, but it never seems to matter. I have fun anyway.
A quick rainstorm left a pot of gold for us at the end of this rainbow. That pot of gold was Trail 401, CB's most famous. We rode it as a loop on soil that was just dry enough to not still be mud.
I rarely ride late in the evening when in the mountains. I guess that the opportunity to ride in the middle of the day is a novelty this time of year, with the desert down below forcing early morning or evening rides.
The afternoon rain forced us to ride quite late in the evening, and I am glad. The light bouncing off of the many peaks was surreal. I was so long getting back to camp, taking so many pictures, that Keith came looking for me in the truck. He found me knee deep in a swamp trying to get a shot of a mountain bathing in light, reflected in a pond.
The day finally finished with a flair of pink clouds reflected in a rain puddle. We sat around the fire eating Dutch Oven Lasagna. Happy Dogs, happy people.
Morning came with just as much gusto as evening. The air was chilly and cool. Being raised in Missouri, it is still amazing to me to have nearly numb hands in the middle of summer, and to see my breath.
My legs were torched from the nearly 30 miles of riding the day before. Keith, having a stellar year, went on his own to ride Reno/Flag/Bear/Deadman. My training this year called for sitting by the creek and watching the dogs play.
But that got boring so Meeka, Gus and I headed up Deadman Gulch Trail to intersect with Keith on his way down.
I'm so glad I did, because that trail ROCKS! I'm not sure how long the climb was, but it felt like 2000 feet. Going back down it felt like 500. Way too short!
The wild flowers were in attendance, as well as many biting fly's. Hard to complain though, if these mountains were too perfect everyone would be there. Gotta keep out the riffraff!
Dogs are tired, I'm sore, but ready for another week of work, refreshed and ready to go! Thanks CB!
Stunning pics Landon. Just keep getting better and better.
ReplyDeleteYou were slaving up 401 because of your overkill bike. And knee pads.
Someone had to tell you the truth...;)
MC
what camera did you use to get those unusual POV shots of the wheels etc.
ReplyDeletegreat pictures... really enjoyed them
paul
I get asked this a lot. I tried a Nikon SLR, thinking I would really up my photo game, but I didn't. I never took the camera out because it was so heavy. Now I shoot with a tiny Canon SX120 IS. It has most of the manual controls that the bigger cameras have, however I really only use program mode and apature priority. Good photo's seem to have more to do with who is using the camera, then what camera is being used. www.dirtanddogs.blogspot.com www.lacemine29.blogspot.com (two perfect examples)
ReplyDelete