Saturday, November 25, 2017

Self-Supported: Our Trip around the White Rim Trail

The White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park, just outside of Moab, was a challenge we decided we wanted to take on a few months back. We had read about the trail on bikepacking.com and we have several friends that have completed the route. The route seemed possible, even with April in tow. We just had to figure out the logistics. 

The White Rim Trail is a jeep road, with campsites every 10-15 miles. The campsites provide pit toilets. There is no water source on route until you reach the Green River, near Potato Bottom at mile 65 or so of the route. The Green River is quite silty, so we did not want to have to filter water from it, unless it was an emergency situation. Based on what I had read on bikepacking.com, we were able to plan out two water caches. This would allow us to do our trip in 3 days and 2 nights. We wanted to complete the trip without a support vehicle. 

In order to cache water, we had to hike in from Gooseberry Trail, in Canyonlands National Park. The hike is labeled "Steep and Strenuous" by the park service. It is a 5.4 mile hike round trip with 1400 feet of ascent on the way out. The hike took us just under 4 hours. We each carried in 2 gallon jugs of water and I carried April, using our Ergobaby backpack. Bryon carried 3 gallons of water on the route down in the steepest sections, so that I could have an extra hand to balance. The Gooseberry Trail leads right up to the White Rim, just before reaching the Gooseberry Campsites. We had our permits to camp at those sites on our first night out on the trail. Bryon cached our water in some rocks and we marked the spot with rock towers along the trail, so we would be able to find our cache the next day. 



The hike out was just as tough as the hike in, as we had to ascend 1400 feet. The path led us up a steep rock cliff. I positioned April at my front for the hike up, so that I could balance better on the steep climb.  After we returned to our car, we drove down to Mineral Bottom, where the White Rim Trail leaves the park, and cached two additional gallons of water, for the final day of riding. We cached and carried a lot of water on the trip. We had excess by the third day, but I think we cached an amount that allowed us to be prepared if we had been out there an extra day, for any reason, or had we needed to bath April, had their been a mess of some sort. The park service does require you to sign a contract stating you have permission to cache water and will dispose of your containers properly. There is no trash sites on the White Rim Trail. It is pack it in, pack it out. 


After hiking in and driving in our water caches, we returned to our camping spot on Mineral Bottom Road. We camped on Mineral Bottom the two nights we were in the area, before we took off on our ride. 


We parked in the Shafer Trail Overlook Parking Lot, the morning our ride began. In the parking lot, we spread out and packed our gear and cooked up some steak and egg burritos. April played in the car and in the pack and play, while we got ready. Both Bryon and I rode our Salsa Mukluks on this trip. We both had racks on our bikes. Bryon used his custom made panniers from Annica Bags and I had borrowed Porcelain Rocket Micro Panniers, from our friend Gary. We both had dry compression sacks on our Salsa Anything Cradles and Salsa Anything Racks. We both had Revelate Designs frame bags and feedbags, as well. Each of us carried a 2 liter bottle of water under our bikes using Salsa Anything Cages, 2-1 liter bottles on our forks, and a 1 liter bottle of water in one of our feedbags. I also carried 2 liters of water in an Osprey hydration backpack. We carried freeze dried meals for lunches and dinners, in addition to formula and squeeze packs of food for April. We had to carry diapers for April too, in and out. Puff and Mango were fat and loaded when we departed the lookout and hit the trail. 


Our first day of riding was from the Shafer Trail Overlook to Gooseberry Campground. We covered just under 30 miles on day one. April was a little testy because she had a couple new teeth coming in. We took it nice and easy over the rough spots, so that she was a comfortable as could be in her  Burley Cub with plus tires.


We were in awe at the scenery of the White Rim, on our first day. It was truly full of amazing sights. We reached our water cache at near the Gooseberry Campground just as the sun was setting, and then headed to our campsite. 


We had put glowing lights on spokes before we took off from home. We found them a useful light source, as we pulled out gear, set up camp, and cooked our dinner each night. 



The Gooseberry Campground site that we stayed at was right on some red sand that led to the vast canyon below. It was spectacular. I definitely would sleep there again if I ever have the chance. 


Our second day of riding, was from Gooseberry to Potato Bottom Campground. It was just about 36 miles between the two sites. As we were taking off to ride that second day, we heard some bikers come up behind us. We actually knew them! Nan and Mike, are a couple that we know from the biking community back home and they were biking the White Rim, as well. They were taking it on as a day mission though. We stopped to chat with them before they continued on there way. 


Day two took us into some challenging segments. The climb up to Murphy Hogback, was steep and required a team effort. Starting on the second day, we found the some of the trail required both of us to push Bryon's bike and April's trailer or for me to push behind him as he pedaled, for us to continue on. We found these hike-a-bike sections challenging, but not impossible. 



The 36 miles, on our second day, took us past sunset to reach camp. We stopped and cooked soup for lunch on top of Murphy Hogback, and then rode on, until April needed another break. I think we all enjoyed stopping for hot lunches each day!


We reached Potato Bottom Campground a couple of hours after sunset. We were close to the water of the Green River, at this site. It was quite a bit colder sleeping down by the river, than up at our previous site. If we were to do the trip again, we would camp at one of the higher elevation sites, before we got to Potato Bottom, if permits were available. 


Our third and final day on the White Rim took us 36 miles between Potato Bottom, up Mineral Bottom Road, and then along the 313 back to Canyonlands National Park, where we had parked our car. The last day consisted of steep segments, similar to those on day two, sandy sections, switchbacks, a gravel highway, and then pavement. On our way out of Potato Bottom we came across a family of 6 that had done an out and back with their 4 kids in tow. It was neat to compare set ups and see others out on the trail with kids. 


We collected our second water cache at the bottom of Mineral Bottom Road, before climbing for most of the afternoon to get back to our car. Overall, we had a wonderful trip around the White Rim. We hope to go back next Thanksgiving and do it in the opposite direction. April Jean was an amazing participant in this family excursion and we are already discussing what adventure we'd like to take on next. 



Thursday, October 5, 2017

Seasons are shifting...September Gravel Grinders


After an awesome summer of traveling and biking, we finally got to September. With September came the time for me to return to work, as a teacher, and summer's end. We finished off our summer with Rebecca's Private Idaho Small Fry and began our fall with JayP's 60 mile Gravel Pursuit. 



Rebecca's Private Idaho was a huge event in comparison to the Dead Swede 40, that we completed back in June. The race took place in Sun Valley and had just over 800 participants between the Big Potato and Small Fry. 


Bryon pulled April in the Burley behind his Salsa Mukluk and I rode my Salsa Fargo. The first 12 or so miles of the route climbed. We found that even though we had started at the very back of the pack we were able to pass people during the long climb. 


The aid stations were well stocked with Red Bull and GU products and the overall event was fantastic. We finished in just under 5 hours with a time of 4:55:29. April did well in the burley as always and was all smiles when we stopped at aid stations and at the finish. 



JayP's Gravel Pursuit


To wrap up September we completed JayP's 60 mile Gravel Pursuit. Last year when this event took place I was 8 1/2 months pregnant and drove up the day of the event to see Bryon finish. This year I was participating! The Gravel Pursuit is based in Island Park, ID at the Pond's Lodge. We camped at the Buffalo Campground in the Alaskan the night before the event. 

We chose to ride our Salsa Mukluks for the Gravel Pursuit. We had gone up to Island Park a few times before the actual event to ride segments of the course and found that fat tires were necessary, for towing the burley on the course. Bryon towed April the first 42 miles and I towed her the last 21 miles. The weather turned about 6 hours into our almost 8 hour ride. We were prepared for the rain and cold though. I had put a fleece bunting bag in April's Burley, so she stayed plenty warm. We had brought rain gear to ride in for Bryon and myself. 


The route was challenging, but we completed the course. Our summer riding and training had paid off. I was thrilled to cross the finish and head into the nearby Pond's Lodge, for salads and pizza.
I am sure we will return to the Gravel Pursuit next year. It really is a wonderful local event, that Jay and Tracy put on.


We are thankful for all the support we have received from Derrick & Liz Nobman and the entire staff at Fitzgerald's Bicycles in Victor, ID, to help us with all of our bicycle needs. We are proud to be shop ambassadors. Our September was pretty spectacular and I can't wait for our upcoming fall and winter adventures!

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Summer Adventures... Gravel Races, Overnights, and Rolling Fatties on the Beach

The Dead Swede 40 mile Cruiser

We started our summer out with our first family gravel race! This was mine and April's first race. The race was a 40 mile loop in Sheridan, Wyoming. We found the Dead Swede to be challenging and fun. Bryon towed April in her burley like a champ. We completed the course in just under 4 hours...which included a stop for a diaper change and bottle feeding!



For most of the month of July, we took off for the Midwest to visit family. Along the way, we stopped to check out a couple of rail trails and a bikepacking route in the Chequamagon National Forest. Each of trips did not go as planned, but we still had a great time! I was hooked on bikepacking almost immediately, and Miss April Jean seems pretty into it herself.

The Mickelson Trail, South Dakota


 The Mickelson Trail runs from Deadwood to Edgemont, South Dakota. The trail is just over 100 miles long and we rode it in 2 days. Originally we had planned to do an out and back, making it over 200 miles. Bryon unfortunately got food poisoning and temps were over 100 degrees, so we took a shuttle back to the truck in Deadwood after completing the route one way.


The trail is a rail trail and made up of crushed limestone, which made it a great surface to ride our Salsa Fargos on. April was able to ride in the burley with very few bumps along the way.


The trail consisted of low grades as it is a rail trail. There were a couple short tunnels through the hills that we had to go through, but none were very long.


Water was available every 8-16 miles. On day one, between Deadwood and Custer, there were several pumps for water. On day two, between Custer and Edgemont, water was a little more spread out, but we never went more than 16 miles with out a water stop. This was fortunate with temperatures looming over the 100 degree mark.

We found the Mickelson trail very doable with our trailer in two days. It easily could be extended into a 3-4 day trip, if you wanted to spend time in Hill City and Custer along the way. The shuttle service available from Rabbit Bikes, makes this an easy one way trip. They will also shuttle you to trailheads for day rides. We camped at the French Creek RV Park in Custer our first night. There really did not seem to be any optimal camping spots besides RV parks on the route, as you cannot just camp on the side of the trail. Food was available in Custer and Hill City along the way. 


The Lacrosse River Trail and Elroy-Sparta Trail- Lacrosse, WI

After leaving South Dakota, we headed east to Lacrosse, WI to do another overnight on our bikes, before we had to meet up with Bryon's family in Northern Wisconsin. I had hopped online after we got off the Mickelson Trail and found that near Lacrosse, WI was the Elroy-Sparta Trail, America's first rail trail. We decided to start in Lacrosse at a trailhead for the Lacrosse River Trail and then connect to the Elroy-Sparta Trail. This made for a 2 day, 1 night trip that totaled about 112 miles. 



The Lacrosse River Trail runs from Lacrosse to Sparta and was just over 20 miles long.
This was the first segment of our ride.


Sparta was a small community, but it's the Bicycle Capital of America.



The Elroy-Sparta Trail had three long railroad tunnels that we had to go through. The longest was 3/4 of a mile. We found the tunnels to be damp and each one unique.




We did not see much wildlife on the trail, but we did come across this turtle.


There is camping along the rail trail in both Elroy and Sparta. We stayed at the campground in Elroy. This was a hike/bike camp. To access the campground in Elroy we went through a culvert like tunnel, that was not very easy to find in the dark. We were the only ones in the campground for the night. 


Water was easily available along the route. We did find that many of the pumps and drinking fountains in the parks along the way were not functioning when we rode. The Tunnel Campground between Sparta and Elroy did let us fill up with their faucets before we hit Elroy. Luckily we did this, as the well at the campground in Elroy was not working.


The Sparta Family restaurant, about a mile off the rail trail, served a great breakfast the second day of our ride.


The Chequamegon National Forest

This was an awesome ride beginning and ending in Cable, WI.


We followed the route called the Tour De Chequamegon, found on bikepacking.com for the first two-thirds of the ride. Our first day, we did just over 30 miles and camped at East Twin Lake Campground. The mosquitoes were everywhere in the dense boggy forest. We kept April in the burley shielded from the mosquitoes until our tent was set up.


Day 2 the route took us onto ATV trails. We did not have April's fatties on the burley, and so the ATV trail was difficult to navigate. We also found that the woods in this section were infested with horse flies. After we got off the ATV trail we detoured to the State Highway and road pavement the last 20 miles in order to get back to our vehicle. 


We did this trip in two days. We did 30 miles day one and about 60 day two. It could easily be made into three day adventure, but we would suggest riding it when the bugs are not so busy. We also wished we had brought our Salsa Mukluks along for this adventure, as fat tires would have made the ride more comfortable, than on our Fargos.



Water was easy to find in the campgrounds on the route. We found that the water at Black Lake Campground tasted the best! Food is available in Cable at the beginning and end of the ride, though when we finished none of the restaurants were open, so we drove to Hayward for Pizza. 

Grassy Lakes and Jackass Meadows

After returning from our trip to the Midwest, we decided to squeeze in an overnight around home. Bryon's friend Gary told us of an awesome campsite, off the Jackass Meadows loop, near Grassy Lakes Road, which is on the edge of Yellowstone National Park. 


We parked the car and headed out from Driggs, ID. On this overnight, we rode our Salsa Mukluks. We found that they made for a more comfortable bikepacking experience, than our Fargos.


A few of our miles out were along the Ashton-Tetonia Rail Trail. This trail is not the hard packed limestone we had encountered in South Dakota and Wisconsin on their rail trails. 


The Bitch Creek Trestle made for an awesome lunch spot


Day one we biked about 45 miles to camp. We were fortune to camp in a spot where there was almost no traffic. We did see a couple of ATVs early in the evening, but by nightfall it was just us and nature.


This was the first trip I had been on that required us to collect our water from streams. We brought enough water in bottles, so that April did not have to drink stream water. We used a steri-pen to disinfect water for cooking and for Bryon and myself to. Our camp spot was near an amazing little stream. 


Day two back to the car was a few miles shorter than our ride on day one. We made a pit stop in Tetonia, for snacks. There are so many areas to explore near home bikepacking, I can't wait to get out more!

Rolling Fatties on the Oregon Coast-Our Honeymoon

We decided to get married mid-August and head out to Oregon to ride our fat bikes on the beach. Initially we had planned on bikepacking, but after day one we had to change our plans. The southern coast of Oregon is filled with rocky cliffs between the sandy beaches that we wanted to ride. The only way around those cliffs in many spots is riding on the 101, where logging trucks and cars speed by. 

It took detouring over a mountain through Carpentersville, to avoid the 101, and then getting sand blasted in the dunes along the shores of the Pistol River for us to decide we needed to get our car and 
reevaluate our plan to bikepack. The 101 was dangerous, especially with a baby in tow!


Our decision to change our plans turned out to be a great idea. We had campsites booked along the coast all but one night that we wanted to ride, so we drove between them. Each morning we got up early and checked out the beach on our bikes. We found that in the morning was when the tide was lowest and the headwinds were almost nonexistent. 


The beach near Bandon turned out to be one of our favorites. At low tide there were tide pools, full of life. Star fish and crab remains scattered the beaches.



We found that the beach in Bandon was more hard packed than other beaches we rode on.



Many mornings we were able to cook breakfast right on the beach, after riding.



Afternoons were spent hanging out in the campgrounds and going for shorter rides.


Our last morning near Florence was so foggy you could barely see where you were headed.


We did found this ship washed ashore in Florence.


Our trip was fantastic, despite the hiccups on day one. We made the most of it with morning rides and afternoon chowder stops.


To prevent the salt water from damaging our bikes we took them to a self wash car wash and Bryon sprayed them off after our oceanside rides came to an end

Sun Valley Overnight


To wrap our honeymoon trip we headed to Sun Valley, ID, for another bike overnight, before heading home to Victor. We started at Easley Campground and headed down Baker Creek Road. I towed on day one for the 20 miles we road up to the end of the road before turning around to find a spot to camp for the night.


Baker Creek Road had about 30 dispersed campsites and we found an excellent one next to a creek.
Someone had previously cut firewood at the site, so April had fun rolling around in saw dust and playing with bark. 




Before heading back to Easley Campground where our car was parked we decided to climb up East Fork Road. The road wove up a mountain to an area that had burned a few years ago.


At the top of the road were some yurts and an amazing lunch stop. 


After descending East Fork Road we returned to our car at Easley Campground and went down the road to the hot springs. After a nice soak we headed to Ketchum for dinner. Wiseguy Pizza did not let us down.


Overall our summer was pretty rad. I think April and Bryon both can say the same!


Alaska Adventures

Our latest adventures in Alaska, on Why Cycles, Big Iron, can be found on fat-bike.com! Check out the links below: Part 1: https:...