Three Forks Ride

Well, since I have been feeling pretty good lately to ride, I've been doing some riding when I could.  I spent last Saturday doing some more exploring on trails I haven't ridden on before.  I decided on the Three Forks area, which is in Diamond Fork in Spanish Fork Canyon.  I've  heard of this area from a friend on Facebook from last spring and I wanted to try it out sometime this year. 

This trail area is about a one hour drive from house and it's not that bad of a drive.  The day was nice but pretty humid because it rained a lot the day before.  So the trails were in good shape, cleared from dust, and  kind of tacky.

I wanted to do the "Three Forks Loop", so I started climbing up Cottonwood Creek Trail which had a lot of stand and grunt climbs with quite of few mellow spaces for spinning and recovery.  It was a great climb up all the way to the top where Ray's Valley Road is.  I did walk up a few steep hills. 

I wanted to do the loop, by climbing up Cottonwood Creek Trail, ride 5 miles on Ray's Valley paved road, then go down 5th Water and 6th Water trails.  But when I got to Ray's Valley, I was spent.  There was maybe some climbing on the highway but I couldn't tell there was but there was 5 miles of pavement I had to ride to get to 5th water trail and that trail is all downhill.  I didn't know if the highway was all downhill or had some climbing but just in case I turned around and went back down Cottonwood Creek Trail to finish my ride just to be safe.  Because I was really totally spent, way spent.  Couldn't turn the cranks anymore.

Well, it was after about an hour and 15 minutes after of climbing until I got spent.   When I was riding on Ray's Valley Road, I felt like I was pedaling with bricks on my feet, I just didn't know what the next 5 miles of paved road would be, downhill or uphill, so I guess it was smart to turn around anyway.  The downhill of Cottonwood Creek was great and it was LONG.  I loved it.  The trail was very flowy and twisty. 

The trail was very pretty going up and down, you could see that the leaves were barely turning.  That's bad news, winter is coming!  Dang it.

It's a great ride which is only an hour drive from my home.  I'm hoping in September I can go back and try 5th Water going up or do the upper 5th Water and go up 5th Water Ridge.  One or the other.  5th Water Trail is usually crowded with hikers because 2.5 miles up is a waterfall and some hot springs so anyway, I don't know.  Maybe it's not so bad but I might do 5th Water Ridge(upper) to be safe.  I never know.  There are plenty of other options!  I can ride great now, and I am hoping to have a good of the rest the year.