Bryce Canyon

I went down to Bryce Canyon to do a hike with my brothers and their families.  It was a great time and everybody had a blast...I think.  Here's some photos of the hike we did.....

So we did the Navajo and Peek a Boo Loops.  These trails were awesome and it took us down through the best stuff in Bryce Canyon.  The Peek a Boo was the best part of the hike and it had a lot less people so it was more enjoyable.  So that was my favorite part and there was a lot of up and down walking.  We all pretty much loved it and nobody complained which was very nice.  Later my two brothers and nephew did the 3 mile Queen's Garden Loop.  I will have to do that next time I go down.

At the end of the day, we all ate at Henrie's Drive-in in Panguitch.  It was very good and I loved the Butterfinger milkshake with my meal.  So good!  Then everybody except me went home.

So I stayed overnight in the bed of my truck with the Softopper.  It was so nice and I slept so good and it was comfortable.  The next morning, I ate a little breakfast and went biking.  I had a problem with my front brake, the pads were all worn out and there wasn't enough to compress onto the rotor.  So I had to do the ride with back brakes only so it was scary as heck but the trail wasn't as bad and steep so that made the ride a lot easier for me.

I did the Cassidy and Losee Trails in Red Canyon just west of Bryce Canyon.  It was beautiful and there weren't really anybody out there except a group of horse riders.  They were nice.

There were a few steep hill sections, I walked up some and rode up some....depending how strong I felt.  I just loved the scenery and the Ponderosa Pines and creamsicle color dirt.

Beautiful.

This trail is used more by horses but it is also a good bike trail.

Then down Losee was just a mellow downhill through a wash all the way.  There were a lot of water puddles along the trail on the wash parts.  Good thing there was gravel at the bottom of these puddles and the water was very clear so it didn't make me or my bike that dirty.

This was a good 13 to 14 mile loop with 1,200 feet of elevation gain.  Just a perfect ride I needed that day.

....My camping spot.  It was a dispersed camping spot near Losee Trailhead and there was nobody out there at all.  Everybody was at the Campgrounds where you had to pay.  Dumb.  Just had to call them "Glampers" instead of  "Campers" (Gourmet campers).

After my bike ride in the morning, I went to Bryce Canyon again for the last time to look at the viewpoints.  The day before, I want to go to the viewpoints but everybody else didn't.  So I did it alone to catch up.  So here are some more photos I took when I spent a few hours driving around Bryce Canyon.  There wasn't that many people as the day before so it was nice.

What a great weekend trip and it sure beats than anything else I would have done that weekend.  Like being at home.  Good old Bryce Canyon.

Sundance

Sundance, UT was just like old times.  I haven't ridden the trails in the resort in like 5 years during a race at the Intermountain Cup Races.  But this ride was more memorable from when I was living in Provo for a year about a decade ago.  I used to ride there almost every week in the summer.  It was very nice.  And this ride took the cake.

These trails were pristine.  The world class trails were still very well made and smooth as butter.  And going through the forests made the ride beautiful.  I wish I have these kind of trails near home.  It is a great area for a fun little XC riding experience if you don't do the lift rides.  The pass for trails only without the lift rides was only 5 dollars.  That's actually cheaper than it used to be when I lived in Provo about 10 years ago, it was 7 dollars.  That totally made my day but I still had to sign a waiver but I think it's good for all year though.

I did the Archies Loop and up by Scott's Pond then down the trails in the resort part and back through Boneyard.  After Boneyard, I did Archies Loop again and went up the mountain, instead I skipped Scott's Pond and did another trail up which I liked better.  Then down the resort trails again and Boneyard and that was called a ride.  It was very nice and good weather.  It brought back a lot of memories!

Introducing the Deer Run Trail

In the last few months I have been kind of repairing an old trail that was built like 3 or 4 years ago.  I did half of the work on this trail 4 years ago and another person did the top half.  It didn't turn out very good because the people I told this trail to told me it was too hard to go uphill on it.  The reason why we wanted to make it an uphill trail so that the bottom of the canyon would be an uphill route for the downhill Flume Trail Loop instead of going up the paved road.  So the trail has kind of overgrown and wasn't ridden at all.  I was thinking about repairing it for the past few years and looking at where I could make it easier to go up and make it less steep.  I was worried I was doing this trail building illegally but somebody told me I would be fine and just go for it.  So I did it and took the risk and I will see what will happen.  So this blog has a lot of pictures because these pictures are in order of the trail going up to the mouth of Ephraim Canyon by the Hydroplant and then pictures riding downhill on the same trail.  Here goes:
 The picture above is the bridge right at the bottom of the Flume where the Flume ends.  So instead I am starting the trail backwards from the end of the Flume.  So you go up this repaired bridge which was damaged over the years.

I am planning in the future to build an easier grade trail in this little creek in the above picture to make it easier for beginners and intermediates like myself to ride up.

I made this new trail section at the bottom the Flume years ago to make it so you can climb up to the top of this hill instead of that steep drop off that cuts down on another side of the hill where the actual Flume Trail is.  But this part, a beginner still can't climb up this section so that is why I want to do another trail that spreads out further on the hill to make an easier climb.  But for now, this is ok but I don't know when I will do more repairing on this section.  But the old two trails will stay there so there will be an A line, a B line, and a C line.  This will be pretty interesting!

Then after the little climb, you will go uphill on the Flume until you get here at this Y intersection.  The right is the Flume and the left is the new Deer Run Trail.  And it's hard to go to the Flume way because it's very steep, unless you are on a dirt bike which might be fun.

You just keep going and climbing very gradually but it is not steep at all.  I repaired this section on the picture above so you can see the old trail used to go on the steep right going straight up and the left is the new part to make it way less steep.

Then ride on the old trail which turned into a game trail.  Well, it always has been a game trail anyway.

New section again where I did a lot of shoveling and raking.  I tried to make it go up and down with lot's of turns to prevent erosion.  The old trail was a little below by the fence where an erosion ocurred.  It is so much better now.  Thanks for this IMBA trailbuilding book I bought!  Worth the 40 bucks.

Then it goes up through this open area with sagebrush and flowers in the spring time.  This is the starting of very long and wide switchbacks.  This part is new.

 I did quite of bit of shoveling, hoeing, and raking on this for a few weeks in March and April and I killed my back!  This right here is a big old wide U turn and I made 3 more in this meadow.  It's all a gradual 3 percent average grade uphill.  So instead of going straight up on this mountain, I did big large switchbacks to make the climb easier.  And it's even fun going down!

Another big U turn.

Like I said, trying to prevent erosion.  Lot's of turns and ups and downs.

Through some trees.

This is a cool section through the trees and I did a lot of clearing when I worked on it.

Then out through the old game trail I didn't work on.

More game trail.

Then it goes up to the top of this hill....

....and see this view.

Then through some junipers towards the mouth of Ephraim Canyon.  Still a game trail.

Then more new trailbuilding starting here which I tried to make it go up to the canyon.

More junipers and sagebrush.

Now almost done riding the trail and the trail ends up at the end of the paved canyon road where the 25 speed limit sign is.

So now I turn around I retrace the trail and go for a fun intermediate/beginner downhill.  Or you can keep going up the canyon to ride on the Flume or other trails up there.

Retracing....

Fun!

....view again.

Well, this guy I talked to said in a few months he will tell the DNR about this trail to have them put a trail sign for it to keep the atvs off to keep it singletrack.  Just like the ones up at Black Hill area.  Seems like those trail signs there are working and are staying singletrack.  He thinks the DNR will definitely consider this a trail because this is a perfect beginner/intermediate trail because there are hardly any of those near the town of Ephraim.  It's perfect because it's close to civilization and there are a lot of people that get scared of the Flume Trail, etc.  He said he took his wife on it and she loved it.  That's great.  And it's really an awesome hiking trail(perfect for Sunday walks). I hope it turns out and I love this trail myself so far!  I'll keep riding it.

Here's a Strava map of one of my rides I did on this trail.  Deer Run Trail is one mile long each way.  The naming of the "Deer Run Trail"?  Well, I was thinking about this name for a while because I really liked the name of another trail in Black Hill area which is called "Rabbit Run".  For some reason I thought of "Deer" because I always see deer in this area.  Then one day working on the trail, my dog was out there with me, and one time I looked up to wipe my face, I saw this deer running across the meadow and was just running and hopping.  Just the deer and no one else.  It was beautiful.  Then I said to myself, "it's official, the trail is called "Deer Run"".  Then a couple seconds later, my dog popped out.  Thanks Duke!  Well, the deer has gone up to the top of the hill.  Now go ride the trail!  Or hike it, or do whatever.  Like I care...