This weekend I learned that there are many pointy things in the desert. My first lesson came yesterday when I fist bumped a cactus. Full-finger gloves: 0; Staghorn Cholla: 1. Really, who puts a three foot high cactus right beside the trail? Luckily I had a chance to get out the tweezers during a regroup. My second lesson came during a climb today. In a moment of inattentiveness, I biffed my front wheel into a rock and pitched abruptly sideways and downslope, landing with a big pointy rock in the small of my back. No major damage, but ice and ibu are my new best friends. This crash happened during a ride on cross-country trails at Bootleg Canyon with Russell and Carrie. The ride was ill-fated, because soon after Russell had a major mechanical. He was climbing a short, steep pitch of rock when his rear derailleur snapped off at the mount. It was a bummer, but also an amazing display of brute force by Russell.
We tried converting his Blur to a single speed, but without success. Russell headed back down, and graciously drove shuttle for the rest of the crew (who were doing some downhill runs). Carrie and I continued on the Caldera Trail. This view of downtown, with Red Rocks and snow-capped mountains in the background, was a great reward:
After riding we enjoyed a parking lot picnic in the back of Jason's truck before heading back to SD. It was a great weekend hanging and riding with everyone, and there is certainly more to Vegas than the Strip.
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