Indian Activity Hour Part 2

Toward the top of the Indian Trail

The Rock Wall at the start

I took another work activity hour ride on the Indian Trail.  Got a bit further this time, and once again a great workout.  The funny part was that I had been playing with the suspension fork at work while talking to someone and had locked out my suspension, but totally forgotten about it when I went on the ride.  About half way down I started thinking to myself that it felt like my wheel was taking a bit more of a beating than normal - at that point I realized that my fork had been locked in complete compression and I had no travel anymore!  I guess that is how life is sometimes - we may be taking a beating or making life harder for ourselves than it should be, but if we look at the simple things, suddenly life can get a lot easier.  I feel some of those simple things in my life are prayer, scriptures study, spending time with family, and putting my priorities straight that make my life a lot more smooth of a ride.

Coming down on the Shoreline

Activity hour, Indian Trail return

Up a ways on the Indian Trail

I used the second work activity hour to ride up the Indian Trail - I don't know quite what I was thinking other than that I wanted a good workout.  The trial, as usual kicked my butt, and even more so because of bent derailleur that caused me some grief climbing.  The trail was super steep and rocky, and was a real lung-buster to climb, but pretty of course with great views and a blast coming down.  I only rode about an hour, but it was a lot of fun.

Just splitting from Shoreline to the Indian Trail

Cold April Shoreline Trip

This particular April morning ended up being a colder ride than any ride I did in March.  We went out and started at 22nd Street and rode the full loop.  It ended up being quite the fun ride.  I once again conquered the steep technical portions, but it really because the last one (pictured last) has been made easier.

Looking up at the creek on one of the crossings.

This is the steep rocky part that they have now added a second easier trail to.

Spring Shoreline Fun

Riding along the Shoreline trail coming to a lookout.

About to drop down a technical spot.

The 1st of us cruised up over the rocks, the 2nd got caught up on one.

This is one of my favorite spots - I have struggled to hit this spot in the last year, but this time I took a good shot at it, picked my line well, and really played my balance better and made it over both of the major rocks and navigated around the others.

A favorite section, pictured in the Shoreline Shenanigans and Back to the Bonneville posts, where it is a steep technical climb that I never seem to conquer.  They have now built up a trail that runs along the side of it that is much more manageable, pictured to the right.  Ironically, however, I still took the old trail and for the first time in years I made it up all of it.  The first time I did was when I was dating my wife my dad told me to do it for her, and I actually did.  They have built it up to be easier though.

At the southernmost river crossing we dropped down and took the technical lower trail.  You start off going down some rocky technical sections, with some hike a bikes for those less daring, but after you get through that first section its fast and easy from there back to 29th Street.

Dropping down the rocky section.

Return of the Snow

Dropping down a switchback on the last stretch back.

Its been about a month since I was last able to get out.  Funny thing about that is we've likely had the best winter riding weather that I've seen in Utah until it snowed Sunday - and I just happen to be riding on Monday.  Consequently I did most my riding on hard frozen dirt and snow.

It was particularly cold today, being somewhere in the twenties and a nice cold wind to top it off.  In the parking lot I needed to pump up my tires and ended up ducking behind the car to use it as a windshield where it was so cold.

Riding up through some trees

I started at the Rainbow Gardens trailhead for the Shoreline trail heading south.  Most of the trail was snow covered, but apparently it must have gotten a decent amount of traffic since the storm as there was a good portion packed down.  It got cold enough for me on the ride that the return trip I ditched the biking gloves for thicker snow gloves.  I ended up going about 1.25 miles up and then turned around for 2.5 miles round trip.

Trail winding through trees looking out over Ogden 

Riding up a drier portion of the trail

Riding up the trail just past the Indian Trail cutoff

Dropping back down the trail.

Coming back down taking a corner

Coming back down to the trailhead, sun just starting to come up

Christmas from Shoreline!

Apparently Santa even makes it to the Shoreline Trail...

Or at least the day after Christmas from the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in Ogden.  We started from the 22nd Street trailhead.  The trail had snow in most parts, and where there wasn't snow the trail was pretty frozen over.  Bikes had great traction, we bundled up enough to stay pretty warm, and it was a blast!  Great way to finish off some Christmas celebrations. 

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays because it is a time to gather together with family and enjoy one another's company and the love you share, and it is a time to remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  I am so deeply grateful for the life He lived and hope to be like Him in my actions.

Trailhead parking lot

First part of Shoreline Trail after meeting up from 22nd St trail

Climbing up a rocky section after a bridge crossing

Climbing around to the lookout

Lookout with bikes 

Dropping past the lookout down a technical section

I found out first hand to not ride on an iced over river.  I tried crossing on the river here instead of the bridge, and pretty quickly after getting both tires on the ice the bike came slipping down, and it was so slick I couldn't even get back on my feet to walk to the other side.  I had to crawl and inch myself and my bike over to the edge trying hard not to slip further down the river and all the time eyeing the running water underneath the ice! 

Climbing up a snowy seciton

Rounding a tight switchback

Coming back down

Shoreline - 22nd Street and Taylor's Canyon

Beginning of the ride, going up from 22nd to Shoreline.

An overlook about 2 miles up from the 22nd St. trailhead.

We took a quick ride on Labor Day up the Shoreline Trail, starting at 22nd Street in Ogden.  We only went about 4 miles round trip, but I did take a detour up Taylor's Canyon for the first time.  It was a decently steep trail, and once you start getting up there a little further it becomes a tad more difficult to ride.  I prefer Shoreline to that trail, at least for the time being.

Back to Bonneville - Ogden Shoreline Ride

We took a ride in the heat of the afternoon on the Ogden portion of Shoreline. We started from the 29th Street trailhead (same trailhead for the popular Waterfall Canyon hike) and rode the approximate 6.5 mile lariat loop. I rode this with my dad and uncle, which for some reason look quite a bit alike (they are twins).

There was a race going on later that evening that would include a trail run on a lot of the areas that we would be riding on. There were a few people out marking the trail for the run, but other than that it was as quiet as I've ever seen the trail - normally this trail is crawling with people. Then again, I've almost never ridden this in the middle of a summer afternoon when it feels like a billion degrees.

All in all it was a real fun ride and it was good to get out. I always love this trail - its not too tough, has some great downhill, and its conveniently close to everything.

This is shortly after coming over the second bridge, a very shady area where you are suddenly faced with a little bit of climbing before popping back out in the open.My dad and uncle coming around the trail on the loop portion.My uncle is navigating here over some rocks after turning a corner on first half of the little loop.Coming up on the end of the loop is this particularly challenging climb - it is extremely steep and you have to keep momentum, and there are two rocky parts that are particularly tough to ride over. My dad, as seen here, is quite adept at conquering it each time. I won't say how I do each time.This is heading back around on the little loop at the end - you have a bit of technical climbing over a really rocky trail here, and then you're in for a fast, sometimes pretty steep descent to connect back with the rest of the trail.