Fruita Finale

After 2 nights of getting hammered, riding bikes, and sleeping in the desert, we were definitely ready for more. Meister, Schuyler, and I rolled over to 18 road to shred the bookcliff trails, campout, and to basically keep the bender rollin.
The thing about these trails is that most of them are beginner-type fun runs. It would be a great place to take a beginner mountain biker (or even an outdoorsy date) to rip around, camp out, and just have fun. It's kind of weird seeing so many full suspension bikes out there when most of these trails are perfect for single speed rigids or 29rs (hell, most of the trails are in a cattle field). Schuyler and Meister both had rigid 29rs, and I figured that I might as well just shred my fixed gear. Although Zippity Do Da has up and down tech with really steep lines and drops. It is pretty much the funnest expert trail out there and is great for a full suspension rig, but still not necessary.
I assumed all the trails to be pretty mellow and decided to do the first loop on a trail I had never actually ridden before. So without knowing the terrain, we dropped into Joe's Ridge on our single speeds. I'm not gonna lie, ripping that trail on my fixed gear was so fuckin insane, fun, and mostly scary as shit. I definitely had a few cocktails beforehand and was feelin loose, but I had the attitude that if shit got gnarly, I could always clip out and walk. But typically, once I was pointed down I just kept on shredding. (although I did have to step off on one super steep roll-in to a hard banked left that just doesn't seem possible fixed without blowing the corner). It was one of the funnest most intense loops that I've ever done on a bike. I even aired out on a lip getting more air on that bike than I ever have before. I popped er up so high I actually stopped the back tire from moving while in mid air then I landed and rode away clean. So fun. I was so fuckin pumped. I used to think that fixed mountain biking was for trendy, masochistic jerk-offs, but now that I find myself doing it more and more, there really is a flowing, fun, methodical nature to it. Either that or I'm a trendy masochistic jerk off. Oh... and a drunk.

Rippers Rippin. Meister and Schuyler are maniacs.

Schuyler with the hammer back on our 'gun run'. Mountain bikes, booze, and bullets were meant to be.

Shuttled night shredding means no pedaling, and a shot and a beer between every run until someone gives up or crashes. We were at it til 3 in the morning.

This is how we spent every night on the trip. Head in the dirt.

Schuyler grabbin water with a view back of Zippity Do Da. I love this photo.

If you've never been out there before, hopefully some of this info gives you an idea on what to expect. It really is a fucking blast with something for every kind of rider (especially the drunk kind). It might be a bitch to head out that way in the middle of the summer, because it gets hot as shit in June, July, and August. But the climate in spring and fall is perfect for riding all day and passing out under the stars at night.
Those were some of the highlights. Sorry for being so long winded, but a lot of shit went down out west. Keep kickin ass.
Zness