A couple weeks ago we rode the loop up Hobble Creek Left Fork and down Right Fork. It was our third year in a row doing this challenging loop. This year we had our best turnout with eight riders. I was hoping for some nice Fall colors but we were a bit early. The only colors we saw were higher up and in the distance. The aspen groves we rode through were still green.
We had a couple groups this time. Adam, Brad, Lars, and I left the collective at about 3:00 pm. We met up with Wyeth and Hailey at the Springville Museum of Art parking lot, but they were still packing their bikes. Unfortunately, they had also forgotten their sleeping bags. That didn’t deter them though.
It reminds me of the time my son Lars forgot his sleeping bag on a bike trip to Montana. We went to a hardware store and bought a big bulky Coleman bag that he strapped to the top of his rear rack. We had fun all week teasing him. Luckily it didn’t get too cold.
Kira and Jason left the Collective around 5:30 pm. We all met at our regular camping spot by the creek. Wyeth, Hailey, Kira, and Jason all arrived after dark. Once you leave the pavement it’s a stiff, chunky ride up to where we camp.
It got pretty chilly once the sun went down. Everything also gets really wet at this place, probably because it is down in a depression next to a creek. But we all stayed warm and dry. Some of us used tarps and others tents. A nice campfire kept us warm and the stories going.
It was pretty chilly the next morning so we built another fire. Since everything was wet, and it was cold, we were in no hurry to pack up. I hate packing up wet tents or tarps. We ate breakfast, hung out around the fire, draped our gear over bushes and trees when the sun came up to dry them out. We didn’t leave camp until about 10:00 am.
We kept a leisurely pace with several stops to eat, rest, and chat. We were in no hurry and enjoyed the riding, the scenery, and the company.
It was a beautiful day, getting up into the 70’s.
Usually once we start descending into Diamond Fork, the road is less rocky, gets nice and flowy and fast. However, the road had been recently graded, then it looked like it had rained and OHV’s then tore it all up. It was really rough and bumpy hard dried dirt. What should have been a nice fast, fun descent, was rough and slow. Once we hit the dirt road climbing up to Right Fork, it was nice and smooth the rest of the way.
It was another fun ride, albeit a bit tougher than usual. We had a nice group this time, with variety of bikes. We’ll probably give this route a rest next year and find something else to ride for our September trip. By the way, this was an officially registered Adventure Bicycle Association Bike Your Park Weekend ride. We weren’t riding a state of national park, but were riding in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.
Now for the bike portraits.
Into the Outdoors 