Black Canyon National Park!
After a tough start to the day, (3 flats and a busted tire all before 8 am...thank god sweep carries a spare!) today's ride ended up being one of the most rewarding yet. As we got our cue sheets in the morning, I noted that there was a 6 mile, optional, uphill detour just outside of Montrose to visit Black Canyon National Park. At the time I thought ya right, today is already full of some serious climbs...there is no way I will do an additional 6 mile, 1,500 foot climb at a 7% grade. And yet 5 hours later, I found myself climbing the intense grade at 3.2 miles per hour with my friends Cap, Drew and Paul.
The guys climbed a bit faster than us, but they stuck around every few miles and we would catch them. When we got to the entrance of the park, it was just closing so we did not have to pay an entrance fee, which was great. The four of us, giddy and on a high from the climb we just did, approached the first scenic overlook, and I literally shrieked in amazement. It was breathtaking, I have never seen anything quite like it. As we took some pictures and talked to some tourists, we spotted Zach and Connor rounding the corner. We were so excited to see some friends and share this awesome moment. They had been exploring other overlooks and told us we had to go about a mile down to see the really amazing views...
Connor, Drew, Cap, Me, Zach and Paul
As we treked down to the visitors center, we locked up our bikes an hiked down the trail to the overlook. The canyons here were 2,000 feet high and shot down into a crystal blue river below. We just sat and stared for a good half an hour. It was such a cool experience.
Cap, Paul, Me, and Drew - The photos do no justice...
As black clouds started to roll in, we decided to take off as we sill had 10 miles left to town. As tough as the climb into the park was, the descent was unreal, 7% downhill grade full of twists and turns. As we were coming down we saw Kevin, Joel, Mark and Sweep coming up. We yelled to them it was worth the climb and continued down. They unfortunately, ended up getting caught in a hail storm up there and had to wait it out before riding into the hose. But I think they would agree that it was totally worthwhile...!
Case and point: Black Canyon National Park is a must see. I certainly will be visiting again!
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