Steve's Mountain Bike Page
Turlock, California

Hurricane, Utah
June 6, 2011

I happened to be staying overnight in Hurricane, Utah on my way back from the Grand Canyon. Although it has great riding, the last time I rode there the last 4 - 5 miles were "torture" and my knees hurt so much afterward that I took two years off the bike. But I could not resist riding such a great series of trails. However, the temperatures were near record highs and I did not feel comfortable leaving over $5,000 worth of photo equipment in my car at the trail head. So to beat the heat and still have time to meet the motel checkout time I decided to ride very early in the morning. It took me about 5 hours the last time but I assumed I am in better shape now. I got to the trailhead at 5 am but there was absolutely no moon. Fortunately, the ride starts with a long fire road climb and I felt fairly comfortable starting it in the dark. I did Goulds Rim Trail, JEM and Hurricane Rim Trail. Here is a trail map.

Although I'm obviously in much better shape, those big 29er wheels allowed me to go up and over many things I used to have to walk in the past. I rode nearly all the tough uphills of the last 4-5 miles that I had to walk last time, and I finished quite a bit faster. Although this ride has a fraction of the climbing I do most rides, it still killed my knees. Most of the photos were taken later in the ride since it was took dark early on.

Click on an image to enlarge it 

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