Brought to You by Kyle: And He's Off

Starting this kind of blog off right requires an epic experience. Though, I must apologize, with my poor writing abilities, you will not likely receive a story that is equally epic. Yesterday morning just after 6 am, I hopped into my loaded-down car and made for Albuquerque. However, yesterday did not end in NM but in TX instead. Palo Duro Canyon State Park to be exact. On the way the park, a billboard told me that Palo Duro Canyon was the 2nd largest canyon in the U.S. Not bad, but I have to say not good enough to stand up to the Grand Canyon.

Upon arriving in my campsite at 5:00, there was no time to make camp. I grabbed an apple and had a quick conversation with the young couple from TX headed to CO across the camp and hit the trails. Unfortunately, I had no fat tires on hand; the feet would have to suffice. And suffice they did. The trails were wonderful. They flowed beautifully and led to equally beautiful views. After getting lost a few times and taking a few intentional detours, I made it to a peak that overlooked Lighthouse Peak. A let down for sure, I was hoping to hike to Lighthouse Peak not look at it. The sun was beginning to drop below the opposite canyon rim; it was time to descend. The decent was made by DHers for sure. It was just chalked full of extra rocks, jumps, skinnies, berms, et cetera. I ran the whole way down--smiling from ear to ear. Hiking the last few miles back to camp, the low angle light struck the canyon walls amplifying their colors. With the cooling breeze blowing by me, I wanted to slow down and make the most of the moment. However, the recurring thought of being dinner for some mountain lion caused me to keep moving. I spent the rest of the evening with my surprising hospitable neighbors from Denver. We stayed up talking around their campfire until midnight. I drifted off to the sight of silhouetted trees and a sky littered with stars; a great end to a long day.

The next morning, I awoke as the sun just peered over the canyon rim, quickly broke camp, made a PB&J, and hopped on my road bike. Being in a hammock all night, the legs felt pretty stiff but got loosened pretty quickly. No sooner were my legs loose did I find another hindrance to my ride. I double took; sure enough that was a rattle snake I almost smashed under my tires. I turned around and approached the snake only to find it moving extremely slowly in the cool, shaded, desert morning. I snapped a picture and got back to riding. The roads were virtually empty; there were no ignorant day-trippers to slow me down. The road was mine. The silted-in low-water crossing, bends, and awesome scenery kept me happy. My thoughts drifted into a cyclist’s dream world. As I hammered the climb up the canyon wall, I dreamt of tifosi running behind me, cheering me through every switchback. Alas, after only an hour and a half it was time to get off the bike. I made my way to Albuquerque, got the key to my apartment, and unpacked.

Here are some pictures from the trip:

The view halfway up the lighthouse trail.