Quartz Meadow Ride
With the sun shining brilliantly, we decided to ride from camp again. This time we headed out to the end of the road a bit past Quartz Meadow. The road really did just end above a picturesque meadow. Mountain bikes were necessary because the road is very rough. Our out and back was 22 miles with 1720′ of climbing.
There was a little more traffic on this jeep road since it wasn’t as rough as the ride out Elwood Pass. Still, we saw maybe 6 vehicles the entire time. A couple spots required dismounting and wading through shin deep rushing water. Luckily it’s sunny and warm so my shoes dry out every afternoon back at camp!
We learned that there is a fire burning just east of Mancos, CO where we were last staying. My friend sent us pictures from their property and you can see big skies of smoke. All these forests we camp and ride in always have me worried. There has been a burn ban everywhere but these are lightening caused fires. It’s going to be a dry summer for sure.
Turkey Springs Trails
Pretty close in to town is a trail system called Turkey Springs. We took a couple hours to ride a big loop encompassing a lot of the trails. They were on the easier side, but fun and a good close in option if you’re passing through. We rode 24 miles with 1859′ of climbing.
There are several trailheads for the system, some busier than others with hikers. We happily rode around in the forest and felt like we were back in Bend. The terrain is the same and the trails feel the same as Phil’s Trail network there. Still, we were happy to get out and ride. We didn’t see any turkeys.
Leave a Reply