This morning Tim and I woke up to…fog…again….
Despite the promised sunny forecast, Jackson once more was wet and rainy. We had plans in Idaho at 11:00am so we packed up early and started making our way down the muddy 4 wheel drive road. Though there were times I had serious doubts whether we’d get the van and Jeep out of the mucky mess, Tim’s expert driving got both vehicles out of the bog.
We didn’t know what to expect as we climbed Teton Pass, but about 2/3 of the way up, the clouds broke and it was beautiful blue sky. Jackson was layered with a blanket of fog but Teton Valley, ID was clear as a bell. Despite our muddy delays, I was still in time for my second Mountain Biking Skills Clinic in 2 weeks. Grand Targhee was celebrating Bike Fest and despite the fact that the festivities were far more muted than promised, the clinic was awesome. We picked up where we left off and worked on more turns and getting over obstacles. I even practiced some bunny hops for clearing logs in the trail.
I’ve found that implementing what I’ve learned can be hard when I am in the fray of biking, but subconsciously I think things are starting to stick. After the clinic Tim and I went out with Amanda, our superb biker instructor, and did a trail ride. Already my confidence is higher. After completing ride number 1, we drove down the hill from Targhee and set up camp in Teton Canyon.
After lunch, we pedaled 7 miles back up the hill to the Resort for mountain bike ride #2. We’d heard that Mill Creek trail was riding better than it ever has. It was a must do while we were here. We finally reached the top of the trail head by 6:30 pm and then began the long downhill. The typical loose dirt was gone and it was hard packed from the rain. I officially had my best downhill ride ever by concentrating on looking ahead and not right down at my front wheel. Suddenly large obstacles were totally manageable. Tim stopped and coached me through rock gardens and downhills. I think the real fun for him was going very fast and flying off jumps. While I was more conservative it was a blast for us both.
Tomorrow we’ll be back for more riding and clinics. The weather is beautiful, the trails are perfect, and tomorrow we get to ride with our visiting friends Tatiana and Scott. Summer has finally arrived!
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