Idependence Monument

Last weekend (6/3) Kendra and I ventured to the western slope of colorado for a little camping and mountain biking. We didn't head out until late saturday morning so we didn't get to our destination until about 4:30pm. On the way out we stopped in Minturn to use a bathroom and found a cool little winery there. We stopped and split a tasting between the two of us. They had a Reisling, a Merlot, and a Port. The Reisling was amazing, the merlot was ok and the port was not that great. Anyways, After we got to Fruita we stopped by over the edge sports to talk about which trails we should ride and bought a map. Then we decided to wait until later in the evening to ride after the heat had passed some (it was 95 degrees that day). So in the meantime we ventured into the Colorado National Monument. We'd never been there before and were quite amazed by the beauty of the place. It is a very breathtaking landscape and the main attraction is a formation that looks similar to the man made national monument in D.C. It was quite cool. God is such an amazing artist.

After we had taken in enough of the park, we headed over to the Mary's Loop group of trails and rode the rustler's loop. It is designed as a practice loop for the area and has signs posted along the way with tips and tricks for better mountain biking. They also designed in as much of the different terrain the the area has to offer so that beginners can get a taste of everything they may encounter. I thought it was a very cool loop. It also was on top of a bluff over looking the colorado river and had some amazing views. We had a blast on the trail and Kendra did a great job. She only had to dismount for one obstacle! After the ride we got some mexican food and went out to search for a campsite in the dark.