May 25, 2015

It was another wonderful holiday weekend in the mountains.  We arrived Friday evening a few hours ahead of Vince & Amy and Randy & Sandra and just in time to make the obligatory trip to the Western Bar for dinner.  It was excellent as always.

It was a bit breezy and cool on Saturday with the annual Memorial Day Mayfair and garage sale in town, so we decided to ride and hike from town.  Rickey, Vince and I did a couple of hours of mountain biking on some trails near town while Amy, Randy and Sandra hiked the Osha Trail and shopped.  Amy then joined us for a few miles to try out mountain biking on some relatively flat but rocky trails near town.  We shopped and snacked on nachos and beer at The Western Bar before heading back to the cabin for showers and then heading back to Ski Cloudcroft for their wood-fired pizzas (they reopened on Friday).  The pizzas were just as good as we had remembered!

On Sunday, we took Vince and Amy's SUV the back way to some remote backroads where we frequently MTB near our cabin and did a 7 mile hike on trails and ridge tops looking for elk antler sheds in an area which we almost always see elk while mountain biking.  Unfortunately, we didn't find any elk antlers, and the only antlers we found were on a small, creepy little skull I picked up which appears to have deer spikes.  They wouldn't even let me eat out of the kettle corn bag during the hike because I had been carrying around the nasty skull and antlers and didn't want my hands in the bag!  The hike took about 4 hours, but we had just enough time to eat a snack and change before heading into town for an afternoon outdoor concert at The Lodge with a nacho/hamburger bar.  It was a bit breezy and cool again but was a nice evening followed by another trip to the Western Bar for pie.

On Monday, Randy and Sandra decided to hike in the forest near our subdivision, and Rickey, Vince, Amy and I drove back to Cloudcroft for some mountain biking near town.  Amy rode with us and did over 10 miles on some different trails including some climbs and did very well.  The weather was even better than it had been all weekend.  After the ride, I picked up a strawberry rhubarb pie for my work people at the Burro Street Bakery before we headed to Mad Jack's Mountain Top BBQ which had just opened on Saturday for some excellent brisket sandwiches and beans.  

Although it was a bit cool and breezy at times, it was a great weekend and we can't wait to get back!

My favorite place for a Friday evening dinner and beers: The Western Bar

My columbines came back and were already blooming.

My irises were in full bloom when we arrived

A beautiful, but cool and breezy Saturday afternoon in late May just north of Cloudcroft

A fire road just north of Cloudcroft on the Saturday afternoon MTB ride

Rickey airs up a flat during our Saturday afternoon MTB ride with Vince

The pizza place at Ski Cloudcroft is back and just as good as ever!

Rickey, Vince and Amy during the Sunday afternoon hike

Randy & Sandra on the 7 mile Sunday afternoon hike through the backroads and ridge tops

Sunday afternoon hike looking for antlers

This creepy little skull with spike antlers was the only find on our 7 mile hike up and down very isolated areas and ridge tops on Sunday afternoon

Outdoor afternoon/evening outdoor concert at The Lodge with nacho & hamburger bar.  It was  a bit chilly and breezy but still warmer than last year.

Monday afternoon scenery near the infamous meadow

Amy, Vince and Rick in the meadow north of Cloudcroft during our Monday MTB ride

Mountain biking with Amy and Vince on Monday

Amy and Vince

May 10, 2015

We spent Thursday evening through late Sunday afternoon at the cabin this past weekend and were joined by Vince and Robby on Friday afternoon.  Rick and I worked and lounged around the cabin on Friday morning.  Robby arrived in the early afternoon, and the three of us headed to Cloudcroft for some mountain biking.  Vince arrived a couple of hours later and joined us out on the trail.  The four of us finished riding and headed to the Western Bar for the usual.

Saturday we waited for temps to warm up and rode from the cabin.  We showed Robby some of our favorite trails, and everything was going great until Vince decided to crash and burn on a steep, rocky and remote section of trails.  He was banged up but ok and we headed back to the cabin.  We once again ate at the Western Bar after some shopping at the usual places.

The temps on Sunday were quite cool (32 degrees in town) and in the mid 40s when we started riding.   We decided to try the Rim Trail near Cloudcroft.  My legs were fairly fatigued from now three consecutive days of riding and my nerves were a little shot after seeing Vince crash, so it only took a couple of miles on the technical, rocky, steep and narrow trail to decide that it wasn't a good day for me to try out this trail.  I decided to turn around and Rick went with me.  Vince and Robby continued on and rode for 8 or 9 miles on the trail until it tied into the highway and came back with about 12 or 13 miles.  Rick and I did some other easier trails around town and ended up with around the same distance.  We'll have to try it again next time if it's not rainy and if we ride it on the first or second day before the legs are toast!

Crossing the Harkey Pedestrian Bridge over highway 82 on the Switchback and Old Cloudcroft highway trails on Friday afternoon

Two flights of stairs to get up to the bridge

Irises blooming next to the cabin on a beautiful Friday afternoon

Robby at the start of the downhill single track trail

Start of the single track with budding aspens in the background

Robby on the Harkey Pedestrian Bridge

Lots of mountain bikes at the cabin

Top of the Baird Canyon climb

The meadow and single track area

Sunday near Cloudcroft with aspen trees in the background

Robby, Rick and Vince on Sunday

A neighbor's iris bed with our cabin in the background

My irises were about to bloom.  Hope they're still around next weekend!