By Paul Koski, COPMOBA Board Member & WWET Organizer - June, 2006

Like a lurking bit of road hazard, the Paradox Trail once again promised and delivered on its bad boy reputation. Not that the twelve riders, whose hopes of a ride on the unfamiliar, were disappointed by conditions which challenged even the strongest of our compatible group. Two and a half days we were to ride together and although our different abilities were to quickly become obvious we managed to ride “as a group” with the routine of “ride, wait and catch-up”. Day one and the sweat conditions were in the low 90’s with a high cloud cover; ideal for this high desert playground of rocks, steep pitches and a trail waiting to take you by surprise. By the time we stopped for lunch on Pinto Mesa we had ridden more than half of the first day’s distance and been treated to the” lost trail” of the Glencoe Bench. Lost because you ride through grassy meadows knowing not where the trail is but somehow it finds you in the end. The afternoon proved more challenging to riders and machines with steep, loose, soft and knarly being the norm. Add the afternoon sun blazing away at 6,000 ft. and you have the makings of a tired group racing the last mile into base camp on the Tabeguache Creek. Oh yes, I can’t forget mentioning the swimming hole which allowed us to forget those less than pleasant riding conditions. Much later in the season and that swim hole becomes a memory. The food was well received and the cold drinks seemed to have no end so I know I got at least a couple things right when I planned this tour. Everyone pitched in around the camp which added to the comradary of such a small group.

One broken derailler hanger ( don’t leave home without a spare) and five riders opting out of day two left us with six for the most challenging leg of the tour- a 38 mile loop from camp via Uravan and Atkinson Creek to meet the Paradox Trail on the new reroute. The warm-up ride across Third Park and the drop to the San Miguel River was ideal not to mention the bear sighting just to remind us who lives here and who are the visitors. Our sag vehicle was late which ensured a couple more degrees on the sweat scale later in the ride-not that it mattered much. We also broke new ground by exploring the lower section of Bull Draw as it climbs to its rendezvous with the Paradox Trail and the difficult traverse to Spring Creek Mesa. Someone on the tour mentioned the comment” if you aren’t hik’in, you aren’t bik’in” as we were pushing and grunting our bikes up one of the four pitches of the traverse. How true it is. By the time we got to Atkinson Creek and it’s cold spring run-off we were peeling off shoes and socks to cool those hot puppies down. By the time we rolled into camp later that afternoon all we could think about was “cold beer” and “swim hole”- in that order.

I wanted to include one of my favorite rides – a 13 mile loop from the Dolores River at Biscuit Rock- up County Road Q13 where it meets the Paradox Trail on Carpenter Ridge. A “subtle climb” wound up being the wrong description for this leg of the tour which started as a grueling six and a half mile grind up the incline. I had always done the loop in the other direction coming DOWN the county road but was treated to riding down the spectacular Red Canyon section of the new re-route on this trip. That was MUCH more fun. The overlook into the Paradox Valley can’t be missed nor forgotten and this section was the perfect wrap up for the tour.

Planning a tour like this is always a learning experience and I learned plenty of what works and what doesn’t. With some great comments from our 06 participants, next year’s tour is sure to be better. For those that are curious, the 2007 Wild West End Tour may run the entire length of the 110 mile trail-east to west. I’m still working out the details but it’s sure to be a “ride for the fit”. Hope to see YOU there.


Chris Mueller Overlooking the Paradox Valley


VanMeter and Koski Riding the Traverse