Three Forks is where the Ringing Rocks were, Copper City halfway from Red Lodge, East of this map
Comparisons are innate to humans, we always look for differences, we so often look for bad traits or reasons to reject. Really, we’d likely be better off comparing less. (except when sniffing for spoiled food) Comparing people, places, things can take away from the experience. Cars, weather, blonds, brunettes, don’t bother. Comparing any ride to another is never fair. Each place you ride has its ups and downs, literally as hills are part of the sport’s joy. I personally love climbing on a bike. The rootier, twistier and full of hidden surprises, the better. Put me on a moderate hill where you can see the whole thing stretched out ahead and I’m demoralized. Give me a woodsy technical challenge and the energy flows from an unknown source. I just want more. But, 57 years on skis (and bikes) have given me a comfort level descending that defies my description of myself as a cautious downhiller. Bikes have come a long way since my full-rigid Wicked Fat Chance with cantilever and rollercam brakes. As such, if you see me flying downhill with a smile, blame it on the bike and its suspension and disc brakes.
Anyway, the past three rides were certainly a contrast.
1) Alpine, chilly, cloudy, snowdrifts still in the first three hollows of the stream beds following the slope at about 8000ft. All benchcut and built into the side of steep slopes. I ended up climbing 2178′ to get to the base of Red Lodge Mountain ski area, then turned around for the return. (a bit more careful here with steep ridge drop offs, than on the dirt road blasting)
Bench cut, downhill delight! and there were three places where snowdrifts still blocked the trail (only one was a “carry”)
2) Then grasslands and foothills swooping about playfully with banked turns, berms and the joyful glee only quick, punchy hits can give. And, of course, a long killer climb to set you up for blasting back down through loose gravel switchbacks down to the swoopy, giddy turns below. Punchy ups and downs you hardly notice with your big smile, did 1060′ of climb and return down to the car.
Delightful weaving off into the distance
Kind of bermy for the downhills!
3) Then shared use OHV trail (where someone believes E-bikes belong), dusty, really dusty rutted crap with evidence of mud holes and trenched out, widened ditches. Gravel roads with no attention to terrain or slope use. Only a few rolling dips thrown in to slow erosion of storms out in this baked prairie. We had a Yamaha 2 stroke pass us, he was polite and slowed down to pass. Bunches of 20-30 somethings on ATV’s without helmets, and a handful of 80 something hunter-like guys plunking along with a quick wave. The riding was brutal. My rear brake was truly rubbing hard with new pads installed at the last campsite. Really rubbing, wheel wouldn’t spin a half revolution, bike was hard to push with one hand. Jane and I agreed it was an anti E-bike…a workout machine. I just trudged it along crawling up the switchbacks that were cut for a motocross or 100HP crawler. To make the climbs worse, I could see the entire 1227′ stretching ahead. Yep, I breathed hard.
Shared use, <50″ wide vehicles, no jeeps, but plenty of Moto and Can Am (as seen on trucks and trailers)
Beauty but not a trail, definitely a gravel road downhill (30mph flying down 1227′ vertical)
This way ->
Crappy, dusty climbing but What A View!!
Ringing Rocks, each a different tone, hammers included. And a small storm approaching.
David
The Voyage of the Tramper 