Durango Wheel Club at Bakers Bridge, 1895

TRIPS: Durango sans two wheels

Was lucky enough to sneak in a stop home to see my folks in Durango last week. It’s been quite a few years since I’ve been back, and the past two visits were either focused on skiing or riding – for obvious reasons, being at the epicenter of both. The urge to ride was even stronger as my in flight magazine was the current issue of BIKE, which chronicles multiple rides in my southwestern homeland as well as a feature on the fabled granddaddy of all races over Crested Butte’s Pearl Pass (Crested Butte Chronicle photo, 1980). However, I resolved not to ride since I’d not been back in so long, and it was the best decision I’ve made in a while (although the framed, 1895 photo of the Durango Wheel Club in my parents' house made it a bit more challenging).

Two wheels were the farthest things from my mind as my folks and I canoed across Lemon Reservoir and ducked a midday hailstorm under a Ponderosa to enjoy a Rainbow Trout dinner that night; or the next evening enjoying a Kokanee Salmon after a day surrounded by mountains fishing on Vallecito Reservoir. After riding horses, stopping at the La Plata County Historical Society’s Animas Museum, visiting some local attractions like the Bar D Chuckwagon and just enjoying the scenery, I realized that I missed a lot while I was on the slopes. I barely know the place I left behind or any of the people in it, yet I realized as I looked around that I’m more like them than anyone else in the world. I’d forgotten that the biggest thrill of life on two wheels is sometimes getting off the bike for a look around and spending some time getting to know those you love.

Of course, I had to pay homage to my hometown Cannondale dealer Mountain Bike Specialists, while looking around. My brother still remembers talking to MTB legend Ned Overend in the same shop when we were kids, and their store/museum still pays tribute to Ned and many others.

I left with a stronger appreciation for my parents and for my hometown, as well as a stronger urge than ever to return again soon to ride everything in sight -- hopefully with my lovely wife in the saddle along side me! You can only wander so long in the Garden of Eden without eating the fruit!