Tuesday, June 26, 2018
After work on Tuesday, Diane and I loaded up our bikes and headed up to Piñon Mesa above Glade Park so we could go for a ride on the Turkey Flats Trail and beat the heat in the valley. It was 105 degrees down in the Grand Valley when we left home, but when we reached the Fruita Picnic Area to unload our bikes it was a more comfortable 83 degrees out. This evening we were going to combine the Turkey Flats Trail with 16 1/2 Road and the road that goes to Fruita Reservoir #1 to create a five mile loop. It turned out to be a very nice ride and wasn’t too difficult for us who don’t ride our bikes very often. We passed a few deer along the trail and the mosquitoes were out in full force if we stopped for too long, so we made sure to keep moving. There were also plenty of wildflowers blooming along the trail. Here’s a few photos from our weekday ride.
Driving up onto Piñon Mesa in the Grand Mesa National Forest to ride our bikes.
Starting off climbing 16 1/2 road.
The Turkey Flats Trailhead and the beginning of the singletrack.
Following the trail through the aspen forest.
Diane rides ahead of me through a clearing.
Wildflowers along the trail.
We saw a lot of wildflowers along the trail, but I only stopped to take a photo of this Richardson’s Geranium.
Diane at the other end of the singletrack where we got back on the road to complete the loop.
Leaving the Grand Mesa National Forest on our way back home.
