Dave took me on a four and a half mile bike ride this morning on Jackson Mountain.  This was a different trail than Keith and I ran yesterday, it looped on the north side whereas our trail looped on the south side of Jackson Mountain Road.  This was my first time on a mountain bike in nearly 25 years.  My last ride was on the Austin Greenbelt.  What a kick.  I suspect I’ll be searching Craig’s List soon for a bike.  My rented bike is a Trek from The Hub Bike Shop located near City Market in Pagosa Springs.

This trail was lightly used and hard to see in spots, but extremely soft.  Keith and I might run it tomorrow or perhaps Thursday for a recovery run.  It starts a couple hundred yards below where we started our run at sign post 738 and finishes just above it.  Dave was the perfect coach for someone who needed to relearn how to ride.  He advised me on when and how to shift.  He told me to sit down when riding up hill on loose rocks to add weight to the back tire.  And he explained how to use the rear brake (right-hand) riding down technical hills to avoid flipping, but to use the front brake on less technical downhills for the power.

Mountain biking was before breakfast.  Later in the day we hiked to Piedra Falls.  This is only a mile hike out and back, and a good hour drive from our cabin, but totally worth it to see these awesome falls.  The trail guides all recommend this for kids and it’s a great family hike.  There are also ample camp sites at the trailhead.  This was a 40 mile drive on well maintained county roads.  At 30 miles is the Piedra Trail trailhead.  I plan to return this week to either hike or mountain bike that path through the canyon.  Looks pretty cool.