Chasing storms at Buffalo Creek

Yesterday afternoon the news and weather services were going crazy with warnings for Colorado specifically Buffalo Creek getting hit by heavy rain bands that were dumping 2-3 inches of rain in the day. Threats of mud slides, roads being washed away, and overflowing creek beds were flowing as fast as the sky was falling.



Not to be deterred though 9 of us made our way to Buffalo Creek and that golden halo that seems to hang above the granite pebbled trails. These trails drain so well that not even 3 inches of rain in one day can dampen the trails flow but become faster with compaction.



We threw down a killer route of 28 miles of PBR’s design with just an added trail of my choosing that being Lower Gashouse Gulch to the bottom of Baldy since PBR had never been down it. Funny enough all the roads in the area rode as though they were thick oatmeal sucking at our wheels but the trails were oh so fast and fun!



Just as the sun disappeared behind the peaks to the west the rain started to fall. 1st a few silvery drops here and there and as we made our way across the Colorado Trail it became a deluge. Our group got spread out and left me, Spike, and PBR shivering at the intersections waiting for the others to catch up.



Finally we made it to Shinglemill and as though a shower was being turned off the rain let us go down and enjoy the descent. I quickly made a huge gap on the others and about a mile from the end I felt my rear wheel getting squishy. I kept at it until finally the feeling of the rim on the trail made me give it up. I found my pump’s head cracked cleanly off and good ol PBR came to the rescue with his.



I saw that I had a leak that wouldn’t seal so I rushed down the road only to be stopped a mile or so later with another flat and Spike to the rescue. Another mile or so and Mr. Colorado Springs to the rescue….finally just 1/8th of mile from the car I gave up on my final flat…and walked the bike back to the car. Still an awesome night, 28 miles, almost 3,000 ft of climbing with a couple of cool folks.