GOVERNMENT CANYON - Part 3

Last week I decided that I needed a change of scenery for my next ride, so I took a personal day off and headed to Government Canyon - the scene of my near demise last September. The morning was overcast as I drove into the park, but it wasn't windy or raining, so I was okay with it. Besides, I didn't want to sweat to death either.

As I walked into the visitor's center, I recognized my old friend, the elderly volunteer lady.

"Mornin, how yew?"

"Fine thanks. One please."

"You look familiar. Where's yer terrorist lookin boyfriend you brought last time?"

"He's not my (why bother explaining again)....he moved to California and I'm so broken up, I really don't want to talk about it."

"I'm sure yew are. I'm guessin you don't get much action by the looks of ya."

"Excuse me?! Can I just please have my permit?"

"Sure. Remember to check which trails yew plan to ride."

"I'm going to take the Joe Johnston trail to the back of the park. Which trail do you recommend to come back on?"

"It don't matter son, they are all downhill on the way back! dumb ass...."

I could have sworn I heard her say the last part under her breath, but a line was forming and I didn't want to engage her further. Maybe next time I go, someone will have put her in the nursing home for rude people where she belongs. Again, this is my story, so I may have embellished a little.

Thus began my journey of hell again. When Bert and I went to GC last September, I was so out of shape, I was winded 15 minutes into the ride and thought I was going to pass out after our hour and a half ride.


Today, I was able to ride for 30 minutes before the trail got so rocky I had to dismount. If I had to pick two words to describe Government Canyon, it would be ROCKY CLIMBING. Geez, I had to hike half of the trail because there are so many rocks. Not little rocks like at McAllister Park, BIG ROCKS.

Even the return portion of the ride shouldn't be called a downhill ride, it should be called REVERSE CLIMBING. I literally had to walk my way down some portions of the descent because the drop offs were very technical based on my skill level.


Regardless, I was proud of my endurance. Having lost only 8 pounds since the last GC ride, I was able to hike/bike 3 hours this time. When I got home, I weighed myself and I had lost 5 pounds during the ride!

Almost every time I ride, I learn something. Today I learned that I have to add tighten my cleats to my pre-ride checklist. Due to the excessive hiking I had to do today, one of the screws on my right shoe cleat came off. At one point, I was going to stop and tried to unclip, only to have the shoe spin on the cleat.

I had to unclip my left shoe, find a safe spot to stop, unlace my right shoe, then use my multi-tool to unclip it. I was able to tighten the one remaining screw so the cleat wouldn't be a problem, but needless to say, I didn't have much faith in my clips the rest of the morning. As a result, I tried not to clip in at all, which wasn't much of a problem since I had to walk so much. All in all, I hiked/biked over 10 miles of trails in three hours today.

Oh well, I had a great time, got some exercise and mucho activity points; that's what it's all about! Not only that, but I pushed my body to its limit and was able to complete the entire loop, riding when able, hiking the rest. If you haven't noticed by now, I am very goal oriented and find much satisfaction in meeting them, as well as facing my fears head on.

Although I never fell, my body took such a beating that it's not a ride I would want to do every week. I might consider riding it monthly though, just to keep checking my progress. I'll keep you posted. Now where is my recliner....