I have one regret...we have only one Tribe Gathering per year.
The drive up was fantastic. I traveled with my co-worker Phil and a new friend, Chad (from Shimano) to Eagle, Colorado on Thursday night. We stopped off at Pazzo's Pizza in Eagle to meet up with Rob. One Azteca later (yummy but I didn't need the fourth slice), Chad and Phil headed off to Fruita and I went with Robbie to his new house. What a beautiful place...I wish I had pictures to show because there is no good way to describe how gorgeous it is. Kelly was asleep already, as was Shaw, their toddler...well, more of a walker now. We just packed the car, chilled and caught up since we haven't seen each other in quite some time. Talisker came to say his usual greeting and was very happy to see a friendly face coming into his house.
The next morning I wandered upstairs to see Shaw walking about! He was a little shy at first but warmed quickly. A quick hello with Kelly too before Rob and I hit the road and headed for Fruita. We arrived before most Tribe members, quickly set up our camp site and then I headed out to help out with Tribe set up. Rob went for ride #1.
At 4, Rob got ready for ride #2 and I geared up for a quick ride with him on Mary's Loop to Horsethief Canyon. Once again, I am at a loss for words to describe Fruita and the riding. You are often on rock or in sand and the view is simply phenomenal. The hike-a-bike section down to Horsethief drops you past several millennia of geologic history. Horsethief, is a quick little screamer and over way too fast. We should have done a second loop but I decided saving energy for Saturday was important.
We got back to camp just as Ben, Rabbit, Loren, Hope and Gibson began rolling in. Rabbit and Loren even showed up with extra burritos for Rob and me! Hope and I don't get to see these guys nearly enough. Ben is an old friend from Middlebury who was my riding partner, skiing partner, overall fantastic friend who suddenly showed up in Telluride after too many years of being out of touch. How good is it to have him here in Colorado? Fantastic! How often do we get to see him? Let's see...6 hour drive coupled with crazy schedules...next to never. A travesty. Rabbit and his girlfriend, Loren hail from Aspen. Rabbit went to UVM with Rob (and Hope) and has quickly become a close friend of ours. Loren rapidly earned our stamp of approval as she fit in perfectly with the crew.
Saturday morning brought the loading of our bikes for a shuttle to the Ribbon. The Ribbon is a rotor scorching, tire roaching descent along a slab of rock just outside Grand Junction. It is wide open with massive exposure in several locations (think long drops over cliffs that come up out of nowhere). You have to be on your game out here and follow the proper route as a wrong turn could result in rapid acceleration (think 9.8 meters per second squared). There are a few hike-a-bike sections that were easily negotiated. From the Ribbon, we hiked out to the top of Tabeguache and followed that down to Holy Cross. Great fun and I was pooped by the end of the ride.
This is not us but it should give you an idea of what the Ribbon is like.
Saturday afternoon brought the arrival of Kelly and Shaw, finally completing our group. This was Shaw's first camping trip and he was a trooper. I think he even slept through the night, I heard him stir around 5ish but he fell back asleep until the sun came up. Good stuff!
We hung out around our camp while Kelly and Loren went for a ride. Upon their return, we settled in for a night of fun and festivity which included a spirited game of Catch Phrase. And the word of the night? Laissez faire. Trust me, you just had to be there!
Sunday, our allergies got the better of us. Hope and I packed up and headed for home. I had a near run in with a Yeti Bettie while watering a plant. She was nearly standing in my crop circle before she realized my efforts to propagate a healthy plant in desert environs. We said a quick goodbye to Ben and then headed to Fruita for a tasty breakfast. Despite a lengthy wait for our food, we were quite happy with our overall experience. Goodbyes to Rabbit, Loren, Rob, Kelly and Shaw and we were on our way home.
Not without one more stop. Vail Village for a second helping of Pazzo's Azteca! To the house where we unloaded, cleaned up and napped. I even found it in me to make it to my drop in hockey session last night. Never made it out of second gear though. Just passed the puck a lot, laughed and had fun being on the ice.
So...the first weekend of fun and excitement this summer was a blast. All of us have agreed that we need to do this again soon. The weekend has reminded me how important these friends are. It's so easy to let time pass knowing that our friendship is solid enough that we don't have to always see each other. Yet it is so important to make the time to see these friends. They are the important ones, the ones that will always be there for us in our struggles through life; to help us out, offer guidance and support, hugs and love. You can't find friends like these just anywhere but we got to see them in Fruita this weeekend.
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