A Comedy of Errors

So, where to begin...As you may know, we've been planning the Fruita trip for a little while now; we thought a bunch of people were going to join us and it would be an awesome trip full of riding, camping, and fun. We were a little bit off with our expectations I guess you could say. Everyone seemed to bail on us last minute (luckily we're all going next Tuesday and Wednesday the 18th&19th) but Skinny J, Tim, and myself headed down the road anyway. We traveled through rain, sleet, and snow but thankfully when we arrived there were nothing but blue skies to greet us.
Our first stop was at what we have been calling "Dinosaur Burger" because of the large dinosaur mascot that adorns the top of the building; turns out it's called Munchies and they happen to make a damn fine pepperjack burger. After gorging ourselves there, we decided to hit the trails. Full as all get out, we unloaded our bikes from the truck and applied sunscreen liberally before starting a quick ride to wear out the dogs on Rustler's Loop. Good times.
Then, after dropping off the pooches, we headed up Mary's Loop. The first climb was invigorating and we could start to feel the heat of the day beating down on us. It started off great! Then about 40 minutes into it, after a harrowing rock ledge, and a few other sketchy sections, we stopped to take a picture or two and that's when we heard the hissing. Skinny J. pinch-flatted after jumping up a pointy rock ledge. No problem, we think; we work at a bike shop and are certainly prepared and equipped for whatever the trails throw at us. The 3 of us started digging in our packs for tube-changing gear and no one could believe it: Skinny had some tire levers, I had a patch kit, and Tim thought he had a pump. Thought being the key word. Not one of the 3 of us had a freaking pump!?!! How embarassing! So, Tim and I decided to race back to the truck where we had all of the equipment and left Skinny to his own devices walking his bike down the trail. The ride back to the truck was fast and fun. Tim rode the pump back up and changed the tube. On the way back J flatted again! Back at the truck we discovered that Tim also had a flat rear tire. What bad luck we thought; little did we know.
We loaded our bikes on the top of the truck, left the trailhead, and stopped for apps and margaritas at a great Mexican joint before seeking out our campsite. We decided to stay at Highline State Park for the night and then ride the 18 hour course the next day. After fighting with the permit machine we pulled in and drove around looking for a good campsite. "How about that one by those trees over there?" says Tim. "Looks good" I reply.
And then it happened. Right as Tim pulled into the parking spot we heard a crash and then Skinny started honking in his car behind us. I jumped out to see what the noise was and saw my bike laying on the top of the truck. I think I saw tears coming from my Stumpjumper. When we drove under the trees, a low branch decided to reach out and snag the handlebars of my bike, wrenching the fork and snapping off the dropout. The fork is ruined and so is the bike rack. It turns out that Tim was just really concerned with the bike weight contest, and thought that by removing part of my bike, he'd help me out! Thanks a bunch, Tim. No worries, now I'll probably get a nicer fork!
To make a really long story a little shorter: *forgot fire wood, *didn't bring enough breakfast *couldn't set up the tent, *rented a bike that didn't really work, *sunburns had by all, *3 dogs w/27 cactus needles total pulled from their paws.
Yay for Fruita! We're going again next week! See you there!!