July MTB trip out West.

Mom

Mom

Dr. Hott
As a graduation from residency present, Dad and I are planning a 10 day (maybe more) MTB trip soumewhere out West. I'm dragging Luke, Utah, Eileen along with me. So we need a cheap-esque place, maybe rent a house or something.

Initial thinking was Fruita, but it was pointed out that it's a million degrees out there during the day. It's going to be hot everywhere, but anyone have other suggestions?
 
How about Flagstaff in AZ? It would still be hot, but it's kind of up there in the mountains and it's got some fantastic riding. And if you're willing to do the sun-thing, you can swing down to Sedona some morning or early evening and ride some of those trails. (Probably a little too hot in the middle of the day -- I've done that before and it gets rough.) Another place to consider would be Santa Fe. Another great area to ride, but you would have to adapt to the elevation (most of the trails are above 10000 feet.) Both places have plenty to do off the bike, too.
 
I was looking into going out to Brian Head, Ut during that time. I'm not sure if there's enough riding to fit into 10 days, but there seems to be a lot of other stuff to do in that area.

Another place that looks really nice during July is Crested Butte.
 
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bradmcnutt said:
I was looking into going out to Brian Head, Ut during that time. I'm not sure if there's enough riding to fit into 10 days, but there seems to be a lot of other stuff to do in that area.

Another place that looks really nice during July is Crested Butte.
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Brian Head really requires some acclimation for altitude - I think the whole trail is above 12000 feet. I rode it once and my first day was like riding top speed while breathing through a coffee stirrer.
 
1speed said:
Brian Head really requires some acclimation for altitude - I think the whole trail is above 12000 feet. I rode it once and my first day was like riding top speed while breathing through a coffee stirrer.
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I think Crested Butte is similar altitude. How does one go about doing that? the nice thing about the Brian Head area is a lot of the better trails have shuttle options. If your into the DH thing, they have ski lift/gondola accessible trails as well.
 
I saw what happened when Mom tried to plan a trip to the museum, someone take the steering wheel away from this woman ;)
 
has to be July, it's when Mom graduates overdosing gunshot victim school and she grabs Dad's hand and drags him back to pre orthodontic America, the south.
 
bradmcnutt said:
I think Crested Butte is similar altitude. How does one go about doing that? the nice thing about the Brian Head area is a lot of the better trails have shuttle options. If your into the DH thing, they have ski lift/gondola accessible trails as well.
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There are actually plenty of ways if you don't mind looking a little funny -- you can breathe through a re-breather while you ride. Remember -- it's all about increasing your red blood cells. If you suffer now to create them you won't suffer when you need them. (Actually, it wouldn't be now -- you want to do that about six weeks before your trip to maximize the increase in RBCs.) Using a re-breathing tube (you can make your own out of straws, actually -- start with short, wide straws, and slowly make them narrower and longer as you get used to them) will increase your RBC count and then you should be fine in the thinner air. Another way to do it is to sleep with a rebreathing mask on -- you can get one from an EMT supply store. That takes a little longer, but if you're concerned about looking silly on the trail, it would work too.
 
awright, we're going to Crested Butte from July 7-17.

Anyone have suggestions on where to stay? Somewhere where we can ride out to the trails? favorite must-do trails?

thank you!

And 1speed, what do you mean by nonrebreather? like the plastic facemask with the bag on the bottom that we have in the ED?

I think I'll stock up on some acetazolamide for everyone to stop altitude sickness. Anyone ever use that? Does it truly work?
 
Mom said:
awright, we're going to Crested Butte from July 7-17.

Anyone have suggestions on where to stay? Somewhere where we can ride out to the trails? favorite must-do trails?

thank you!

And 1speed, what do you mean by nonrebreather? like the plastic facemask with the bag on the bottom that we have in the ED?

I think I'll stock up on some acetazolamide for everyone to stop altitude sickness. Anyone ever use that? Does it truly work?
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Actually, not a non-rebreather, but a rebreather. A non-rebreather doesn't allow for the re-breathing of exhaled air because it has ports on the side that expel the CO2. The bag on the end is hooked up to a one-way valve that allows the billowed bag to push oxygen to the patient, but there is no return. An actual re-breather looks similar, but the bag actually captures about a third of the air the patient expels so they can re-breathe that same air. (From a medical standpoint, the purpose is to promote breathing -- forced to breathe air that is higher in CO2, the patient involuntarily starts to breathe on their own.)

The thing about a rebreather is that you can make your own pretty easily. You know those cartoons where the guy walks under water with a straw above to breathe to get away from bees or something? The reason that doesn't work in reality is that the straw is essentially a rebreathing tube -- you can't expel all the CO2 form it before you breathe in again, so when you do inhale, you are re-breathing some of that same air you exhaled. If the straw is too long, you eventually pass out from lack of oxygen if you keep breathing through it. But if the straw is shorter, it would work just like a rebreather, and the thing is, you can control the percentage of CO2 you breathe by varying the length of the straw (this would be done over time as you adapt.) The goal is to force your body to make more red blood cells, which is all it is doing when it adapts to altitude anyway. So if you start with a very short straw and progress to something a little longer, and perhaps a little thinner, you can trick your body into producing more RBCs. The trick is to find a way to be able to exercise with it -- you need to create a mouth piece to hold the straw. That can be done, but it takes a little ingenuity to do it on your own (a flexible mouth piece cut and air-tight epoxied to the straw does the trick.)
 
thanks for the clarification, speed1. Doing that is much more awkward than I originally thought. LOL. The joys of replying to people post-shift.

think I'll go just go with the relative anemia, try to avoid as much altitude sickness as I can. My cardiopulmonary status is crap already. :)
How far in advance do you start acetazolamide?

You an EMT/doc/nurse?
 
Mom said:
thanks for the clarification, speed1. Doing that is much more awkward than I originally thought. LOL. The joys of replying to people post-shift.

think I'll go just go with the relative anemia, try to avoid as much altitude sickness as I can. My cardiopulmonary status is crap already. :)
How far in advance do you start acetazolamide?

You an EMT/doc/nurse?
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Actually, my wife is an EMT. I am just a guinea pig!
 
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