The Sunset Trail proved to be just about as good as Cosmic Ray claimed in his renowned literary work Cosmic Ray's Trails and Tales-Arizona Mountain Bike Trail Guide. Although Ray calls it, "The Premier Epic Single Track Loop," I neither found the 5-mile, 2100-foot vertical climb up Elden Lookout Road "Epic" nor single track. But I did do the climb ... just so I would not be a "lame ass corndog" ... and also because the Elde Road had a locked gate. While I believe Ray when he says the average time for the climb is 1 hour (it took me, a 55 year sea-level resident, 1hr and 15 minutes), I want to meet the person he claims made it in 26 minutes!

How could anyone drive to the top?

We arrived at the Elden Road gate about 1:00 after doing the 2-mile hike in the lava tube earlier in the day. The huge gate was locked (how could we have driven to the top anyway, Ray?)

It was at this time that I decided the shifter for my rear gears needed cleaning (it had been sticking the day before). I took out the screw and wing nut holding it together and ... it flew apart ... pieces landing in the dirt. After picking the parts up I cleaned everything with WD-40, blowing and wiping away the excess. I thought I knew how it went together (since I had cleaned it at home before) but I couldn't figure out how the top spring went back in. Cindy said, "I guess we might have to look for a bike shop." "This worried me ... any more time wasted and I might not have enough daylight to ride the Sunset Trail, and we had to leave early the next morning to be home by Easter to watch Bubby and Sissy hunt eggs.

My solution:Carefully open up the other shifter and see how its spring was set. That strategy worked ... and I replaced the spring and put both shifters together. Now to try them. Success! (Sort of). Both shifters worked but ... the one that was sticking was ... still sticking. "Good enough," I announced ... and got my things together to ride.

Oldham Park

I don't usually ride listening to music (I prefer to hear nature) but riding up Elden Fire Road ... I wish I had something! B-o-o-r-r-r-i-n-n-g! Near the top I came upon a fenced-off meadow of dead, gray grass, called Oldham Park. What concerned me was the excessive patches of snow just beyond. It was only then that I started worrying about the conditions of the Sunset Trail.

As expected, my view improved as I neared the top ... except when the road passed through a grove of young, tightly packed Aspen trees. I always stop to look at these beautiful trees ... even though they had yet to sprout those sparkling silver dollar leaves. We have no Aspens in southern California.

Beautiful Shapes and Bark

Scenes like this also remind me of how everything in nature competes ... competes for food ... for water ... sunlight ... a paycheck.

I would pass through a similar grove later on the Sunset Trail.

When I reached the top of Mount Elden the winds were gusting up to 100 mph! (Okay, maybe 40). I was sweaty from the climb and was getting a good lesson in Wind Chill Factor. I put on my long sleeve riding shirt and hunkered up next to a small building below one of the cell phone towers ... to eat my trail mix.

Mount Elden Lookout...9,300 feet

While eating I started thinking about the fact that there were no live trees on top of Mount Elden. There were a lot of stumps, parts of downed trees, and dead trees standing, but nothing was growing ... nothing. Did they cut them all down so they could see better from the lookout tower ... or did they burn up in a fire? As I went over to find the Sunset Trail I came across a sign stating the whole eastern part of the mountain burned in 1977, in what they called the Radio Fire.

Reminded me of Mount St. Helens

I could not believe the terrain was this barren from a fire that burned over 34 years ago. The scene somewhat resembled Mount St. Helens after the eruption.

Looking to the east I easily found the Sunset Trail. From the barren region the Sunset Trail went up a hill and disappeared into a forest ... and that's where I went.

Heart Attack Trail?

The trail stayed in the forest for only a quarter mile or so, then became real narrow and hugged the barren eastern edge of the ridge. One false move and I'd have slid several hundred feet down the eastern slope, and be skewered on a dead tree. Ray says someone etched "Organ Donor" on the cliff somewhere but I couldn't find it. At one point I could see another trail running east maybe 500 feet below. I later came to the junction where the sign read: Heart Trail ... Not recommended for horses. Looking down at the switchbacks I was surprised they didn't call it "Heart Attack Trail", especially if I was riding up.

I found snow hard to ride through.

I had to get off and walk here.

From there the Sunset Trail turned northwest and re-entered the woods. This is where I realized maybe I should have ridden a trail at lower elevation.

I didn't mind hiking through knee deep snow and climbing over downed trees ... but that was not my idea of a "ride". I probably climbed over or around 30 trees that had fallen across the trails. I don't think anyone had gotten a chance to clear them yet that year, at least not the ones near the top of the mountain ... on the Sunset Trail. Someday I will come back here and ride this area in the summer.

Monster Eyeball?

The Sunset Trail quickly dropped and the patches of snow got smaller and smaller. Cruising along the Sunset I suddenly skidded to a stop. A most unusual rock lay next to the trail. The rock was about the size of one of those large, 3-foot diameter, exercise balls ... and looked like ... many different things.

Click Sunset for a larger map Click the back-button to return here.

I found the trails well marked except for one ... the junction of the Upper Brookbank and the Little Gnarly ... I figured (correctly) I had to turn right there. Going left would have just taken me to the center of the dry lake bed and ended ... and I would have had to retrace my "steps", like I should have done when riding the Bones Trail in Dead Horse State Park a few days earlier.

This is not the Upper Brookbank Turn-off

I did take a wrong turn at an unmarked trail. Right before I got to the Sunset-Upper Brookbank junction a well used trail went left. I thought this might be the Upper Brookbank trail and someone had taken the sign. That would not be the first time that had happened.

The Little Gnarly-Schultz Junction

Although a neat little path winding down through a narrow valley, I found it only dumped me back out on Elden Lookout Road. I decided to turn around and ride (and walk) back up this trail so as to not miss riding down the Schultz Creek Trail. The lower elevation trails were awesome (Epic)...just like Ray predicted. Most of the north facing slopes had patches of snow, and all had some downed trees. The Schultz Creek Trail was all that was promised ... real busy with mountain bikers ... but a blast to ride fast.

The next morning we went to Cosmic Cycles. I wanted to tell Ray that I rode his favorite trail, the Sunset Trail, and also made it all the way up Eldon Lookout Road. I wanted to make sure he knew I was not a "lame ass corndog," but the man working there said Ray had sold the shop about 20 years ago. He said Ray still lived in Flagstaff but was retired. Cindy and I were both a little disappointed as we headed back home to San Diego. Easter Sunday was the next day.

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