Angel Fire Bike Park

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Matt Hunt

I was going to go last summer, but then I got laid off from my job. I was going to go earlier this summer in June, but then I broke my wrist in April, and was not fully recovered by June. So FINALLY it all worked out for me to visit Angel Fire, NM a couple weeks ago!

I had heard a lot of great things about Angel Fire Bike Park. It’s one of the best bike parks around, even compared to some parks in Colorado. There’s a good variety of trails, and the trails are really fun. It’s also the closest major bike park to Dallas.

Getting there proved to be an adventure in itself! Due to the recent wildfire in Ute Park, Hwy 64 is prone to flooding, and it’s that time of year where afternoon storms are a daily occurrence. I had made it all the way to Cimarron, NM, just about 50 minutes away, when I came up on a road block. Due to the flooding, they shut down the road on a daily basis. I talked to some folks who had already been there waiting for over 2 hours! I waited for about 45 minutes before I decided to take the only logical alternate route I could find, which would add an hour and a half to the drive!

It wasn’t until I was at the point of no return, so to speak, that I found out this route included 9 miles of unpaved road through the mountains! In fact, I didn’t find that out until I was at the point where it turns from paved to unpaved! Mind you, I drive a Honda Accord Sport, which has low-profile tires. It isn’t made for roads like this!

The first half of this road was very rough, with a lot of rocks, but luckily nothing so big that a passenger car can’t handle it. However, because it was so rough, it meant that I had to creep along at 10 mph! Thankfully about halfway into this 9 mile stretch the road became smoother, and I could speed up some. I’ve never been so happy to be back on paved road as I was at the end of this! I didn’t take any pictures or video there, because I just didn’t want to stop!

When I made it through, and just started to enter Angel Fire, I was surprised by two bull elk just off the road to my right! What a treat as I arrived in town!

So when I finally made it to the campground, I had a change of heart. The tent camping area was less than desirable. Nobody else was camping in a tent there; only RV’s. It was cold, windy, and more rain was on the way. I decided I really didn’t want to camp! I got on my phone and found that Angel Fire Resort had a couple rooms left, and Expedia had them at a 15% discount (though it was still significantly more expensive than camping)!

Sometimes you can’t put a price on comfort. In the end, it was worth it.

Alright, so lets get to the bike park! Since I was at the resort, the park was right there. I got there early to get my pass and sign the waiver. As a result, I was 3rd in line to get on the lift when it opened at 9!

First run I figured I should take Easy Street (green) to warm up, get a good feel for the mountain, the speed, and how my Jeffsy handles it. After that it was time for some more rowdy trails! Ziggy (blue) is right there when you get off the lift, and it’s an absolute blast! Constant left & right flow with some technical chunk thrown in for good measure! I ended up riding it again later on (at a higher speed). Further down, I hit Boulder Dash (blue), which is a jump trail filled with table tops and big berms. I actually wish I would’ve taken this trail again just to work on jumps! The very first jump I thought I overshot, but looking back at the video, I think it was actually perfect! However, because I thought I overshot it, I was checking my speed on a lot of the other jumps, causing me to case them. Coming from the flat lands, it takes some getting used to! Slowly but surely I’ll continue to improve my jumping skills!

On my third run I took Angel’s Plunge (blue), and boy was that a riot! Steep with loose gravel at the top, this trail was FAST, flowing, and fun! I’d say it’s a must ride with any trip to the park!

Other trails I hit included Diesel (blue), Duke (blue), Sierra (green), and Chutes & Ladders (blue). Chutes & Ladders had a lot of wood features. These bridges climbed way up above the surface, and had some super steep drops! I actually skipped a couple of them, since I was riding alone, and they went straight into a sharp turn, and I wasn’t comfortable carrying so much speed into those turns. In hindsight, I probably could’ve done it and been fine. Maybe next time.

After five runs, the lift was closed due to storms in the area, but I was pretty well finished, anyway. Downhill mountain biking exhausts you in a different way than XC riding will. Your legs are fine, because you aren’t pedaling. But the rest of your body seems to take a beating! It actually takes a lot of energy, and a lot of muscle to maneuver the bike around at high speeds, through incredibly bumpy and steep terrain. So if you’ve never done it, don’t expect to be able to just ride all day! You will get tired!

Luckily this time I didn’t develop any blisters, thanks to my wonderful ESI Extra Chunky grips! Seriously love these grips! That “Extra Chunky” part is crucial!

Check out the video! #LiveTheAdventure

Clash of the Elk

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Matt Hunt

I woke up early on one of my last mornings in Canada to photograph the sunrise at Two Jack Lake. Shortly before arriving at the lake, there is a meadow the size of a handful of football fields. There wasn’t much light out at this point, but I could clearly see a couple big bull elk in the field. I snapped a few photos, then headed to the lake for sunrise, hoping the elk would still be present upon my return.

Not only were they still there, but neither one of them wanted the other to be there! Now in some better light, they were duking it out at the far end of the field. I was far enough that I needed all of my 300mm lens, but close enough that I could hear the crack of the antlers every time they butted heads. What a special unexpected treat that morning!

The Elk Rut

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Matt Hunt

Back when I was a kid, and still to this day, I loved watching nature shows on TV. I didn’t have cable growing up, so it was always whatever was on PBS. I specifically recall Marty Stouffer’s Wild America. Growing up in the suburbs, however, I never had the opportunity to observe wildlife in its natural habitat.

Since getting into photography, I’ve been drawn to wildlife as one of my subjects. Many have just been chance encounters on visits to National Parks, but on this trip to Colorado I made the plan to spend two nights in Estes Park with one sole purpose: to witness the elk rut.

Fall is mating season for the elk. The bulls are hormone-crazed, and for the most part the females don’t seem to pay much attention. Bugling is non-stop, though outright battles are few and far between. While watching these bull elk, you may see them digging into the ground by swinging their antlers side-to-side, urinating on themselves and the ground, then rolling around in it and the mud, covering the lower half of their bodies in dark brown sludge. I don’t think human females would find any of this attractive, but then again, I’ve never tried it.

I felt like odds were pretty good I’d see some elk, but I didn’t know that it would be such a given. I had rented this monstrosity of a telephoto lens for the sole purpose of getting some great shots of these majestic animals!

I arrived around lunch time and went straight to Moraine Park, a meadow area of Rocky Mountain National Park, not very far from Estes Park. This was center stage for the elk rut, and indeed I found a bull with a large harem of about 20 cows on the far side of the meadow.

They slowly worked their way closer to the road, and I had walked out away from the road to a little rocky area where I ended up sitting down to observe this bull and his harem. There were quite a few people behind me watching this group as well, but aside from that I wasn’t totally aware of my surroundings. I hadn’t seen any other elk in the meadow, so my focus was on this group.

Then I hear this guy yelling, “Toni! Toni!” I didn’t even budge, but then I hear this Toni speaking to two ladies that were behind me, telling them to walk slowly over to her and sit down. I looked behind me, and I see this young bull no more than 20 yards away heading right for me!

Alright, I decided I’d head over to huddle up with Toni and those two other ladies! Toni seemed to be pretty knowledgeable in elk behavior, stating that she hunts elk. The idea was that this young bull likely would not charge all four of us close together, and that we should sit still, and NOT start running! This young bull walked around to the other side of the rocks, picked at the brush for a little while, then walked no more than 10 feet behind us and off into the meadow! Wow!

At this point there was another bull headed this way from the other side of the meadow. He wasn’t as young, but he still wasn’t as big as the bull who controlled this large harem. At one point it looked like he wasn’t going to mess with big daddy, and walked off a bit, but he lingered. And he lingered. And gradually he worked his way closer and closer to the harem. Big daddy had enough. He got up and started chasing the young bull off!

There was no battle, as this younger, smaller bull knew he’d be no match for big daddy. So he finally decided to wander off.

After getting checked into my hotel and getting some food, I ventured back to the meadow. I observed a few more bulls, only one that was very close, but there didn’t seem to be much going on. I had read the elk are more active in the evening, but to this point, that didn’t seem to be the case. So I began driving back as we had just about reached dusk.

When I got toward the front of the road, I came upon pure madness! There were at least 3 or 4 bulls and maybe 100 cows! Bulls were chasing each other and bugling, the females were squealing, and cars and people lined the road watching the show!

I ended up running into my buddy again, the same young bull I saw earlier. Some of these bulls were easily recognizable due to distinct features, and for this young gun, it was his beat up antlers. He must have engaged in a battle at some point during the rut, because he was missing the end to his right antler. This time I was in the safety of my vehicle, and he walked right in front of it.

I noticed how heavy he was breathing! You can see here his mouth is open; poor guy had his hormones going bonkers, and just couldn’t find a female to link up with! Maybe next year!

Day 2 started out near mid-morning, as I made the hike to Dream Lake for sunrise. I was told when I got there that I had missed some action, and that there was almost a battle. No big deal, as there was still plenty to see the rest of the morning, and I was able to get some great close-ups with much more favorable light than I had the previous day!

Such an amazing animal. I wish I’d had more time to spend watching them, and I wish I could watch them year-round! That evening I had hiked to Alberta Falls, and didn’t get back to the meadow until it was just about dark. There didn’t seem to be much going on, anyway, so I kept the camera in the bag and just observed with my own eyes.

The final morning brought rain showers, and for me I was actually trying to find some bighorn sheep. No such luck with that, but there were still plenty of elk. I saw this guy outside of the park, but close to the entrance.

After that I went to the Sheep Lakes area, looking for sheep, but finding more elk! This guy was walking away from the road, but I was able to get a couple good shots in before he was only displaying his backside to my direction.

I took a drive down Fall River Road, still looking for sheep, but finding another elk that was actually behind a fence, so I was able to get VERY close to him and remain safe! He didn’t seem to be to interested in finding a mate, as he was just grazing through the grass.

And with that, I was off to Denver! I have hundreds more photos of these awesome creatures, but these were some of my favorites. I hope you enjoyed looking at them as much as I enjoyed taking them!

The Grand Canyon

Posted on June 7, 2016 by Matt Hunt

Tuesday April 12, 2016. This was a significant day. Not just because I had three stops (Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend), but because on this day 23 years prior my father passed away from cancer. It’s hard to believe it has been that long.

I got an early start out of Flagstaff, because I wanted to be at the Grand Canyon by sunrise. I didn’t have much time, since I needed to be in Page for my Antelope Canyon tour by 11 am. More on that later…

It was freezing that morning. Literally freezing. The temperature was 32 degrees when I woke up in Flagstaff. That scent of the Ponderosa Pine was in the air as I loaded my bags back into my car and hit the road. It was an easy drive through mostly flat grasslands, and more Ponderosa Pine forests, which became more prominent as I approached the park.

While cruising along, I saw something unexpected. There was a bull elk, grazing right along the side of the road! I had to stop and take pictures, of course! I quickly put my telephoto lens on and went to work.

Gosh, what a beautiful animal. There were actually two of them, but this one was closer to the road. The other one was further back into the woods, and I couldn’t get a clear shot. I snapped a lot of pictures, and also spent some time just admiring this majestic creature. I only wish they had their full antlers!

As they both ventured further into the woods, I decided to move along, but I didn’t get very far before spotting another elk on the other side of the road! I pulled over and snapped some more photos!

By this time the sun was already rising, so I continued into the park. I didn’t have to pay, because I had my America The Beautiful Pass! If you’re planning on visiting 3 or more National Parks in a year, this pass will pay for itself. I was doing just that on this trip alone, and planning two more trips this year that will take me through another half a dozen or so parks, so this pass is more than worth it to me!

So I got into the park and headed out to the overlook, where I was greeted by the first light hitting the cliffs on the west end of the canyon.

Oh. My. Gosh. I was absolutely floored by the sight of this place! Of course I had seen plenty of pictures, but seeing it in person was something else. I immediately realized that no picture could ever do this place justice. It is simply stunning. It is massive. It makes you feel small, as well as grateful to live on such a beautiful planet!

I spent some time walking along the trail on the canyon rim, just looking for good spots to stop and take photos. I was looking for any kind of foreground interest to add to all of that wide open space on the horizon.

While I wasn’t doing anything as risky as I saw others doing, I did get out on some ledges. You feel more alive when you are closer to death! There are no railings along this trail, and one wrong step would be the end of your story with such a steep, and long drop to the canyon floor below.

That picture describes my feeling perfectly. How can you not love it? How can you not look out over this massive canyon and feel like the world is yours? The world is yours… to explore! Why would you ever want to just stay in the same place forever with all of this beauty out there?

After the above picture I decided it was time to move along to another lookout point. When I got to my car I punched in the address in Page that I was heading to (where I needed to be by 11 am, remember?), and it said my arrival time would be… 11:02 am! Oh no! I had to go!

If you know anything about time zones, you know that Arizona has its own time zone. They do not participate in daylight savings time. Utah is on a different time than Arizona, even though it’s in the same latitude. Page is just south of the state line, very close to Utah. So when I got to the Antelope Canyon tour place, the lady said she’d go ahead and check me in, but it was only 10 am. Oh no! I could have spent another hour at the Grand Canyon!

That was my biggest regret that morning. So if you’re going to be in this area, and you’re going to be doing things that require punctuality, make sure you know before you go about the time zones, and don’t rely on your phone or GPS to give you an accurate time!

I guess that just means I’ll have to go back to the Grand Canyon again! Really, I would recommend you spend far more than an hour there when you go. I would at least dedicate a whole day, so that you can see the sunrise and the sunset.