Nov 09 2007
FRUITA, COLORADO
Fruita Colorado is about an hour and half from Moab and near the Colorado Utah border. It is one of the last great and least known mountain biking paradises. Fruita has been endowed with the natural splendors that have put Moab on the mountain biking map, but without the traffic jams and other human distractions that have come to be synonymous with Moab. About 15 years ago, Fruita was an agricultural town spiraling downwards after the local Oil refinery was shut down by the EPA. Troy Rarick a cyclist from Grand Junction came up with a plan to revive the fortunes of the town. He intended to turn Fruita into an ecotourism destination. In 1994, Mr. Rarick acquired a downtown storefront and then set out with a group of locals to curve out dream mountain bike trails on the northern end of town known as eighteen Road. 18 road has expansive, lofty mesas eroded in three thousand foot columns that slope downwards to the lush valley floor. All the trails were done unofficially to by pass all the local council regulations that would have required the trails to be multi-use, this would not have helped them achieve the dream trails they were after. Troy then organized the first Fruita Fat Tire Festival and lobbied the town council to offer amenities to the festivals visitors. The festival has been running since 1994 and each year the number of visitors has grown. The town old buildings have been renovated and now businesses are opening up all over town. Hotels have also opened up but those who want to enjoy the outdoors can use one of several camp sites but must be mindful of the environment.
