Finally!  Summer is here!  This really is the day that we’ve been waiting for.  It’s going to get hot today, and seriously hot for the rest of the week.  As the happy couple was packing up for the Kootenays today, we were a bit later starting up Rock Oven than we should have been, but with highs of about 30C today it was actually not too bad (it will be 36C tomorrow).

Mark actually cleaned a lot of the climb on that singlespeed.  Very impressive.  It was just this hike a bike section that’s unrideable anyway, and a couple of crux moves that he got off for.  Louise too, but she has gears.

We took a little break at the overhang to check it out.  Of course.  It’s pretty darn cool, even if you’ve been there before.

OK, back to the climb.   Another spot where we actually got off a bit, but I made them get back on to pedal for the camera. 

Louise was about to throw in the towel here, but I got her Kodak courage up and then she stomped the final few metres.

Almost to the top…

..you can do it!

Once more!

Yeah, that was so worth it.  You can see yesterday’s ride on the far right in the background.

Now we find out what all the work was for.

Oh…wow.

Simply amazing weather, and we just managed to beat the heat.  It got hotter as we descended, probably into the low 30’s near the bottom where the rock really starts to throw some extra temps off.

Hands down, the most technical riding these two have done to date, and a very respectable grade it is.  Lots of open slickrock riding here.

Lots of excellent features to play on as well.

Still, it is drying out fast and getting marble-y, as Louise found out here (just a scratch, let’s move on).

Yeah, there’s some big mountain riding around.

It just keeps coming.  I had to take extra shots today.  Wouldn’t you?

Besides, Mark got a flat so I had some time to kill.

I also got a bunch of cactus in my tire, so I got to pedal with a flat tire for several kms in the heat back to the van.  I sent the newlyweds (not nearly dead by a long ways) off from the bottom of the trail.  A great couple of rides, and I hope to see these two again someday.