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Show Fall 2000 Discover Dinosaurland 17 EEie iFesiival ffoir voirvoini Submitted by Troy LupchoAltitude Cycle The month of August will bring fun and excitement around the , Basin with the second annual Dinotrax Fat Tire Festival. The Fat Tire Festival will take place August 4 6 at Red Canyon Lodge in scenic Flaming Gorge. The history of Dinotrax goes back many years to a mountain bike race scries held at Red Canyon Lodge. The race consisted consist-ed of cross-country and downhill courses over a two-day period. Currently, Dinotrax has been converted from a competitive two-day staged event of racers to a fun filled mountain bike enthusiast enthu-siast weekend. This summer will mark the second sec-ond annual Fat Tire Festival. The difference from previous year's race series to the current Fat Tire Festival is the fun and enjoyment the average mountain bike enthusiast enthu-siast can have without the stress and competitive nature of racing. This year's Dinotrax will be based around a three-day adven-, adven-, ture of guided tours and entertainment enter-tainment The three-day event will cost $30 per individual and an additional addi-tional $5 for a guided bikeboat tour. Cost for each individual will cover two days of guided riding through scenic Raising Gorge, free camping, an all you can eat pasta feed surrounded by live music and give' away of free products donated from participating participat-ing sponsors. As well as entertainment, enter-tainment, food, camping and riding rid-ing , each individual will receive a grab bag, T-shirt and information informa-tion on the surrounding area. The bikeboat tour, w hich is an additional addi-tional cost of $5 has limited space and consists of a scenic bike ride along the Dowd Mountain trail ending with an epic descent to Flaming Gorge Reservoir. At the end of the descent, a boat will await participants partici-pants and their bikes for a scenic ride throughout the gorge where a shuttle will await them for a ride back to the lodge. The first evening begins with registration of participants. Following registration will be food and drinks accompanied by a mountain bike slide show presented pre-sented by world famous photographer. photog-rapher. Rich Etchbergcr. The next morning will again be ... ' registration and the beginning of the guided bike tours. From here each individual will register for one of two guided tours both on Saturday and Sunday. The choice of each guided ride will be that of length and technical ability ranging from beginner to advanced. Just when all the bikers energy starts to fade, a mountain bike poker run will start around East Greens Lake on Saturday evening. Following the poker run, live blue grass music, and all you can eat pasta feed at Red Canyon Lodge will be enjoyed by all participants. Door prize drawings for some great mountain moun-tain bike products donated by participating sponsors will follow the evening entertainment The evening " enjoyment continues . around the campfires for all who participated. Sunday morning again begins with guided bike rides, and for those lucky few who signed up for the bikeboat tour, an unforgettable unfor-gettable journey to and through the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. The end of Sunday's rides and the end of the day will bring to an end the Dinotrax Fat Tire Festival of 2000. Mountain bike rentals will be available during the event as well as free demo bikes provided by Cannondale. On site support and service will be available from both Cannondale and Altitude Cycle of Vernal. Camping is free to all those who register for Dinotrax on a first come first serve basis. Other lodging accommodations are available through Red Canyon Lodge. The lodge can be reached at 435-889-3759. Reservations for lodging are filled quickly and early reservations are recommended. recom-mended. Other lodging accommodations accom-modations can be made within the town of Vernal located 30 minutes away. The Vernal Area Chamber of Commerce is available avail-able at 435-789-1352. For information and registration registra-tion questions on Dinotrax, please contact Altitude Cycle in Vernal at 435-781-2595 or toll free at 877-781-2460. This year's Dinotrax will be better than ever and we look forward to seeing you there. 4 r-i , V,' i 1 i. , w I v. v m Mountain bike enthusiast rides in Dinotrax Mountain Bike Festival. Uintas offer unique experience The Uinta Mountains of northeastern Utah are unique in that they are the highest mountain range in Utah and the only major range in the contiguous United States to lie in an east and west direction. The Uinta Mountains were named after the "Uintas" (Utc Indians) who were mountain dwellers. Because of their ruggedness and severe climate, along with recent management efforts, the High Uintas has resisted intrusion by man and remain relatively unspoiled. The High Uinta Wilderness was established by Congress in 19S4. It encompasses 456,704 acres and is the largest wilderness in Utah. Elevations vary from 8,000 feet in the lower canyons to 1 3.528 feet atop Kings Peak, the highest mountain in Utah. Ridges divide the area into large, scenic basins interspersed with glacial moraines and drift These basins are in spectacular contrast to the abrupt ridges which may rise several thousand feet above them. This is a country of snow-caped mountains, large alpine basins dotted with lakes, steep rocky slopes, green meadows and tall trees. Four of Utah's major rivers, the Duchesne, Provo, Weber and Bear, originate origi-nate in the snow Melds of these mountains. There are well over 1,000 natural lakes in the headwater regions of the Uinta Mountains and more than 650 of these lakes support populations of game fish. " - About one-half of the area is forested. Coniferous trees (Lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce, Douglas fir, Subalpine fir) occur in large continuous stands on lower slopes. Quaking aspen occurs in scattered patches throughout most of the lower elevations of the area. Alpine and Subalpine plant communities which contain many unique sedges and cush (mat type) plants, cover about one-third of the area. Variety is added by isolated meadows and willow fields which occur throughout the timber. About 40 inches of precipitation fall annually, mostly as snow. The growing season is short Temperatures in the areas above 10.000 feet are seldom sel-dom above 80 degrees during summer days. Night temperatures during summer 30-10 degrees with freezing weather possible at ny time. Summer afternoon thunderstorms may occur with little warning. The High Uintas furnish summer habitat for elk. deer, and moose. Other wildlife which may be observed in the area include black bear, mountain lion, bobcat, coyote, pine marten, fox. mink and weasel. Other small mammals include a variety of squirrels, porcupines, hoary marmots and pikas. With patience and stealth, the plentiful wildlife of the High Uintas can be observed or photographed ia their natural environment |