In a word, "Awesome!"

TROPIC, Utah—We are staying a the Bullberry Inn, a nice, nondescript little bed and breakfast at the edge of tiny Tropic, Utah—the closest town to Bryce Canyon National Park. Here in the mountains with no streetlights, the skies are wonderfully dark and the night is quiet, save for the occasional spirited whinnying of a young mare in a pen at the residence next door. Each time the horse lets loose, it induces an involuntary reaction in Caroline and me to mutter, "Frau Blücher!" in our best German accents. Last night as I got up to pee at 2 a.m., the horse unleashed a soundtrack-worthy whinny that pierced the still night air.

"Frau Blücher!" Caroline uttered in a dreamy voice that she had conjured up from the depths of her slumber. She sighed and turned over in the bed while I doubled over with laughter.

Bullberry's innkeepers, Nettie and Wally, had breakfast waiting for us at precisely 7 a.m. the next morning as promised. In addition to the hearty country breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast, the inn features Bullberry jelly—an almost 100-year tradition unique to the area. The tiny red berries grow on the Bullberry bush in nearby Panguitch, Utah. Wally's family used to collect the berries from the spiny bushes to make jelly for the elderly residents of the area. Now Wally has taken over the task and continues the family tradition. Wally said he met Nettie because she was the only person he had ever met who offered to return for another Bullberry picking session after enduring a first one. The two apparently have been together ever since.

Bullberry jam has a subtle flavor and a pinkish hue. Eating some on a couple of pieces of dry white toast was just the thing to jump start a morning of riding on the Thunder Mountain Trail just outside of Bryce Canyon.

The outrageous psychedelic orange and pink terrain and fantastically fun singletrack trail make Thunder Mountain a must-ride for anyone in Southwestern Utah. Although the trail itself is relatively short—a mere 7 or eight miles—tacking it onto the climb up from the Red Canyon Visitor Center on a paved bike path that parallels the highway to Bryce Canyon, makes the entire ride about 15 miles or so and adds a good amount of extra climbing.

While the Cremesicle-shaded dirt and bizarre hoodoos give the ride a cartoonish appearance, Thunder Mountain is not for beginners. The first part of the ride provides some good up-and-down climbing as the trail winds through the regular brown and green forest that precedes the colorful landscape of Red Canyon. Once the orange track begins, riders must contend with some steep and slightly technical switchbacks that could easily toss a person over the handlebars should they panic and grab a handful of brake. Nevertheless, bike savvy intermediate riders can easily navigate the trail, perhaps choosing to dismount and walk some short sections should they get in over their heads.

The ride to the orange track on the up-and-downs features some nicely banked switchbacks that allow a rider to hammer into the base of the climb and steal some nice momentum to help lessen the severity of some of the incline. But beware. Thunder Mountain does include a couple of lung-busting grunts to the top of hills along the trail. However, the climbs are usually followed by some wickedly fun descents that make you forget what it was you were breathing hard about in the first place.

Because the trail is multi-user, be prepared to come face to face with mule riders and hikers. And because the equestrian transportation has been well fed, be doubly prepared to dodge seriously moist and stinky donkey doakies—buzz-kill landmines that force riders to choose between risking a full-face splatter from front-wheel kickback or possibly swerving over the edge of a switchback and tumbling down into the pain abyss.

Those were two choices I could live without, and fortunately for me, my bunny hopping and countersteering skills were spot on for the day, so I suffered neither fate.

We did happen upon a trio of imbeciles who were riding the singletrack from west to east (bottom to top). I suppose some masochists do enjoy going against the grain in some kind of twisted, self-abusive anaerobic training ritual, but the three guys we saw struggling up the marvelous trail as we raced down looked seriously bummed and angry. They had either read the wrong guide book or were following the wrong leader. Life's too short to be riding a cool trail the wrong way.

Take my word for it: Ride Thunder Mountain from top to bottom as a shuttle (as we saw a great foursome from Salt Lake City doing), or ride the paved path east to the top trail head and then rip back down to the Red Canyon campground on the singletrack and finish the last mile on the paved bike path with a moderate climb back up to the Red Canyon Visitor Center. Memorize these instructions and you will enjoyed the plastered-on perma-grin that Caroline and I enjoyed and are still enjoying a day later.

In addition to the colorful scenery and challenging fun that the trail has to offer, Thunder Mountain hangs onto perhaps its best asset until the very end—where riders can rip along a mile-and-a-half's worth of blazing singletrack that winds through piñon-juniper forest to the lower trailhead. With just enough straightaway to build a Fool's Confidence, and enough whoop de doos to have you jumping for joy, you might find yourself riding just beyond the ragged edge of good sense as you finish the ride.

"Awesome!" was all Caroline could manage to whisper when we reached the paved path back to the car. She said nothing more for the better part of an hour, her face paralyzed by a wide smile and her shins covered with fine trail dust.

See you on down the road.