Out the Door

Today I wanted to explore the immediate singletrack and see what kind of places I could get to without getting into the car. There are some tracks right across my road in the foothills which I hope will be adequate at least for short training and exercise. Along the way I can expect to see some friends such as deer, coyotes, and bald eagles!

At least on pavement there are some screaming downhills and challenging climbs. It's always fun keeping up with traffic at over 40 MPH. Now I need a road bike for half the weight and twice the efficiency!

Walker Ranch / Gross Dam Road

I wanted to return to Walker Ranch again to compare my results from the previous week. It's going to be a while before I'm up to peak performance especially now that it's winter. In the Arizona desert winter is prime riding conditions and your seasonal mentality is completely opposite from the rest of the country.

There's a bit more snow this time at around 7000', but only a thin covering. This is good though. It will let me gauge the limits of my 29" wheels to determine if/when I need a 'snow' bike.

Look Close

Fly Fishing on South Boulder Creek

One thing a camera cannot take pictures of is the wind. On singletrack it was not so bad due to the tight confinements, but the soft and sandy, wide open dirt road was by far the biggest challenge of the day! Although it's hard to guess what the exact data was, I'm guessing there were gusts ranging from at least 50 to maybe up to 80 MPH (which is not unheard of). I ridden in some windy conditions, but never have I been completely stopped by the wind on a downhill. I have never been pushed off the road and my bike to where I had to unclip and regain balance by touching my feet on the ground. I have never had to crab into the wind like an airplane. On the other end I have never been pushed uphill without having to pedal. At this you cannot fight Mother Nature. All's you can do is just grin, shake your head and strive on.

Gross Reservoir

Walker Ranch

I finally got my bikes so the first place I wanted to hit up was the classic Walker Ranch loop outside of Boulder. The weather was brisk, but still no snow except for some remnants in the shadows.

South Boulder Creek is always raging.

Just a short ride until I can build up my endurance and red blood cells.

Rocky Mountain National Park

The first place I wanted to revisit upon my arrival in Colorado was Rocky Mountain National Park, of course. This place is awesome, to the very literal meaning of the word. The day started out very mild and nice for mid-November in the Rockies. Low 60's and sunny at the Beaver Meadows Entrance. By the time I got to the Cub Lake Trailhead the weather had turned to this.

The weather came barreling through the canyon and brief rain turned to sleet and then snow. Oh well, this is what's expected at over 8000' in Nov. anyways.

Cub Lake

Once over the saddle the storm had passed and turned sunny and warmer again.

Big Thompson River

The Rut

Looking back towards Forest Canyon with another go around of a storm approaching.