tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277079007848843892024-02-20T17:52:22.375-08:00Keep walking, even if it's steepJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-58186688518298242952017-07-11T21:34:00.000-07:002017-07-11T21:34:39.002-07:00Day 7 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I crawled out this morning with those mixed feelings about the last day of my ride. Happy that I accomplished the ride and distance and ready to be back and visit with my sister and Mark and do something else than ride a bike, but, a bit sad that my ride was coming to a conclusion and a return to all the stuff that is everyday life. I love the simplicity of a bike tour. Eat, Sleep, ride, repeat. Your mind does focus on the things that are going on with riding. Am I drinking enough? What is the mileage to the next stop break? What is my average speed and then the time math in your head starts the calculations. Is that picture worthy? What is that little noise coming from the bike? What music should I listen to now? Pretty simple stuff that the ride tends to work out on its own!! What is up with the little complaint from my (insert body part here!!). Speaking of that, yesterday my knee was complaining a bit. I thought about it for a bit and then checked my seat height. Sure enough, my seat post had slipped a bit from bouncing down the towpath. I had a sharpie mark on the post for the shop guys to get my seat back in the right place when they rebuilt after shipping. It had slipped down about an inch and when I moved it back up up and tightened it all it was an amazing feeling and the knee ache went away immediately. <br />
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My neighbor Jim was packed up a little earlier than me and bode me a fair well and "good life". He was heading for the Old Dominion & Washington trail to take him into DC. It is a paved trail. He was tired of the towpath and the bumpy ride. He had a Soma touring bike and was running 32 tire size. 32's are fine for the GAP (you can ride anything on GAP!!) but I would recommend at least a 38 or more on C&O, especially if you catch a rain week while you are here.<br />
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Packed up and brewed up a quick breakfast. I had the Mountain House breakfast mix of eggs, sausage, peppers, potatoes and this was the first time I have been disappointed in a Mountain House meal. It was OK, but I would have been happier with my regular oatmeal.<br />
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Down the trail I go!!<br />
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This was going to be a shorter day that I planned when I set this trip up. 38 miles to go to return me to White's Ferry where I started. I had planned to spend the morning riding over to the Antietam Battlefield site and tour it. By this morning I just did not want to add on the 25 miles to ride over there and back and the miles riding about the memorial site. I'll just add it to the list of things to do the next time I am back!!<br />
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This was an interesting set of locks. The first lock brought the boats up to a new level and also turned them 45 degrees to the right. The next lock immediately turned them 45 degrees back to the left. a very cool solution to elevation and direction change of the course of the river. The canal had to stay close to the river because it needed the water flow from the river to fill the canal, or the river to take away excess water in the canal. Aquaducts and pump houses were built to maintain this balance.<br />
You can see the towpath in this picture taking a sharp right turn. <br />
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I took a little break here next to the river. The main flow of the Potomac is out in the distance, this is one of the many side flows down through rocks that occurs.<br />
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I arrive at Harper's Ferry which is bigger town along the towpath and a favorite place for many people to stop. It is known as the site of John Brown's resurrection attack on the federal armory with the purpose to arm slaves to fight for freedom. Harpers Ferry is also a bit of a tourist town. There are stairs to lug your bike up and over the river to get from towpath to the town. No Thanks!! I really do not need to go see a another tourist town. Plus it was getting close to lunchtime, but another town was just down the path about 45 minutes away!!<br />
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Brunswick was my next goal for a snack to get me to the finish line!! I roll into town and some nice ladies at the farmer's market going on directed me to an old church turned into a coffee shop and....oh my.....ice water, chocolate shake, and multi-berry pie!!! Cyclist go power!!!<br />
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Back out on the towpath after my break I knew I had about 20 miles to knock out but there was still things to look at.<br />
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Turtle's checking out the warm sunshine!!<br />
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Some interesting looking mushrooms!!<br />
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This lock house had an interesting story. The family that lived here started in 1917. I forgot to write the family name down but the father had one of those nickname names like Corky. Anyway, he lived in the lock house and operated this lock from 1917 to 1924 when the canal closed. What was interesting is that he continued to live in the lock house until he died in 1962. The canal company always wanted family men to occupy the lock houses and operate the locks. It gave a stability to the operation. They were given a small stipend ( about $600 dollars per year) and a small bit of acreage to grow vegetables. They used the produce to trade with the boatsmen for other needed supplies.<br />
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For my friend Teesie, on my last day, my first snake of the trip!!<br />
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This next lock is not a lock but an aquaduct where the boats floated over the river in a water bridge. Today the trail goes right through the middle of it.<br />
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There is a section that you can drive to the towpath and the Park service has a concessionaire that has boats to float the canal and be towed by teams of mules.<br />
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Pretty soon I find myself back at White's Ferry and I closed the big loop and my trip was finished. I rode the Ferry across the Potomac and had about a four mile road ride back into Leesburg to the bike shop. Ironic, because the only time it rained all week was during this last road ride back into town.<br />
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I left my bike there to be shipped back and Mark came and picked me up. I cleaned up with a shower and Mark and Jennifer and I headed out to a cool brewery called Vanish. They had good beer choices and some live music and food trucks. Great way to celebrate!!<br />
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Final Thoughts??<br />
It was a great trip and one I am so glad I rode. There were a few more logistics to have to arrange to pull this off in a tight schedule, but it all worked and was worth it. I, of course would have liked to have more time and reduced my daily mileage to take in a bit more of the history of the areas. That is what I have always wanted in my bike tours, an open ended time frame. That's what retirement will get me in a few more years. It always feels good to ask your body to perform physically and it answers the bell. I will never take that for granted as I see many of my peers that could not do this type of ride. Motivates me to keep working on physical conditioning even when I don't have a trip planned, plus it just makes for a better life!!<br />
I want to say thank you to those of you that followed along to read. I enjoy doing this type of journal and it just stamps a memory for me with reflection of the ride right now plus I can look back and read a few years from now and re-live it all.<br />
Everybody take care and find those tailwinds!!!<br />
Jim<br />
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<br />Jim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-63044134303745652142017-07-10T20:55:00.000-07:002017-07-10T20:55:19.640-07:00Day 6 2017I have to tell you, I could get used to this high level living. After a wonderful night of sleep I get the bike all packed up and then get called in for breakfast. Bill has made an egg dish of a puffy pastry that is hollowed out and filled with eggs and crab meat and cheese. A fresh bowl of cut up fruit and seasoned potatoes to go with. And then he gives us each two bran muffins to take down the trail. What a stay I have had!!<br />
I continue down the Western Maryland Rail trail. It runs about ten miles south of Hancock before it merges again with the towpath.<br />
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I am just zipping along and come upon this small graveyard. Many of the stones were unmarked without names or dates. There were two or three that were marked with a name and had Civil War dates with them. They did not say if they were soldiers or not. So interesting. There was no plaque or fence or sign of who took care of this sacred place.<br />
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Back on the towpath I was enjoying the first morning without any layers except a t-shirt. I knew it was going to get warm today but that is OK with me!! Riding the towpath was different than GAP. GAP is so well maintained that you can cruise along and look around knowing your footing is not changing. On the towpath you have to pay attention to what you are doing. There are rocks and tree roots and dips and water holes. I found it to be so much more interesting. I felt like I was a real bike rider, engaged with my ride and the trail. Now, it was not hard riding like single track, just interesting and attention holding.<br />
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The locks and the houses had history to them. Many of the locks were just the stonework of the lock left. A few of them were almost completely overgrown and being reclaimed by the forest. And then, there were some that the lockhouse was renovated and restored and the area around the lock was mowed and maintained.<br />
This was an interesting series of locks. The area and former town was called Four Locks. There were four locks in a very short distance, maybe 300 yards. There was a thriving town here of 8 to 10,000 people but it all went away when the canal closed down. This always amazes me. That a town can just dry up and cease. It was the same thing in Colorado up around Fremont pass and Leadville. Because of gold and silver the population was over 50,000 people but none of it remains except an EPA superfund cleanup site.<br />
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Today there were a few more views of the Potomac river, which I like.<br />
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Stonework on this lock was beautiful with this aquaduct built in.<br />
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I then roll up on a very interesting section of the towpath. This part of the Potomac features limestone cliffs that come right down to the river. The engineers and surveyors knew they could not blast out miles of solid rock to continue the canal so they did the next best thing and built a dam across the river and created the Big Pool. They hacked and blasted out enough of the cliff to have a towpath alongside the river and floated the boats up the river as this part of the canal. The Park service has built a nice hanging concrete path in place here so the towpath can continue through here!! There is a lock at each end of this section to move the boats from canal to river and back.<br />
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Bear with me now because I took a lot of pictures through this section. Notice the house on stilts that was raised and lowered depending on the flood waters that would rage through at times. The dams were not built to hold back extra large volumes of water, just enough to have the freight boats be able to negotiate.<br />
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I roll into the town of Williamsport for some lunch and find my friends John and Theresa sitting at a little cafe. I enjoy a very delish BLT and some fresh iced water bottles to head back down the trail.<br />
There was an area here that had a few B&B's right close to the trail and somebody has taken an interest in mowing the canal. Here the canal looked like it could be part of a golf course!!<br />
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Another bridge for my friend Richard that I passed under<br />
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I reached my destination to the Antietam Creek primitive campsite and get set up. I enjoy this evening because I made camp by 5:00 and had a lot of time before dark for once on this trip. I fixed up a dinner of peanut butter on a flat bread and a Mountain House beef stroganoff dinner. I got to visiting with the guy next to me. His name was also Jim and he was getting to the end of a cross country bicycle ride. He was from Florida. His last year has been interesting. He retired and then got divorced. He gave (his words!) his house to his wife and kept his sailboat which he lived on until it was destroyed by a tropical storm. He rode the Amtrak to Seattle from Florida, bought a bike and started off on a ride back to Florida. I could have listened to his stories all night!! Made my ride seem pretty non-eventful. HaHa!!<br />
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Good campsite!! Close to the river and no Trains!! I slept well.<br />
Until next time!!<br />
Thanks for reading!!<br />
JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-66918605954107567402017-07-09T07:05:00.003-07:002017-07-10T13:39:11.251-07:00Day 5 2017The primitive campsites the the Park service provide along the towpath are an OK set up as long as you are prepared. They offer a cistern with potable water with a pump that brings it to the service. The water is purified with iodine so if you are sensitive to that you would have to haul your water in. In my site last night I shared with a troop of boy scouts riding the towpath earning their cycling merit badge. No problem as there was plenty of room. They have a port-a-john at each of these sites and maintain them pretty well as I found all the ones I had to use during the ride to be acceptable clean-wise.<br />
I got packed up and brewed up my usual 1st breakfast of hot oatmeal. My stove of choice is a Jetboil because all the camp cooking I do just involves boiling water to add to instant food. The Jetboil stove is very, very efficient in doing that. It boils up 16 ozs of water in a minute and a half, maybe two. Plus, it cools off fast so you can pack it back up quickly before you can even eat your food.<br />
I was excited to explore the towpath today. My route today will take me along to the town of Paw Paw and a brief visit to West Virginia before I have to tackle the detour up and over the closure of the Paw Paw tunnel, ending in the town of Hancock, MD.<br />
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Here we go!! <br />
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First turtle in the trail of the trip!! <br />
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He (or she, how do you tell??) was moving along towards the edge of the trail so really did not need rescuing.<br />
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The canal is with you as you pedal and usually is changing for something to look at. I would estimate after the whole trip is finished that 50% of the canal still has water in it and the other is grown with trees and brush. There are a few places where it has been very reclaimed by the forest and you can only tell the slight curve of the former dug out canal. Other parts have water and a very active bio-habitat going on with birds and plants and fish and other creatures.<br />
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The locks and the lockhouses continue to be an interesting thing to view as I roll along. The trail is very flat until you come to a lock and then you get a little downhill boost after the lock. Remember, heading west to east on the trail is heading down stream of the Potomac River. The river is always on the right of me with the canal on the left. I wish for a few more views of the river but the forest is just too thick!!<br />
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Most of the time the trail takes you along side of the locks but every now and then the trail rolls down into the canal and you get to ride into the lock. the stone work construction is amazing that it is still together after over 150 years. <br />
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I reach Paw Paw and ride the 1/2 mile or so into town to find some lunch. I find a funky little diner that is in an old brick house but the food was fine. She iced up my water bottles for the hike-a bike that I was facing.<br />
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The Park service was doing some rock scaling around the entrances to the Paw Paw tunnel so it was closed for about a month. Too bad because it looks to be an interesting experience to ride through. The canal and path going through the mountain in a tunnel. I'll just have to come back!!!<br />
The detour involves a 2.5 mile hike-a-bike on a trail up and over the ridge that the the tunnel goes under. It starts bad for me when I almost can not get up the steep, gravelly footing, path to get up on the trail. Then it was a steep, sweat-fest for the mile of push-a-bike up to the top of the ridge.<br />
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I rounded up over the top and hopped on to ride down the back side. Whoa.....too steep at the top!!! I had brakes squeezed tight and still could not stop!! I turned it into the hillside and hopped back off before any crashing ensued!! As I hiked down I did the math. When I checked all my gear for my Amtrak ride it was 46 pounds, the bike I am guessing weighs about 32 to 35 pounds, and I go at 215, so, almost 3 bills rolling down the trail. No wonder the brakes could not hold!! After the first 200 yards or so the trail mellowed out and I could jump on and ride!!<br />
All fun (?) things must end and I was back on the towpath heading for Hancock.<br />
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About ten miles before Hancock there is an alternate trail called the Western Maryland rail trail. It is a paved trail that parallels the towpath. I jump up on that and my average speed jumps up 3 MPH.<br />
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This is good as I am feeling the effects of 50 plus miles on the towpath plus my little hike-a-bike route. I have decided I would find a bed for tonight because I don't see any campground sites in Hancock. Plus three nights sleeping on the ground and my train station chair night it was time to treat myself!! I roll into town and I am studying the map where they pinpoint the food and lodging and services available in town. A couple roll up that I have been passing back and forth for the last two days, John and Theresa. They are from the DC area and doing the same ride as me. They are strong cyclists and are faster than I am but stop at most towns and locks and read the history and take pictures so I pass them and sure enough they catch me out on the trail. They have a reservation at a B&B and tell me I should come with them and see if they have an extra room available. Turns out they do and my goodness......what a beautiful old house Bill and Darlene have renovated into a fantastic B&B. 1828 House is the name of it and I highly endorse it!! Small world stuff here.....I filled out my registration card and Bill looked at it and Said "Estes Park??". I said "yes, have you heard of it?" He told me that his daughter and son-in-law lived there and had been there many times!!<br />
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It was a great find and an example of cyclists being friendly to help each other out. There was a nice place right across the street to eat. A shower and clean sheets and a beautiful bed, I slept soundly!!<br />
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We'll pick up there for tomorrow.<br />
Thanks for reading along!!<br />
JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-49154282934568100032017-07-07T21:59:00.001-07:002017-07-12T08:45:10.025-07:00Day 4 2017I crawl out to find the world enveloped in a deep foggy mist. And cool for end of June. The temp on the bike computer had a reading of 46 degrees. I was a slow mover this morning getting going. A little stiff from two good mileage days and then this cool morning. I put on all the layers I had and got busy packing up and fixing myself some hot oatmeal for 1st breakfast. I wish I had my beanie but who in the world would think it would be needed for a late June east coast trip??? I warmed up by riding as the sun busted through and burned off the fog.<br />
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Today I had a bit of riding to get to the first town and a break for either 2nd breakfast or a snack. About 14 miles to Meyersdale. My riding this trip so far averaged about 8.5 MPH. I've never been a fast rider, grinder comes to mind when they talk of my riding. This trail had become a bit relentless with the uphill grade. Mind you, it was never steep, I could ride all day in my large chain ring, there was just never a change. the only flat spots were the bridges or viaducts. It got a bit monotonous with the same thing all day, slight upgrade in the trees. Not very many vistas that opened up. That's why I was excited about today. I had the famous Salisbury Viaduct and then the Eastern continental divide and then the longest tunnel and after that, about 22 miles of sweet downhill to get me to Cumberland and end of GAP and start of C&O.<br />
Keep grinding to the start of the Salisbury viaduct!!<br />
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My goodness! This is the highest my bike has ever been off the real ground!!<br />
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103 feet off the ground, this was a feat of engineering. First train crossed in 1912. I was amazed throughout this whole trip the skill of the engineers and surveyors to carve these two lines,GAP and C&O out of raw wild country and build these transportation corridors. This is rough mountainous country and they followed the river valleys to build but then local conditions would change needing these viaducts engineered to continue the line.<br />
I continued down the trail to Meyesdale for a meal stop. They had a little station depot and museum here.<br />
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Often a ride into a town meant a steep climb up a hill because the town was situated above the old RR track, or, a steep downhill drop into town with a climb to get back to the trail. Meyersdale is a cute little village.<br />
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Now it was time for the last push up to the divide. The countryside really changed here. The trail was away from any river and it was more of a rural farm look to the land. I like a shot of a nice looking barn!!<br />
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This bridge had an interesting story. Built originally as a RR bridge, when the trains went away in the early 70's a group of farmers bought it and had it moved so they could access property across a creek. When they built the rail trail they brought it back to service the trail. Three different lives for this bridge!!<br />
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Next bridge was built for two tracks which never got built. This is over 100 year old Pittsburgh steel.<br />
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Last viaduct as you can see I am getting to the top of the ridge!!<br />
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Finally, Eastern Continental Divide!!<br />
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I rode this profile right to left. Now it is the cruise down to Cumberland!!<br />
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It is a short two miles to ride through the Big Savage Tunnel. Thank you to the people who got this trail set up. They had to spend big bucks to get the tunnel safe and usable again for cyclists and people to go through. I used my front light although they have the tunnel lit up with lights. It is some 3200 feet long.<br />
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You come out of the tunnel with a fantastic "top of the mountain" views!!<br />
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Down I go!! My speed picks up to a nice 14 MPH average!! I come to cross the Mason Dixon line into Maryland which they have marked with a nice trail crossing.<br />
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One more tunnel and then the trail heads side by side with the Western Maryland RR. a tourist train that carries people up to Frostburg for a fun day of train riding.<br />
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I roll into Cumberland and the official end of the GAP trail and the start of the C&O towpath. I am pretty tired and low on energy but it is about 4:30 and I need to get a ways down the towpath to find one of the primitive campsites the National Park Service provides every 8 miles or so. I stop for a nice chocolate milkshake to perk me up and roll on!!<br />
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The trail changes dramatically rolling down the towpath!!<br />
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I reach my campsite at Ironbridge and get set up. I cook up dinner with some Mountain House freeze dried instant meals I have been carrying. Read a bit and crawl in and fall asleep quickly. One of the most dramatic days of cycling I think I have ever been a part of.<br />
Thanks for reading along!!<br />
JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-74583241543466889952017-07-06T20:02:00.002-07:002017-07-06T20:02:36.308-07:00Day 3 2017One of those great mornings after sleeping so well!! The GAP shares the same valley as the river and an active train route. Very active!! I was prepared for this by reading many journals and bringing along ear plugs. I heard one during the night but otherwise nothing. I got packed up and rolling pretty early because I knew there was breakfast about three miles down the trail in Connellsville. Pretty little town with all the services.<br />
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Food!!<br />
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I did not hang around because I was anxious to just get riding out there in the trees and countryside.<br />
I had another big day mileage wise and felt strong this morning on the bike. 50 some miles of the same steady upward grind to eventually the eastern continental divide.<br />
I did like this bridge in Connellsville for my friend Richard, especially for the long drop at the end!!<br />
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This is one of my favorite sites to take pictures of on my travels. These nice gentleman farms and the love affair people have with their lawn mowers. There is about another five acres that this guy has mowed beyond the left of my camera shot!!<br />
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Here are some sights of the trail as I head for the mid-day lunch break in Ohiopyle.<br />
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This is the first of some of the bigger viaducts that they have built to cross ravines and river valleys. This is riding over the Youghiogheny River. If you look up at the top of the curve you can see rafters come into the picture.<br />
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Cross over one more bridge to enter the community of Ohiopyle. This is a nice looking town set up for outdoor adventure. They offer rafting, many hiking trails in the State forest and of course the bike trail. I did not have lunch but did indulge in a beauty of a chocolate milkshake!!<br />
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Down the trail I go with some more sights, heading for my destination of Rockwood. I did see a bald eagle along here and watched it as it fished the river. Caught a fish on its third dive to the river.<br />
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Got to Rockwood and got set up in the campground. It was a good spot as it was a tents only campground. I was only one of about 6 tents spread out in a campground that could hold 50 or so. It was a little strange because the town and thus the camp office and bath house was on the other side of the river. One has to ride back on the trail about a 1/4 of a mile, cross the road bridge to get to it. After a nice shower I found a great joint in town where I had a very good burger and a couple of cold beers.<br />
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Once again the active RR was just across the river but the ear plugs worked well. I did not sleep as hard as the night before but still pretty good. Being active all day and sleeping on the ground seems very right for me right now!!<br />
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We'll leave it there for now.<br />
Thanks for following along!!<br />
JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-2992392134532205362017-07-05T19:46:00.000-07:002017-07-05T19:46:27.047-07:002nd day 2017Just riding the rails!! I have not been on a passenger train since I was a kid, some 45-50 years ago. I was excited to give Amtrak's roll on service for bikes a try. The roll on bike service is offered on the route I needed, Washington DC to Chicago with a stop in Pittsburgh, PA, my destination.<br />
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To pick it up from my last entry I negotiated the ten blocks or so from the mall to Union Station. It was city riding but this area looked to be mostly government offices and since it was Sunday afternoon not all that busy. Union Station in DC is a remarkable beautiful building. I rolled into the station and it literally took my breath away. Soaring and majestic with the gold leaf on the roof. I regret that I took no photos. I was a bit apprehensive about the task in front of me to get myself and bike on to the train I focused on that instead of soaking up the experience. I left myself time but I also did not have extra time to burn. It all felt a bit weird folks, rolling a loaded bike right through the station and up to the check-in desk. The lady behind the counter was very helpful and explained the process. I was ready to pack my Panniers, tent, and sleeping bag in a separate bag. That got checked as a bag and then I rolled my bike through the line to get out to the trains and down to the baggage car. They have a small room set up for bikes. They go on a rack that has the front wheel up against the wall and then standing the bike up, there is a support arm with velcro strap to secure it all. Good design. They have room for seven bikes so if you want to use this service make your reservations early. It was a $20 fee over the price of the ticket. You load it yourself so it makes for a good feeling that your bike is OK and taken care of.<br />
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So here I am with my first Amtrak travel experience and I have to tell you folks, this is a superior way to travel!! It was such a contrast to being wedged into a tiny seat with no legroom, the airline experience that I just had getting from Denver to DC. You get a nice wide seat with all the legroom a 6'4" guy can want. Reclines back and you are not invading the person behind you space, plus a foot rest. There are outlets to plug in your computer and charge your devices. You can bring your own blanket and pillows. Basically anything to pass the time. When you get tired of your seat you can wander up to the club/snack/observation car and get a beer and snack and sit and watch the world go by and socialize with other people there on the train. I did not go to the dining car for a meal, but it is there when needed. I guess the only disadvantage is the time factor. You have to not be concerned about the time it takes with delays on the routes due to freight trains having priority. Seriously people, I could skip the whole airport, airlines, TSA hassles to travel on a train with my bike!<br />
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Enjoying a Pennsylvania Beer on the train!!<br />
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I caught a few cat naps on the train before we got to Pittsburgh, unloaded my bike and got my checked bag. Then it was a wait for it to get light out. This was the part of the trip I had no real plan for. The train delivered me to Pittsburgh station at 2:00 AM and after re-packing the bike I was looking at about two hours to cool my heels in the station before first light. Oh well, I dozed as best I could in the station chairs. After a complete google search for a 24 hour or early morning breakfast place I had to settle on a Burger King, it being the only place that opened at 5AM. You see those 0.89 cent pancakes they offer??? Yeah...they should give you 0.89 cents to eat them. A very lacking breakfast but enough to get it light enough to get rolling.<br />
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Here is the Point and the start of the GAP or Great Allegheny Passage Rail Trail.<br />
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There was some construction on the trail so I promptly got lost in the streets in Downtown.<br />
Got this picture of the Pittsburgh Paint and Glass Corporation, we sell PPG paint in our Lumberyard.<br />
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I found the trail again and had the chance to read some of the history of the bridges that cross the river. Old Pittsburgh Steel and many design engineers and their work some 100 to 80 years ago still standing!!<br />
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After getting lost one more time heading out of town I finally reach the end of the paved portion of the trail and started the crushed limestone trail. This was my only complaint of the trail in Pittsburgh, it was not marked very well. The bridges and some of the old industrial buildings kept your interest going as you pedal out on what is really just a city paved bike path.<br />
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Starting the dirt trail they have a stretch of original track.<br />
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They have built these nice table benches to take breaks on for the well maintained trail. Smooth and wide and a gentle upward grade. The upward grade will continue for me the next two days until I reach the Eastern Continental Divide.<br />
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Some pretty things to look at as I roll along<br />
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Coal mining is of course a big part of the history here and the main reason for this RR to have existed. Moving coal to the smelters in Pittsburgh. The combination of water, coal, and the exposure to oxygen creates sulphuric acid. It bubbles to the surface and creates this rust water spring runoff.<br />
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The day at this point started to catch up with me and I just worked on grinding out the miles to get to my campgound, a KOA that is close to the town of Connelsville. A 64 mile day on not much sleep in the last 24 hours made my campsite very welcoming. A shower revitalized me to enjoy my campsite as the sun went down I crawled in for a nice sleep!!<br />
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We'll it pick up tomorrow for day 3.<br />
Thanks for reading along!!<br />
JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-25490260377677816262017-07-03T19:55:00.000-07:002017-07-03T19:55:13.397-07:00Ride it 2017My annual Summer vacation bike ride took shape during this last winter. I have never been to visit my sister and her family at her home in Leesburg, VA and look at that...it is right on the C&O National Park Service Towpath. And, the towpath connects to the GAP rail trail which means one can ride a dirt trail from Pittsburgh, PA to Washington DC.<br />
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Let the planning begin!!<br />
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The logistics include boxing up my bike and shipping it off to Leesburg. My sister and her husband are friends with a nice fellow who owns an excellent bike shop in Leesburg called Plum Creek Cyclery. That is where the bike will go. I got a box from my local LBS and packing stuff from the lumberyard here and figure this out.<br />
The idea is get this:<br />
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Into this:<br />
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Success!!<br />
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I tried to fit my panniers and camping stuff in with the bike to act as padding but the whole thing weighed to much. A different box to ship that stuff turned out to be the better idea.<br />
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A few weeks later off I go on the big bird. I get there on Saturday and we head over to the bike shop and pick up Ogre where the boys at Plum Creek had me all set to go. Thanks guys for taking care of it!!<br />
Mark shows me about Leesburg, a little riding all over town with a couple of brewery stops with Jennifer meeting us!!<br />
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Next morning I pack up and head on out. First stop is White's Ferry which shuttles me across the Potomac River to the C&O towpath where I head on down the path for Washington DC.<br />
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The Chesapeake & Ohio towpath is a National Historic Monument. Built to move freight and coal back and forth through the Washington DC-Pittsburgh/Ohio corridor it was a monumental construction project. It's downfall was during the time to build it the train technology replaced it. <br />
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Today's ride plan was to cover the 37 miles down to DC, look about at monuments on the mall and then ride over to Union station and catch the Amtrak up to Pittsburgh. Before I even start I chat with some guys that rolled up. They noticed that I was just starting because my bike was clean and theirs were caked with mud. Seems the week before it had rained a bit and the mud and puddles were prevalent. The word in all the ride journals was the C&O was a rougher trail than the GAP. Looked like it to me to be a rougher ride than the other rail trails I have been on.<br />
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I then happen onto my first lock and lock house. There are so many stories and history on these locks and houses. I took a lot of pictures of the different ones through the ride. I'll share some of those as we roll along.<br />
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I head on down the trail really soaking this all up. Such different riding than I am used to!! Through the trees and forest, splashing through the mud puddles! The Potomac has some different looks to it which is why the canal was dug. There are sections that certainly are slow moving and could transport boats but other areas that are wild with rocky rapids. It is a beautiful river and a surprise to this western boy.<br />
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Hey Turtles!!<br />
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I roll into DC and get my mind reset for people and cars and traffic!! A summer Sunday in our nations capital, it was busy with people on the steps in front of the Lincoln Memorial. A few pictures of my ride through the mall heading for Union Station which is a few blocks from the Capital.<br />
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I'll leave it here for the first day and pick it up with the train ride up to Pittsburgh.<br />
Thanks for reading along!!<br />
JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-57195560754851008962017-02-04T22:16:00.001-08:002017-02-04T22:16:37.262-08:00Almost newI think many people riding bikes thinks about a new or different bike to ride. Sometimes one desires a completely different style of ride (road bike or mountain) or just an upgrade on what you currently have. People post up about the N+1 theory of bike ownership and many posts and memes are pretty funny about that. I currently have three bikes that I own and find I ride all three and like them. A road bike, a touring bike, and a do-all adventure bike. I use the do-all bike for most of my daily commuting with the touring bike filling in for that duty when I am up for a change. That bike has disc brakes (my only one) and I found that when I got the bike I really liked them. So, when riding my road bike for fun this last summer I was thinking how I would like to have disc brakes on a road bike. This of course leads me to the computer doing research and shopping for disc brake road bikes. I love doing that!!! Looking at bikes and all the good stuff out there is just a great internet time waster!! That said, cooler heads prevailed and I wrote down on a legal pad what I really like and wanted in a road bike ride. I am a bit different than most road bike riders on how I want my ride to be set up. A bit more of an upright riding position, wider tires that I can run at a lower pressure, 32 tire at 80 psi. That's all OK because the beauty of cycling is everyone can have their own individual ride for themselves.<br />
After looking at my list, at my current bike and at what is offered out there for disc brake road bikes I felt I had most of what I wanted in a perfect fitting bike that I had already tweaked for me in my current bike. After a few more changes I would have my ideal ride except for no disc brakes.<br />
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Let's see how it all turns out!!<br />
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Winter in Estes Park is a good time to work on bikes. Riding weather is very hit and miss and I can turn on the heater I have in the garage to make it very workable in there on all but the super single digit temperature days.<br />
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Here is where I start.<br />
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I've never really liked the brake lever shifters (brifters) combo. They have always made me nervous after reading about guys having cables break off inside the mechanism after some wear and their advice was to replace cables every year so you would not face that issue out on the road. I had never kept up with that kind of preventative maintenance and now I worried with every clunky shift. I am going to convert to my favorite, bar-end shifters set up with manual, not indexed shifting. I've had it on my LHT since I got it and I have had it on bikes back to the bike I rode in high school and college years.<br />
New Shimano bar-end shifters<br />
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Of course, since the brifters were going away I needed some simple new brake levers that were just.......brake levers. I found these very nice looking black Tectro levers.<br />
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To go with the new changes I wanted a different bar set up. With my old bars I found I never rode on the lower part of the bar. Just not comfortable and I find I was always on the top bar or on the hoods. Let's go with something a bit different with the Salsa cowchipper bar with the splayed out lower bars for a more usable hand position.<br />
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I will use all new cables and sleeves to give it a fresh new shifting function. I go with classy red cable sleeves to match the red bike and set off from my tradition black double wrap bar tape.<br />
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It is a quick job to get the old stripped off.<br />
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The new bar went on and the first thing I tackled were installing the brake levers and running cables to the brakes. There I had to take a pause because my brake pads had some pretty good wear on them and looked like it was a trip to the LBS for new pads. I did take the opportunity to switch them to the longer mountain bike pads for a little more stopping power.<br />
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I cabled up the new shifters without any trouble at all. I already like the way those bar-ends go on and function.<br />
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After getting everything all adjusted with the shifting and braking it was time to finish up with new bar wrap. I like the feel of cloth wrap but also the soft feel of padded wrap. I use a single wrap of cloth on the lower part of the bar and then on the top part of bar a wrap of the padded tape and then go over it with a wrap of cloth. It gives it a bit of a clunky look, but that is OK by me and my hands!!<br />
Accessories like ride computer and handle bar bag finish my job and I am ready to ride!!<br />
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I get the chance to head out for a ride down the mountain starting in Lyons and I am not two minutes down the road and I realize that I forgot to attach my handlebar rear view mirror. I sure am used to riding with it that I find myself glancing down to where it should be. I'll get it on for the next ride. The ride was great, bars are a good fit for me, everything shifting smoothly and braking efficiently. I miss having the disc brakes but I am very happy about the $120 I spent on new parts instead of the $1500 on a new bike that I would have had to spend more on to get it just how I want it.<br />
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Action shot riding down the road<br />
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Thanks for reading along!!<br />
Everybody enjoy your rides as spring makes a comeback here!!<br />
JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-84465390694680019482016-08-12T11:32:00.000-07:002016-08-12T11:32:10.116-07:00Summer Tour - part twoIt is pretty easy to get up and moving in the morning when camping, there is busy work to do. I packed up my stuff, it was a wet rain fly and ground fly because of last nights storm. Brewed up a typical camp breakfast of oatmeal with sliced bananas. I am already thinking about 2nd breakfast and I know just the place to ride to get it!!! I have a Jet-Boil stove and those little suckers boil up a pot of water very quick and efficiently. I give it a strong A-plus review on the Jim scale of bicycle camping.<br />
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Nice morning out, warm and a few rain clouds scuttling about.<br />
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I cross over the Colorado River a few times back and forth. The headwaters are just a few miles away up in the National Park. The beginnings of a great western waterway!<br />
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I was hoping to get to Hot Sulpher Springs and the Glory Hole Cafe before the rain, but, it begins and I am required to pull over and gear up in rain suit and put the rain covers on the panniers. Isn't it always the way that after you get all the gear on and then the need to head out to the bushes for nature's call?!?!?!?<br />
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A nice soft rain that I know the countryside needs even though it is a minor inconvenience for me.<br />
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A few miles and then in for 2nd breakfast!!!<br />
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While enjoying my meal I see on my phone that a friend was in the area on his motorcycle and wanted to meet up. I had no service to respond so I hope we can luck out with a meeting. It rained the whole time I was in the cafe while eating and charging up the phone. I head back out into the rain and after going through Byers Canyon I pop out on the west side and get service again. Sure enough my friend catches up with me and there are three of us!! Elementary, Junior High and High school classmates and we arrange to meet in Kremmling for a beer. I make good time getting there and they have lunch while I am riding. I get there just as they are ordering dessert (pie!) and we have the best time and conversation and catching up on life!! What a treat for me!! The time gets away from me a bit and after saying our goodbyes I head on up out of Kremmling on US 40 to Colorado 134 and Gore Pass. It is already almost 3:30 and I am looking at about 3 hours of climbing up to the top of Gore pass and my campground.<br />
I am shocked at the road and its lack of shoulder. US 40 between Granby and Kremmling is a cyclist dream with a huge paved shoulder except for the last four miles. The no shoulder thing continued going north. An uphill grade, but not steep, had me going slow and suddenly I was feeling very vulnerable on my bike. Sure enough in about a ten minute time I had four big semi-trucks pass me. The first one had no oncoming traffic and he pulled into the other lane. I see the next one coming and I pull off into the dirt shoulder to let him by and the dirt was soft and the ties catch and I almost go down. The next one I stay up on the pavement but there is a car coming the other way...and ROAR!!! I can reach out and practically touch the trailer. I pull off because I am FREAKED OUT. This is crazy. not only is it unsafe for me, but also the truckers and any cars that might be rolling past. Now, I have nothing against truckers, they are doing their jobs which is very important to our way of life in this country. They are not looking to hurt me or anyone else. My beef is with the infrastructure of our highways and why we let this happen. This is US federal highway with a 65 MPH speed limit and this is the condition.<br />
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Whether there is a cyclist present or not, this is not a safe road for trucks and cars to be traveling at a high rate of speed. We can build trillion dollar fighter jet programs and their only purpose is to kill people but we can not do the infrastructure work in our country that would save lives.<br />
Alright, that is my soap box, I'll climb down. This is supposed to be a fluffy little piece about bike travel!!!<br />
First time I have been nervous about the place I am riding so I beat a retreat back to Kremmling. My confidence might have been shot because it was the end of the day and I had had a beer, so I decide to stay in Kremmling Monday night.<br />
Talked on the phone with my family and decided to wrap up the trip early. My son Matthew was staying an extra day before he headed back to KC and I have some maintenance projects that need some attention at home.<br />
I get up and packed up and on the road back to Grand Lake where Debbie and Matthew will meet me at Grand Lake Lodge for a late lunch!!<br />
I am in a much better frame of mind and the four miles back towards Hot Sulpher Springs does not bother me as much, although I keep a very defensive style of riding until my nice shoulder appears again.<br />
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This<br />
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Back to this!!<br />
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This is beautiful hay ranching country out here and I am enjoying a pretty Colorado Morning!!<br />
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This is a nice little Saw Mill operation going here. Looks like they are milling studs. Busy. Trucks heading in with logs and heading out with units of lumber.<br />
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Now just some views of this valley before you get to Byers Canyon.<br />
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Back into Byers Canyon<br />
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I was really enjoying myself today. Just me turning the pedals, a nice day, at peace with my thoughts. On this third day I was very comfortable on the bike and was used to the weight and handling. The Surly LHT is a very capable machine for this kind of touring.<br />
Here a few of the things that caught my fancy as I pedaled along towards Granby.<br />
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Pretty soon I turn off on US 34 and head back up to Grand Lake and my late lunch date.<br />
Heading back towards my mountains!!<br />
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A few cows for my friend Richard to look at!!<br />
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This fellow has built a little pitch and putt holes on his land. Not sure if he lets people play on it or it is just his little personal course . Looks like two or three hole through the willows.<br />
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And, just like that it is over. After a nice lunch I pile everything back into the truck and head for home. What originally started out to be a six day loop around Northern Colorado was only three days. It is OK though, it was great to be out on the fully loaded Trucker. I know I can still travel this way for future trips and I had fun except for that ten minute stretch north of Kremmling. <br />The house chores were calling and I'll brew up another trip ('s) for next summer.<br />
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Thanks for riding along!!<br />
JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-90259562713720646312016-08-11T07:43:00.001-07:002016-08-11T07:43:40.999-07:00Summer TouringI itch for many months to get out on a tour that is self-contained and solo. This is finally the week to use up some of the stacked up vacation time and just roll away. There is a plan that started out as a six day ride but things change and shit happens and even before I leave I am down to four days. All good, lets just head out!!<br />
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As usual I head west into the Park and on over Trail Ridge. It is a Sunday and a lot of people in cars are up here, but, everybody is very kind to this slow moving dude pedaling on up the mountain. The bike and gear always looks so neat and organized at the start of a tour.<br />
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It is a nice morning up on the tundra. 60's and very little breeze. Here we go with the obligatory picture of Longs Peak!!<br />
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About my set up here. I originally was going to take Ogre because my original ride had some dirt roads involved up above Steamboat over Buffalo Pass. That was nixed so I geared up the LHT since it was all going to be on pavement. I put on my front rack which creates a whole different ride to get used to. Wow!! that first morning with panniers on the front was a crazy feeling to master again. I was all over the road wobbling!! Last time I had those on was when I rolled down through Teesie's neighborhood, What was that Teesie?? Four, five, summers ago??<br />
Here I am past Forest Canyon overlook looking forward to getting to Rock Cut where there is a bit of some downhill to get you to the last push to the high point.<br />
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Just some pictures of what you get to see as you pedal over the rooftop of Colorado.<br />
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Right before I get to Rock Cut there is a big herd of Elk taking their time crossing the road blocking traffic. I ride up to the front of the line and zip on through and then have about 30 minutes of traffic free full lane to myself riding!!! Thank You Mr. and Mrs Elk!! I got a lot of encouragement from the cars that were parked in the downhill lane waiting.<br />
Coming up on Rock Cut and the nice down hill break<br />
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The last push going up past Lava Cliffs and then the high point.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lava Cliffs </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking west to The Never Summer Mountains</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back to the east</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back to the high point, 12,000 some feet of elevation</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Whew!! Time to head down, down, down. Rode my brakes a bit to begin as I had to get a feel for the bike again with that weight on the front wheel.<br />
I got to Grand Lake and stopped at a deli for sandwich and got another one for dinner at my campsite. I tried a different campground than last year and it was very nice with my site being right on the lakeside of Lake Granby.<br />
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The family that were in the site in the background were so nice when I first pulled in. They came over and said they had seen me go by when they were stuck in the the great Elk jam and asked if I would like a cold beer?? Hell yes!!! We enjoyed a nice talk. You can see the storm brewing there and they had to retreat to their car for a bit about 10 PM when their tent blew over. I was fine in my little REI house!!<br />
Good first day, I slept pretty well after the storm blew through.<br />
Thanks for reading, We'll pick it up again tomorrow<br />
JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-29462124115266359292016-07-07T10:14:00.000-07:002016-07-07T10:14:46.775-07:00More MickelsonWhen we last left our heroes they were hanging about the camp. Then another member of our group, Wendy showed up from Montana to join with this epic adventure. It is always so much fun and rewarding to meet face to face the people that you have shared with an online friendship. She even brought craft beer instead of the on sale Coors light that was had at the store at the bottom of our hill!!! My kind of cycling friend!!!<br />
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<u><i><b>DAY 2 </b></i></u><br />
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We packed up camp and drove vehicles back to Rochford, our end point yesterday. Rob mentioned that we were going to have Betsy whip us up some breakfast burritos........he got the stink eye from the group. Funny guy!!! Today's plan with vehicles was, Teesie and Janiece planned on riding an out and back to the top of the grade out of Mystic and then drive up to Hill City to meet for lunch and where our next campground is. Turns out Ruth and Gary did the out and back and drove up to Hill City for lunch and gave Teesie and Janiece a chance to ride the full ride and then a shuttle back to vehicles at Rochford.<br />
Getting ready to ride<br />
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The trail out of Rochford continued on the long downhill grade 8 more miles into Mystic. Fantastic way to start a ride in the morning.<br />
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By the time we got to Mystic we were all feeling the heat of the day. We stuck our heads under the cistern pump to get ready for the climb out of Mystic up a grade that is almost to Hill City. Wendy had a flat just before Mystic, a reoccurring theme for her this day.<br />
The trail was so scenic today with bridges and tunnels through the mountains. It was a long uphill grind for riding but so many things to look at the time went by very pleasantly.<br />
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None of these tunnels are very long but still, it sure gets dark in there!! After the long uphill there was about 4 or 5 miles down into Hill City where we had a great lunch at Desperado Cafe. They even iced up our water bottles for the ride back. Now it was Hot and I was feeling like my riding was finished for the day, but, Rob, Kelley, Kyle, and Wendy all wanted to ride back because they wanted to roll that long downhill back into Mystic. So.....peer pressure got the best of me and armed with iced water bottles off we go, back the way we came. The kicker for me was a bailout thanks to Janiece again. When her and Teesie got to their vehicle in Rochford they moved my truck up to Mystic so after enjoying the long downhill to Mystic there was my truck waiting for us so we did not have to ride the uphill 8 miles back to Rochford. SCORE!!!<br />
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I liked the geology of this area with the stacked shale rock formations. The pieces would come off these cliffs in big slabs before breaking up into smaller flat pieces.<br />
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We rolled back to Mystic with a fast ride, down through the tunnels again, almost all coasting. Wendy still had her vehicle in Rochford and wanted to ride the rest of the way back. She is a strong rider!!<br />
We got to the campground and Teesie and Janiece had our spot for us. While we set up in the sun Teesie went and made new best friends with the people next door and their big fifth wheel and an awning so she got to sit in the shade while we set up!!! She kept checking up on us because she waved every ten minutes or so. Good campground up until a big family reunion in the RV's behind us got back from town about 11PM and were pretty noisy. In and out of the RV with the door slamming everytime. A good finish to the day was Wendy found the tiniest of holes in her tube in the sink. Couldn't see it or feel it out on the trail and it would hold air for awhile, but revealed itself under water in the sink. Patched and good to go!!!<br />
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<u><i><b>DAY 3</b></i></u><br />
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This was our short day, about 16 miles to Custer. We decided to not move any vehicles and just ride an out and back. Of the 16 miles the first 12 were an uphill slog up to the entrance to the Crazy Horse Monument. Teesie and Janiece decided to take a day off the bike and go do the tourist thing. Teesie had never been to Mt. Rushmore and wanted to experience that. Once again it was a pretty morning!!<br />
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We rode to the outskirts of Custer where the trail turned to paved asphalt, turned around and just went back. The 12 miles downhill back to Hill City was a fun cruise. We went looking for our campground in Custer called Buffalo Ridge. It had new owners of the former Fred Flintstone Bedrock campground. What a hoot!! There were still some old Bedrock cars on property and the bathroom shower houses were still looking right out of the TV show. Plus a big Dino statue out front!! But the new owners were spending money on the property to improve it all. We upgraded into the little bunk house cabins, they gave us credit for the money already spent for tent sites, so it all worked out good. They had a nice pool and deck so we all settled in there for some cool off time in pool and shade. Richard, we were going to ride up to the stockade fort you recommended but the lure of pool and deck chair and a nice cold beer was too much to pass up!! Found a nice place downtown for a rooftop dinner and then we drove out to Mt. Rushmore for the night time lit up monuments.<br />
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<u><i><b>DAY 4</b></i></u><br />
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This is our last day of riding and we are up early because we shuttle vehicles down to the town of Edgemont this morning before riding. No out and back riding today just one 46 mile ride Custer to Edgemont. Teesie and Janiece decide to drive their vehicle down to Edgemont and ride an out and back for some amount of miles. We head out of Custer on a short uphill grade but know that most of our ride today is a gradual downhill slope to the ride. Very different scenery today as we roll out of the mountains and out onto the high plains. Another great morning to be riding bikes!!<br />
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I think that Richard posted a picture of this old car body next to the trail...but here it is again!!</div>
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First you see the signs........</div>
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and then you see the animals.....</div>
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We roll down into the little burg of Pringle and find some interesting old buildings and the bike sculpture which is an interesting thing to look and all the different styles of bikes tossed on there.</div>
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Nobody told me I could just pick up my Kings Treasure in Pringle, South Dakota. I been working hard all these years to earn it instead!! <br />
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The bike sculpture with bike sculpture models!!</div>
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Some kind of mining operation going on here</div>
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After Pringle the wind that was either in our faces or a crossing headwind became more of a factor. Yes, we were rolling on a down slope but pedaling was a necessary order of the day.</div>
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This big boy got to rolling around creating a big ball of dust!! <br />
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The terrain really started to change at this point. Bring up your imagination and think of "Dances With Wolves" It was hot and windy but still plenty of countryside to look at and enjoy being out there on your bike.</div>
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Much of the trail out here on the high plains has this double track look to it. I think it gets less use than the mountain sections of the trail around the tourist towns of Deadwood, Hill City, and Custer.</div>
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We negotiate our way up and over one last ridge of rocks and drop down into Edgemont.</div>
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And Poof!! just like that our ride was over. Teesie and Janiece had eaten their frickels or some thing like that, and left us a dusty message on windshields and were heading back to New Mexico. We said our goodbyes to Rob and Kelley and Wendy, and Kyle and I headed back.to Colorado.</div>
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My reflections of the trip are very positive. The trail was a very scenic and at times challenging ride. Never boring, always things to look at and some mining history to soak up. As always it is about the people that you share the time with and I can not think of any better times then these great people that I got to meet and share the ride and camping and dining and some beers and laughs with. The logistics of the trip worked out pretty good and having our vehicles with us every day was a bit of work but made for more comfortable camping and dining options. Doing the out and back riding gave us a chance to double up the fun parts of the trail.</div>
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We tossed around some ideas for the next ride. Any thoughts from the group would be great!! Some of the ideas for future Rails to Trails riding included the C&O-GAP trail that is Washington DC to Pittsburgh. Maybe the organized ride that is on the Erie Canal???? Thoughts and suggestions are welcome.</div>
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Thanks for reading along!!</div>
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Jim</div>
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<u><i><b></b></i></u>Jim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-10908947570357234802016-07-06T09:26:00.000-07:002016-07-06T09:38:04.566-07:00Mickelson TrailIt has been a couple of weeks since I have been back from our little group ride down The Mickelson Trail in South Dakota. I wanted to digest it all before writing up this ride report plus it seems that when you leave town for a week you must pay with busy times ahead!!<br />
This trip was started during last summer's KATY trail ride. We all were ready to try something new and this trail was close enough for everybody to get to and there was an appeal to give it a go. Our friend from our group, Richard Welch rode the organized ride here in September and his recommendation of the trail sealed the deal.<br />
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<u><i><b>FIRST EVENING AND FIRST RIDING DAY</b></i></u><br />
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After a day of driving we all met at our campground in Deadwood for the big reunion. Camp was set up and we headed downtown and found a joint for a hamburger, beer and a little sports on TV. <br />
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<u><i><b> </b></i></u>Nice camping spots with grassy area to put tents on plus we were up the hill by ourselves.<br />
Next morning we split up with Kyle and I driving up to our finish point and riding back to the group so we can shuttle vehicles and people along the way. Rob and Kelley, Teesie, Janiece, Gary and Ruth rode up the long hill out of Deadwood, Kyle and I the long hill out of Rochford. We planned on meeting on the hill top of both hills just above the trailhead comfort station at Dumont.<br />
This first day really set the tone for me how much different this riding would be than the Rails to Trails riding of the KATY. KATY is very flat with some occasional grades up or down. Mickelson turned out to hardly have any flat to it. You seemed to always be grinding up a long grade, or coasting down the back side for many miles. On KATY there just was not any coasting to be enjoyed, it was easy but you pedaled almost every mile of that trail.<br />
Here we go heading out of Rochford.<br />
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The surface was great riding. Not as Limestoney as KATY but very ride-able. I switched Ogre over to my 2.3 knobby off road tires but my 1.9 smooth roadie commuter tire would have been just fine. Maybe if it would have been rainy I would need the bigger tire because this trail looked like it could be muddy if it had those conditions. But we had great weather for all our days, dry, not that hot and not windy until the last day.<br />
You guys know how much I enjoy the cuts through the rocks. I can let my imagination run and really see the trains chugging through these cuts.<br />
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First tunnel of the trip. They sure have done a great job rebuilding these tunnels with beautiful doug fir beams for the entrances and interior roofs and the screening to keep rock falls off the cyclists and trail.<br />
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The trail opened up to some mountain ranch land after this. Some of the happiest cows on the planet get to live here.<br />
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Not sure if this is an old root cellar or mine entrance. There were informative signs posted along the trail. For some reason I did not get a picture of the building that had used 55 gal drum lids for the siding.<br />
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This Blackbird posed nicely for me. They have a wonderful and distinct song<br />
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The sides of this old building gave out before the roof trusses<br />
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There were some of these gates across the trail to control livestock on this open range. This one was just over the hill top and we set up for a snack and waited to meet the group. I also saw the first snake of the trip!!<br />
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It was blooming time for these purple flowers. They were everywhere!!<br />
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Back down the trail to Rochford we all go.Through another cut.<br />
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Rolled back to Rochford and then headed over to the Moonshine Gulch Saloon for a beer and burger. It was.......unique. All the trip reports that you read about Mickelson trail riding report on stopping here. It is Betsy's joint and today she was running on her own. taking the orders, serving up the beers and then back in the back cooking up the burgers. All sorts of crap being hoarded in the building with hats and dollar bills and business cards and bra's hanging from the ceilings and walls. My favorite was a little poem on a sign in the men's room next to the paper towels, " Why use two, when one will do". We were not in a hurry and the burger was fine and, yes, Richard Welch, the beer was cold!!! We had a good laugh about the experience and one of those moments that we will all laugh about in the future!!<br />
We drove the vehicles back up the hill to Dumont where Janiece offered to drive my truck back to Deadwood and Kyle, myself, Rob and Kelley wanted to roll the downhill back to Deadwood. Very fun ride!! A lot of coasting at 20 mph with zero pedaling or work. Dream cycling!!<br />
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One of the best parts of these trips is finding a post ride shower and then just hanging out, enjoying the company of your friends!!<br />
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I was going to put the whole trip on one post but this got a little long so I'll end this and start anew tomorrow!!Jim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-81854008128501638032016-06-03T14:46:00.000-07:002016-06-03T14:46:13.232-07:00New Mexico 2016Every year I like to plan a trip to New Mexico. I visit my sister Nancy and Brother-in-law, Mark. They live in Albuquerque. I also plan the trip to coincide with the Santa Fe Century ride. My cycling buddy Richard got me going on this ride here 6 years ago now and I sure enjoy the ride, the town, and the general relaxing fun to be had.<br />
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First order of business is escaping from work. We run our business with a pretty tight crew, lean and mean is the proper business nonsense vocab.....Anyway we can not afford to have anymore than 2 missing on vacation or our customers really suffer from lack of service. My people are really good about planning ahead and working it out.I schedule this time off back when I sign up, in January. Things look good until one of my guys goes down with Hernia surgery scheduled for the day I leave. Everybody else says "Go, we'll handle it" So, off I go. I have a great crew and has always been a pleasure to work with these people.<br />
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After a couple days of golf with Mark, we get up on Saturday morning and plan a ride on the Bosque trail heading us down to a nice lunch in Old Town, A destination ride!!<br />
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One of Nancy and one of Mark<br />
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I had beautiful warm days in Albuquerque. It was so nice. I actually played golf and rode my bike for 5 straight days on this trip and I did not have to wear a beanie to stay warm or slog on rain gear to stay dry!!!<br />
Pretty sweet considering I was doing this the weekend before.<br />
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I noticed these birds while riding and I stopped for a picture. Mind you I don't have Teesie's bird picture skills. I think they were young immature Hawks.<br />
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After a nice lunch I head on up to Santa Fe. Usually I am meeting up with friends for some fun on Saturday but everybody had other commitments or choices to spend their bike travel budgets on other trips. All good, there are so many trips on everybody's bucket list it is amazing we get together ever!! I get checked in and got ready to ride the trail up to the hospital to pick up my packet. The wind was really howling this afternoon into the evening so kept the bike in the room. Packet pick-up and then over to 2nd Street brewery for their excellent Cream Stout!! OK, I'll have two!!<br />
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Off I go the next morning. I decided to ride the 50 mile ride because I just did not want to kill myself off. I have not been able to get any long rides in this spring due to weather just being crappy and busy with work. Man...... work....... I find myself busier than ever with my job, isn't it supposed to get easier as you wind down a career?? That's a whole another blog post.... Anyway I also wanted to be finished before that big wind roared up again. The prediction was a similar day like it was on Saturday.<br />
They changed the route a bit this year due to construction on Cirillous road and the I-25 interchange. So my great location of motel right on the route changed up some too. I had to ride over to the east a few miles to pick up the route.<br />
Here are a few pictures as I roll along.<br />
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I got down to the Galisteo food stop and the wind was picking up. I was self-congratulating myself for making the right decision. If you have ridden this ride you know that this last 20 miles is mostly uphill with the wind in your face....and it was!! I talked with a nice couple from Germany at the final food stop at Eldorado who took my picture for me. They were amazed at the ride and that so many people were involved "just for the fun of it" They just could not wrap their heads around riding your bike for 100 or 50 miles for no real reason. I told them there was a race for the real good riders and they understood that. <br />
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Finished up the ride very strong, felt great. Sat in the celebration area with a group of ladies from Longmont and Loveland and talked about riding Horsetooth!!! I rolled back to the motel and with that posted a 57.4 mile ride. My ride time was 4 hours and 12 min and averaged 12.6 mph. Good day, beat most of the wind, headed over for traditional post ride, post shower, meal at Blue Corn Cafe for a nice nut brown ale and some tacos.<br />
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I'll probably be back next year just because it matches up so well with the trip to Albuquerque to see Nancy and Mark.<br />
Cheers everybody!!<br />
JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-18087177882637525442015-08-31T09:24:00.000-07:002015-08-31T09:24:51.671-07:00RollinsvilleIt seems that I have been focusing on road rides for the last two months. Fun rides up into the Park and the tour I went on.<br />
I decided for this Sunday to get the Night Train out and go for a little ride up the Rollins Pass road.<br />
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Lets Go!!<br />
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Last year Kyle and I rode this up and over the top and on down to Winter Park. Debbie and Lea dropped us off and drove over to pick us up. Today I am flying solo so it was going to be an up and back affair. Since we went all the way over we drove up to the Moffit Tunnel and started there. Today I decided to start riding from Rollinsville where the dirt road starts, about a five or six mile ride up a pretty nice dirt road to get to the start of Rollins Pass Road. I am still getting the feel of my fat bike and some ride time on a good dirt surface was good for me and fattie to get to know each other better.<br />
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Uh-Oh<br />
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Many people have remarked that it will be an early fall. Yes, it is August 30th and some Aspen are changing. I like the fall season as much as anybody except for what follows.<br />
It was a beautiful morning except for a pretty stiff headwind coming out of the west, but, that is OK because I will get it rolling back to the truck. Yes, don't be cynical, it will still be blowing out of the west for the return!!<br />
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A few old summer cabins strung up and down this road. I am sure most of these are hand-me-downs through generations of families.<br />
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I am not sure of the history behind this building. It is all boarded up but the current owner has it painted up this bright, pretty Yellow.<br />
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I make the turn-off on Rollins Pass Road and the surface changes. From nice dirt road to a rock garden bouncing on up. Fattie does roll over the rocks much better than last years ride on Ogre. I am pleased with that. Cyclist share this road with ATV's and motorcycles and Jeeps and that tends to make for a rocky track.<br />
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I like imagining the places where there are rock cuts the old trains chugging up through the cuts.<br />
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This has become more of a road in places than an old RR bed. There are a few switchbacks that are rocky and steep that no way could a train either make the turn or the grade. I think there are private land issues in places that the true RR bed is not followed.<br />
I rode up to just short of Yankee Doodle Lake and decided to turn around. I had been on the bike for about 3 hours of climbing and frankly was tired of the dust kicked up by the dirt bikers and 4WD'ers.<br />
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Despite my complaining, in my opinion, the Aspen are prettiest when they first start to turn and you have a mix of yellow and greens.<br />
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I tried to take one of Richard's artsy pictures of holding the bike and pretty scenery. Umm....fail. I am not the photographer that he is. <br />
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Heading down the last stretch you can see where somewhere out there in the distance the train track and road come together!!<br />
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When I got back down to the main road I decided to ride that last mile up to the east portal of the Tunnel. An 85 year old piece of Civil Engineering that is still in use today!! <br />
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All that is left now is the cruise back down to my truck and WOW!! It was so much fun to have the wind at my back cruising down hill!! The fat bike really was a smooth rolling comfort ride for this.<br />
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Everybody have a great week!!<br />
JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-91311273465565968822015-08-18T09:17:00.000-07:002015-08-18T09:17:01.678-07:00Short Tour is better than no Tour........Day FourThe pop-out day. There is no cell coverage in Poudre Canyon. Part of the wildness feeling that I got on this ride. There are cars and people so there is not any danger of being stranded without options, just a feeling of being unplugged for a day.<br />
My campsite was called Upper Narrows and after a quick breakfast of oatmeal and apples I roll on out. The first thing was a ride down through The Narrows.<br />
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Pretty way to start the day!!<br />
I come up on the only tunnel of this ride, did not even need lights!!<br />
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Looking back<br />
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And then, my only snake on this tour!! He was enjoying the warm sun in the middle of the road. I got a stick, (a long one!! I am not Teesie and getting all up close and personal with the snakes!!) and moved him to the side of the road so he would not get squashed.<br />
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The bottom part of the canyon is a bit more populated although still not as developed like the Big Thompson is. The Mishiwaka concert venue is still going and looks prosperous. A big stage with professional looking lights and set up. A bit different from when I was in college and you would come up here and sit in the dirt with cold beers and watch artists sit up on a small stage and play. Good for them for making it work!!<br />
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Just like that I pop out the end and out on to the Front Range.No more mountains!<br />
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I stop at Ted's Place which is the old C-store at the junction of US 287 and CO 14. I am not sure it is still called Ted's, but I sure enjoy a cold chocolate milk!!<br />
When in Walden I made plans with Debbie and Evelyn that we would meet up in Loveland at Big Beaver Brewery because everybody wanted to have a brew and some dinner. It would mean I would forego my next day ride up the Big Thompson Canyon but that is OK with me. It will give me a day at home to sort through my stuff before getting back to work the next day.<br />
I only ride a mile on 287 even though it has a great wide shoulder before catching the back road to LaPorte. I am back on familiar roads here and head for the wonderful bike trail that the city of Fort Collins has stretching from LaPorte down through town. My goal was a sandwich shop off Taft that is my new favorite, Cheba Hut.<br />
It is a great bike trail!!<br />
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The path takes me over the Poudre River for the final time of the trip. It was great to have the river as my companion these last two days<br />
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I make it to Cheba Hut too late for 2nd breakfast but enjoy an excellent sandwich. I reflect a bit on my ride and especially my bike. One of my goals of this trip was to asses the feasibility to have Ogre serve as a touring machine. It passed this test with flying colors. Since I have both bikes, a Long Haul Trucker and Ogre I compare each other. As far as the comfort of each they stack up well against each other. Ogre is a bit more upright with the Jones Bars, LHT has drops. A good variety of hand positions on both as I ride. Ogre is a bit clunkier with its bigger tires, LHT is a more fun ride when bombing down the mountain passes. They both climb well, you know it is all about the engine pushing the climb. The panniers ride a bit better on LHT, more balanced with the full front rack and four panniers. That said, my packing for this trip was just about perfect with only the rear panniers. I used everything that I took and did not want for anything that I might of forgot. I think for the future, if it will be a tour on pavement only, I will take LHT and if there will be dirt roads or some rail-to-trail I will take Ogre. It is good to have choices!!<br />
I ride over to the Urgent Care center where Kyle works to say Hi and then knock out the last 8 miles down to Loveland. I was thinking this was going to be an easy day of riding but still manage to get 41 miles in.<br />
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Pretty good way to end up a tour!!<br />
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Thank You to everybody following along. It was a good short tour and I can recommend it to anybody that wants to include parts of this ride, especially coming down Poudre Canyon. I will be designing a future tour that includes this route so I can return.<br />
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JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-44644402904637338262015-08-17T10:05:00.000-07:002015-08-17T10:05:30.541-07:00Short Tour is better than no tour......Day 3A little apprehension on how my body would bounce back from yesterday's tough ride. I slept like the dead and after a big breakfast of bacon, eggs, potatoes, and pancakes, down the road I go!!<br />
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Another beautiful morning riding through North Park. I am heading back east towards the mountains.<br />
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This is the western side of the Never Summer Range that I showed you from the top of Trail ridge a few days ago. Seems like a long ride away at this point. <br />
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I prepared for my ride this morning by making a couple of sandwiches and putting them in my frame pack to be convenient as I ride. I like to use those little round flat breads to make peanut butter sandwiches with because they don't squish and get all weird. I was not going to make the same mistake as yesterday. I felt good and strong this morning so bounce back was happening!!!<br />
Colorado Highway 14 was today's (and tomorrow!) ride and it was a fine road. No bump-bump. It was a gradual uphill heading back to the mountains and eventually Cameron Pass at the top of Poudre Canyon. Very little traffic and I sure just enjoyed cruising along, setting my own pace, and enjoying the countryside.<br />
In between CO 14 and CO 125 lies the Arapahoe Nature Preserve, a huge area of acres set aside for habitat. Deer, Moose. Antelope, Prairie Chickens to name a few. <br />
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Sneaking up on those mountains! <br />
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The first target stopping point is Gould. There is a restaurant and General store but I find it all closed up. That's OK, I eat up one of my sandwiches and finish up a gatorade that I started the day with.<br />
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One of the few places open in Gould, you can share your Tee-Pee with this nice horse!!<br />
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When my boys were Boy Scouts we had our winter Klondike campout near Gould here at the Community center. Those were some COLD nights out and this picture is for them!!<br />
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By the time you are in Gould you have left North Park behind and back in mountain terrain. The ride has been a steady but gentle incline, but now it is time to buck up and get the climbing legs going!<br />
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Here we go!!<br />
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I met a nice couple on their bike Friday's out for a day ride. They lived in Gould and worked in the hay business and were enjoying their first day off in a month. They said they liked riding up to the top of the pass for their fun rides.<br />
This side of Cameron is scenic.<br />
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And then.....the top!!<br />
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When I took my break up here I took the time to sit and eat a lunch of peanut butter sandwich, apple, and trail mix. Just outside of Gould, the Colorado Division of Wildlife has a visitor center set up for moose viewing and I was able to refill my water bottles there so no chance of running out of drink today.<br />
There is about two miles of flat on the top as you go by Joe Wright Reservoir.<br />
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Then the most beautiful sign that every tour cyclist dreams about!!!<br />
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No way!! 15 miles!! What a joy!!<br />
And then this....brand new asphalt!!!<br />
Did I just enter cycling heaven???<br />
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The Poudre River and Poudre Canyon is a pretty special place. The river has National wild river status and the canyon has not been developed and ruined by the highway department or the Corps of Engineers. The Forest Service has done an outstanding job designating small camp areas and day use picnic areas all along the river. It is a beautiful place.<br />
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Came upon these guys climbing and stopped to watch for a bit<br />
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I think this fellow forgot to come back after going fishing!!<br />
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I stopped at another little camp store and they had Chocolate milk!! mmmmmmm....what a treat. It started to rain for the usual afternoon shower so I geared up the rain gear. I tossed these rain pants in my bag at the last minute on Sunday and I am glad I did!! I usually don't mind if my legs and shorts get wet because it is usually warm. But this is the mountains and rain is cold. Sure enough, my bike computer tells me it is down to 56 deg and I am happy and dry with my rain pants!!!!<br />
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I end the day finding a great campsite right next to the Poudre river. Quiet and the sound of the river to serenade me to sleep.<br />
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I was so pleased about my ride today. There was the challenge of some miles to get back to the mountains and the climb up Cameron Pass but also the fun and excitement of the miles coming down Poudre canyon. This was a day that makes being a touring cyclist all great for me. A beautiful ride, my body responding to the challenge, that feeling of satisfaction that one can escape and get away from the ho-hum everyday life. I executed the task of keeping my body fueled and hydrated.<br />
I slept well. At peace.Jim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-56437240132952737492015-08-16T10:12:00.000-07:002015-08-16T10:12:15.397-07:00Short tour is better than no tour......Day TwoI find many examples in life that reality is often different than looks. It all looked liked a great campsite set up last night. Right across the road are vacation lakeside homes and my luck for this Sunday night was a gathering at one of them. It was not too rowdy until about 1 AM when a group of these young men convened a brainstorming session on all that was amiss in these good old United States. Quite loud and nobody really listening to anybody, just everybody voicing their opinions at the same time. While listening, (without choice!), I am always struck how this generation uses the F-bomb as a casual adjective every other word it seems, especially when alcohol is involved. Everything is effing this and effing that. I am not a prude when it comes to speech but as I have asked my kids to tone it down....it just makes you sound ignorant. Finally after about 45 minutes one of the girlfriends or wife came out of the house and yelled at these knuckleheads to knock it off. I got back to sleep right away.<br />
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Up and at them in the morning. It was quite crisp, my bike computer told me 35 degrees. I whipped up some quick oatmeal, ate, got packed up and rolled on out.<br />
Beautiful morning riding alongside Lake Granby.<br />
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People do, at least what I think, the oddest things with their property and old equipment<br />
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I connected with US-40 coming out of Granby and right there found a place for 2nd breakfast!! A little bit of western kische on the outside but nice people and good food inside!!<br />
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A couple of miles down a super shoulder of 8 ft or so and I turn off onto Colorado 125 that will take me over Willow Creek Pass and on to Walden. If every road had this wide shoulder on US 40, bicycle touring would be so popular. So enjoyable to have the space for cyclist out of the way of cars and trucks! I do not know why, as we rebuild our highways we can not do this all the time.<br />
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Anyway, off I go up 125 and the climbing starts right away! I lost my great shoulder but there was very little traffic on this road during the day. Everybody was so polite that they went in the other lane to go around. Good riding on a good road.<br />
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This fellow has a nice little mill operation working here. He is milling up wood fence posts and railings. I am sure he has a market for his sawdust, either burns in high efficiency furnaces or particle boards. Four or five trucks passed me during the day with his product heading to market.<br />
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Why?? Just to show that it snows a bit up here on this side of the divide. After the plows cover up the bottom number, they can still see the marker for the side of the road.<br />
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Do you guys like the mile markers on the road while you ride your bike??? I have a mixed feeling. It is good to know where you are but it is also a constant reminder off how slow you are going. For me, it puts too much importance on the destination instead of the ride at hand. I find myself trying to ignore the mile markers and focus on the nice day I am having and the ride itself. Just another of those silly mind games you can find yourself in as you ride on a tour. Anyway, this mile marker marked the end of a pretty good initial climb and then the road turned into a nice mix of rollers along a river that trended more up than down, but enjoyable riding.<br />
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I have seen this geologic feature on many other journals on this route. This part of my ride is on the ACA Trans-Am route. It is striking and so I snap a picture. It is a monolith rock formation that has not eroded like the land around it leaving it protruding. I am sure there is a term and geologist explanation of why this occurred. It is beautiful<br />
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The road trended up now as I reached the top of Willow Creek Pass. Before I got to the top I met a nice fellow that had ridden from Chicago and was now going to follow the ACA route down through Colorado to Pueblo and then ride Amtrak home. He said he enjoyed his ride across to here except for southern Wyoming. Hot and windy!!<br />
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I lollygagged around a bit at the top of the pass but did not take the time to dig through my bags and make myself something to eat. Dumb! And, something I would regret later on.<br />
The east side of this pass is so much different. After an initial two miles of fun downhill you roll out into what is known as North Park. North Park is known all across the west for its excellent hay production and quality. It was busy in the fields as they were cutting and bailing 2nd cutting. Tens of thousands of acres of North Park Hay getting put up to go to market. The road trended downhill but was basically flat with rollers.<br />
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The road leads you to Rand Colorado which has a general store but is only open Thursday-Sunday. I knew this but I had read in journals that he always had a water jug set out for cyclists going by. No jug this time so I would have to make my water stretch. I did eat a banana and some trail mix I had.<br />
Here is a business opportunity if living in Rand, Colorado happens to be a dream of yours!!<br />
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This road made me think of Junior High Geometry class and parallel lines.....stretching to infinity, never converging!!<br />
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And then it caught up with me, being on the bike all day, not taking care of myself with eating and drinking enough, 90 degrees out, and the quality of the road had turned bad. There were those stress cracks running across the road every 6 feet or so.....bump-bump, bump-bump, bump-bump.<br />
I knew I was at my end when I got a drink and fumbled my bottle going back into the holder and dropped it. I almost said screw it and rode on, but realized it was the last two inches of water I had left, so I went back a picked it up. Those last eight miles were tough into Walden.<br />
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Yes!!! I felt like a caboose coming into town!!<br />
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My original plan was to camp in the city park which they allow for all the cyclists on the Trans-Am. There is a public pool where you can get a shower. But, it was a bit after 6 PM when I got there and the pool was closed. I really needed a shower, so, I broke out for a motel room and that was a great feeling to find the shower and a bed.<br />
Tomorrow I will do better for myself to fuel and hydrate the machine driving all of this!!!Jim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-60274377653726576572015-08-14T15:29:00.001-07:002015-08-14T15:29:16.662-07:00Short tour is better than No tour....Day OneI will start this with a shout out and Thank You to my friend Richard Welch for naming this tour for me!<br />
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I originally planned this route up last year for a September 2014 ride but family circumstances had me cancel the ride at that time. This year an opportunity arrived that I had a full staff at work and it was the week before Debbie was required back to her teaching job.....so....the short loop tour was revived!!!<br />
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The route is a loop west out of Estes Park, up and over Trail Ridge Road in the National Park, down to Grand Lake, Granby, up over Willow Creek Pass to Walden, up over Cameron Pass, down the Poudre River Canyon, to Ft. Collins, Loveland and back up Big Thompson Canyon to home. Four or five days depending how it rides.<br />
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Here we GO!! Let's ride bikes!!<br />
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Not so fast.<br />
I was not on the bike fifteen minutes and I broke my chain!! Oh boy....not a good way to start, but, I was not even in the Park yet, so it was a downhill coast back to where I left my truck for Evelyn and Debbie to pick up later that day. Back into the truck, over to the LBS to buy a new chain, back to the garage to install said chain and then back to start the trip. So much for my early start to get a head start on a Sunday traffic day in the Park. I had Debbie and Evelyn drive me up to start at Rainbow curve to put me where I would have been had I just been riding.<br />
As I was installing the new chain I thought about it a bit. I have owned Ogre for almost three years, many dirt road and single track miles plus two trips down the KATY trail. Slaps forehead!!!!!!!!!!! Why didn't I think of that??? Oh well, no blood , no foul. At least it did not happen at the top of Trail Ridge or some where else. Way back when, I used to carry some chain links and the chain tool in my tool kit but last few years took them out because my bikes have been so bomb-proof and reliable. I put them both back in the bag.<br />
This was the first trip I have taken Ogre loaded for a tour. It was also my goal to pack "smart" and not carry a bunch of crap I would not use. I wanted to see how Ogre compared to my old workhorse Long Haul Trucker (LHT). No front rack using a frame bag and the small front platform to carry the sleeping bag. The bike was a bit tail heavy using this system, we will see how the week progresses.<br />
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Beautiful day up on the tundra with very light breezes and a mix of cloud cover and sunshine!<br />
Chaquita and Ypsilon fron the south side that I don't see from my normal views<br />
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It was a huge flower year this summer with most of them gone now, but a few blooms remain<br />
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Ogre pulled over to enjoy the view back east towards Longs Peak!!<br />
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When you ride a bike up here you get a much greater appreciation of the surroundings than in a car where you have to focus on not driving off the mountainside!!<br />
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As I got up to Rock Cut, a couple passed my by and We all stopped at Rock Cut to chat. The guy was riding an Ogre!! His was set up to be a fast road machine with skinnier road tires and drops. It was sleek and cool looking!! They had been on an amazing ride having started at H bar H ranch that is on the Allenspark side of Lily Lake on Highway 7. They were turning around at Rock Cut which is almost the high point of Trail Ridge. That is them up ahead of the Jeep.<br />
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There is a little downhill after Rock Cut where you give back about 500 ft of elevation and then a couple of steep switchbacks to get to the high point.<br />
You can see down on the other side of the mountain, Old Fall River Road climbing up the canyon.<br />
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Ogre needs a breather!!<br />
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You go by Lava Cliffs before one more push up to the high point<br />
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They used to have a sign up here telling you the high point at 12,2 hundred something ...oh hell, huff puff, not enough oxygen up here!!! I think they took it down because people would stop right in the road to shoot a picture.<br />
Great views of the Never Summer Range to the west from here. I will be on the west side of those in a few days.<br />
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And just like that.......<br />
Time to go down, down, DOWN!!<br />
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You roll up on Poudre Lake and the headwaters of the Cache La Poudre river. I would re-visit this in a few days as well. Right there is the Continental Divide.<br />
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I cruise on down to Grand Lake where I meet Debbie and Evelyn, who had gone on a hike on the west side, for some dinner. They head on home while I head for my campsite at Green Ridge Campground.<br />
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Pretty good first day. The chain mishap was a very forgotten memory. I read on my book for about 15 minutes before I was out cold.Jim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-12706166369940007912015-07-03T10:43:00.000-07:002015-07-03T10:43:16.965-07:00Finish up Katy!!Zipper Orchestra!!<br />
That is what we got to calling the morning routine of all the campers around us. Pretty much 5:15 or so....zzzzziiiippppp. They served breakfast at 6:00 to 7:30 every morning. Our little group never saw the advantage of standing in line at 5:50 waiting. We always rolled into breakfast about 6:30, no line, and it was just as good as what was served at 6:00!!! Funny, the herd mentality that the human race displays sometime!!<br />
After cooling off, I slept real well that night and was ready to go. Today was an in-between ride. 48 miles, which was not 72 but also not one of the half day rides of 36. Off we go!!<br />
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Good views of the river today. The bluffs came down to the RR bed and then the river, pretty riding!<br />
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This little guy was out sunning himself at our first sag stop<br />
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We started the day with some overcast which had the temp a pleasant 79 to start out!!<br />
Great riding with the trail and bridges to cross.<br />
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The trail opened up to some pretty farms. These people maintain their properties so nicely!! They love their lawn mowers because they have acres of mowed property!!<br />
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Last bridge before we roll into Marthasville, our stop for tonight!!<br />
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Yes, no helmet in this picture. It got hot and I was just tired of the bandana and helmet thing. So, I was a total rule-breaking rebel and rode without helmet most of the day. The ladies from Baton Rouge that we rode with the day before rode by and nick-named me "hat-guy"! we all had a LOL at that!!<br />
We set up at Marthasville on the baseball fields. They had a community center that was open to feed us lunch and dinner later on. This was voted by Kyle and I to be our favorite place to camp. We just hung out on shady picnic tables visiting with all our new friends with some cold beers. Stories and laughs as everybody shared their rides so far all week and a little about each other. This is the best thing about this ride. Complete strangers coming together as a tribe for a week and the bonds you share. No other activity I do has this camaraderie and bikes have much to do with it in my opinion!!<br />
Off to bed we went with some wind and lightning popping around and then, the skies opened up!! The Rangers and Sheriff cane out and had everybody move into the community shelter for a severe storm warning. There was no warning about it...it rained hard, sideways for about 30 minutes and then just rained hard all night and into the morning. Kyle and I went back to our tents after the first 30 minutes and found our REI tents to stand up and both dry inside!! REI rules!! Some people were not as lucky and found their tents blown down or flooded and had to try and sleep on the floor of the center.<br />
The next morning I was woken up by a text from the Rangers saying they had cancelled the final day for safety reasons and some flooding on the trail ahead. Bummer, we were only 34 miles short of the finish, but I understood the thinking. Kyle and I were set up with our bikes that could handle some muddy conditions but there are many young and older people with road bikes on the ride that would have had trouble.<br />
Thus began a day of hurry up and wait logistics to get bikes and people bussed to St. Charles and then back on the buses to get back to Clinton.<br />
This is Kyle's not waiting in line, wait pose!!<br />
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Turns out if we had ridden east to west we could have ridden because it was nice in Clinton when we got there. All in all after two years I liked the east to west ride a little better. Yes we had a slight headwind everyday last year but we did two of the days this year. I liked the long day to be the first day better and I overall I liked the camp places better last year except Marthasville this year. Boonville and Sedalia are the same. Either way it is a great fun time and ride.<br />
I'll probably skip next year looking for something new to try.<br />
Richard is trying the Mickleson trail this fall and even though the timing did not work for me, some other members of our Eons cycling group are talking about that trail next spring. Out there for me is a ride on the C&O towpath connecting with the Great Allegheny trail. My sister lives on the C&O and is a good starting point. We will see!!<br />
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Thank you everybody for following along!!<br />
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Happy Trails!!<br />
JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-45678452065917072212015-07-02T15:18:00.000-07:002015-07-02T15:18:26.193-07:00Ride on KatyLast year the long riding day was the first. This year we have two short days before gearing up for the long day. We are off to Boonville on a nice ride with a bit of, for the Katy, elevation changes. The trail takes us through the cut outs on the bluffs.<br />
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Can't you just imagine the train locomotive chugging through the rock cuts?? I can.<br />
We also get our first ride over a trestle bridge. There are many of these on this trail. Different versions of old RR style and new bridges that Missouri State Parks have erected to keep the Katy open for us.<br />
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Good riding today, not too much special. Here are some trail pictures of a nice ride in the woods!!<br />
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Even some of the local crowd came out to cool off and watch us ride by. Ok, they might have been more about cooling off than us.<br />
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After an extended downslope (can not really call it a downhill) we roll into Boonville. They have an refurbished depot. We set up camp at the old military academy grounds and then go find some lunch. We ended up at the same Greek diner that we ate at last year and it was good with cold beers. They gave us Boonville "bucks" to spend in town for dinner and we tried the food at the casino. Seemed to me a strange place for a big glitzy casino and they had a lot of rules about eating and drinking there....pretty forgettable place.<br />
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Up and rolling on Wednesday for our long ride of the trip, 70+ miles today.<br />
Kyle has a lot of enthusiasm for the day ahead crossing the Big Missouri River to start the day out of Boonville.<br />
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We also had the start of what would become a pretty good head wind. Now everybody told me last year, as we rode through headwinds every day that west to east always has a tail wind out of the south west. Hmmmmm...cyclist luck I guess. It was also the hottest day of the ride....well into the 90's. OK by me because I just don't get that much hot weather during the year and it really felt pretty good. Just keep drinking!!<br />
The trail opened up again before we get to the really scenic areas around Rocheport and the tunnel.<br />
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Of course the bluff and tree tunnel before the tunnel, and the tunnel are the highlight of today's ride. It is fun to ride through this.<br />
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I was always on the lookout for turtles and snakes to catch pictures of. I saw about three turtles and this one snake slowly moving across the trail. When I showed this picture to the Ranger later he identified it as a Copperhead. Not poisonous but if bitten it would really hurt for a few days. I was a total tourist telling Kyle to get closer so I could get him in the picture!!<br />
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We pedaled out the miles, stopped for lunch and pedal out more miles against the wind in the hot sun until we came to our finish town of Mokane. Before riding up to the school where our camping spot was, we popped into the local (and only!!) joint for a few beers and met the owners and heard a bit of their story and how they came to own a saloon in Mokane, MO. Fun was had!!<br />
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The camp spot at the Mokane school was the only downside of the trip. No shade and a complete sweat-fest to set up. After the shower truck you had to search out shade spots and wait for the sun to go down to cool off. Just some down time with a book this evening, no activities or towns to go into.<br />
We'll leave it there for the next post and the final days.<br />
Thanks for following along!!<br />
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JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-18902778716491556742015-07-01T12:57:00.000-07:002015-07-01T12:57:06.018-07:00Katy Days!!My second participation in the Missouri State Parks Katy Trail Ride happened last week. Thanks to my friend Richard who introduced this ride to me last year.<br />
Great Trail, Great people, Good organization, Good food and camping locations.<br />
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Here we go!<br />
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This year my son Kyle and a friend here in Estes Park, Larry Gamble, went on the ride. We drove on out to stay at my son Matthews place in Kansas City. We did not have to be in Clinton for registration until 3 PM so I thought we would head down to Ottawa for a ride on the Prairie Spirit rails-to-trails that Richard and I rode last year. This is the depot in Ottawa that we never got to last year.<br />
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First day of riding on a trip is always full of smiles and enthusiasm!<br />
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It was a nice day for riding, not really too hot and not much of a breeze. Kyle and Larry really liked the surface and Rails-to-trails format. Larry has ridden the Mickleson trail but found the crushed limestone a nice surface to ride.<br />
A few flowers and trail pictures!!<br />
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We went down the trail a little over 12 miles and turned around. Good warm-up for the real official ride on Monday! Loaded the car back up and headed off to Clinton for check-in.<br />
We found a pretty good spot for that first night in the tents, attended the rider's meeting and crashed in anticipation of the first day.<br />
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Here we go....lets go ride bikes!!<br />
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We met up with our friends from last years ride, Rob and Kelley Weida. I think the best part of the Katy ride besides all the organization and trail itself, are the friends I have met and shared this experience with!!<br />
Rob, Kelley, and Kyle<br />
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I do not have any pictures of Larry because he is a very strong rider and pedaled off and made new friends to ride with. One of our groups rules is "ride your own ride" so you can enjoy the Katy at your own pace. It really works out great for everybody!<br />
They have refinished/painted two of the cabooses on the trail this year. Here is one at our first SAG stop.<br />
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I should mention, this years ride is west to east, a rotation every year. This high point was not until the last day last year and I did not stop for a picture so this year being the first day, we stopped for a deep breath in the rarefied air of the high point of the trail.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCc_7P_RxWMAiin5o0vVoTwutqRt6FVWUVxJy2B70S_CfFxiuNa3VHVZA4o9kDJubjPDlwb-KTPGGQjxQ1lbSRtDOPIg4k3ckWk6gUmgakYTxl4HIKGil8FVcFXmAlv6W8Z4efDB7v00/s1600/IMG_0247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCc_7P_RxWMAiin5o0vVoTwutqRt6FVWUVxJy2B70S_CfFxiuNa3VHVZA4o9kDJubjPDlwb-KTPGGQjxQ1lbSRtDOPIg4k3ckWk6gUmgakYTxl4HIKGil8FVcFXmAlv6W8Z4efDB7v00/s640/IMG_0247.JPG" width="640" /></a>First day rode us into Sedalia and once again they had set up for us at the depot station, food venders and beer to drink. A relaxing stop in the shade before cruising through town to the city park and tent set-up. They also give us passes to the city public pool and we took advantage of the cool-off dunk in the pool. We found ourselves with enough time to ride back to town and enjoy a nice Guinness at a local joint before dinner. Sedalia has an old historic wooden structure ball park and that night the local team had a game. They offered 2 fo1 tickets for the ride (all of $2.50 to get in!!) so we went to check out some minor league baseball. Pretty good game for the first few innings until the relief pitchers came in and there was a noticeable drop in talent and it started dragging a bit so we headed back to the tents. Found out then that our friend, Bob who we camp with was not feeling well and had left on an ambulance. Good news is, he had two stents placed and was feeling good enough to meet us after the ride to collect his bike and camping gear. Good ending to that story!! Whew!!<br />
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A few more images of our cruising through and about Sedalia!! <br />
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We will end with that and pick it up again tomorrow!<br />
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Thanks for following along!!<br />
JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-38873849231485312022015-03-06T16:57:00.001-08:002015-03-06T16:57:35.160-08:00My Day of DaysIn the late winter/early spring it always comes down to this:<br />
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If you want to have fun on this<br />
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You have to drive away from this<br />
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and this<br />
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To find this<br />
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Today was a day to take off from work and just be selfish and do an activity for me! Bikes were calling my name so I loaded up LHT and headed down to Ft. Collins to ride the Horsetooth-Loveland loop.<br />
Pretty nice day with very little wind and about 46 degrees when I started.<br />
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Teesie, not sure what these birds were out there on the ice.......but there were a butt-load of them.<br />
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The geologic feature that gives this area it's distinction is the Hogback. It gives us some striking red sandstone rock ridges to climb up and over a few times!!<br />
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As I roll back towards Loveland on a road that I have ridden many times I notice the other distinct geologic feature from far away. I guess I have never paid attention to the Devil's Backbone from this approach out of the north. Ride the same roads but it always seems to be something different to look at.<br />
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Richard these boys are for you!!! They are enjoying the first sun that we have seen for about five days!!<br />
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Here is the traditional view of Devil's Backbone as you get down towards Loveland.<br />
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The ride back to Ft. Collins is on a kind-of busy road so no more pictures. I had to be a real cyclist and pay attention to what was going on!!!<br />
Of course it is pretty hard to drive back through Loveland on the way back up the hill without a stop at my favorite brewery for a little Birthday Growler for ME!!!<br />
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Great way to spend the day, Thanks for reading along!!<br />
JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-67571645456140695542015-01-01T14:56:00.000-08:002015-01-01T14:56:20.561-08:00Go, 2015, Go!!!I am stealing a page out of the Richard Welch bicycling Playbook. Always try and get a NYD ride in. In years past the local health club always has a New Years Day early morning spin class and I would jump in on that, but, I am busting out of the box and jumping on to the Richard way of quality cycling life!! Not too bad out, especially after the sub-zero days we have had this week. Left the house at 24 degrees and no wind to speak of. So layer-up and let's get this new year off and riding!!<br />
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The first challenge is negotiating out of my driveway.<br />
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And then down my road. I know there is clear pavement out on Highway 7 to roll down into town.<br />
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I roll into town and decide to run the "Gulch's" loop and back up Fish Creek to loop back to the house. Crossing the Big Thompson at the visitor center.<br />
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Here we go with a winter view of the Stanley Hotel.<br />
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Major roads were clear of sno-pack but I am guessing that Devils Gulch Rd and Dry Gulch will have some snow left. That is OK, because I feel like I am getting my snow legs on and getting a feel again for how Ogre rolls on the snow. I find that you look to find a line between the super hard pack that the cars have created and is slicker than goose shit and the deeper soft stuff off the edge that you flounder in. That 1/2" of soft in between is perfect!!!<br />
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I could not get this big boy to give me much more than this butt shot. He was rooting around in the field feasting on some grass lunch.<br />
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I know I have shared them before but you just can not get tired of the views that a cyclist gets rewarded with out on the North end of this loop.<br />
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Pretty day to be out, stayed in the mid-20's range the whole time. I rode about 2 hours and covered a bit under 16 miles. Which was a hell of a way to start the New Year and makes for a pretty happy cyclist!!<br />
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I hope everybody has a Happy and Healthy 2015!!!<br />
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JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-59056511446592490922014-10-20T10:00:00.000-07:002014-10-20T10:00:50.479-07:00Bonus TimeA bit of a surprise that I read in the local paper that the Park Service decided to open up Fall River Road to hikers and bikers. There has been repair work going on all summer, post flood, that has kept it closed. Kudos and thanks to the Park Service for opening it up for this short window before winter sets in. It would have been pretty easy for them to just say "heck with it" and keep it closed up until next spring/summer.<br />
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So with the opportunity....how can I possibly pass it up??<br />
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Here we go!<br />
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Every cyclist dream.....a closed to vehicles but OK for cyclist road block!!<br />
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Up and Up we go!<br />
Fall River road is a pretty steep affair, gaining a good amount of elevation over its ten miles or so route to the top ending at the Alpine Visitor Center.<br />
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I had a nice day working here, sun was in and out, about 58 degrees starting out.<br />
Plenty of places to stop and enjoy the sun and Fall River, get a drink.........just be happy I am out!!<br />
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A future S'Mores roasting opportunity<br />
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I seemed to have most of the road to myself. There was a young guy who zoomed by me going up and a gal that was starting as I was unloading my bike. I never caught her until she was coming down as I reached the top. There was a group of two families that were riding down from the top. They had young kids on bikes that were having fun with the downhill run from AVC. Otherwise, a quiet and peaceful ride today!!<br />
Fall River road is pretty relentless in an uphill grind, not any flat places to gear up your bike and stretch out, you earn every mile!!<br />
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Switching back and forth!!<br />
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Always cool things to look at if you keep your head up!!<br />
Some rock formations going up the flank of Mt. Chapin<br />
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There is still a bit of perma-snow in the ski-able chute coming off Sundance. a little fresh snow on it that makes it look better than the rock fest it actually would be on some skis!! Early summer is the time for tackling this because you can just about ski right up to the road. I am a big talker here....I have not skied Sundance for many, many years.<br />
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But....First tracks here!!! Just for you Mike Monroney!!<br />
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Note to self.....Remember that this is here for the trip down and slow down!!<br />
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I got up above treeline and just enjoyed the view. Three weeks ago after our trip up and over Rollins pass I really figured that my time above treeline on a bike was over for the season. Yet here I am. 19th of October and still enjoying. This has been an exceptional fall season for getting these late high elevation rides in.<br />
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I decided to not ride all the way up to AVC. Put on a couple of layers and gloves and my helmet for the downhill run. As expected, a bit different weather up here, my little bike computer tells me 42 degrees. It was a nice cruise back down. The road is in fantastic shape because no car traffic on it except the occasional Ranger in his patrol truck. You have to ride the brakes a bit because you can not just open it up like you can on the pavement on Trail Ridge, but still pretty nice riding. I tried my hand at a video, but not very successful, plus then I have to figure out how I get it moved around on my computer to attach it. Maybe the next post.<br />
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Hey! Thanks for following along and reading!!<br />
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Everybody have a great week!!<br />
JimJim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827707900784884389.post-11390939788175473342014-10-13T09:23:00.000-07:002014-10-13T09:23:08.026-07:00Clean it Up!Third week in a row that I got out for a ride with Kyle. We are cleaning up rides that we have talked about but have not found the time to do until one just makes the time and get out and do the rides!<br />
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This week we are going to ride from the Devil's Backbone area that is just west of Loveland following the hogback north and popping out at the south marina at Hoesetooth Rez. It was a cool day with rain predicted so we get a nice morning start at nine after I drive up and pick up Kyle at his house in Ft Collins.<br />
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Off we go. First part of the trail you come up on an interesting geologic formation called Devil's Backbone. Cool rocks protruding up above the ridgeline.<br />
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You climb up some switchbacks the east side of the valley onto a ridge and have a nice view looking back at the Backbone.<br />
Ogre approves of the view!!<br />
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The trail then tracks up and down along the top of the ridge. It is a rocky trail so slow going for me with some hike-a-bike tossed in.<br />
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I have the strength and power to ride these trails, just not the mountain bike skills. The rocks and sudden curves and finding the right gear at the right time is something I need to get more experience. For now it is, fall off the bike or hike-a-bike.<br />
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I hike it up over the top of the ridge again and it is back down the west side into the valley and onto the Blue Sky Trail that takes us north to Horsetooth. <br />
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The youth and strength that is Kyle rides down........no way for me.....pretty good drop off here in the no crash zone!!<br />
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We then rolled up that valley on some nice flowing single track that really made the ride for me. I sure like that kind of riding vs the challenge of the rock garden riding. I equate it to skiing the steep bumps. I can do it but I sure would rather ski the big flowing GS turns down the hill.<br />
We have one more climb up the hogback ridge out of the valley to a trail junction that can take you east to the Coyote Ridge trails that drop you out on Taft road between Ft Collins and Loveland.<br />
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Trail coming up. So much nicer......Steep but not as rocky....ridable!!<br />
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Here is Kyle with his new helmet and Go Pro looking fresh as a daisy. He has some video that I will post up.<br />
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And of course our cycling hero looking a little less than fresh.<br />
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We finish out the ride getting to Horsetooth and then some road riding back into Ft. Collins to Kyle's place.<br />
What did we learn from this ride????? Well about a fourth of the ride I was in over my head cycling-wise. I had a few crashes, one that I sprained up my foot pretty good. Ironic that I rode in this morning and it feels great to ride with it but I am limping about for walking. I also had to shave my calf so I could pick the cactus barbs out of my leg. I am feeling pretty good that it was my leg instead of my ass that took on the prickly pear cactus!! This was a great time of year for this ride. Anytime in the summer would have been hot, plus it is perfect rattlesnake habitat.<br />
Three great weekends of rides that Kyle and I have wanted to do, plus just getting to spend time with one of your kids is so much fun!!<br />
He is busy next weekend so I'll probably be back on a road ride by myself which is OK, at least I won't be falling into any cactus!!<br />
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Thanks for reading along!<br />
Everybody have a great week!!<br />
<br />
Jim <br />
<br />Jim Bangshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11618333090634257257noreply@blogger.com3