Katy 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.
Great Trail, Great people, Good organization, Good food and camping locations.

Here we go!

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.

First day of riding on a trip is always full of smiles and enthusiasm!

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.
A few flowers and trail pictures!!

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.
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.

Here we go....lets go ride bikes!!

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!!
Rob, Kelley, and Kyle

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!
They have refinished/painted two of the cabooses on the trail this year. Here is one at our first SAG stop.

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.

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!!

A few more images of our cruising through and about Sedalia!!

We will end with that and pick it up again tomorrow!

Thanks for following along!!
Jim

My Day of Days

In the late winter/early spring it always comes down to this:

If you want to have fun on this

 You have to drive away from this

and this

To find this

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.
Pretty nice day with very little wind and about 46 degrees when I started.

Teesie, not sure what these birds were out there on the ice.......but there were a butt-load of them.

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!!

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.

Richard these boys are for you!!! They are enjoying the first sun that we have seen for about five days!!

Here is the traditional view of Devil's Backbone as you get down towards Loveland.

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!!!
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!!!

Great way to spend the day, Thanks for reading along!!
Jim

Go, 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!!

The first challenge is negotiating out of my driveway.

And then down my road. I know there is clear pavement out on Highway 7 to roll down into town.

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.

Here we go with a winter view of the Stanley Hotel.

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!!!

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.

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.

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!!

I hope everybody has a Happy and Healthy 2015!!!

Jim

Bonus Time

A 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.

So with the opportunity....how can I possibly pass it up??

Here we go!

Every cyclist dream.....a closed to vehicles but OK for cyclist road block!!

Up and Up we go!
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.

I had a nice day working here, sun was in and out, about 58 degrees starting out.
Plenty of places to stop and enjoy the sun and Fall River, get a drink.........just be happy I am out!!

A future S'Mores roasting opportunity

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!!
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!!

Switching back and forth!!

Always cool things to look at if you keep your head up!!
Some rock formations going up the flank of Mt. Chapin

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.

But....First tracks here!!! Just for you Mike Monroney!!

Note to self.....Remember that this is here for the trip down and slow down!!

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.

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.

Hey! Thanks for following along and reading!!

Everybody have a great week!!
Jim

Clean 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!

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.

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.

You climb up some switchbacks the east side of the valley onto a ridge and have a nice view looking back at the  Backbone.
Ogre approves of the view!!

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.

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.

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.

The youth and strength that is Kyle rides down........no way for me.....pretty good drop off here in the no crash zone!!

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.
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.

Trail coming up. So much nicer......Steep but not as rocky....ridable!!

Here is Kyle with his new helmet and Go Pro looking fresh as a daisy. He has some video that I will post up.

And of course our cycling hero looking a little less than fresh.

We finish out the ride getting to Horsetooth and then some road riding back into Ft. Collins to Kyle's place.
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.
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!!
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!!

Thanks for reading along!
Everybody have a great week!!

Jim