Fifty Plus (50+) - Of bears, mountain lions, coyotes, balloons and remains of ancient civilizations

A favorite fun ride around Chatfield State Park today. 30 miles, lot's of relaxing, meeting folks - things I like to do.

See the Hot Air Balloon in this picture?

http://www.ourwebs.info/cspbalooon2.jpg

Here it is a few miles down the road!!

http://www.ourwebs.info/cspballoon2.jpg

The "mighty" S Platte River.

http://www.ourwebs.info/cspplatte3.jpg

Top sign warns of coyotes, middle sign of bears and bottom sign warns of mountain lions. Should I go home?

http://www.ourwebs.info/cspbears4.jpg

Archaeological remnants of an ancient warrior tribe?

http://www.ourwebs.info/csptroy5.jpg

I hate this traffic!!

http://www.ourwebs.info/csptraffic6.jpg

And, of course, a marina on the lake. My Lemond is in the foreground with its new Conti Gators installed.

http://www.ourwebs.info/cspmarina7.jpg

A special spot for viewing aquatic and bird life - through the slots in the blind.
http://www.ourwebs.info/cspbirdview8.jpg

What a great day.

Oh, I forgot. About 3,000 smiles to add to my smile log.

Nice pics!

Believe it or not, we get bear up here in the 'Big City' too.

http://rochester.ynn.com/content/508041/perinton-woman-spots-black-bear-in-pittsford/

At one point the DEC was tracking three bear through our residential areas this Spring. We get a small amount of Coyote also. Big cats....there have been some contested sightings in the Souther portions of N.Y.S. When they move into our neighborhood I'll be shopping for a shotgun!

We had a man bitten by a bear in the foothills yesterday. He came into the house, bit the man and thenihid inthe attic. They had to shoot the almost 400 lb bear.

Thanks for the comment. Sometimes it is discouraging spending about 2 hours selecting, editing photos, posting to the web, writing text and finally posting to bike forums. Folks wonder why there are not more ride threads. Not having anyone react tends to discourage future ride threads, at least for me.

But, that is the chance one takes when posting.

Great pics, although I think you miss identified the archeological artifact, I believe that was native wild life droppings.

Well that explains why the ancient warrior tribe died out.

Next thing you know, those bears up around Rochester will be using condoms.:twitchy:


But seriously, Denver, thanks for posting.

What a beautiful place for a ride. Wish I was there. Thanks for sharing. By the way did you run into any of the wildlife?

We had a man bitten by a bear in the foothills yesterday. He came into the house, bit the man and thenihid inthe attic. They had to shoot the almost 400 lb bear.

Thanks for the comment. Sometimes it is discouraging spending about 2 hours selecting, editing photos, posting to the web, writing text and finally posting to bike forums. Folks wonder why there are not more ride threads. Not having anyone react tends to discourage future ride threads, at least for me.

But, that is the chance one takes when posting.

I've started posting and then not checking for responses. It's good practice for me. It may or may not be worthwhile entertainment for others. I maintain my sanity.

I remember reading a post a couple years ago from a poster who I believe to be both intelligent and wise. he said that he generally posts and moves on without ever going back to the thread. At the time I was confused, now I think I finally understand.

So now I try to just speak my mind and move on. Some times I am successful at this and sometimes I'm not.

Sometimes it is discouraging spending about 2 hours selecting, editing photos, posting to the web, writing text and finally posting to bike forums. Folks wonder why there are not more ride threads. Not having anyone react tends to discourage future ride threads, at least for me.

But, that is the chance one takes when posting.

I know I don't respond often enough when folks post ride photo's. I do enjoy them as I suspect many more folks do too.
Thanks!

I've started posting and then not checking for responses. It's good practice for me. It may or may not be worthwhile entertainment for others. I maintain my sanity.

I remember reading a post a couple years ago from a poster who I believe to be both intelligent and wise. he said that he generally posts and moves on without ever going back to the thread. At the time I was confused, now I think I finally understand.

So now I try to just speak my mind and move on. Some times I am successful at this and sometimes I'm not.

You are a better man then I!!:D But it is definitely food for thought. I have ALMOST learned to ignore pot shots and negative remarks from others. I have learned that folks who do such things are doing it for the reaction they get. No reaction and they stop. Fortunately, there are just a few of those on the 50+ forum.

Us too, we enjoy all those ride pics and coments. We actually read CGOAB , it seems to have more trip stories
Rod & Judy

What a beautiful place for a ride. Wish I was there. Thanks for sharing. By the way did you run into any of the wildlife?

A huge Bald Eagle circling and circling. Besides that some birds and a fish or two jumping. However, I have seen a lot of deer this year on the trails near my home. And a dead skunk!

Wonderful photos and commentary Denver.

Hot air balloons always remind me of a dog we used to own. We had a balloon land in our backyard once, and Ollie went ballistic. Every time after that, whenever he heard a balloon, he would bark his head off.

One time in Ohio I happened to see a government issue silver balloon heading toward the east. It was years later that I found out that it was my cousin and another guy who took off from the airport in Akron, OH, and were headed east. Apparently they ditched on the east coast just before heading out over the Atlantic.

Do you know the origin of the term "Blimp"? It originally was "B-Type, Limp", referring to the fact that the gas cell was non-rigid. It was manufactured by the B. F. Goodrich Company in Akron. Goodrich also manufactured the first space suits worn by the Mercury astronauts. I worked for Goodrich, my father-in-law worked for Goodyear, my dad worked for Firestone, and my best friend's dad worked for General.

Keep it up. The day I have to worry about Bears, and there has been a few here in Atlanta. Mind you, I said a FEW and not very often. I'll just worry about stray dogs.
Great Pic's.

Great pics.

I rode out to Chatfield today also. It is a great place to ride isn't it?

I saw a couple redtail hawks and a couple pelicans today.

Sure do like the view from the dam.

I love seeing where others ride. Mainly because it is so different to the routes I go on and makes me envious. But If I do a new route- or ride in a different area where the scenery is not quite as others have- I try to post with pics. But I dare say people get fed up with seeing the same rolling hills- or the same castles but from a different angle too often. My big problem is that The pictures I should take- are the ones I don't. The downhill is too good- The Offroad Knarly bits are too difficult to stop on- or the camera is in the back pocket and by the time I get it our- the moment has gone.

Getting good shots to post is not easy. It takes skill and the art of seeing a good photo opportunity.

So keep posting your "Boring" Pics from the rides:innocent: If only to keep me envious of where you do ride.

And Have to agree- The time involved on getting a pictorial report on a ride does not always seem worth it- But I can assure you from a responder- it is.

Thanks Denver, the reports with pictures are by far my favorite posts.

We have a great number of coyotes now in central Florida where I live. They have become a problem for small pet owners as they will happily eat Fido or Freddy Cat if they can.

We live in a wooded subdivision that is not densly populated and there have been many coyote sightings.
I was out walking at 4 am earlier this week and saw the paper man put my newspaper in the box. I walked out to get it and spooked something big in the empty wooded lot behind my paper box.
It was too dark to see what it was, but as I was only armed with my catheter bag :eek:, I thought I would be better off not getting any closer.

I was there , great day, came down the Platte.. lotsa folks around
Bud

Very nice pics. I'm tempted to say "It Is Balloooooonnnnn!" But nah.

So, on the sign of the Trojan Warrior, I would say it is more likely a sign of that mysterious
clan known as "Hornius Collegius Studentius". They're a strange group, known to exists for years on nothing more than beer and pizza.

I was there last week myself. I did the loop from Cherry Creek Res via the 470 path to Chatfield, Chatfield via South Platte path to REI, REI via Cherry Creek path back to Cherry Creek Res to my car. Twas a nice ride.

I was there last week myself. I did the loop from Cherry Creek Res via the 470 path to Chatfield, Chatfield via South Platte path to REI, REI via Cherry Creek path back to Cherry Creek Res to my car. Twas a nice ride.

That's like - about 55 miles??

When you were at Jordan and E470 - you could have spit real hard and hit my house. South at 2nd traffic light on Jordan from E470.

Looks like tremendous riding area, even with the lions and tigers and bears-O MY!

I saw a little snake yesterday.

I've got lots of wild turkeys in my area. Toss in some skunks, rabbits, and of course, Raccoons. Do they count? :eek:

Beautiful area. That river looks really inviting! Nice looking aquatic bird "viewing" facility.

Some times it takes more than two hours for anyone to see and comment on a thread, even one with carefully edited photos of great rides.

I enjoyed that... thanks! That river pic looks like a place where a fly rod might come in handy!

Wow, kinda lonely out there.

Seems like every other river out West has "Platte" in it somewhere.

Coyotes ... do they require a warning? I've never heard of a coyote attack.

When I lived in Kansas, you were lucky if you even saw one (though you heard them every night!)

Wow, kinda lonely out there.

Seems like every other river out West has "Platte" in it somewhere.

Coyotes ... do they require a warning? I've never heard of a coyote attack.

When I lived in Kansas, you were lucky if you even saw one (though you heard them every night!)

Yeah - there is the Colorado Platte, the Arkansas Platte, the Rio Grande Platte, the Green River Platte, the Cache La Poudre Platte, the Big Thompson Platte - lots of them!! :)

But we do have the North Fork of the S Platte River, the South Fork of the South Platte River, the S. Platte River, the North Platte River (but no in CO), and then the Platte River, none of which has much water, especially after the farms, cities and towns along the way get their share.

Coyotes have attacked humans here in CO. They ave especially attacked dogs on leashes to humans, sometimes leading to a fight between coyote and the human attached to the leash. Coyotes are wily, adaptable, and if you kill one (as one of our cirties does), another one immediately takes its place.

I ran over a chipmunk yesterday while riding with my dogs,poor thing!I let my wire haired fox terrier put him out of his misery.

We had a man bitten by a bear in the foothills yesterday. He came into the house, bit the man and thenihid inthe attic. They had to shoot the almost 400 lb bear.

Thanks for the comment. Sometimes it is discouraging spending about 2 hours selecting, editing photos, posting to the web, writing text and finally posting to bike forums. Folks wonder why there are not more ride threads. Not having anyone react tends to discourage future ride threads, at least for me.

But, that is the chance one takes when posting.

Denver, I read nearly every ride thread posted, and thoroughly enjoy the pictures and commentary, however, if I don't feel I have anything interesting enough to respond with, I usually just keep quiet, but you are right in what you say. This post will prompt me to acknowledge other poster's efforts!:)

Discovered today at least two reasons why there are so many coyotes. All around the neighborhood where I am staying there are hares, and more hares. On today's ride saw lots of hares and squirrels. Guess with lots of food the K9s have decided to do more reproduction.

Discovered today at least two reasons why there are so many coyotes. All around the neighborhood where I am staying there are hares, and more hares. On today's ride saw lots of hares and squirrels. Guess with lots of food the K9s have decided to do more reproduction.

We call them rabbits, and yes, there is a literal smorgasbord of treats for coyotes and foxes. However, the coyotes will eventually crowd out the foxes.

Just like to add my appreciation for the photos and the story. Definitely adds to the pleasure of checking the forum.

We call them rabbits, and yes, there is a literal smorgasbord of treats for coyotes and foxes. However, the coyotes will eventually crowd out the foxes.

Really? They sure do look like hares; especially the ears and tail.

Really? They sure do look like hares; especially the ears and tail.

Maybe we are looking at different types of animals. The term "hare" is just not something I hear around here. Hare Hear Here - WOW!! :)

Thanks for posting this ride report, and the pics. Like others, I enjoy these threads a lot.

That's like - about 55 miles??

When you were at Jordan and E470 - you could have spit real hard and hit my house. South at 2nd traffic light on Jordan from E470.

I wasn't on Jordan when I hit E-470. I jumped over to Potomac which turns into Chambers which is where I jumped on the E-470 trail. However I might try Jordan Rd all the way out next time as it seems straighter than Chambers

Oh and my computer says that was 64 miles and change.

I wasn't on Jordan when I hit E-470. I jumped over to Potomac which turns into Chambers which is where I jumped on the E-470 trail. However I might try Jordan Rd all the way out next time as it seems straighter than Chambers

Oh and my computer says that was 64 miles and change.

Well, you might need a bb gun from Chambers and E470.

You guys are spoiled with all your beautiful riding scenery. All we have in west Texas is heat, wind, and bad drivers on narrow roads.
I really enjoy seeing all of your trip reports with the nice photographs. Thanks to all of you for your efforts.
It amuses me about the coyotes. I live in a semi-rural area and have coyotes around here all the time. I even have pictures of them in the front yard eating peaches out of the tree. They are real survivalists.
Thanks again for taking the time to make the posts.

Maybe we are looking at different types of animals. The term "hare" is just not something I hear around here. Hare Hear Here - WOW!! :)

Blame it on the naturalist training that taught me the difference. But, to me, the bottom line is that they both taste good, yum.

You guys are spoiled with all your beautiful riding scenery. All we have in west Texas is heat, wind, and bad drivers on narrow roads.
I really enjoy seeing all of your trip reports with the nice photographs. Thanks to all of you for your efforts.
It amuses me about the coyotes. I live in a semi-rural area and have coyotes around here all the time. I even have pictures of them in the front yard eating peaches out of the tree. They are real survivalists.
Thanks again for taking the time to make the posts.


But, do you have bears????????????????????????

No bears around here but I think there are a few in the mountains of far west Texas.
I do see a bobcat from time to time in my yard. And there are a few cougars (mountain lions) around here but they are very elusive. Hardly ever seen.