DnvrFox

Okay you San Diego/So Cal fiends.

Got a 30 mile ride here today. Beautiful blue sky; starting temp 65F, ending at 52F. For me, this is perfection for riding temps.

Here are some cell phone pics (those ARE horses in the field.)

FarHorizon

God does smile on us old cyclists sometimes, doesn't he.

p8rider

Pretty Pics. Nice ride conditions and at this time of the year anytime you can ride is a good time.

Digital Gee

Time only permitted a 10 miler today, through 75 degree temps. But it was wonderful anyway, if far too short!

GrannyGear

Sweet pic moments, Dnvr--wide open spaces and a open road/open sky/clean air. Such days are a blessing! My morning CA ride was upper 40's crystal bright. Makes that cup of coffee on return so much the better. Best wishes for tomorrow morning for us all. And a long, calorie burning, appetite whetting pre-meal ride for Thanksgiving!

Dchiefransom

GEEZ !!!!!! That's a nice path, and empty. How long is it? That would be a sweet ride on a nice day.

I like the picnic area. You could take a lunch and just hang out where there's less asphalt and concrete.

DnvrFox

This trail ties into the whole Denver Metro trail system, all scenic. This particular section literally goes by my back door, and if I do the whole thing out and back, without getting on the connector trail, about 45 miles. If I get on the connector trail, I follow a trail that parallels a not-too-busy freeway about 15-20 miles, then it intersects with another trail following a river. If I go left I go into beautiful Chatfield State Park (and lake)



- [which then connects via mtn bike to Waterton Canyon, a beautiful canyon going 6 miles up the Platte River],



or if I go right, I can get to downtown Denver (17 miles) and about 20 miles beyond on the Platter River Trail.



There are connector trail to the whole system, each following creeks, some looping. The whole thing is about 3-400 miles, out and back or looping.

I can also go about 5 miles north on a road about .5 miles from my house, and then I am in Cherry Creek State Park (and lake), which has a wonderful loop trail which also connects to the Cherry Creek Trail going to Downtown Denver in about 15 miles.



There is a trail planned to run parallel with that road, so out my back door I can go directly to Downtown Denver, about 22 miles or so.

That picnic area is exactly 8.5 miles from my home. The trail continues to Franktown, about another 8 miles, and will eventually go another 5 miles to Castlewood Canyon State Park, a beautiful rugged hiking, rock climbing area. However, absent the trail there is a little used paved road that goes directly to the park.

jppe

Oh man-making me jealous as heck. I sure hope that weather comes our way, I'm taking about 3 weeks of workdays off here and there for the rest of the year and I sure hope to get in some great rides like that.

DnvrFox

For more pictures and stories about Denver Trails see:

https://www.bikeforums.net/mountain-plains/80754-anyone-else-get-glorious-ride-denver-metro-area-today.html

Dchiefransom

Some of the pics in the other thread don't look paved. If my Mega-Millions ticket hits, should I get a long distance bike that can handle gravel roads, for my trip around the country?

DnvrFox

The Highline Canal is not paved, which goes 66 miles throughout the area. However, this is NOT what you would ride on a tour, as it is almost exclusively a recreation trail, not a commuting trail. ANd I ride it with 700x25's all the time.

Except for Waterton Canyon, everything else is cement with a few patches of asphalt.

(I added a bunch of pictures to my previous response [above])

Old Hammer Boy

My stoker and I are headed out for a Thanksgiving day morning ride with our local club. Hope we can pre-burn some calories. The turkey will be in the oven during the ride. It's been in the low 50s for high temps along the Wasatch front for the last few weeks. Logged about 110 miles last week-end, and hope to do as much over the upcoming, long holiday week-end. Wish you all could join us... OHB

RockyMtnMerlin

Heck its even been nice up here in Laramie. 44 degrees on Nov 21st and that's at 7200ft (which is the elevation at the airport). AND the REAL bonus, NO WIND. Guess global warming isn't all bad.

RockyMtnMerlin

Heck its even been nice up here in Laramie. 44 degrees on Nov 21st and that's at 7200ft (which is the elevation at the airport). AND the REAL bonus, NO WIND. Guess global warming isn't all bad.

DnvrFox

Many, many years ago I was interviewed for a professorship at the U of Wyo.

An interesting phenomena was that, in the entire town, their was only ONE house for sale.

For a variety of reasons, (having to do with access to top medical care for my son - who had severe medical problems at the time - during a potential heavy snow/blizzard, housing) I didn't take the job.

RockyMtnMerlin

Quite a few for sale up here now. Pretty good cycling community and a bunch of us put on a great two day, three stage race (85 mile road race, crit and time trial) called the Dead Dog Classic. 24-25 June this year, ACA sanctioned. You ought to come up and spectate, race or volunteer. By the way University of Wyoming is totally flush with money now due to the boom in coalbed methane. Its hell on the environment but great for the state budget.

DnvrFox

Perhaps they could lend some to the U of CO, which seems not to have a dime.

gps_dr

Peddled 18.5 miles around Broomfield yesterday to add some more trail milage to those I have GPS enabled. Weather was great!
Will have the new trail added sometime this weekend.

My main website: https://home.earthlink.net/~gps_dr doesn't have space for many pictures.
It does have trail descriptions, and uploadable routes & tracks.

My 2nd site: https://spaces.msn.com/members/gps-dr/ has some pictures from Denver area trails.

jppe

Love your website there GPS!

BJ Ondo

I only got in a 25 miler but it was doing the "Homestead Ridge Trail" which is nothing but contstant higher levels of "little hills" in the northern part of Colorado Springs!! Man it's a real heart & lung strainer, it's mostly concrete but had a bit of rough asphalt and one seriously narly dirt, rock, rutted downhill heading north and a hell'ish uphill coming back!! Best I've done is get 1/2 up it before rear tire traction and my road biased gearing and my arthritic knees give out!! :O Have to do 2.5 miles of dirt/road to get to the Rock Island Trail, which is a nice flat run on concrete, it' goes all the way downtown or you can head north and pick up the Homestead Ridge Trail like I did.

One bad thing about trails here in the Springs, the start and end points aren't well marked and we seem to have a lot of "unfinished trails", they go and end without connecting to another trail, sounds like your system is better than ours for sure. The longest trail is the Pikes Peak Greenway along fountain creek, it goes from Palmer Lake, CO. thru Colorado Springs to end in Fountain, CO. It's got every type of surface you can think of, best on a fat tire comfort or MTB but I've seen lot's of the thicker tired hybrids on the trail too! Gona ride on Sat. morning but tomorrow is looking good enough to get in a last long ride on the motorcycle before the snow flies!

Road Fan

Those are the things I truly miss about living in Denver!

Ken, just shovelled snow in balmy 25 degree Ann Arbor.

DnvrFox

The trail now extends from Palmer Lake north to the Greenland Open Space area, where it terminates at a replica of an old general store to the right of the I-25/Greenland exit. In this area it is called the New Santa Fe Trail. It also forms a 10 mile loop in that area. Be warned - the maps on the trail board and the handouts have "north" on the bottom. Took me a long time to get oriented, but my wife understood them perfectly!

We tried the trail from Greenland south and it was much too rough for my wife. Eventually, this will continue north to Denver. We have taken this trail from Palmer Lake south past the AFA, where the surface, though gravel, is much easier.

At the turn of the century, there was a continuous bike path from Denver to CS, which became a road upon the entryu of the automobile. People used to do centuries on this road with hard tires and single speeds.

BJ Ondo

LOL, ya know Fox, I can just picture YOU on that ride with a single speed, singing, "training is FUN, training is FUN"! We get a warmish weekend I'm gona have to bite the bullet and ride up to the Greenland Open Space! Would be great if they ever make the trail clear thru to Denver, I'd probably be "buzzard bait" but I'd give it shot!!

DnvrFox

At one time, bicycling was THE social thing to do. HIgh prestige. There were Biking Associations with their own clubs. Folks would ride in trains alongside bicycling racing routes.

There is a WONDERFUL documentary put out by the cable channel DC8 here in Douglas County with lots of pics, etc. during the bicycling craze.

The automobile changed all of this, becoming the status symbol, replacing bicycling.