My wife and kids are out of town so I thought it would be a good time for an overnight bike trip. This past Sunday I planned to ride up to Red Feather Lakes northwest of Ft. Collins from my home in Longmont.

I checked the weather report the night before which called for wind but no rain. I did not check it in the morning, which was probably my first mistake.

I headed out about 7:30 AM (actually 7:20, but I forgot my water bottle and had to turn around 5 minutes from home). The first couple of hours went pretty well. I got my first taste of the wind going around Horsetooth reservoir. I don’t really mind wind. To me it is part of cycling. You just go slower. (as an aside, I found it kind of funny the people who would ride by cursing the wind, are they trying to set a new world record for their loop or something?)

North of Horsetooth I was hit with my first sprinkles. They quickly stopped and I decided to keep on. I optimistically ignored the dark clouds in the distance as well. On Rt 287 heading towards Livermore the wind picked up to the point I had to put my foot down to prevent being blown over. It also rained a little harder but again it stopped.

I continued on to Red Feather Lakes road. About 15 miles from the camp site the rain starting coming down steadily, the temperature is dropping and I am now heading straight into a stiff head wind. I’ve been on the road about seven hours and I’m cold and tired. I have two choices, neither of which is all that attractive. I can continue on another couple of hours, possibly have a miserable time in camp and face icy roads in the morning. Or I can turn around and ride another five hours home.

I decided to cut my losses and head home. Fortunately the rain stopped just a couple of miles down the road. I finally made it home after 125 miles and 11.5 hours on the road. I was completely exhausted. The good news is I set a new personal record for distance in one day, and loaded up too.

Moral of the story: Check the weather in the morning and don’t ignore warning signs of bad weather.

Paul

I had a similar no-so-great overnight trip last year in mid October. I figured few would be out camping, even though it was a pretty nice mid-October day.

Left around 11:00 Saturday for a 45 mile ride to a beautiful park.

I had phoned earlier and the ranger explained that sometimes the sites fill up. He was sure right. All camping sites were taken up as I arrived.

So I turned around and rode 45 more miles back home.

I did enjoy a late evening picnic, but had to do the last 20 miles on an unlit trail with a 1/2 watt headlight. Very interesting.

Lesson learned: head out on Sunday, not Saturday... the ranger told me that on Sundays, the park is usually empty.

that's awful, some states have a no refusal policy for self propelled campers at state parks. the sensible approach, there's always room for a tent at a state park somewhere and people traveling by foot or bike often times will not be able to travel to the next, suitable campground.

Yes totally agree with you. It really discourages people from heading out on bike and, of course, really favors motorized vehicles.

I keep my S24O mileage in the 45 mile one way range...just in case. Haven't had a bad one yet.

Aaron

A full campground can be an adventure in itself. I've gotten permission to share a site a couple of times, and pitched outside the grounds when sharing didn't pan out. Paid a day use fee for the facilities. There's always a way.

11.5 hours on a loaded bike in miserable conditions is a testiment to physical and mental fortitude, making your S240 a memorable S120. No problem. All you missed was the camping, and didn't that bed feel good when you got in it.

First, the dope slap! How long have you lived in Colorado? Just moved here...like yesterday? Anybody whose been on the ground in this state for longer then 48 hours should know that the weather is volatile. Red Feather Lakes? Really? In April? You do know that Red Feather Lakes is at 8000 feet and it's still the dead of winter up there

Colorado Rule of Thumb: Don't go camping before Memorial Day.
Colorado Rule of Thumb 2: Expect snow if you go camping Memorial Day.
Colorado Rule of Thumb 3: Expect snow if you go camping on the 4th of July
Colorado Rule of Thumb 4: If it is raining...in April...east of the mountains...not thunderstorming...and you are headed uphill, turn around and go home. It's not going to get better.

Glad you made it home. Wait a month or so. It'll get better


What does all that have to do with paul2432's adventure? He didn't make it to the campground (not a Colorado State Park by the way). He was headed in to a spring storm and decided not to spend a very cold night and risk icy roads the next day. Wise choice. The canyon he was traveling up is narrow, twisting and doesn't get much sun this time of year in some areas. Like I said, it's also the dead of winter up there. Many campgrounds here closed because you can't get to them.

Yep! Bad weather + camping = yuck.

Is Red Feather Lakes Road paved? I didn't realize that - looks like a really cool short tour! I might copy you on that one.

...in June

it was about gervs s240. yeah, its cold in the mountains this early. anyone not prepared for winter conditions right now is riding fooish into the mountains.

Sorry. Missed that. On the other hand, if you call ahead on a Saturday at noon, are told that the sites fill up fast and you still decide to ride ~3 hours to a campground, you can't say you weren't warned.

I went on a two nighter a couple of weeks ago and they were predicting rain for the second night of my outing. I was actually a little disappointed when it didn't happen. I like hunkering down in a tent when it's raining. I also like riding in the rain. (Then again, I'm in Texas and the temps are usually more conducive to being out when it's wet.)

Maybe you should check out the Pawnee National Grassland. They have dispersed camping there (no fee). I haven't been there but I checked it out on the internet. I was planning an overnight hiking trip in early spring and was looking at low altitude alternatives. It certainly sounds promising for a bike ride and I'm sure you'll get some headwinds, too.

There is always a spot for a tent. I would have just set it up on some grass area at the park. Once the ranger comes you can tell him that you're 45 miles away and don't want to ride at night. Most likely the ranger comes by in the evening and by that time I doubt he'd want you to take the risk out on the road. Asides I doubt your tent is a very large one.

Otherwise, once it gets late you can check ask people politely if they know of a spot for a tent for the night. Don't ask for a camping spot since you are not camping. (Camping = big tent/rv, bonfire, loud people, etc.) Once it's getting dark find a public grass spot that's suitable for a tent. You'll be tearing it down by early dawn and most people will notice you. Just follow the no trace philosophy, cause little impact, and respect private property signs and fences. If in doubt ask at the nearest residence.

Yeah I know better (I've lived here over 5 years). Stubborness got the better of me. FYI, I did do an overnight to RMNP in January, but that is much shorter distance and I had my studded tires on, so I didn't really care about ice. I also was a lot more careful about checking the weather.

Paul

Paul

I can only vouch for the first seven miles, but looking at google maps satellite photos, it looks like the whole thing is paved. You probably know this already, but if you go along Horsetooth resevoir be prepared for some short and fairly steep climbs.

Paul

Paul

Careful there too. While the mountains get all the press about snow storms, getting caught out on the plains in a spring snowstorm is the stuff horror stories are made of I'd much rather get caught in the mountains in a blizzard than on the plains.

Still best to watch the weather before you start out.

Yep - those 13% grades would be "fun" on a fully loaded bike. I guess to really make it epic I could start out by going up Rist Canyon.... ooohhhh yeeaaahhhh.