Northern Colorado

September 22
Another semi-early morning, in which I got to indulge in coffee. Rudy accompanied Dee for some more hot pool therapy while I got in another little run. I hit the Emerald Mountain trails again for a few miles of gradual climbing on the less technical trails, then back down - felt great! Dee and Paul made their departure for Fort Collins and Rudy and I headed south and east to bike the Tipperary Creek trails near Winter Park. More lovely fall colors through big hills with mountains off in the distance. We found a nice little camp spot along Vasquez Creek close to the trails, then went for our rides.

The trails were either super rocky/technical or fairly buffed out and flowy - nothing too long or steep for climbing though. A lot of practice with pedal placement crawling through the rocks for me! Since we were already at our spot for the night, I got in some strength training and yoga and good 'ol hanging out, while Rudy did some planning for Moab fun next month, before we cooked up barley and lentils with sweet potatoes and mushrooms for dinner, and then more GOT!

September 23
I seem to be getting into the habit of waking up early (relatively...~7), especially if it is chilly, I want to move around and warm up! I did a little bit of strolling, and worked on some puzzles - recently purchased puzzle book, I'm trying to not let that turn into a time-suck! When the sun came in on the slope across from us, I found a nice spot to sit and bask, and that finally warmed me up! We had a liesurely breakfast, sitting in the sun, then Rudy was awesome and picked up a bunch of trash at a nearby parking area while I cleaned up the van a little. We planned for a relative 'rest' day since the weather forecast was cool with a good chance of precipitation around noon. We started toward our next destination by taking the scenic route through Rocky Mountain National Park. We mostly drove through, with a few hiking stops for Coyote Valley, Alpine Ridge, and Bear Lake.

Some Never Summer Mountains, seen from Coyote Valley

The mighty Colorado River

Glad we weren't here Saturday!

The views were worth the crowds

 

Blustery Bear Lake

 Some other scenic stops and strolled through the Discovery Center at Moraine Park too, learning about some of the geology, ecology, history, etc. of the park.

Moraine Park

Of course a few elk and deer sighting along the side of the road too. The weather was cold and blustery, but rain/snow mostly held off. Another park that there is so much more to do and looks like a lot of great back country trails, but more people than I like to be around. We were hoping to get a place to sleep in the National Forest outside Estes Park, but it was actually pretty populated with few roads we could travel on. It was practically dark before we settled on a little pull off just outside Drake on Storm Mountain Road, but at least we got to drive through Big Thompson Canyon on the way there. I didn't get any pictures, but it was pretty sweet. We just did some easy shells and cheese for dinner, then finished Game of Thrones Season 5. I was pretty surprised how much the show is now deviating from the book, but I'm just appreciating it as its own piece.

September 24
In the 40sF again! And a surprisingly busy road before 7am on Saturday. We pretty much got out of bed and headed for a sunnier area to have breakfast. We went all the way to a trailhead for Horsetooth Mountain near Fort Collins, where we planned our activities for the day anyhow. I got in a short run on some of the rockier trails in the morning and Rudy went out for his longer ride.

I didn't bike this one

Rudy headed up the fire road to access the rugged stuff

After chilling out a couple hours, I tried the easier trails on bike too. I did get in a short technical loop too, challenging for me, but I got through it with just a little walking and a lot of fun, so glad I tried! Rudy also took a short break then sought out a few trails he didn't get to in the morning. In the process he ended up riding with someone that invited us to park in his driveway - and steal a shower! Since it was cold and overcast and windy, the solar shower was not really getting up to a tolerable temperature, so very fortuitous. We headed there after all the riding was done, and Rudy was awesome and helped get a car cleaned up and ready to sell. Lots of good visiting after that - on biking destinations, and traveling in general - more spots to try getting added to the list. We cooked up some pasta for dinner, then turned in relatively early.

September 25
Another chilly morning, but at least calm and sunny. A nice cup of coffee and little breakfast before we were off to the Bobcat Ridge trails. I again started with a run while Rudy tackled the trails on bike with our new friend. No bobcats spotted, but I did come across a snake, and lots of cool scenery, of course.

I guess I saw this bobcat...

We were on the other side of that mountain yesterday!

2001 fire burned so hot, still not much regrowth in 15 years

After the run, I got in a good yoga session! Grassy areas are the best for outdoor yoga, I need to take advantage of that whenever I can find it. Another short break, then ride for me. The trails I stuck to were relatively easy and in nice shape. Still a few sharp rocky climbs I stalled out on, but I really had fun here. We were done with our activities around noon, and headed toward Boulder with a stop at a Sprouts grocery store. This place is pretty similar to Trader Joe's - a good selection of organic and conventional foods at reasonable prices - and Rudy found the clearance cart! A few minutes digging through there produced some great stuff - I think everything was $1.99 a piece - big score!

3 days later, half the fruit & almond butter is gone

We went overboard with some other treats too - good chocolate on sale, and Rudy grabbed a blueberry pie. We're way too excited about food. After that, we sought out a place to camp on Magnolia Drive, just west of Boulder. We found a spot just before 6pm and the temperature was already below 50F! So solar showers happened right away, then a little exploring the big boulder piles in the area before hanging out in the van for a long, casual dinner, including some of our treats!


Smoked mussels and crackers, quinoa, veggies, and blueberry pie - scrumptious! Then a start on Game of Thrones Season 6 - I can no longer complain about what did or didn't happen in the book!

Steamboat Springs

September 19
We were greeting with another nice, sunny morning. I took a stroll along the forest service road before we were back on the road again. A pleasant drive along Yampa River, with nice fall colors, and bigger hills as we neared the mountains again. We stopped on the west side of Emerald Mountain bike trails.

That tiny little hill kicked my butt!

I took on the easy Rotary trail, that was enough for me, and Rudy went out for a bigger loop. My excitement was seeing a Porucpine! Luckily I was putzing up hill and he had plenty of warning to meander off the side of the trail. Following my ride and a little break, I strolled back along trail to try for some better photos of the fall colors - impossible to do it justice!



Next, try to find camp. We headed up a long gravel road outside Steamboat Springs and were surprised to see a lot of people camping for a Monday night! We settled for a pull off along the road, all that is really needed for the van. Sauteed some veggies with bulgur for dinner. Then, after finishing dinner, we spotted a moose!



 Definitely used to people, we were not making an effort to be quiet or anything, he just hung around, eating berries for about an hour. That excitement was followed by a game of Trivial Pursuit, then some more Game of Thrones.
 
September 20
A decent morning - warmer than expected for 9,000' elevation. I spent a little time sitting on a stump, watching birds and critters and enjoying fall colors. We headed back into Steamboat Springs to meet Dee and Paul from Duluth, who just happen to be vacationing here this week! Dee and Rudy biked the east side of the Emerald Mountain system, while I undertook my first run since Wasatch. I jogged the flat, paved path along the Yampa River through town for an hour - felt OK, but my knees were just a little achy toward the end. The rest of the day was just hanging out and chatting outside Dee and Paul's motel room. Rabbit Ears Motel seems like a decent place and is right on the river and bike paths - might be a good option if you ever need to pay to stay somewhere in Steamboat Springs! Leftovers and cereal for dinner, then we just slept in the van in the motel lot.

Maybe not 'wild' but I like the flowers

Kinda amusing/kinda creepy

 


September 21
A relatively early morning - Paul dropped Dee and Rudy off for a long downhill ride on his way to get in a full day of fishing on the Elk River. I biked some of the Emerald Mountain trails from town, and actually enjoyed myself out there for a couple hours!
 
The blue trails were wide and less steep and technical than I expected, but I still avoided the black trails, especially since I was on my own. Next was a little blog catch up (reducing picture sizes did help immensely!). More hanging out after Dee and Rudy returned - they had quite the day, lots of cool scenery, with moose, falcon, and fish sightings - a big crash for Dee though, so she was sore from that! We eventually ventured down to the Yampa River where there is a little hot springs literally a minute walk from the motel.
 
Later on we got to hear about Paul's fishing fun, then went out for some pizza and beer! I do miss making pizza at home. Everyone was pretty tuckered from the day, I know I barely made it past 9 before falling asleep.

Vernal, UT

September 14
Very windy and rainy overnight - and cold - even saw some snowflakes! I'm glad we didn't have those conditions for the race! We decided to leave the Park City area a little earlier than planned - forecast for the rest of the week was just more ugliness. Hot beverages and breakfast once again, then headed east, towards Vernal, UT. We stopped in Roosevelt for some Chinese buffet - really my only post-race splurge! I just love those nasty buffets once in a while - especially when they have hard ice cream instead of soft serve :) Back to 70s and sunny and desert landscape!


We stopped just outside of Vernal for 'Can You Moo' trail. Rudy biked while I did a quick review of my race report...now to find some good service and get the blog updated - so behind! The recent rains left a lot of washout for the trail, and Rudy ended up riding up and down a dry creek bed instead.

Looked like a promising start to the trail...

Dinner was random snacks and leftovers following our large, late lunch. Then more GOT.

September 15
A cool and sunny morning - quite pleasant! We headed to McCoy Flats, more or less across the highway, for more biking. Again, the trails weren't ideal with the recent rain, there is similar red clay to that in Duluth, and just a few wet spots made the bikes a little messy. Nice trails regardless, on the easier side - good for me! I took on Got Milk?, And Cookies!, plus Combo.

McCoy Flats trailhead with Boy Scout art

Nice deserty views, and some jackrabbit and lizard sightings made for a fun ride.

Well marked trails with cool signs

While Rudy was exploring the more advanced trails of this little system, I got in some basking in the sun and a little stretching. After Rudy's return, more hanging out in the sun, reading, watching other riders come and go, including the local High School team getting in their evening practice - always fun to see kids playing on bikes! We cooked up overnight soaked red beans for some dinner, watched the full moon rising, and took in yet more GOT - I see withdrawals may be coming when we finish the 6th season, likely in a  couple weeks.

September 16
Another pleasant morning. After a leisurely breakfast, we headed to the bike shop in Vernal to supplies for brake bleeding and hopefully some local knowledge.
 
Altitude Cycle was a nice little shop, Rudy got what he needed plus some good information on the trails we planned to visit that day at Red Mountain. We made our way north of town and parked along the road that is the Red Mountain Trail. The dirt road quickly turned into a rugged jeep trail, and more like an ATV trail further up. Rudy biked and I hiked up the Rojo trail - mostly over large slabs of sandstone with white paint marking the way.

I was only planning on an hour or two, but felt good and decided to hike the whole trail, a little over 7 miles round trip, in about 3 hours - with plenty of stops for pictures, mostly on the way up.
  

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Rudy continued up the Red Mountain Trail where Rojo ended, then came back on it, beating me to the van by a few minutes. Next we headed up Highway 191 to Ashley National Forest for some dispersed camping. The highway has a lot of signs informing travelers of the rock formations and what fossils they hold - nifty. Interestingly we ended up in some aspens - a little different landscape from just a few miles down the road.

Being Friday night, there were a few other people around, but pretty quiet. It was cool though - low 50s when we arrived! For dinner, we started on the 12-pack of Annies Shells and Aged Cheddar recently purchased for (relatively) cheap. We both thought it was tastier than standard mac 'n cheese, but definately less food per box. Fun for the evening was a couple games of cribbage (Rudy won both, I should start a tally) and watching the final episode of Game of Thrones Season 4.

September 17
Below 50F in the van - brrrr! At least the sun was out and warm up was quick! We headed to the Red Fleet Reservior Trail system, which seemed to be the best trails in the Vernal area we checked out. I only did the Jass Chrome Molly loop - maybe a little easier than its blue designation, but it was plenty for me! I'll chalk it up to the 100-miler, but every little climb (really not a lot) had my heart racing and out of breath pretty quickly! The trail was in good condition and fun though, of course, nice scenery. Rudy got even more great shots of his longer ride. Post-bike, I got in some yoga and more laying around in the sun, then into Vernal to take care of laundry, then on to find the next camping spot. We ended up near Green River, next to a marshy area - seems out of place with the arid country side. It was cool to see and hear the sights and sounds of a wetter ecosystem. Dinner was split peas with sweet potatoes - Rudy had a grilled cheese too, I was content with some caraway bread and red wine to go with my gruel :) We got in a quick game of Trivial Pursuit, and a start on GOT Season 5.