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!