Stardate 2019.129

Is That Spring in the Air?
Not quite; albeit I was in shorts and long sleeves today. Not bad for February 13th. Our snowiest month, March, is still to come. We can get some cold temps, too. Nonetheless, a lot of melt was taking place. Locally, all but the northerly aspects are snow-free. The Denver Water access road up Waterton Canyon was mostly dry with a few icy and muddy spots.


Today may have been my best ride since being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease last August. I hate the word disease! Don't you? It is what it is. Better yet, I felt good and strong throughout the ride. Take that Parkinson's! Following are a few more pics from the ride. Enjoy!


Looking upstream at impounded water behind one of several diversions.



The diversion dam is downstream in the distance. Can you pick it out?



There is lots of shore ice.



Main channel ice development is ice buildup on large in-stream boulders.



That's it for now. Think spring!

Lizard: 6
Parkinson's: 0

Adios

Stardate 2017.430

During a recent evening ride, the moon slowly ascended over Waterton Canyon, sharing a portion of its perpetual journey.


Spring is Giving Way to Summer
Hi folks! I haven't been writing because I've been busy doing other things during the evenings, plus I wanted to take a breather from the computer. Nonetheless I have a few pics taken during recent bike rides. So, let's let the show begin with my usual bike-in-the-road shot.




Vegetation has greened nicely.




The farther up the canyon one travels, the more complex and wild the views become.




Evening low-angle light is sharp, yet a tad nebulous as a whole.




Bike cockpit...




This book was at my turnaround. Not my type of reading, but if you have any insight, do enlighten us.




Thanks for reading.

Adios

Stardate 2017.304

Coming to Life
Hi everyone, I think spring has sprung. The bighorn sheep — both ewes and rams — are lounging together. Other reclusive ewes will soon be showing off reasons for being solitary in the form of little newborn lambs with doey wide eyes full of wonder. Rattlesnakes are sunning themselves. The ubiquitous anglers are infiltrating Waterton Canyon. And, more and more cyclists are enjoying the warming days. Following are several rides worth of pics. I hope you enjoy them.




Warming days become lazy days...




Beautiful and toxic, all in one package...






Classic singletrack zigging and zagging through the forest...




Late afternoon light wafting through coniferous tree boles...



Always be on your toes...




Stay tuned!

Adios

Stardate 2017.252

Bear Creek

Ride Weather Reminded Me of Oregon Mountain Biking
Yesterday (31March17) was the usual Waterton Ride to upper Lenny's Bench; then around the Roxborough loop, which is now thawed-out, at least until the current storm gathering. I had hoped to beat the forecasted storm. However, it captured me about halfway around the loop. Approximately half of my ride was in the wet.


I attended graduate school at Oregon State University located in western Oregon. It's wet and misty in the winter, and Waterton Canyon yesterday was the epitome of that area. Enjoy the following pics. The first is the storm slowly working its way out of the Front Range about 45 minutes before capturing me.




We're expecting freeze with snow tonight, so the blossoming leaves may be kaput for a while.




I was halfway up the canyon and still mostly dry.




Denver Water's Strontia Springs dam was releasing a fair amount of water.




Overheating, I stopped to shed some layers.




At the trail's high point, the clouds were descending and wafting throughout the forest.



There is a fair amount of blowdown this year.




This bubbling brook almost always flows year-round.




The singletrack is pretty good through here.




The concluding pic is of the down, down, down drop to the South Platte River at the Strontia Springs dam.




Later gator!

Adios

Stardate 2017.205

It's Baa'aaack
Hi all! Well, the white stuff returned. South aspects melted, and north aspects shivered. Better yet, there was no ice layer under the snow, so it was relatively easy to ride. For the most part I was able to stay on top of the snow, which was a tad packed from previous use.




A couple inches of snow remain in the shady aspects.




The retreat from upper Lenny's Bench begins. The tree roots were a bit wet and hazardous going down.




Snowcatcher and I made the lottery for 2017 Ride the Rockies. The blog docket will be more active.

Adios

Stardate 2017.197

It's Still Nice Out
Indeed, the weather remains stuck in Gucci mode. I'm not complaining. Following are some pics from the Roxborough Loop. The Rox loop is a connector trail that shortens the Trail 800 loop by a few miles. It also has a segment of turf that is one of the last places to melt out. Nonetheless, several icy patches were laying around. I also made several mud portages.




I had the trail all to myself today.




Pictured is some flowy singletrack through an area of forest that always seems to be green.




The big drop to the South Platte River is about to begin. That's Turkshead Peak at upper right.



Many riders don't slow and finesse their way around a corner. Instead, many riders "rudder" around a corner while in a full-blown skid. If you throw in some freeze-thaw cycles (water expands about 9 percent while freezing), you may end up with a badly eroded piece of trail.



What's next on the docket? The snow returns...

Adios

Stardate 2017.167

Yet, Another Spring-Like Day In Waterton Canyon
We have snakes here. I know this because I'm part reptile. Soon the snakes will be peeking their heads out into warmer weather. We have the standard water and garter snakes. We have bull snakes, which get quite large, I might add. We also have two varieties of rattlesnake, the prairie rattler and the massasauga. I think the sign primarily pertains to rattlers.

Start rant. Denver Water and other service companies are the only people allowed to drive in Waterton Canyon. Yes, they do run over rattlesnakes. I've seen the tire tracks center-punch a rattler well to the side of the road. If you're scared of what's out there, just stay in the city. End rant! Oh, almost end of rant. The sign in the title photo is far above ground because the original sign, which was at eye level, seemed to have grown legs and disappeared. Now I'm done ranting.

I was in shorts and sleeveless shirt today. The South Platte River was shedding its winter attire as well. March snows most certainly lurk, and local trails will yet clog with snow.



From Strontia Springs Reservoir (Waterton Canyon), I rode the long western ridge of Trail 800 that separates Bear Creek from Stevens Gulch. I dropped down to the intersection of Trail 800 and Stevens Gulch. I then backtracked out of the Waterton area.




Snack-time and yet another plug for the Giant Bicycle company.




Trail 800 travels through lodgepole (Pinus contorta) and ponderosa (Pinus ponderosa) pine forest.




Ridge-run'n with Turkshead Peak (app. 7,700 feet) dominating the view in the background.




It will be awhile before the oak brush produces any green.




The End

Adios