Stardate 2016.890

The 2016 Mountain Bike Season Keeps Goin' and Goin'...
We probably will pay for all this nice weather, come spring. Nonetheless, I'm going to enjoy it while I can. I've been hitting Deer Creek Canyon Park quite a bit because I need to brush-up on my technical skills in the rocks. I think I've been too selective on my rides. The former, plus too much road biking. Anyway, enjoy the pics. Not far from the high-point, this meadow should have snow on the ground.




The great plains meet the mountains here, along with urban sprawl.




Not far away stands the mile high city and its symbiotic brown cloud.




Lower segments of the trail have the potential to be a bit wild.




My parting shot is a plug for Giant Bicycles. Of all the bikes I've stabled, the Black Pearl takes a spot next to my 1996 Specialized M2 S-Works. The Pearl's been a great steed!




Stay tuned, there's more on the docket.

Adios

Stardate 2016.841

Get It While You Can!!
All photos courtesy of Black Bart, my smart phone.

Following are more autumn mountain bike pics from Chatfield State Park and Deer Creek Canyon Park. Get it while you can because snow and ice will soon limit any riding. I'll start with Chatfield's yellow leaf road with a bike...




...and without a bike.




The South Platte River features a very shaded and lush riparian area.




Exquisite singletrack exists at Deer Creek Canyon only after a steep, rocky, brutal and grueling ascent to the Plymouth Creek Trail.




Trail brutality eases higher up.




The mile high city of Denver, Colorado, sprawls in the background.




We've had a beautiful and extended fall riding season.




A catch-your-breath moment before resuming the climb.




A lot of spots are a bit too gnarly for a hardtail bike. The drop from the large root is about 3 feet.




Fall is definitely in the air.




That's it for now. I'm not sure what's next on the docket.

Adios!

Stardate 2016.238

Get It While You Can...
The Black Pearl and I ventured to South Valley Park for an afternoon ride just hours before a fast-moving storm blanketed the Deer Creek Canyon area with 15 inches of heavy and wet white stuff. The accumulation was some variant of snow; hence, the word stuff suffices.




Sections of South Valley Park were an active cattle ranch until 1980. Off topic, but the approaching storm may be seen in the background.




The area is for now preserved and home to elk, deer, bear, lion, coyote, fox, rattlesnake and humanoid, et cetera.



Headquarters for the Johns Manville Corporation (I believe they owned the farmstead, too) were built on a parcel of the ranch in 1971. Then in 1987, Lockheed Martin purchased the property, adding to the several Lockheed compounds already in the area. The property turned over again in 1999 when Jefferson County acquired 909 acres to set aside for open space preservation of wildlife, archaeological and scenic values.




Violators will be shot on site! Just kidding! Trail erosion is the reason for the closure.



The Grazing Elk Trail sits above the beginning of one of the finer road bike climbs in the area – Deer Creek Canyon. You can make out the entrenched, narrow canyon below.




Riparian areas are turning green. I haven't seen any rattlers this year, despite the warm weather.




The Park has a lot of smooth, somewhat flowy, singletrack upon which to ride.




Here's a parting shot for this post; thanks for reading!




Adios

Stardate 2016.203

A Change Of Pace
Several days ago, I managed to get in a short-sleeved (green plaid for Mrs. Micawber) hike-a-bike with the Black Pearl at Deer Creek Canyon Park. This park is a couple of miles north of Waterton Canyon. However, often during this time of year, ice and snow still may cover the trail, making passage interesting. How slick was it? Well, my average speed for the "ride" was 3-miles per hour. That tells me I walked more than I rode. When dry, the route is rocky, steep and technical in places. However, any time loss to upward travel can be regained on the return downhill. Following are a few pics of a beautiful spring-like day.




My destination is a tight little drainage where prairie meets mountain – Plymouth Creek.




The initial ice encountered had enough embedded detritus to allow riding. I wasn't so lucky on most of the ice.






How about some nice, dry, singletrack?




The mile-high city is about 28 miles away. That's not dust or water vapor in the sky. Yuck!




I love afternoon sunlight wafting through Lodgepole pine boles.




My parting shot for the Deer Creek Canyon area.



Thanks for reading!

Adios

Stardate 2014.962

Autumn Bliss Continues

It's December 11th, and I'm still riding in shorts. Temperatures are supposed to reach the mid-sixties today. In honor of the sun's warmth, I'm going to take the Black Pearl out for a jaunt at Deer Creek Canyon Park.




After some zigging and zagging through sun-lit oak brush, the canyon is entered, where much of its lower reaches catch zero sun. The canyon walls of Plymouth Creek are too steep for the sun to share any rays down low. In the shade, the temps are a bit icy. At the moment, I'm doing more ice portaging than pedaling. I think I'm inventing a new sport known as – push-a-bike. Oh wait, cyclo-cross already exists. Just kidding fans of mud riding; I like cyclo-cross.




I have not ridden these trails for a while. I have forgotten how technical some segments of Plymouth Creek are. I'm always whining about how I've lost some of my technical skills. I blame it on too much time on the road bike and age. I think if I incorporate this area into my ride schedule, a lot of my tech skills will re-emerge. In other words, I won't have an excuse to whine when an itty bitty rock jumps out in front of me.




After the short, steep and rough climb, I turn south on the Plymouth Mountain Trail for several miles of delightful single-track riding. Soon, I was rewarded with the above view. Sheeesh, I hate cities. Look at that crap; you could cut it with a butter knife. It's things like this that make me appreciate growing up on the west side of Colorado.




But then, the enchanting single-track makes things all better.




In time, the trail ends on an old logging road. After descending Plymouth Creek Trail a short distance, I immediately ascend toward the Red Mesa Loop. Red Mesa Loop has quaint little meadows scattered about, some still holding snow.




The snow is just a harbinger of things to come.




Shadows overtake me, and I feel the onset of evening on my legs. Oh, did I mention that I'm in shorts again?




Back down in sunless Plymouth Creek, I begin working my way down the technical segments, the ice adding to the technical level, even when walking.




Some of the Plymouth Creek Trail looks similar to the above. However, once on top, the single-track is pretty nice to ride.

Adios