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 2017.156

The Heat Is On
Hi folks, it appears the nice weather gods are showering us with affection; it's only mid-February. What's a lizard to do, except bask in in their exaltation and ride as much as possible. Our snowiest month typically is March, right around the corner. The trail appears to have a new friend (not the Pearl) — The Colorado Mountain Bike Association. Probably a good thing.




Hey Giant, how about a new bike for all the advertising the Pearl and I do.



Annual blow-down will stop you in a hurry if you're in a fog.




Narrow, deep and sunless, many drainages were still choked in snow. I turned around here.




Zip-A-dee-Doo-Dah,
Zip-A-Dee-Ay,
My, oh my, what a wonderful day!




That's the end of one day.

Adios

Stardate 2017.047

It is winter, after all.


This is one of Snowcatcher's numerous methods of photographing flakes of ice.


And Now Some More Waterton
Currently, it's snowing cats and dogs. So, I'll share some pics from about a week ago, before the snow returned. Let's start with a patio paw-print from the illusive and domesticated Felis Catus.




The cold and icy narrows portion of the ride is just that, cold and icy.




This is the segment of the narrows that is always shaded.




The CT was too icy and rutted to try riding up.




The day was warming up nicely.




The South Platte River




All I saw today was ice, snow and water — no wildlife.




The ever elusive and now mud-splattered Snowcatcher came along for the day too.








Now I need to wash the bikes. Here are some words to live by; a clean bike is a happy bike.




More to come, I'm just not quite sure when more will be.

Adios

Stardate 2016.433

Green... Green... Green... !
With 2016 vacations in the history books, it was time to visit some old friends — Waterton Canyon to Trail 800 and the Colorado Trail. All new and shiny, the oak brush has greened up nicely.



Strontia Springs dam appeared to have a normal release of flow on this day. For its small size, the dam can be quite impressive when the upper spillway is flowing and the lower release gates are also fully opened.




The forest siren beckons me on. As usual it's impossible for me to ignore.




The eastern start of singletrack on one of my favorite trails — the Colorado Trail.




One of the joys of Waterton Canyon is year round access to the beginning of the Colorado Trail.






My better half goes to work in a patch of vibrant iris.




Evening light gently recedes from the steep walls of the South Platte River, Colorado.




Thanks for the visit!

Adios