Archive for July, 2010

Portland Weekend Escape

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

Clare and Dennis in Rose Garden
Dennis on Mass Transit in Portland, OR
We had a couple of unused tickets, so we decided to escape the heat and go to Portland for the weekend. We visited with some old buddies from Ridgecrest (Loved the Barcade and indoor mini-golf!), went on a bike tour with Pedal Bike Tours, and walked through several farmer’s markets. (more…)

Social Event – Lyons, Rocky Grass Festival

Sunday, July 25th, 2010

Clare & Dennis Enjoy Rocky Grass
On Sunday, Dennis & I attended the Rocky Grass Festival in Lyons, CO. We tried to find our friend Kat, but the crowds were too numerous. Turns out she was over by the creek, closer to the right side of the stage. We poached a corner of some dude’s tarp left of the front of the stage, and lucky for us they let us stay. (more…)

Mountain Biking – Buffalo Creek, Shinglemill Trail

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

ShinglemillTrailTopo
Dennis & I rode the Shinglemill Trail, out of Buffalo Creek, CO. It was a beautiful day. Too hot to stay in Denver, so we headed for the foothills. Shinglemill Trail was listed as a good introduction to single track and by all accounts it seems to be a popular place to ride. At one point, I got going so fast that I couldn’t make a turn to stay on the trail. I missed about 3 switchbacks (doh!), but at least I didn’t wipe out.

We got to the trail head around 9am, and headed off for our ride. We rode for about 4 hours and then headed back to Denver.

I forgot the camera, so no pictures! I also forgot my water bladder, so I lugged the Nalgene. A bit uncomfortable, but at least I wasn’t dehydrated.

Mountain Biking – Buffalo Creek, Colorado & Green Mountain Trail

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

COTrail_GreenMountainTrail_Topo
Clare Taking a Breather on Colorado Trail
On July 11th, Dennis & I went for a challenging single track ride out of Buffalo Creek, CO. We headed down the CO Trail to the Green Mountain Trail, and then back on County Road 550. The ride was about 13 miles and about 5 hours. The singletrack was not muddy, but it was root studded. There were quite a few other bikers along the trail, but we only saw two groups of hikers. (more…)

Mountain Biking – Silver Plume, Argentine Pass

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

SiverPlume_Argentine_Pass_MtnBikeTopo
Climbergirl & Hubby Mountain Biking Portrait
On July 3rd, Dennis & I joined Lynn, Peter, Cor, and Dan for a moderate single track & gravel road ride out of Silver Plume, CO. We were excited to hang out with the group as it had been a year since we had visited them in Canmore.

The ride starts up a singletrack trail, climbing steeply upward. It passes the old remains of a dance hall, and then curves around into a road. If one has enough time, one can go up to a mine (at the end). We turned around after 3 hours of riding, and didn’t make it to the mine. The ride was probably around 8 miles total. (more…)