Friday, October 25, 2013

Surprises in Steamboat

Sometimes the best laid plans are to have none and see where it takes you.  Well that sort of planning brought us to Steamboat Springs for the next stop of our trip.  You see last fall while I was camping at Lows Lake I had accidently ripped the stuff sack for our tent and had yet to get around to contacting Big Agnes for a replacement.  Well it just so happens that BA is based out of Steamboat Springs so we figured we might as well just swing into town and pickup a replacement on our way to the Tetons.  Our original plan was to breeze into town, camp for the night, pick up the stuff sack, and maybe do a quick mountain bike ride before heading out the next day.  We found a nice Forest Service campground perched high in Rabbit Ear Pass and set up camp. 

The following morning before we set out for the day I had a little bike maintenance to do.  I had just rebuilt my fork while we were in boulder but something still just didn’t seem right with it.  After some research I determined that I had put it together incorrectly when servicing it previously so it all had to come apart again.  Now I assume most people reading this blog don’t know much about working on mountain bike forks but this is a task that bicycle maintenance purists will tell you should be done in a clean room with lots of rubbing alcohol and rubber gloves, not the sort of task you do on a picnic table in a dusty campground but sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. 


After I wrapped everything up we headed into town and stopped by the Big Agnes store.  It turned out in the end that we were in the wrong place but we didn’t mind since it gave us a chance to check out this sweet tent greenhouse while waiting for the awesome people at BA to drop by and bring us our stuff sack.


We swung by a local bike shop to find out that Steamboat was billing itself as “Bike Town USA” well I guess that confirmed it we had to ride here.  How could we do a trip across the country with our mountain bikes without spending some time in Bike Town (we later found out that this was a title claimed by several towns but I don’t think either of us regrets feeling the need to see what Steamboat had to offer).  Our first ride in Steamboat was right out of town on the local “after work” trails.  We climbed around 1,000 feet out of town on fun twisty single track with some great views, finishing with a grueling blast up a trail rather aptly named “little moab”. 




Then it was time to turn and head down, the decent was nothing but pure bliss, buff single track snaking it’s way down the mountain like a skier arcing through powder, big GS turns, tight fall line turns, it was all there and it was all a blast.  We ended up back at the car worn out but grinning from ear to ear and set on staying just one more day to see what else Steamboat had to offer. 

Hot and sweaty we returned to our campsite just as some thunderstorms were rolling in.  We quickly heated some water and put our shower tent to use for the first time.  It seemed like such a good idea at the outset but when we emerged from the shower dripping wet into 40 degree rain we started to wonder what we were thinking.  We scrounged some quick food and then curled up in the warm dry camper to hide from the rain. 


Morning dawned cool and damp but forecasts were good for the valley and the weather between our mountain top perch and that of the valley seemed to differ greatly.  We headed into town with plans to ride the other side of the mountain we had ridden the day before.  With the bad weather, a small detour to the local farmers market, and a bit of getting lost trying to find the trailhead we were a bit late getting started and were surprised to find that while the parking lot was pretty full no one seemed to be headed up when we were.  We later surmised that the afternoon heat and threat of thunderstorms in Colorado in late August were probably why we had the place to ourselves.  Today’s ride was a bit more of an undertaking meandering out of the valley around 2,000 feet before turning onto a long gradual ridge for a fast and flowy decent.  Nothing shows how we were feeling after all that climbing in the hot afternoon sun better than this picture of Jess near the top of the climb.



By the time we made it back to the car we were starving and Jess was starting to question whether she was going to be able to survive my route selections in the coming months (this would seem to become a recurring theme).  We headed into town, devoured some food at the local Wendys, and headed up a long winding dirt road to check out a local hot spring.  We paid our 10 dollars to get in and were told by the attendants that at this time of evening attire was optional so there were no lights in the pool and any lights we brought should be kept pointed at the ground so as not to disturb others.  We wandered off down a long gravel path with instructions to turn left at the end of the fence and walk down the stairs and we’d eventually find ourselves at one of many bathing pools.  Needless to say we were a bit scared and weirded out but off we went.  It turns out the place had lots of large stone pools each slightly warmer than the last and was probably a beautiful site to see during the day.  We were able to have a fantastic soak and relax our tired muscles while staring up at the starlit sky.  What at first seemed like a rather sketchy and intimidating adventure with me seriously questioning Jess’s ideas turned out to be a perfect end to a fun filled weekend in Steamboat Springs. 

Monday, October 14, 2013

High in the Rocky Mountains

After a fun filled weekend with Pete it was up high in the mountains we went.  We set out from Boulder to Estes Park, the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.  Some creative route finding thanks to Google Nav took us on a slightly more scenic and winding route than intended, but we didn’t mind because we stumble upon this beautiful little chapel along the way. 
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We finally found ourselves in Estes Park and were really surprised to find that all of the National Park campgrounds were already full for the night, but no worries, we did some searching around and found a nice little County Campground (with hot showers woohoo) where we settled in for the night. 
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In the morning we ventured into the park for a nice little waterfall hike.  We had grand plans of doing a much larger hike the next day but wanted to start out with an easier warm up.  Turns out later that it was a good thing we did.  Along the way we saw some beautiful sights and even hiked through an area that had burned last fall. 
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After the hike we returned to our beautiful campsite cooked some dinner and headed to bed.  In the morning Jess woke up feeling absolutely terrible; apparently the combination of altitude and exertion wasn’t sitting well with her, so it was on to plan B, go down.  We had wanted to check out Fort Collins on the trip so now was the time.  We headed down out of the mountains back to thicker air and within no time Jess was feeling healthy and happy again.  We checked out Colorado State University and visited their beautiful annual garden before heading back up into the park.
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The following morning we woke up and decided it was time to move on.  Of course moving on meant driving the signature piece of Rocky Mountain National Park, Trail Ridge Road.  The road is a fine example of America’s road building prowess in the early years of the 20th century.  She winds up over the crest of the Rocky Mountains reaching heights of over 12,000ft but does so at a fairly nice gently grade.  It was our first big test for Black Bessy and Ramblin’ Rose but they took the mountains right in stride and we had no trouble making it over the pass and further into Colorado. 
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At the top of the pass we ran into a bit of a traffic jam and finally discovered what al the commotion was about.  This heard of big horn sheep was grazing just off the side of the road. 
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And what national park would be complete without a properly placed gift shop? 
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We also decided to take some glamour shots of Black Bessy and Ramblin Rose along the road.  This one by far came out the best.  We are really glad we did since neither of them will ever look this good (or clean) again. 
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After crossing the divide we ventured further across Colorado with our sights set on Steamboat Springs.  We stopped at a few lakes right outside the park to take in our last views of Rocky Mountain National Park, wound through some tight canyons sharing what little space there was with both a river and a freight train and finally found a place to camp in Rabbit Ears pass for the night.  We can only assume that the last picture is how it got it’s name. 
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Saturday, September 28, 2013

Adventures With Uncle Pete

Hammer down and west bound we took off from Kansas across the prairies in search of distant mountains.  A few hours in we had gained 4,000 ft and were charging across the plains of eastern Colorado when Jess mentioned that she wanted to see an antelope.  No more than 30 seconds later I excitedly pointed and shouted “there, is there anything else I can do for you?” Pointing at a heard of antelope off in the distance.  Other than that it was a pretty uneventful and boring slog punctuated only by the final appearance of mountains on the horizon as we neared Denver. 

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After arriving at Pete’s the plan was as to be expected… work on bikes, talk about bikes, eat good food, and ride bikes.  Had it been winter, bikes would have been replaced with skis but seeing as it’s summer, bikes it is.  We turned Pete’s apartment into a bike shop and were finally able to get all our pre-trip maintenance taken care of so we’d be ready for months of riding.  After a dinner of yellow eyed rockfish (from our Alaskan adventure) and an evening of bike mechanicing we turned in for the evening.

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We fueled up for our first full day in boulder with a fantastic breakfast of beer waffles complete with a stand off between Maine and New York maple syrup.  We then headed up into the mountains to Nederland to ride.  Pete tried to explain to us that he had picked a fairly easy but fun ride for our first day.  But as we were sucking wind and dying only a few miles in we had a hard time believing him.  “Easy?” I thought “Well really this shouldn’t be that hard, why am I dying?  Oh right, we’re at 8,000 ft”.  With Pete raring to go and excited to show us more we had to throw in the towel around 10 miles and head down into town for an ice cream cone and some relaxing in the sun.  Heading back into Boulder we spent some time checking out the town then swung by the Southern Sun Brewpub for a proper “beer and burger” post ride feast. 

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Sunday morning we awoke ready to ride again.  This time we stayed a bit closer to town and headed up to Botasso Preserve.  The lower elevation and fast buff trails made for a much easier and faster ride than the day before.  The trail was pretty crowded with other bikers and a few hikers but I think that aspect really gave us the full Boulder experience. 

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We were sad to move on from Boulder but needed to keep rolling.  We soon learned we’d feel that way about just about every place we’d visit, there was just so much to see and so little time. 

Friday, September 27, 2013

Finally On the Road…

After a quick stop over in Springville to do laundry, repack the car and camper, and have a fantastic send off feast of cheese and broccoli stuffed, bacon wrapped Halibut and grilled potatoes we hit the road headed west.  Day 1 took us to Champaign, Illinois to visit Jess’s college roommate Tory.  We enjoyed a fantastic home cooked meal, great company, and our last night in a real bed.  In the morning we got up went for a quick walk around a local park then hit the road for the rugged interior of Kansas…

A full day on the road brought us to Wilson Lake State park, a large reservoir just a stones throw from I-70 in central Kansas.  We rolled into Wilson Lake in the dark so we were quite surprised when we awoke in the morning. The landscape we found was a large meandering lake surrounded by rolling hills littered with exposed rock and sand with a bit of a desert feel.  There were strange lizards, cacti, and even yucca plants to really seal the deal.  The park is home to a beautiful network of mountain bike trails so with a few hours before we needed to get on the road again we set out for a ride.  The riding was a blast, flowy sections, technical sections, wildflowers, and glimpses of the lake around every twist and turn.  We put together a quick 10 mileish loop then made our way back to the car to get on the road to Boulder.  I’m so glad we decided to stop here.  It broke up the drive across Kansas perfectly and gave us a chance to experience some fantastic singletrack in a place we never would have guessed to find it. 

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Mike standing guard over the halibut feast!!

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Jess learning to drive with the camper

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The Mississippi River

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Sunsets and wind turbines in Kansas

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Cooking our first dinner in Ramblin’ Rose

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A happy camper in the morning

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She’ll never look this pretty and clean again

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Wildflowers in Kansas

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Wild Kansas Lizards

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GoGoGO!!!

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Mountain biking among the yuccas