I am parked in the first parking lot at the TH. This morning there were riders today on a Monday morn. Popular. I never ran into any of them. Not an overly big area but trails get a rider a ways out there. First ride here went 13.3 miles in .52 square miles. Tight turns in juniper and pinyon pine forest mixing in rocks makes for short sight lines.

I fixed scratch pancakes while the sun brought the temp high enough to need only a short sleeve top. I researched trails on Trailforks and sort of planned a route. This is the 3rd time riding here which gave me some recollection of what I would be in for. I picked blue color trails leaving Island in the Sky, a nasty black, untested. This time I am riding a new Fox 36 Factory fork with Diaz’s RUNT installed. Previous rides were on the Lyric with the RUNT. Today I challenged myself by sessioning pieces that I couldn’t get first time. I made improvements in my riding, what contribution the fork made I do not know. What i do know is my performance was the best so far. Trails are challenging, and rewarding.

Towards the end my brain was worn out from concentration and exposure to risk. I let my beer reward pull me thru.

Nice sunny fall day, temps warmed enough for shorts and no shirt for soaking up sun.

Tonight only 1 rider showed up and rode.

Tomorrow I will ride the South trails then drive to Salida where my new PUSH Elevensix shock will be waiting for me and Chicken Dinner trail the next day.

Snow is forecast for Thurs. And well below freezing at night. Furnace is keeping me warm, last night it was running every time I woke up at a low temp setting. Doubled over down blanket kept me toasty.

Cows are an invasive species. Demand their removal from OUR public lands.

Up on the Poudre River afternoon clouds started moving out, the sun shone and its warmth started drying out the vegetation. Feeling dryness of the trails down at Horsetooth reservoir open space. I was given the tour of the Horsetooth by the bike shop. I let google maps navigate me to the trailhead right before start of Tower Trail jeep road climb. Open space, costs $9.00 per day paid at a vending machine on my card.

Nice, sunny and warming up but still warranted a long sleeve jersey. Tower trail is the smooth well maintained access road to the electronic towers at the top. Pedal, pedal, pedal, then get off and walk. There were 2 very steep pitched I lowered my expactations of pedaling even in the 46T. The climb was substantial, impressive vert per mile, took a lot of time.

I made the intersection of Spring Creek which was the high point. Old school single track with challenges.

I followed the tour. Enjoyable ride and trails.

Next was driving back to Fort Collins to find a laundromat then drive down past Denver to Buffalo creek area. Let google find laundromat near me. Clean clothes for another week. Let google route find down to Buffalo. It adjusted the route to avoid construction on I 25. Just lots of traffic. Routed onto I 25 past construction slow down. 3 lanes high density and it wasn’t even 5 PM rush. Up ahead on opposite lane I saw emergency flashers and maybe smoke. My south bound lanes slowed to a crawl finally arriving at source of smoke and slow down: simple rear ender caused the crasher’s car to catch fire and burned down to the metal. Once by the speed resumed. Looking at the north bound traffic back up was almost heart breaking for those drivers as the back up stretched literally for miles.

Then more fun as google navigated me around western Denver. Big road climb out of the flats topping out at 8,000′ and the Pine Valley exit, this road twisted and dropped may miles to Pine then to Buffalo Creek at the lower TH. Big climb up to fist FS road to the right and gateway to established primitive sites. It is dark. I turn on the wash board resource extraction road and looking for open legal spot. Passed site 1: occupied, same as 2,3,4,5,6,7,8, then open 9. I grabbed it. All the spots were just parking spots just off the road. I was maybe 10′ off the road. But I had a spot. No internet.

Sat was bright blue sky. Trail tread is decomposed granite: larger pieces of kitty liter which just moves under wheels. Grain size appears to be larger here. Today I rode going north from the camp spot dropping down to lower trail head then finishing the ride on a hump back up.

I passed several riders pedaling up, my smile was bigger than theirs. The climb back was almost painless, to me was easier than my descent.

Back at the van: sunshine enough for no shirt. So many rigs drove past heading deeper into the forest that continued to well after dark. I have no knowledge of open camp spaces would be for all that traffic. I was just smug that I had a spot even if I was dusted by each passing rig. I could hear pulled travel trailers before U saw them because they emitted a sound something like a beaten drum.

Sat afternoon I planned on driving back out of the valley then into Denver environs to visit with my cousin and her husband. But first was a ride again from camp but staying high riding south on Little Scraggy then returning on Little Scraggy west, rated black. Trail dropped per Trailforks 1051′ in 4.2 miles. Kitty litter scratchy tread. A posted sign told riders not to skid as it damages the trail. Shortly I was passed by a rider who rear brake skidded his turns. I could hear the skid. Perhaps more front brake would moderate his speed for the turns lessening or eliminating that skidding. Pleasant challenging enjoyable ride, Trail crossed the road at bottom of punishing steep uphill on stutter bumped gravel. Bike suspension slow dampens the bumps.

Back in the fall of 2008, the first year of my travels I rode here then drove to my cousin’s house. This trip re sequenced the events.

Back at the van cleaned up then made ready for driving. Plugged in cousin’s address in Google then just made the called out turns. Climbed out of valley to high point on US 285. I descended while bumper to bumper crawling was the climbing traffic. Again miles of back up. Just too many people wanting to be at the same place at the same time. Made Susan’s house.

Visited with Susan and Don. Susan and I are the same age, her mother is my mother’s sister, she is 92 years old still living independently. My mother died 41 years ago. Her husband, Don, is an artist. Family connection. Spent night in their driveway. Today was another bluebird day. I used their ladder to look at the van roof to figure out where water is still finding its way inside. I retaped 2 body joints with Gorilla tape. We visited till 1 then I put the van in gear and drove south on I 25 thru the gut of Denver urban sprawl. Turned off interstate for 2 lane heading west to Canon City then out to Oil Well Flats Trail system.

At the TH I walked a short piece of a trail. First off was lots of Cholla cactus, the stuff you would rather take a . 45 to the temple than fall into one. Lots and lots of the plant, mixed in a are small like prickly pear cactus. Welcome back to the desert. Going to ride here tomorrow and spend the night. Next day I will drive into town out to the South trails. Then on to Salida and the arrival of my new PUSH shock.

Yesterday I drove down as in dropping elevation from 8609′ to 7238′ from Happy Jack to Curt Gowdy SP. Drove into deserted campground, paid my entrance and camping fee then found a spot. Long story about satisfying the “system” for the site will be left out.

Weather forecast called for rain last night , needed to ride today to get it in. Clouds built up demonstrating the forecast accuracy. This is the 3rd time I have ridden here meaning I had vague recollection of what I wanted to ride. pedaled off. First reacquaintence was decomposed granite tread which is like kitty litter that moves under my tires.

Encountered one rider, we stopped and visited. He is from Marquette that we shared in common.

I rode trail named Canyon that dropped into a canyon. Familiar plant showing red:

I used Trailforks for navigation. Trails are color coded, some beyond black as red. last time I pushed, carried, lowered, whatever to get thru one red trail. Today i sought blue and some black if black lead to blue. In short while I realized that the trails are under rated for what they really require. Blue Crow Creek had real nasty walk a bike rock gardens. Final was Pinball rated blue. Your observation?

Grip shifter. I paint glitter nail polish on both the shifter and the grip which lines up to the 3rd largest gear

I was still out of breath even at lower elevation.

Weather was closing in. Back at van cool enough to stay inside. fed and cleaned myself. Before bed I stepped outside, I felt snow but temp was 44 degrees. Furnace ignites maybe 75% of time, tolerable and work around. Not even cell phone reception.

I made black beans with rice. I dug out the bag of Basmati rice and noticed a mouse chew hole. I thought I missed that when I cleaned out under the sink a several days ago. Hmmmm, another mouse? Dunno. I woke up and laid in bed trying to go back to sleep but didn’t happen. I heard a mouse action noise. Shit, more. I got up and dug out the new Victor trap and almond butter bait then set the baited trap under the sink. Again, laying awake. I heard a muffled whap. I got out of bed and opened the door. Success, another mouse goes to the great beyond. This trap pan has bends in it which captured the butter. The mouse licked it clean before it snapped on it. It died with a full belly.

Precip fell mostly as real thick fog. I was on the road by 8 headed to Fort Collins. Today would not be a riding day. I googled bike shops and picked to me the most interesting then drove to it. Visited with shop guy. Talked E bikes. He said don’t knock it until you ride one. Over my dead body I said.

PUSH Industries is just down the road in Loveland. I was up for a visit. Drove down. I walked in the front door. Introduced myself and asked if I could speak with Darren, the owner and mastermind behind the suspension tuning success. He came down and greeted me, we remember each other. He gave me a tour of the shop and we talked about manufacturing etc. I asked about the $1200 elevensix shock and why I would want to part with that much $. He said what they do is bring in every bike that their shock would be applicable to and test it engineering wise. Only bikes that the shock makes a big smile notice do they make a shock for it. My Turner RFX made the cut. I made my decision and opened my pocket and ordered one. Coil shock makes for a much more supple suspension which keeps the rear wheel on the ground for improved traction. They custom tune the shock at the factory eliminating the rider trying to figure out how to tune it. From the get go it is a remove the old then bolt in the elevensix an go ride and wait for fatigued face muscles from enjoyment. Their products are in great demand such that I have maybe a 2 week wait before it is on my bike. His business has grown so much since may last visit. I told Darren if I weren’t “employed” elsewhere I would submit my application for employment.

Going back to Fort Collins then out to a FS XG on the Poudre. Urban sprawl with little USFS land. Sunshine tomorrow then hope for a dry enough trail to ride here.

Waba Sabi in Moab called me today asking if I wanted to volunteer for the T-day feed again. I called back to say yes. Happy that I was asked back and so early. Last year they served 750 hungry appetites.

Whole Foods and REI in Fort Collins.