Palmer Park! Saturday Morning the 4th

Palmer Park with Denver BOMB

Where? Palmer Park - Yucca Flats Parking
When? 2008-10-04 @ 9am
Duration? 2-3 hours, maybe ten miles.
Difficulty? Moderate to Difficult Technical trails.
Meet Where?

Yucca Flats Parking

To receive automated email invites...subscribe here.

RSVP: Keith

A Roadie saved my life

I live in a very rural area, about six miles from town (Penrose...if you can even call a city with no stop lights a "town"). The main stretch of road between our house and Penrose...and to Colorado Springs (30 miles to the north) is highway 115...known to some as "the ribbon of death" - a name it has earned because of the frequent deadly car wrecks on the highway.

I have seen numerous roadies riding between Colorado Springs, Penrose and on to Canon City on Highway 115. I constantly scratch my head in wonder when I see roadies on the Ribbon of Death. There is a large Portland Cement plant in Penrose and there are 100's of these huge Portland Cement haulers constantly shuttling loads between the 'Springs and Penrose!

Just a week ago...we were headed to church in "town" (Penrose), just after turning south onto the Ribbon of Death and heading south down Beaver Creek Hill, I noticed a roadie working on a flat tire on the north bound side of the road. There was so little shoulder on the north bound side that the bike was actually protruding part way into the traffic lane.

Today, I had a lunch appointment in town with a good friend and decided to ride my heavy duty commuter rig to his house for lunch and fellowship (about 9 miles one way). If you know me at all...you know the utter dread with which I take to riding on the road. I avoid it at all cost...but I didn't have any other way to get to this lunch appointment. Turning off our rural road and onto the Ribbon of Death...heading south at least there is a very large shoulder - it's a good 12 feet. The opposite side of the road is where I had seen that roadie...the opposite side of the road was where there was as little as 6" of shoulder.

I watched on the way down the hill to see where the wide shoulder disappeared on the north bound side...and I thought I'd make a mental note..."do I risk my life and ride that tiny ribbon of shoulder...or break the law on the way back up the hill and ride against traffic, but on the side with the very generous shoulder?"

I had a fantastic lunch with my friend Don Haberman...and started cranking home. When I hit the uphill slope of Beaver Creek Hill on that Ribbon of Death, I remembered where the shoulder disappeared almost to nothing and made the decision.

I would ride up the hill...against traffic...and stay as far to the left as possible on that very generous 12 feet of shoulder.

I had to wait a minute or two to get a clear road...then I crossed.

There's no other way to put it...this hill pretty much sucks. I had been cranking for a while when I could finally just see my turn...about 1/4 mile away. I hear one of those cement trucks pass off to my right as it makes its way up the hill...on the side where there's 6" of shoulder.

As the truck passes...I notice...CRAP...he's ON the stinking SHOULDER...no wait...WHAT? He drifts off the asphalt shoulder...his right wheels dig into the grass...he tries to correct...next thing I know there's a CONCRETE truck sliding sideways and then ROLLING down the embankment where I should have been riding my bike!

I pull out my cell phone...call 911. A bunch of other traffic is already stopping...

I get to the wreckage just as a bunch of guys are arriving and trying to figure out how to get the driver out. The driver is ok, but banged up and he manages to get out.

I stood there for a few minutes...in awe...and wonder that I should have been on that shoulder if I'd have been "obeying the law of the road"...I'd have been squooshed like a grape...nothing more than a stain on the side of the road.

Thank you Lord for saving my life today. Thank you for the visual of that roadie's bike laying part way into the traffic lane...pretty much exactly where the wreck occurred and exactly where I should have been riding my bike.

Thank you Lord for saving the life of that driver.

I finished riding to the house (another 2 miles)...hopped on the ATV and rode back down to snap some pics:

Dare I add...that just yesterday I was chatting with a friend in California on IM about "...hey...would you speak at my funeral?"

CMSP x2 in one week

I rode CMSP again yesterday, it is a fun trail network with great views and very twisty lines.

Jeff and Jeff rode it with me...of course they are probably to two best climbers I know...poor guys had to wait for me after every climb.

I snapped some pics this time...

I GPS'd it, I'll post an update when I have it downloaded.

Cheyenne Mountain State Park (CMSP)

Cheyenne Mountain State Park (CMSP)

See the trail write up from Tuesday the 16th here.

Where? Cheyenne Mountain State Park
When? 2008-09-19 @ 11:30am
Duration? 2 to 3 hours...about 16 miles
Difficulty? Smooth, flowy trails with about 2,000ft of climbing.

Meet Where?

Option #1 Meet at Fellowship Bible Church at 11am (six bucks per car-load to enter CMSP...meet here to save a little $$$)

Option #2 Main trailhead ("Day Use Trailhead" on the Map) in CMSP at 11:30.

To receive automated email invites...subscribe here.

RSVP: Keith  (719) 964-3595

South Boundary Trail Plot

Here is the South Boundary Trail Plot from last Saturday , if you want the full GPS and/or Google Earth file...send me an email. For some reason my GPS cut out for about 4 miles (you can see a dead straight line)...and it was right through the "Heaven On Earth" section...darn, I'll have to go back to re-capture it!

CMSP Ride Report

CMSP or Cheyenne Mountain State Park...

I met my old boss Jeff over at the Safeway near Cheyenne Mountain at 9am this morning.  We loaded up into his SUV...and headed over.  It is a state park and he has a state park pass ($60 a year to cover entry fees for any Colorado State Park), otherwise it is $6 per vehicle per day to visit the park...and ride the trails.

CMSP Trails Map

We did three different loops, covering over 16 miles and nearly 2,000ft of climbing...saw a Bobcat, and a huge pile of bear scat so fresh it was still steaming!  We hit Blackmer, Zook Loop, Sundance, Talon, North Talon, South Talon, Boulder Run, Soaring Kestrel, Bobcat Way, Acorn Alley...probably more that I can't remember.  The network of trails over there is HUGE.

The views are stunning.  The trails are wide and fairly smooth, but very fun.  These trails were designed to reduce trail conflict.  Very short straight sections that constantly flow into turns to keep the speed down as well.  Most of the trail is off camber to enhance erosion control as well.

The turns never end...it is a heck of a lot of fun.  Heavy forest, some meadows and a few rocks here and there.  A few trails have some light technical sections that would be ideal to build up some bike handling skills.

The trail network makes for a great cardio and mile building bonanza...I was amazed how fast 16 miles seemed to fly by (I think it was about 2.5 hours).

Good stuff, highly recommended and we'll be returning soon for a group ride.

...no pics this time...doh.

South Boundary Trail Wrap Up

Tony, Jeff, Don and I headed south for Taos at about 2:30 on Friday.

For all the pics...click here.

The drive went quick...the secenery is amazing on that route toward Taos (once you head west that is...Pueblo...well Pueblo is just Pueblo). We arrived in Taos...found the Super 8, grabbed dinner (served with a Divine Appointment)...hit the grocery store for some ride provisions and then hit the sack.

We headed over to meet the shuttle in town and met with two of the riders from Albuquerque BOMB. Tim and Darren were there and ready to roll! Chris was to meet us at the trailhead with another Albuquerque BOMBer. We loaded up and headed for the hills.

The South Boundary Trailhead is actually just outside the town of Angelfire New Mexico and it's a good 40 minute shuttle ride to the trailhead from Taos. We turned off the highway onto a dirt service road and headed further up the hill. We see a white pickup heading our way...as they got closer they started flagging us down. It's Chris and Carl...Carl forgot his hydration pack and were headed to their hotel in Angelfire to grab it.

We continue up the road...it got progressively more and more 4x4 like, the old shuttle van did an amazing job of getting us through to the trailhead. Rey...the shuttle drive and owner of the bike shop in Taos (Gearing Up Bicycle Shop) told us that good old van has even made fresh tracks on that road in a few inches of snow. Rey was fantastic, giving us a lot of pointers, the lay of the land and suggestions for other trails to hit in the area.

...on to the South Boundary Trail...

We get to the trailhead. Just a few minutes after unloading Chris and Carl arrive. We're all getting our gear together.

Tim takes a minute to check/adjust his rear shock (an air shock)...he removes the pump and PPPPPFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTT! All the air in his shock is gone in about a tenth of a second. Try again...same thing. We all start monkeying with it, the pump, the valve...Tim is not having fun now. We finally manage to pull the valve stem, clean it, get it back in and it holds air this time! Poor Tim did the panic dance for about 15 minutes.

Tim...just before the PFFFFT.
Everyone McGuyvering it.
Fixed it...Tim is happy again

You know the old saying "When something sounds too good to be true...it probably is too good to be true?"

Well...I had heard from my old boss, and from Chris (Albuquerque BOMB) that there was a brutally steep and loose initial climb that was only a little over a mile long...and after that it was about 23 miles of just amazing, tight, buff and flowing DOWNHILL singletrack.

My boss...rides a road bike about 5,000 miles a year...and Chris is a 6'1" 150lb Cross Country monster that rides a 29" hard tail and races throughout the season. I should have known better.

The initial climb didn't seem that bad (above)...I pushed the bike a lot. It was steep. It was loose - but it was short. I think the GPS registered about 1.25 miles to the top. We started to head down a bit and stopped in a meadow to re-group. Chris said "OK...fast folks up front, we have about four miles of fast descending..."

My camera batteries died...and the spares were dead (note to self...replace the rechargeable batteries)...so most of the remaining are courtesy of Jeff! Thanks bro.

The next four miles or so were some of the sweetest, in the forest, loamy dirt, tight singletrack, over roots...BOMBING downhill I can ever remember. Chris said the section was called "Heaven On Earth". That was no hyperbole....wow, no kidding "Heaven On Earth". I would have shuttled that section all day if possible. Man...it was like butter. No pedaling...all gravity and all gravy baby!

The trail dumped right next to a hunter camp...we didn't see any other ridres all day, but we saw a few hunter camps and a few hunters...that was a bit concerning - but it is bow season, so we didn't have to worry too much.

The next section of trail went on for a LONG time...it was just slightly downhill - it would have been perfect...and just like the pervious section if it had been but maybe 2% more DOWN. It was JUST flat enough to require constant pedaling - wasn't as fast as "Heaven On Earth", but it was more of the same type of trail. Tight, sweet singletrack through the forest.

...and then...what? Uphill? Where was this on the trail description. It wasn't steep...it wasn't even loose, but it went on for what seemed like a long, long time.

Chris...apologies bro. I think we really started giving you a hard time about it. It was all good...we just didn't anticipate all the Up, Up, UpHill. Something over 2,000ft of it...ugh.

We stopped at a big clearing, rested a bit, ate some trail grub and prayed for the lady from the night before.

Finally...we started to angle down some more. I was in front and we were picking up speed again. Chris reports..."Ok for real...it's all downhill now!" I was having a blast dodging trees, plowing through root gardens and railing turns.

I came blasting down the trail and saw a log across the trail. Not big...and someone had stacked a small ramp up before it. I hit the log, lifting the front end cleanly over it...and carrying way too much speed into it with the rear wheel.

I'm pretty sure I broke the Olympic Record for the "Over the Bar Pole Vault"...man I was up there and slammed HARD onto my left shoulder. I'm pretty sure the wind was knocked out of my left lung and a searing pain in my chest. I jumped right up...walked over to a log and sat down to collect my thoughts. Holding my left arm...I first feared something was busted. But as I breathed in and moved my arm around...yup...collar bone is still intact, no death pain when I breath in...ribs not busted...but dang it hurt!

Everyone arrived on scene...I straightened my bars and walked back up the trail muttering "freaking log"...rode over it again and cleaned it like butter. On the way again! We hit some sections with unbelievable views, but not something you'd want to gander at unless you were stopped. I've seen freaky exposure before...but this was wierd because it was covered in trees and just dropped away to what seemed like forever.

We crossed another road...and hit what we'd been told was the final "very technical" section. It was fairly steep and loose - but not "technical" in the big ledges and rock gardens way. Just loose primarily. Still it was a hoot. Getting ever closer to town now as well...you could see the elevation dropping...

The trail eventually drops onto the same highway you take to get to Ange Fire and the trail head...a few miles of pedaling and on to Eskes Brew Pub for some fine dining and some good suds. A great trip...can't wait to head down there again and bring a bigger contingent from Coloraod Springs - maybe even some of the Denver BOMB crew!