DnvrFox on Single Track - and a Sheriif interrogation to boot - Unbelievable!!
05-06-11, 01:53 PM
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DnvrFox on Single Track - and a Sheriif interrogation to boot - Unbelievable!!
Well, this is nothing like the trails that BluesDawg and other true mtn bikers do, but it was a real adventure for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Please enjoy it also.
Spruce Meadows Open Space is about 20 miles south of Denver, in an area in which, wisely, some folks dedicated 10's of thousands of open space between Denver and Colorado Springs - otherwise, there would be houses all over the place and a continuous city from Denver to Colorado Springs.
So, early this morning - temp about 40F - I drove down there in my Neon with the Specialized Rockhopper stuffed inside. Itis an 8.5 mile loop - which to me was challenging in several spots.
Near the end of the ride, I made a wrong turn, and was going down besides the railroad track when, out of nowhere, up comes a Sheriff, informing me tha I was on private Burlington Northern and Santa Fe property. I showed him the map, which showed me being on the trail and all was forgiven. He asked me what I was doing there, and told him I was doing an 8.5 mile loop, and he looked at me and said, "Oh my God!" As there were no houses, and I saw absolutely no one on my ride, I have no clue how he knew about me.
SO, here is the trip in chronological order.
The start of the trail, with snow-covered Pikes Peak in the background.
Some pictures along the way
There is another 5.5 mile loop - but much more difficult.
And, the bike tucked safely in the Neon
Spruce Meadows Open Space is about 20 miles south of Denver, in an area in which, wisely, some folks dedicated 10's of thousands of open space between Denver and Colorado Springs - otherwise, there would be houses all over the place and a continuous city from Denver to Colorado Springs.
So, early this morning - temp about 40F - I drove down there in my Neon with the Specialized Rockhopper stuffed inside. Itis an 8.5 mile loop - which to me was challenging in several spots.
Near the end of the ride, I made a wrong turn, and was going down besides the railroad track when, out of nowhere, up comes a Sheriff, informing me tha I was on private Burlington Northern and Santa Fe property. I showed him the map, which showed me being on the trail and all was forgiven. He asked me what I was doing there, and told him I was doing an 8.5 mile loop, and he looked at me and said, "Oh my God!" As there were no houses, and I saw absolutely no one on my ride, I have no clue how he knew about me.
SO, here is the trip in chronological order.
The start of the trail, with snow-covered Pikes Peak in the background.
Some pictures along the way
There is another 5.5 mile loop - but much more difficult.
And, the bike tucked safely in the Neon
Last edited by DnvrFox; 05-06-11 at 03:24 PM.
05-06-11, 02:41 PM
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You don't need trees to have great single track. That looks like fun.
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05-06-11, 02:57 PM
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That's funny. The real mountain bikers around here call me a roadie. While that may not look much like the singletrack I usually ride, I do ride in some open areas with smooth trails like that. But nothing like that majestic Colorado landscape in view. That is beautiful.
05-06-11, 03:01 PM
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Can tell just by the type of terrain that you had a good ride. May have been flattish but that is no nicely surfaced MUP. You'll have to get the rockhopper out again to show us more pics.
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05-06-11, 03:37 PM
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Great pics & I'm sure it was a great ride. That's my kinda of MT Biking.
Sounds like the Sherrif is paid by the RR.
Sounds like the Sherrif is paid by the RR.
05-06-11, 03:45 PM
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Boy that really looks like my type of riding! I'm jealous! Even the sand looked fun!
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Private docent led mountain bike rides through Limestone Canyon. Go to letsgooutside.org and register today! Also available: hikes, equestrian rides and family events as well as trail maintenance and science study.
______________________________________________________________Private docent led mountain bike rides through Limestone Canyon. Go to letsgooutside.org and register today! Also available: hikes, equestrian rides and family events as well as trail maintenance and science study.
05-06-11, 04:42 PM
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That looks just like Central Indiana except completely different.
You're lucky you made it out of that wilderness area alive!
You're lucky you made it out of that wilderness area alive!
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05-06-11, 04:52 PM
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We call that cross country here. My favorite kind of ride after road riding.
05-06-11, 06:34 PM
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That looks like pretty smooth track. The guys here would ride their road bikes on that loop! lol Looks like my kind of mtb ride though, not very technical and plenty fast. Except for that sand trap.
05-06-11, 06:58 PM
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I didn't show a number of trickier parts. Also, much of it is quite rutted - at times I had to keep the pedals level to avoid scraping, or else move out of the track. If a road bike can do this, I want to be in the audience!!
05-06-11, 07:04 PM
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You mean you can't take pictures while balancing through the ruts? lol Just like whitewater, it's what you can't see from the road that gets ya.
05-07-11, 05:18 AM
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I always say it's not a real off road ride unless you pass at least one no tresspassing sign, get chased by a wild animal, draw blood scaling a fence, have at least one encounter with the law, and end up with a bike so muddy, you'd never think of putting it in the back seat of your car.
You checked off the most imortant item on the list. Looks like a great ride.
Been a long time since I've had a ride like that. Time to go and re-discover my youth.
You checked off the most imortant item on the list. Looks like a great ride.
Been a long time since I've had a ride like that. Time to go and re-discover my youth.
Last edited by Dan Burkhart; 05-07-11 at 05:27 AM.
He was in a HUmmer or Humvee or something like that.
05-07-11, 06:17 AM
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I've never met a law enforcement officer who had a sense of humor - at least not while on duty! That probably wan't the best time to find out, as technically I was trespassing.