Snow Dust Trail

-
Clouds over the mountains behind Como

At the Gold Dust trailhead - looks like a great day for a ride!
After Nick finished rocking the backyard, it was time to escape the city for the weekend. We loaded up the stumpjumpers and headed west. No plans, no agenda. Just time to search for some fresh trails to ride. We were hoping to hit Kenosha and Georgia passes and do some leaf peeping on the ride. But the first stop was Como to ride the lower section of Gold Dust. As we drove up 285, we could see the blowing snow and clouds descending down the mountains. Guess we were gonna keep the ride really low and try to stay out of the wind! But despite the cold temperatures and occasional flakes, we were still gonna ride. It just meant we would bundle up a little more. There's no bad weather, just bad clothes!
End of Gold Dust - before the snow hit.
Start of our section of Gold Dust - yep, it's a little like winter out here!
As we headed north on Boreas Pass Road, the snow level plunged and the wind picked up. I tucked in behind Nick and we rode nice and easy, trying to stay  dry and warm. It was hard with the winds howling past, stealing every bit of heat and chilling exposed skin. I was very happy I had my hooded jacket and pulled the hood over my helmet. Nice and cozy. Snow covered the road, lending a wintery air to the crisp fall colors. The road took us longer then we had anticipated, but it wasn't worth fighting the wind to ride hard. It was supposed to be an easy day after all! 

Between winter and fall - snow on the aspen leaves
Finally, we reached where Gold Dust Trail crossed the road. We were both looking forward to ripping down the single track, protected from the wind by the changing aspens and tall pines. There was a dusting to an inch of fresh snow covering the trail. No one else was out and we had fresh tracks on the snow and fallen aspen leaves. And it was fun - at least until we hit the first downed tree. Seemed there had been a wind storm recently and trees littered the trail. Everything from tiny aspens to huge pines blocked the way. Some we were able to go around, but others we had to crawl over, dragging bikes with us. Oh well. What we were able to ride was fun. It did get tiring, having to stop every few minutes because of the trees. 
This is more like winter then fall!
We managed to beat the major part of the storm and got back to the van just as it was getting really nasty. Our plan of riding Kenosha and Georgia looked doubtful, but Nick decided to drive up anyway. We cruised up the road to Jefferson Campground, debated setting up shop, then headed to the lake. And it was nasty. I had no desire to try to ride in the kind if weather they next day. So on to plan B.

Jefferson Lake - I'm not camping here!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A long way on foot - Sheep Mountain Endurance Run

-
Image
Fifty miles is a long way - regardless of how you travel. As I was training and preparing for Sheep Mountain Endurance Run, I knew that it would be a long day - I knew that there would be ups and downs, that the plan would have to be fluid and goals adjusted mid-race. That is the nature of endurance sports and the people who achieve are the ones who can go with the flow and find the ability to turn things around if they do go south. Obviously, for my first 50, I was hoping for nothing but smooth sailing - with no dark spots, no demons and smiling the whole way. A girl can always hope, right? Runners assembled for the start Photo - Human Potential Running The sun was just starting to brighten the clouds as we walked to the starting line with nearly 100 other runners. The race director went through a few things, noting that there had already been some DNS's due to the elevation and to be smart. Smart... Most people would say smart would mean not doing something like a 50 mile ...
the full story...

Mortality

-
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention to arrive safely in a pretty and well preserved body; but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming 'Wow! What a ride!'” - Hunter S. Thompson It seems such a trite quote, but true at the same time. Life is about the journey - the adventures along the way, the failures and successes. A life well lived is a person with stories to tell, taking the chances along the way that will provide fulfillment. You don't realize how close we are teatering to the edge until something happens that affirms our mortality.  In eleven years of practicing physical therapy in a nursing home setting, I've had my share of experiences with death. Never close though - far enough removed to be touched by the passing but not affected. Sometimes it's expected and everyone says "it's for the best. They are happier now." Other times, it's not and we are all shocked...
the full story...

Regaining my mojo

-
Image
I'll be honest. The two months between the middle of July and middle of September just about crushed me. Tired all the time, unable to muster more then a slug pace for most rides, and shuffling my way through my runs. It was the worst two month I've had - made worse by my continuing to try to push through the fatigue. So after Vapor I made sure that I would listen to my body and not pressure myself into training until I felt ready. No matter how long it would take, I would take the recovery I needed. Two weeks of minimal activity - short swims that were mostly just paddling around, very short runs where I didn't look at my watch at all and the easiest of rides imaginable. After those two weeks, I was still tired, but feeling better. Getting more like myself again, with a little more energy. That meant I needed at least another week of easy recovery! It was not the time to succumb to FOMO and start up with the big rides and hard runs again. So I behaved even more, knowing ev...
the full story...

Friends with the Monsters..

-
And the voices inside of my head.  As Saturday approaches, the voices - the demons - have begun talking to me. Sometimes a whisper, sometimes a scream. 54 miles. It's the distance from Colorado Springs to Lake Pueblo State Park. Or the top of Wilkerson Pass... A long bloody way to cover on two wheels, let along two feet! Yet that is my goal. Traverse the trails and roads west and east of Fairplay, covering more then the distance of two marathons. Theoretically, it should be nothing. After all, I've run back to back marathons many times - once getting both under 3:10. Fifty two miles, in just shy of 24 hours at a pace much faster then I'm planning. But in this ventures, I had time to recover between races and took the recovery seriously. Here, nothing but continuous forward movement. One step in front of the other, no breaks between efforts and the the clock doesn't stop ticking.  As Saturday approaches, those voices are getting louder. Ever doubting, ever questioning - ...
the full story...