Chatfield State Park, Co

The drive thru the mountains from Buena Vista to Littleton, Colorado was so pretty after all of the rain. We enjoy Chatfield State Park so much, lots of space and full hookups. They have bike trails all over the Denver area along the South Platte river and streams.

Hudson Gardens has a great coffee shop along the river which was a treat after 32 miles for the last 7 miles back to the trailer.

We had tickets to see Three Dog Night at Hudson Gardens. We enjoy this venue since it is small and cozy and had such a good time. We had forgotten about many of their songs.

After the rain and the concert. Another good day!

Buena Vista Bike Fest

This is a fun event put on by the Colorado Springs Cycling Club which we belong to. A lot of effort is made to make this a fun event. The views during the ride are incredible.

The ride around Turquoise Lake were so pleasant and very little traffic. But the grade seemed to go on and on as we reached the high point. As you can see I needed plenty of pictures aka rest stops.

Once we made it to the Summit, everyone would stop and put clothes on and zip up for the ride down.

After the decent and arriving in Leadville, CO, there were great volunteers with lunch for us. Couldn't sit too long since we had another climb around the Mineral Belt and didn't want to get stiff.

After the ride and return to Buena Vista, there was beer, BBQ and music. We slept like babies that night.

Buena Vista, Colorado

We haven't been to Buena Vista in a while. Everything was beautiful and river running high after all of the rain we have received.

Mount Princeton in the background while we ride our bikes up Cottonwood Pass.

We managed to ride up to Cottonwood Hot Springs before the pass really started to climb. When we stopped in for a visit, they were very pleasant and showed us around. We have visited Mt Princeton Hot Springs in the past but really liked the atmosphere here.

I was hoping to hike up to Ptarmigan Lake but as you can see the snow was still a bit deep.

After driving down the pass to under 10,000 feet we found another trail with lots of beaver ponds and streams.

The Buena Vista Park runs along the Arkansas River with hiking/biking trails, kayaking and rafting.

So glad we got to return even though its not very far from where we live.

H. B. Wallace Reserve, Green Mountain Falls

After so much rain this month, it was good to get out with the Pikes Peak Over the Hill Gang for a morning hike.

We started out down here and headed to the rocks way up there. Of course, we had to take Fat Man's Squeeze up and squeeze between the rocks.

Lots of short switchbacks going straight up. We made it to the top of Castle Rock.

The toes got sore going down. I guess I should tie my shoes better. It was fun to catch up with everyone. Only found one tick. Isn't it early in the season?

Getting ready for a another adventure

Colorado is great in the summer. As excited as we are to be starting a new chapter in our life, we are waiting until the end of summer to be on our way. We have been fortunate to have good friends to spend time riding our bikes and hiking with after a long winter inside. I don't think they really get what we are planning to do. We are a little glad that everyone doesn't want to do the same. Who else would take care of the grocery stores and send us our mail if everyone was gone? Our kids are not surprised since Debbie has worked 3 month contracts as an ICU traveling nurse over the past 12 years and they see our passion for travel and meeting new people. It is a process getting things in order to totally change the way a person is living. As we go thru things, giving away some and packing away others, it is fun to remember our past giving pictures to our kids and laughing at the memories. I am glad we didn't leave it for them to go thru when we aren't able to share what they ment to us.We have a contract on the house, an offer to buy our furniture, the travel trailer is getting tuned up for our summer and most of our belongings that we don't need given away. We will move across town and enjoy the summer in the mountains but ready to leave when the time is right. Gore Creek, Vail, Colorado

Riding our bikes on the Pueblo River Trail

Pueblo, Colorado is home to the CF&I Steel Mill where my dad spent 40 years mostly in the drawing room of the wire mill. When I had children of my own, we would spend summers at the Lake Pueblo swim beach. We now try to ride the river trail at least once a year when we are in Colorado. It gets pretty warm in the summer months so we opt for spring or fall.

The round trip ride along the river is bout 30 miles that is pretty flat but the wind can blow and make it feel like up hill. When we passed the dam, there is a new fish hatchery so we checked out the trout. Actually, I was more interested in resting before the climb to the south marina and campground.

We like to stop at Coyotes at the Greenway Nature Center but it turned out the be closed. After a Cliff Bar, we rode back to downtown to find some food. We get into a habit when we find a good place to eat. This made us venture out and find a place in the Union District. < a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBbGMO8rXlf3aFzxsMU-9QAXdzGHRVyzrx9rIbfqZSqQfXJWPElAVYMZF7WY2v6QxQVpyLwhyphenhyphen8NC0nc3O_RQefYtSin_oXKoYksMdcPxIGdDWnZBc7-Ht_dLM3-d7LSfpoLylSszbjO4/s1600/pueblo.jpg" imageanchor="1" > We sent to the revitalized Union Station area and watched to see which restaurant had the most people leaving since it was almost 2pm and decide to try DC's on B Street and was pleasantly surprised. Pueblo is a Latino community with a strong Italian influence and was reflected in the food. Of course, you can get Pueblo chiles on any thing you order.

HIking the Intemann Trail in Manitou Springs

Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs have so many great hiking trails within a short distance from and within the city. Probably why it is considered one of the healthiest places to live. That is just what people do here. If the sun is shining or it is snowing, people love to walk in the woods or mountain sides. There are trails for every level. In the springtime, April is one of the snowiest months and Pikes Peak is beautiful at 14,115 feet above sea level. Paul Intemann Memorial Nature Trail (named in honor of a Manitou Springs city planner) is a popular trail that winds south of Manitou Springs. It a is part of the Ring the Peak trail system but due to property easement dispute it is incomplete, with a gap in the middle. When hiking from north to south the trailhead is located off the Ruxton Avenue by the Iron Spring. Follow the trail through Spring Street and through the gate. After about 1/2 mile you will see a spur that leads up to the Red Mountain. Another 1/2 mile later the trail continues north on Pawnee Avenue through the city. Turn right on Southside Avenue, then walk a short portion of the trail to Delaware Road. The trail continues off the city streets again by the Tot lot. After passing by the High School you will reach the current end of the western portion of the trail at the cemetery. In order to hike the whole trail continuously you must take a detour through the city and come up on Crystal Park road to the next trail head. To hike the eastern portion of the trail start at the Section 16 trail head on Gold Camp Road. After 0.8 miles a sign marks the beginning of Intemann Trail to the right. The trail winds up and down at the foothills for about 2 miles until you reach Crystal Park Road. Climb up under the east side of the Sheep Mountain to trail's current end. Length: Total length of both segments is 5 miles. Difficulty: Easy to Medium. Trail is easy to hike but total distance does increase the difficulty if the whole trail is done in one day. Directions: Section 16 trailhead: From US-24 exit on 26th street. After driving through two switchbacks turn right to Gold Camp Road and the trailhead parking lot will be on the right side after about 0.9 miles. For Iron Spring trailhead park along the Ruxton Avenue in Manitou Springs or at the Barr Trail parking lot off Hydro Street.