Day 8. Home Again...Jiggity Jog!

Our last day on the road, leaving Evergreen at 8:15 on an already sunny and warm morning and headed down our last mountain of this trip and north back to our home in Niwot, arriving about 1:30 after 46 miles.  A little GPS issues with my cycling app but the map above is indicative of our route. 

Angela is all smiles as we have climbed our last hill out of Evergreen before bracing ourselves for the steep decent down Lookout Mountain. 

Off to the east and lost in the haze is a silhouette of the Denver skyline. 

Headed north on loud and busy CO 93 between Golden and Boulder the Flat Iron Mountains where Boulder is nestled appear in the distance. We’re getting closer to home, 20 miles to go!

In our hometown of Niwot Angela determinedly climbs our last incline before we coast into our neighborhood. 

Taa Daah!!  Angela prepares to make a left turn into our driveway. Home again, home again jiggity jog!!!  It’s been a great trip but it’s always so nice when we come home!!

Day 7. Frisco to Evergreen Over Loveland Pass

A challenging day back over Loveland Pass on our way to our last night on the road in Evergreen. Another great weather day as well. 

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In the first minutes of our ride this morning around 8:15 we’re cruising towards Dillon Dam.  Such a nice morning in a wonderful place such as Summit County. 

Now on the road to Keystone Sky Village along the easterly edge of the Dillon Reservoir. 

 

We stop for our first quick break in Keystone where Angela is trying to find the restrooms on the map in the Square. 

 

Okay. 12 miles into the ride were now about to start some more serious climbing over Loveland Pass. 

Before we start the final switchbacks in the last 3 or so miles up to the pass we first have to pass The Legend, A-Basin. 

We take a short break at Arapahoe Basin to load up on a few carbs before our final push over the pass. They were still skiing here up to last Sunday which was their last day of the season.   Some years they’re able to stay open until the 4th!

Looking back you can see Keystone cut into the mountain a little over 6 miles back. 

Near the pass I had Angela stand next to the layers of snow along US 6. They have to keep Loveland Pass open all winter because the truckers can’t carry flamable or hazardous materials through the Eisenhower tunnel for safety sake. 

We were here just 5 days ago!!

Gliding down from Loveland Pass we made quick time to Old Georgetown about 15 miles away.  It’s now about 1:30 and we have had only a couple of tiny snacks since breakfast. We stop for a nice al fresco lunch at a little cafe. 

On our 2nd day headed west I took a picture of this flag blowing in the opposite direction and into our faces. And now, we have the same wind in our faces with the flag blowing inthe opposite direction!!  The cycling gods are messing with us again!

In Idaho Springs we take another quick break as it’s time for our afternoon Frappuccino!  Tomorrow Starbucks starts a 50% of sale after 3PM. This may not be our last afternoon Frappuccino!

All checked in at our hotel in Evergreen at 5pm, Angela slides into a patio chair off of our room. Ahhhh. Next a ahower, dinner and bed! Tomorrow we ride home to Niwot. Yea!!

A good day climbing over Loveland Pass. The little mini-peak towards the end of the ride is known as Floyd Hill, and it has a very steep pitch to it, the steepest we experienced all day. 

Day 6. Avon to Frisco-Vail Pass from the West

A 40 mile day today up the steep side of Vail Pass. More blue skies and warm weather, even at 10,000 ft. elevation. 

Leaving Avon at 9:15 on US 6, bike trails or frontage roads along I-70.  It’s about a 25 mile climb to the summit of Vail Pass but the last 10 miles have some pretty steep grades in places we’re not looking forward to on our 6th day of riding. 

11 miles of a steady climb out of Avon, we’ve ridden through Vail for the Rich & Famous and now heading into East Vail where you only need to be rich. 

At the last Summit Stage free bus stop in East Vail Ang and I take a little break and eat a leftover donut with raspberry sauce from last night before the steepies come.  

We met our first long distance cyclist today. Her name is Nancy, she’s a school teacher in Eagle, CO and this is her first day on her summer long journey to Alaska before school starts.  She apparently is running 3 marathons this fall too. This isn’t her first rodeo either. She cycled from Oregon to Maine on the Northern Tier and painted a wonderful picture of her tour on the Sierra-Cascades Route. 

Climb, climb, climb....

And climb some more. 

Out of water and 4 more miles of the toughest part of the climb to the summit, grrrrrrrr. 

And just up ahead is Vail Summit

Where we find Nancy again, having finished her peanut butter and pickle sandwich and about to head down the path to Frisco for the night.  Peanut butter and pickles is the name of her blog she just started for this trip. I looked it up and copied a link below if you want to follow her or check out her past trips. 
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1mr&doc_id=20730&v=1F

Good luck Nancy!!!

A 5 mile cruise down Vail Pass takes us through Copper Mountain ski resort. 

And 10 more miles of downhill coasting brings us to the great little mountain town of Frisco where we get cleaned up and take a walk down Main St. to Peppinos for salads and pizza. 

And here’s a snap shot of the elevation profile for today. 

Day 5. Glenwood Springs to Avon

A steady gradual 56 mile uphill day today following the Colorado and Eagle River to Avon. Great temperature and the  blue skies made it a great day to turn back towards our home. 


Leaving the Starlight Motel near the heart of Glenwood Springs at 8:15 ready to see what the day held for us. 

About half way up Glenwood Canyon Angela spotted this American flag atop a +1,000 high peak rising above the Colorado River on the other side.  Who and how the heck did they climb up that peak and install what looks like a 20’ tall flag pole strong enough to to withstand the winds in the canyon?  If you look closely at the flag blowing in the wind, now having turned our ride to the east we have an easterly headwind today. The cycling gods are fickle for sure!

Nearing the Shoshone Hydro plant where the Colorado is its most violent in the canyon, it was hard to be heard over the roar but we managed a quick selfie and were on our way. 

The Interstate though Glenwood Canyon was given the name the Grand Boulevard and is one of the most celebrated sections of the US Interstate system. What makes it special for me is the amazing natural back drop of the canyon and the amazing architecture, engineering and construction challenges that went into building the road way. The effect of the highway, the railway and the canyon contrasting on each other in such a complementary way are fabulous and are best appreciated from the bike path which in itself is very special. 

Out of the Glenwood Canyon now and approaching the town of Gypsum Ang is signaling to see if I want to stop in the shade of this roadside put-in for the Eagle River.  20+ miles into the ride, the morning is still fresh and so are we. Ride on I say!!

We didn’t take many breaks today but about 5 miles away from our hotel for the night we spot a Starbucks along the route that we have frequented several times on past bike rides. It was an easy decision on a warm, sunny afternoon. 

Continuing on with the food theme, Angela smiles over 3 fresh made donuts she chose for desert with a warmed raspberry sauce.  Ummm, the perks of riding a bike all day!

And for those looking for an elevation profile for the day it was a pretty steady but gradual climb up to Avon with a 2,900 feet of climbing overall.  Tomorrow we take on Vail Pass from the west. 

Eagle to Glenwood Springs- Our last westbound segment!

A nice, shorter, down hill day following the Eagle River and the Colorado River into the amazing Glenwood Canyon and then into Glenwood Springs by early afternoon. 


Out of Eagle headed west we were mostly on the lightly traveled US 6 and access roads following I-70.   We stopped after about an hour to check out this Eagle River put-in for the many rafters and fisherman that use the Eagle for recreation.  On the Western Slope the terrain begins to look more and more like the canyon lands of Utah. 


Looking up river of the Colorado as the Eagle River out of Vail combines it’s forces with the Colorado River running out of Granby Lake to the northeast, later to enter the grand daddy of canyons. 

As we ride further downstream the canyon walls close in and offer much more dramatic views. 

Parts of the river run calmly through the canyon. This time of year things are still very green and lush. 

At the trail head for the Hanging Lake hike we stop for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 

Other parts of the Colorado run fast and furious like this portion after the hydro-electric plant just up stream. In the distance just above the river you can see west bound I-70 overlayed the east bound lanes. The civil engineering and construction of the Interstate through the canyon are almost as amazing as the canyon itself!

As we approach the western side of the canyon the 1.400 foot high walls begin to spread and give way to broad valleys further west near Grand Junction. 

The last few miles on the bike path into Glenwood Springs. 

After some margaritas and a nap this afternoon we further celebrated our westward bike ride from home with a tasty steak dinner at Juicy Lucy’s right off of the river. 

Enjoying the nice evening after a walk around town we turned in for the night. Tomorrow we head back east towards home.