Denver's Bike Paths

FULL MOON ON SAND CREEK DECEMBER 2011

2011-12-10T10:47:00.009-07:00

Full Moons have Names. The December name is the Cold Moon or the Oak Moon. We're gonna go with Cold Moon.

I caught the Platte River Trail at Alameda going down stream.

The trail had compact snow and ice. not hard to ride on, just no sudden turns.

I love to ride in winter. It's quiet and you can see animal tracks in the snow.

A pigeon posed for a picture.

There was some construction going on under 6th avenue. The trail is open.

OK, here we are at Frog Hollow where the detour starts.

I'm going to check the progress on the closed portion.

Here's a good sign. Although the trail is closed it's been plowed.

The path is 100% complete. They're landscaping the path to make it ready. Wow this is a world class path here. It is going to be beautiful.

According to the plan the path won't open until April but I can't believe that. Another month at the most I think.

Yep, all the concrete is in, most of the big machines are gone.

That crane in the distance is removing the steel plates that created the cofferdam. I guess whatever they were doing is done now.

This is the new underpass where the dam was. See where the dirty brown line is on the bridge? That's the old waterline. It was removed because of the light rail. The bike path had to go under the bridge and to be that low the dam had to go.

Here's a look up Lakewood Gulch. That trail should be open soon. This first part is a huge improvement over the old concrete canyon.

I hope the trail opens soon for these poor sign's sake.

OK, now there's a real detour. I-25 bridge right next to Mile High Stadium. Bike paths on both sides of the Platte are closed here, you take the road that winds around Mile High Stadium.

A workman told me they're demolishing the bridge which should be interesting because that's I-25. I guess they'll be deconstructing and constructing simultaneously because they're not going to close I-25.

Soon you reach this path which goes up a hill. When you reach a road, turn right and ride down hill to the Aquarium.

Bingo there you are. This is small island of land bordered on one side by the Platte and one side by the freeway. There are not many ways to get here by car. Someone once asked me how to get to R.E.I. in Denver but I said although I've been there many times I've only been there by bike. Corner of Cherry Creek & The Platte.

Once at the Aquarium turn into the parking lot then keep going downhill. I rode the last part across an open area in 4" of untracked snow. Whee!

Then across the trolley tracks and onto the Platte Trail.

Looking over Confluence Park. Denver. My kind of town.

Looking back the other way at the Platte.

Cruising along the Platte.

Pretty soon you come to Globeville Landing Park.

This shelter in Globeville Park once save me from a fierce rain storm.

From Globeville you can see the Denver Coliseum and the moon.

A little further along there is the animal transfer station. Good news sheep, I saw a trailer backed up to transport you out of here. The bad news is it's a refrigerated trailer. Bye my beloved animal friends. I hope you all had a great life.

This is where the Burlington Ditch is diverted from the Platte river.

The Burlington Ditch takes most of the Platte but only for a mile or so, then the Denver sewage treatment plant releases huge quantities of treated sewage. It must be safe enough to drink because the city of Aurora takes Platte river water another mile downstream for drinking water.

Hey, water is a scarce resource. If you gotta drink someone else's pee, so be it.

Here's the 411 on the Burlington Ditch.

You also go near Riverside Cemetery. There are two
Medal Of Honor recipients buried there. Both from the Civil War.

Oh you crazy Moon.

It was a crisp clear cold day. I thought I got good pics with the camera I use.

There's the moon over the Burlington Ditch.

The Front Range Trail is an effort to have a path from Wyoming to New Mexico along the Front Range and beyond.

In the summer time you'd never see that nest. In the winter time you can see hundreds of these along the way.

Here we are at Sand Creek. Moon in the background.

Sand Creek has been in the news lately. Strange bad chemicals are leaking into Sand Creek from the refinery nearby.

There's the boom trying to collect the nasty chemicals seeping into Sand Creek.

Sand Creek in the news, and not in a good way.

Sand Creek Trail is mostly dirt so it doesn't get plowed.

There's the most excellent city of Denver in the distance, Burlington Ditch on the left.

Suncor Refinery. The likely culprit although it's complicated. Suncor has only owned this refinery for a few years.

Here's where it got interesting. See the ice encrusted dam that has a pond behind it. As I went by the pond I saw a Beaver sitting in the unfrozen part chewing on a stick.

You have to look close but there's the beaver, After I took a couple of flash pictures he swam towards me. I stood perfectly still. When he was about five feet away he slapped his tail on the water (beaver danger signal) and swam away. Then a minute later two beavers swam out to investigate me, I stood still. They probably smelled me rather than saw me. While the two beavers inspected me a third remained on the frozen portion of the pond.

That would be this beaver. On the ice next to the open water. I am not a nature photographer as evidenced by my nature photography.

To see it in person, that is the objective. Gonna have to do more night rides.

Then it was back on up the trail.

Crusing Sand Creek on a frigid night

Sapp Bros Truck Stop.

I tok a picture of the construction project but what is that? I see an eye and a mouth. What is that? A trick of the camera lens? Idunno. Weird.

At the light rail construction zone there is a detour down a road that takes you to Havana where you connect again with the trail. Then I rode the trail next to Havana and went to Peoria then I went South to E. Colfax and caught an RTD #15 back to Denver. God Bless the RTD. They always get me home.

Four star chillin' ride.

AROUND CHATFIELD LAKE NOVEMBER 2011

2011-11-28T14:30:00.007-07:00

I rode around Chatfield lake the other day. Great ride. I joined a herd of deer. More on that later.

I caught the light rail to the Mineral stop. That's the bridge over Santa Fe.

Once off the train head West to the Platte River. Then head South on the Platte River Trail.

The Platte. Pretty darn flat.

Over the Platte.

The Platte River Trail is really nice. A lot of riders out today.

Entering Chatfield State Park.

One last trip over the Platte into the park.

That sign seems a little stern to me. Must be here because of an incident.

Once inside the park you head for the Dam.

Uh, that Dam.

There's where the Platte emerges from the Dam. No more floods here anymore.

Assuming we had such record rainfall and/or snow melt that Chatfield Reservoir filled up, and mind you that would put the bike path we are about to ride 80 feet under water, so if that ever happens, the excess would spill over here.

Army Corps Of Engineers seem to have built a pretty good Dam.

Army Corps Of Engineers project

.There's Chatfield, what a great day.

Over the top of the Dam, cruise downhill.

Chatfield Lake.

There's a smooth modern bike path around Chatfield, but that's not how I roll.

I take the home made bridge.

I take the bumpy bike path.

Through the woods.

The last time I rode this path the trail went underwater here. This time it's high and dry.

You'd think the single track would be crowded on a nice Sunday afternoon. It was deserted. The spandex speedsters kept to the good bike path, I stayed with the bad one.

along the single track.

Chatfield is really a nice place to explore.

OK at the South end of the lake where Plum Creek enters there is a primitive trail. I rode down it. The last time I rode this section I saw a Coyote.

This time I noticed movement all around me. There were deer all around me. I set my bike down and walked around, I got a few pictures, I am not a nature photographer so here goes:

I was maybe 100 feet from the bridge over Plum Creek.

See the hindquarter of a deer just past the second tree?

If you look closely on the left you'll see a deer. They blend in pretty well.

Tail on the left, head on the right. Young Buck with horns.

In the distance you can see a deer in the trees.

I counted eight deer but I'm sure there were more. I was close enough to make eye contact. There was no fear. It was pretty cool. After the herd encounter I went on down the primitive trail for a bit. Tree falls blocked the way eventually.

I didn't visit the model airplane airport this time. On my last Chatfield ride I said you can't ride back over the Dam. I was wrong.

Campgrounds closed to vehicular traffic, bicycles welcome. I followed the path closest to shore.

The Dam in the distance, marina in the foreground.

The Army Corps of Engineers is considering enlarging the reservoir. That would change things. If that plan takes effect I will scour the bottomlands before they're flooded.

Jeez I can handle Coyotes, now I gotta worry about Bears?

Equestrian encounter.

OK, after cruising through the campground the trail eventually ended at the bottom of a hill. This shot is looking down.

This is looking up. Pretty steep but not hard. Once you get to the top you're on the Chatfield Dam..

On the Dam next to the Denver & Rio Grande Western RR right of way.

Up on the Dam it's not too far till you get to the top of the Dam I was at earlier, then back to the Mineral St. light rail back North.

Midway across the Dam the control center.

The South Platte River after the Dam.

Riding over the Dam, almost back to where I started.

The bridge back over the Platte.

The bridge over the Platte to Mineral Station. Then the light rail home.

Great ride, must do again soon, four stars.

Ralston Creek From The Top November 2011

2011-11-21T18:03:00.010-07:00

When I'm on a ride and I see a key bus stop I make a note of it.So when I noticed a stop at the top of Ralston Creek I wrote it down.

But that's all changed now. Because Google Maps now include bike paths I bought a smart phone. For years I've been impressed with great apps my friends show me but I never felt inclined to own one until Google did bike paths. They're shown on the map in green. It's awesome.

If I'm ever in doubt I can whip out my Droid, see where I am on a GPS Google satellite map and see all bike path options in green. I'll never be lost again.

So with that in mind I decided to ride Ralston Creek from the top to the bottom.

www.rtd-denver.com

I needed to catch the RTD #52 to W 64th and Virgil Way. Actually one stop past that, W 64th and the Baseball Fields but if you're plotting your own trip Virgil is more helpful than Baseball Fields.

I know the RTD #52 makes only two runs up that far in the morning. I started at the Alameda light rail station, caught the #52 at 5:50 AM. That's the second run.

As I left the house I had second thoughts because it was so cold, 26 degrees, but I had layers enough I decided. And besides the sun would rise soon and warm everything. The RTD #52 winds it's way through North Denver on it's way out to the drop zone. RTD is kind of a cool way to see your city. Busses take routes you wouldn't normally take. It's very scenic, actually. I don't commute to work via public transit but as a recreational resource WWW.RTD-DENVER.COM rules!

Here's the sun rising over the plains.

ACCESS TO THE RESERVOIR IS CLOSED

unless you are on the bike path. That's open.

Arvada open space.

Way up at the top the trail is near Highway 93 from Golden to Boulder.

View Larger Map

Trail goes up and down.

This is the bridge over Ralston Creek. Once known for gold, now known for high uranium content due to seepage from the Swartzwalder mine upstream. OK to ride, don't drink the water though.

P.S. This is a major source of drinking water for local residents.

Sunrise over the Blunn Reservoir.

You can see the most excellent city of Denver in the distance.

There's Denver again in the background in the early morning, Blunn Reservoir foreground, Tucker Lake rear left.

Trail winds around Tucker.
Bench on which to ponder Tucker Lake.

OK I was not going to include any scat pics I found two apparent defecation and urination sites caught before the sun evaporated the urine. So due to the proximity I'd say they are from females.

These are pics of the first wet scat.

After you round Tucker Lake you reach a fork. Either way will lead to the Ralston Creek Trail. I bore left, next time I'll stay right.

I took the left fork and went down the asphalt path. Eventually you come out on a road. Turn right and go downhill to the end of the road. There's the Ralston Creek Trail.

I crossed over the Church Ditch. It just so happened that I grabbed a copy of the Arvada Press to read while I ate lunch on this ride and it had an article about settlers George and Sarah Church, who dug the Church Ditch and a number of other waterways in the area. George Church was also instrumental in getting Standley Lake built. That's where Westminster gets their water from so they owe a lot to George Church. The article said you can see Georges original barn built in 1874, on Wadsworth Blvd and Church Ranch Blvd.

George & Sarah's great grandson still raises cattle on 5,000 acres. He also is a land developer due to the fact that George & Sarah amassed huge land holdings.

George and Sarah Church were inducted into the Jefferson County Historical Commission's Hall Of Fame on November 18th 2011.Way to go, early pioneers!

It was really cold, especially going down hill. I had all my layers on and I was ok except my toes were freezing. If I can solve the cold toes question I can do a lot more winter riding.

Note the frost on the grass.

UPDATE: I use toe clips and although there are multiple options for clipless shoe covers it took a while but I found toe clip covers, $18.95. I plan to ride a lot this winter.

Ralston Creek Trail is a pleasant ride.

Through the tunnel...

The trail is well marked and although there are a few sections where you ride on a road it's mostly on a path.

There is some single track but I stayed on the concrete today.

Here's one canal stream or ditch crossing another.

The other Coyote scat urine combo. I was out much earlier than usual. I think next Summer I'll head out before sunrise a lot.

I saw a pair of Red Tailed Hawks

The Leyden Creek Trail. Hmmm, I'll have to check that out someday.

Here's a short road section. Only about a block.

When I got to W 63rd my frozen toes forced me to postpone the rest of the trail. I whipped out my Droid and went to www.rtd-denver.com and searched for nearest stop using the GPS feature, then plotted a route home from that stop. Big fun. Going to finish that ride today.

RALSTON PART TWO:

OK, I picked up where I left off. It was late in the day and it got dark before I finished but here we go...

These are pics from the road sections..

Then back on the trail, beautiful.

Typical stretch of Ralston Creek Trail.

I came to an area where a number of trees had been cut. I'd posted earlier about the tree kill along this section of trail. It wasn't nearly as bad as I'd imagined when I read the article. The big picture is they're doing flood control and new trees will be planted in the future. Still it's sad to see these trees die. Before they were killed a Native American holy man blessed the trees. So at least they got some respect.

Ralston is easy to ride, just follow the signs.

Going under Wadsworth.

The Colorado & Southern RR right of way.

It was dusk, I used my headlight for light and turned off the flash on my camera.

Almost to where Ralston Creek joins Clear Creek.

They kill adult trees in one section of the trail, yet they fail to protect young trees from Beavers a little farther along. I'm pro Beaver so it's within the realm of possibility that these trees were provided for the Beavers to harvest as the larger trees in the vicinity had wire fences around the trunks but I doubt it.

Ralston Creek Trail is a great ride.

Here we are on the bridge where Ralston merges into Clear Creek.

I stopped near the Fisher Ditch to visit my dead tree friend. We used to hang out some back in the day. I see a bunch of translucent orbs that seem to be emanating from the tree. Maybe the soul of the tree still exists and is looking to see who is there. "Hi there Tree! It's me!"

Well that's about it. I took the Clear Creek Trail to Federal and caught an RTD #31 back to Denver. By 7:00 PM it was pitch black so I didn't take any more pictures.

Ralston Creek Trail is always fun, Four Stars.

November 2011 OMG Google maps now include bike paths!

2011-11-07T23:05:00.010-07:00

I have a Garmin Etrex Legend GPS device on my bike. It tells me things en route but mostly I use it to download the actual track I leave on my bike rides. As I've mentioned my GPS map software dates from 2000 and is badly outdated.

So after I do a ride I can download my tracks and compare it to a Google map satellite map for total accuracy. There are a lot of places I go that weren't there in 2000.

So I rode the Farmers High Line Canal through Westminster, Northglenn and Thornton recently.

Towards the end of the FHC the trail splits in two, the Farmers High Line Canal (FHC) and the Lee Lateral Ditch or (LLD).

So I rode out to the end of the LLD and back to the trail junction.

I rode to the end of the bike path on the FHC then back because according to my GPS there were no roads anywhere near by, but I could see there was a subdivision with many homes there.

When I got home I looked at my GPS tracks and noticed the LLD and FHC end near each other. I had the Google Satellite map on and I punched in the GPS coordinates from the end of each trail to find the way from one to the other. Next time I can describe how to do a FHC > LLD loop.

So I put in the coordinates and hit search route and Google gives you three options, Route by car, public transit or walking.

So imagine my surprise when I saw a fourth option, bicycle.

So I clicked bicycle and found an easy short route between the FHC and the LLD. The route was shown in blue but as I watched as a spiderweb of green lines started to appear across the map and as I zoomed in on them I found they were bike paths. Google maps does bike paths!

Sweet. Next time I'm at the end of a bike path I can find find a connecting path.using googlemaps and a smart phone.

What an age we live in.

October 2011 Farmers High Line Canal Exploration

2011-10-30T23:44:00.018-06:00

I've crossed the Farmers High Line Canal many times on my rides but I never rode it until today.

To get to the trail head I took an RTD #100 North from the Federal Center Park and Ride in Lakewood. I got off at W 88th and Independence. Then rode North on Independence.

Here's a look up Independence. Curvy sidewalks.

I'm catching the trail as it begins within sight of Standley Lake. Way up there.

Trail head looking West to Standley Lake. Just a narrow footpath.

Trail head looking East, down hill. Here we go.

The canal has more waterfalls than any other I'm familiar with.

The trail surface varied from concrete to asphalt to dirt.

There was a lot of broken limbs from a recent snowstorm.

Going down the trail you can glide long distances. I cruised over a mile at 9.7 to 10.2 MPH without pedaling once.

The water is going downhill at a pretty good clip.

A lot of waterfalls.

Pretty soon you cross Wadsworth at Street Level. The FHC disappears for a bit. Cross Wadsworth and go down W 92nd Avenue. You even go by a Bicycle Village store in case you need something. So continue on the path next to W 92nd which goes over the BN Rail right of way. I wish I'd taken a picture from the bridge but I was lost at the time. It was my first time on the trail and I had my GPS but no map. There were a few stretches I had to explore a bit before finding the right way.

The rail line was in a deep cut and the FHC had to go under it. This picture attempts to show the water coming out of a pipe with the rails in the distance.

You can see the rails down there and the concrete surrounding the pipe.

Yes there it is, FHC again.

So I rode along W 92nd until I saw this. I wasn't about to stop now. I soon saw why this short section was closed.

Crappy bridge alert! I walked my bike across, I could feel it give under my weight. This bridge will be replaced before this section is opened again.

The closure only affected the first 50 feet of trail and continued unabated at W 92nd and N Pierce.

It turns out FHC is an awesome trail. It travels through Westminster, Northglenn and Thornton and it's hard to get accurate complete trail information across all municipalities. Until now. Great ride, great views.

I hope you like dirt.

It's a really natural experience.

Coyote print. Good one too.

First you go under Westminster Blvd then you ride on it over US 36. We're leaving the FHC for a bit.

Here we're going over US 36 on Westminster Blvd.

Once you're over the bridge continue on the path until you reach Hyland Ponds Open Space.

Follow the path but stay to the left, away from the ponds.

After less than a mile you emerge onto W 104th and the large Westminster City Park. On the far side of the park is the Big Dry Creek Trail.

To get to the next section of the FHC you turn right on W 104th but I entered the park to snap a picture of the Armed Services Memorial first.

The flags were flying at half staff today.

Going up W 104th, Sheridan in the distance.

Going under Sheridan.

Still on W 104th, you'll see this sign. You go by two golf courses.

Once in a great while you see a sign confirming you're on the right trail.

Legacy Ridge Golf Course is the last you'll pass before re joining FHC.

Almost to the turn off. Follow W104th until you get to King Street. Turn left on King St and follow it to W 107th

At King St. and W 107th you'll see this path. Take it. On the other side of the field is Legacy Ridge Parkway. Turn right.

The FHC trail starts again right after W 109th and Legacy Ridge.

There's the FHC on the left.

More storm damage.

Going under Federal.

Animals you might see.

Still snowy in the shady spots.

I found a big old tree to have my lunch under.

Speaking of big old trees...

You get great views of the mountains all along this trail.

The city of Northglenn calls every trail the Greenway Trail. Very confusing.

Just past Federal there's a nice park with a lake.

It has a gazebo.

Nice Artwork.

Some are for sale, this one's not.

I love boardwalk trails, this one leads to a picnic table. Too bad I just ate lunch.

Very peaceful setting.

A lot of surface street crossings, a lot of diagonal cross walks.

Under I-25

Just past Malley St.

The much maligned Coyote and pups.

This one is for sale.

OK, now the FHC reaches E.B. Rains Jr. Memorial Park. Named after a Northglenn Police Officer who was killed in the line of duty in 1984.

More great mountain views.

More art work..

This one's for sale.

FHC goes underground. It emerges about 100 feet away.

To continue ride around the lake to the far side.

On the far side of the lake the FHC continues.

When you get to W 120th, turn left and go to Grant. Go across W120th and continue on the FHC trail.

There is a little construction but no detours.

The first thing you see after W 120th is the big dish. Security is so tight they left a ladder next to the fence.

Idyllic scenery.

After W 120th we go from Northglenn to Thornton. The signage is much better in Thornton.

Guess what? You're in Coyote country. ooooh.

Another waterfall.

Through Thornton the trail is alternately called Signal Ditch or Farmers High Line Canal.

The trail goes over a train track.

Really a nice ride.

OK, now we come to Thornton's Eastlake Heritage Trail. It refers to the Lee Lateral Ditch, a separate trail that branches off from the FHC trail in this park. I will ride both, Lee Lateral first.

This map shows the FHC and the LLD trails as the branch off in this park. Also pictured is Big Dry Creek above, Clear Creek and the South Platte below.

.

Another big tree felled by that dang snow storm.

This is cool, concrete farm animals.

A fake hand car to demonstrate the trails rail heritage.

OK, to do the LLD go straight next to the canal, which you may notice is dry. The FHC went underground and we'll catch up with that one later.

The trail goes right between back yards.

Good drainage system.

This is as far as I could go on the LLD Trail. I turned around and went back to the Rail Heritage Park.

Also featured at E 136th was the Aquatic Center.

Going back down the Lee lateral Ditch Trail. wonderful.

When the split in the trail comes head East on York St. You'll hit the FHC trail in a couple of blocks.

And here we are, Signal Ditch, Farmers Highline Canal, a rose by any other name...

Signal Ditch Trail.

Tunnel.

More snow damage to a tree.

McMansion picnic shelter.

Beautiful Rocky Mountains again.

In Thornton even remote bike paths have streetlights. Trails open until 11:00 PM.

Here we are at the end of the path. Some kids have built ramps to launch their bikes into the air. I did the same thing when I was 12 & 13. The border collie belongs to the resident of the private property the Farmers Highline Canal flows into who wandered over to say hi. He was a Veteran, 82nd Airborne, Viet Nam. He told me they plan to extend the trail but not along the FHC.

On the way back down the trail I took a picture of Lake Erie which was along the trail.

I rode back to W 120th & Washington to catch an RTD #12 to downtown. All went well until my bus ran a red light at 38th & Brighton and hit a car. I was worried my bike was bent. It wasn't. My bike was fine. The other bike had a bent rear wheel and possible bent frame. The bike rack sustained the brunt of the impact. I don't think the bus itself was harmed. I was really lucky my bike was unharmed. RTD is not responsible for bikes placed in their racks. If your bike gets crunched in an accident, stolen or falls off and gets run over RTD is not responsible. They consider the carrying of bikes as a courtesy. Good to know. Still I consider RTD bike racks an invaluable tool in bike path investigation.

This one's out of focus but you can see how far to the right the bikes have moved. As soon as a bus has an accident a back up bus is dispatched from the central bus barn which was located only a couple miles away so they got here fast. I had trouble getting my bike out but a couple firemen helped and we got it out and I took the backup #12 downtown unscathed.

Farmers Highline Canal has some bad parts but way more good parts and it's a four star ride.

OCTOBER 2011 UP LITTLE DRY CREEK, DOWN BIG DRY CREEK

2011-10-23T19:07:00.017-06:00

I decided I better ride while the weather was good. Today: 76 degrees, in two days we're expecting 5-6" of snow in downtown Denver.

I caught the RTD 31 going North on Federal. I got off at W 67th..

Then you follow this dirt path to the Little Dry Creek Trail.

And there it is.

There are some gravel portions, even more on Big Dry Creek Trail.

Going through the concrete canyons of Westminster. The trail through this part was filthy and had a lot of graffiti. A lot of broken glass too. Jeez, Westminster, you could do a better job on maintenance.

Fortunately this doesn't last very long.

This is where you leave the concrete canyons.

Then you enter one more. This one has no way out if there was a flash flood.

You can see a lot of sand and debris left over from Spring flood season.

Now we're out of the canyons for good.

Little Dry Creek.

Like most bike paths you pass through many parks.

There's a lot of street level crossings, be aware of car traffic.

Here's where we change it up a little bit. The last time I took this ride I went up Little Dry all the way to Alkire St. which required going over private property for about 100 feet to get to Big Dry. So when you see the UPS box you're on Vance St. Turn right, go one block to 80th, turn left and go one block to Wadsworth. Then turn right on the bike path and go 2.4 miles to the Big Dry Creek Trail.

There's a path on either side of Wadsworth.

There is a lot of construction along Wadsworth.

After 2.4 miles and a couple of hills you are in the Big Dry drainage.

At the bottom of this hill you'll find the Big Dry Creek.

And here we are.

Modern History is mostly deception.

There's the tunnel under the Burlington Northern rail line.

After the tunnel the trail winds along a fence.

Then you come out on w 99th st. Follow it for maybe half a mile.

I saw a Llama and a Cow.

Here's where you pick up the trail again.

I know we just left Wadsworth, this confused me too. We were on Wadsworth Parkway, this is Wadsworth Blvd, known as Old Wadsworth.

I took pictures of all the trails that split off of Big Dry. If there are some good ones I'm going to ride them. I've already decided The Farmers Highline Canal is worth checking out.

Westcliff Trail

Stopped for a moment to take in the view.

I guess metal thieves don't covet iron.

I like the fancy seating arrangement here.

There are also secluded picnic tables.

Walnut Creek cutoff.

Big Dry Creek.

Westcliff Pkwy.

I saw a Red Tailed Hawk.

I caught it in flight!

Big Dry Creek trail is gravel for much of the time.

Ok, so if you're not interested in animal droppings or tracks you can scroll past this. But I did see some interesting things.

Fox Tracks

Not sure what left this Impressive though.

Probably Coyote

Fox or Coyote

Probably Coyote

Probably Fox

Looks like someone ate berries

Looks like Fox

Fox Tracks

The ruler was a good idea.

OK, last one.

Westminster has a new City Park on the Big Dry. It features a tribute to the Armed Forces.

Each branch of the service is represented by a stone monument.

COAST GUARD

Each monument had stones engraved with Veterans along with where and when they served.

AIR FORCE

ARMY

NAVY

MARINES

MERCHANT MARINES

It's a very nice tribute. City Park is brand new and really nice. Lots of picnic areas and sports fields.

There is also a frisbee golf course. Frisbee golf, the bane of Humanity.

Soccer Fields

Pretty big park

I discovered most of these offshoots are less than a mile long.Some lead to really nice parks. I will study the route and explore next time.

Under Sheridan.

Nice Fall colors.

Lots of rest stops.

Cotton Creek Trail.

Legacy Ridge Trail.

Under CO 287.

I saw another Red Tailed Hawk.

Dirt trail winding along.

College Trail.

There was a baseball game on this field.

This was a short path around a lake. Love those elevated wooden trails over wetlands.

I found a hidden lake, surrounded by trees.

Sheridan Crossing cutoff.

Bradburn Trail cutoff.

Big Dry Creek Reservoir.

Big Dry Creek Dam.

Bald Eagle Habitat, Do Not Enter.

If your commute takes you over this bridge on W 120th, you might want to pick a better bridge. What a crappy bridge. The W 128th bridge is nice and new. This one's falling apart.

My GPS didn't know the W 128th bridge. Must be less than ten years old.

Arapahoe Ridge Trail cutoff.

yes we are quite aware there are coyotes in the area.

Almost to the end now, pretty scenery. Many Red Tailed Hawks.

That's Bull Canal, which contains Big Dry for about a half mile. Then they diverge. It takes place away from the trail but as I learn more I will post it here. There is a heck of a lot to explore.

I thought that was a nice sign. I guess Westminster has it's focus on this awesome trail and has lost sight of Little Dry Creek.

O.K. so every time a tagger is caught, 25 hours community service in the concrete canyons of Little Dry Creek.

I think that's reasonable.

Huron Street.

Looking back at Huron Street.

Quail Creek Trail cutoff.

Interstate 25.

After you go under I-25 turn right and go up the Thorncreek Trail. Go to W 128th and turn left.

Go East on W 128th to Washington St. Then go 8 blocks to W 120th & Washington. You can catch an RTD #12 bus on the South side of W 120th. Or you can go another block on Washington St, it's about the same distance.

I caught an RTD #12 bus to 30th and Downing light rail station and caught a light rail home.

*BUT* I found a new (to me, anyway) bike path that intersects W 124th and Washington Street. Looking at in Google Earth it looks pretty cool. I'm going there to explore that trail before I do Big Dry again. This is cool!

View Larger Map

OCTOBER 2011 PINEY CREEK TRAIL EXPLORATION

2011-10-19T09:56:00.022-06:00

I took my first ride on Piney Creek yesterday. I have to say it is one of the wildest trails I've been on. most bike paths are located between a waterway and a highway. Piney Creek in many places is natural and wild as far as the eye can see.

Here's how I got to the trail head. From the Alameda station I took the light rail to the Nine Mile station. I went downstairs to the "B" stop and caught the RTD 135 Southlands. I told the driver to let me know when we got to S Aurora Pkwy and E Smokey Hill Rd. He said that was near the end of the line.

The RTD 135 at S. Aurora Pkwy & E Smoky Hill Rd.

Head down E Smoky Hill until you see the big radar dome. Turn right on Tallyn's Reach Blvd.

Piney Creek lives up to it's name. Pine trees. A rarity around here.

You cruise through homes starting at the mid 200's.

Lots of nice colors. Hurry up and get out there, it's almost over.

There is a path on either side of Tallyn's Reach.

Go Across Arapahoe

Nice scenery.

Turn left on E Park Crescent Dr.

Turn right on Glasgow Dr and go about 50 feet to the trail head.

This is it, no sign or anything. Actually according to my GPS this is Sampson Gulch Creek trail, which becomes East Piney Creek and then Piney Creek..

It's a very scenic ride

Through the pines.

I only took pictures of the first few scats I saw. Most likely Coyote. You can see a variety of diet choices.

But this is a bike path guide, not a scatological journal. Good thing. On this wild trail there were scat deposits literally every 25 feet. These are the only scat pics today.

Great colors.

Most road crossings are underneath the road.

Trees looking good.

This is way cool, a (simulated) wooden curved elevated path over an actual wetland.

This would be an awesome path on a full moon ride. It might be the one trail in the metro area I would be concerned about wildlife. I have no doubt this area could sustain Cougars.

Going through the tunnel.

A lot of animal tracks in this dry stream bed.

Always good to have a map. My GPS software dates to 2002 so whole subdivisions with their roads have been built since then. I had to go to Google Earth to compare my GPS tracks to roads that now exist.

I think this is Orchard which the trail follows for a short time.

Here's where the trail leaves the road and back to Piney Creek.

A random tunnel. I had fun on this ride and will come back soon. Piney Creek is whole complex of trails as far as I can tell. Much more exploring is in order. Heck I haven't found a trail this extensive in a while. Yay!

In a few sections the trail follows roads. Follow the signs.

In the Summer there is a snack shack. One of the most elegant snack shacks I've encountered.

There it is. Holy crap! I wonder if they scraped off a smaller snack shack to put this up?

I think this is S. Aurora Pkwy.

A sitting zone in Red Tail Hawk Park.

This is cool, an elevated boardwalk above a wet land.

Piney Creek is an awesome trail. Underused too. I passed only one other bike on my trip.

Cottonwood Grove.

Piney Creek my friends. The goods.

This is the E-470 underpass.

Nice colors, yes?

One of many trail heads

So that's where Smoky Hill gets it's name. Jeez I am good at minutiae

Curvy trails to you, until we meet again.

Piney Creek.

The trail of wilderness.

Entering Cherry Creek State Park. I rode through CCSP, went over the dam and down the Millenium Trail.

Coming around the face of the dam.

You'll see a turnoff to the left.

At the end of the turn off is the Dayton Street light rail stop.

This bridge takes you over I-225 to the station.

I took the light rail to Alameda and rode home. Great ride. Can't wait to do this one again!

Fours stars, naturally.

OCT 2011 Lower Cherry Creek Trail by day

2011-10-13T19:11:00.021-06:00

Ok, so I decided to check out Piney Creek. It is 9.3 miles long and empties into Cherry Creek. I googled it up and found out where the trail started, in Smokey Hill. Then I did my research on http://www.rtd-denver.com/ and took the RTD light rail to Nine Mile, the station nearest to Cherry Creek State Park. Then I was to go to the B Stop and catch the RTD 135. I was supposed to have 6 minutes to transfer but the bus left before I got there. The time was 2:35 PM, the next RTD 135 wasn't until 3:25 PM, Too late in the afternoon to travel a trail for the first time. My next attempt will be closer to noon.

So I decided to ride (lower) Cherry Creek North to the Platte River, then up the Platte to Alameda. In my last post I rode the light rail to Cherry Creek State Park for a moonlight ride. Today I complete the trip with a few construction updates.
The Nine Mile Stop

You can see part of the Nine Mile station on the right.

On a recent ride down Clear Creek I noticed a lot of uneven edges. Looks like Denver County is still smoothing rough edges. Good news for roller bladers.

Downhill, under highway 225 and along the Cherry Creek.

I stopped to see my tree friends near Kennedy Ball Park.

Here's a birds eye view of those trees.

View Larger Map

After the ball fields you drop down next to JFK golf course. At the bottom of the hill there is a short detour at Havana.

Here is the construction zone. Eventually the trail will be rebuilt.

Even the golf carts have to detour.

After Havana the trail flattens out for a while.

The trail rolls along.

Lots of color out there.

Cherry Creek crosses the Highline Canal.

This is where Cherry Creek intersects with the Highline Canal.

Another park.

Here's something new. You used to take the bridge (on the right) over Cherry Creek then ride through the parking lot of a school, then cross S. Monaco at street level. Now a new path continues along this side of the creek and you cross below S. Monaco. I took the old route because I didn't know the new path was there. I thought the path pictured here would run out eventually. It re-joins the original path just after Holly St. I doubled back to check it out.

Here's a shot of the newest addition to the Cherry Creek Bike Path.

Now you pass *under* Monaco. Sweet.

Here's a tee pee at Four Mile Park. It used to be a Stagecoach Stop. I took this pic from the old path. I'm riding the new path from now on.

You ride past the Cherry Creek Mall. I once read that 25% of the sales tax the City of Denver collects came from Cherry Creek Mall. Of course that was before the great recession and before Denver started collecting sales tax from the 700 medical marijuana dispensaries located here.

After you ride by Cherry Creek Mall you go under University Avenue.

Here's a shot looking back from the other side of University.

Rolling through the concrete canyons in downtown Denver. last Summer a gully washer rainstorm raised Cherry Creek so high the bike path was four feet under water.

Passing under Broadway. Now there's a quality bridge my friends.

Cofferdams along Cherry Creek.

Trendy lofts selling for much less than five years ago.

Some sections have one trail for foot traffic and one for wheels.

There's the Recreational Equipment Incorporated building. Before that it was the Forney Transportation Museum, before that it was a trolley barn.

Confluence Park, where the Cherry Creek meets the Platte River. Pictured below is the kayak course.

Fabulous Elitch Gardens across the river.

It says trail closed. Not really.

Barrier down.

Twister II roller coaster.

Mile High Stadium, home of the Denver Broncos.

To me it looks like the trail will re open much sooner. It's almost done.

This is where the Platte River Trail meets Lakewood Gulch.

This is where the old Burlington Northern right of way ends. The trolley still uses this line but not past here.

Lakewood Gulch Trail. Gosh it's going to be beautiful.

The Platte River Trail going past the light rail bridge.

Looking at the new underpass at W 13th.

New stretch of trail. Big cofferdam on the left. The cones in the distance mark the turnoff for Weir Gulch.

Weir Gulch Turnoff. The trail is over 90% complete.

Just a few small patches to go!

And there is where the trail resumes. I'm not sure what's going on with those cofferdams but if I see any workers around I'll ask next time.

Here's good ol' Frog Hollow Park.

This is Phil Millstein Park. They've removed a fence and cleared out a place where homeless people had been camping.

Now they live on the Burlington Northern right of way.

This looks like bicycle related art.

Bridge over the Platte near Alameda.

Looking down the Platte River.

I sure do love Denver. Best place I've ever lived and I've been around.

When completed the Platte River Trail is going to be more awesome than ever!

October 2011 Night Ride Around Cherry Creek Reservoir

2011-10-11T12:08:00.005-06:00

Last night was perfect for a moonlight ride. The sun set @ 5:30 PM and the moon rose @ 4:34 PM.

So by 8:00 PM the moon was high and the sky was clear. I took the RTD light rail to the Nine Mile station. I caught it at the Alameda station.

If you're boarding with a bike look for these.

Stand to keep your bike from moving. On the Portland Oregon light rail they have hooks at the end of each car so you can hang the front wheel and the rear goes into a slot. But this is ok, it was a 20 minute ride.

Be sure to pay your fare or this guy will give you a ticket.

When you get off at Nine Mile go down the stairs or take the elevator down, then turn left through this tunnel. That's the Cherry Creek Trail right there. Turn left.

This is the trail entrance to Cherry Creek State Park. Cars have to pay, bikes don't.

The moon as seen from CCSP.

9:02 PM. Cherry Creek State Park has year round camping but quiet time is at 10 PM. It's also the time the trail closes. On the right is my new light. Tiny but powerful.

Somehow I got off the trail I took last time. I'm not that familiar with CCSP. I thought about riding around Chatfield, which I know better, but the last part on the Highline Canal is sandy and a bitch to ride. Also much longer.

I found some fresh scat, Coyote was probably watching me.

Not much to photograph at night. Reflective signs are nice. I turned around when I saw this sign.

I took a short ride up Shop Creek.

Then on towards the Dam.

Sticks on a bench. I left them as I found them.

Here we are at the top of the Dam.

Now down across the front of the Dam.

It was a beautiful night but I forgot gloves, my hands were cold. I had originally intended to ride Cherry Creek Trail to University then head up Alameda to home, but the cold hands dictated I take the light rail back to Alameda station.

It was a great ride. I found a new trail, Piney Creek. I went up about a mile, looks pretty cool. Will come back in the daytime.

Cherry Creek State Park is awesome day or night. At night in the moonlight I could ride with my headlight off. Tonight is the full moon but last night fit my schedule better.

Four Stars

October 2011. Golden to Aurora on Clear Creek> Platte> Sand Creek

2011-10-04T10:12:00.029-06:00

I took a great ride yesterday. Golden to Aurora on three bike paths. First I caught an RTD bus to Golden. I caught the 16L at Lipan and Colfax and got off at 10th and Washington in Golden.

Once you're off the bus go a couple blocks on 10th to Ford Street. There you'll see Tucker Gulch. Take Tucker Gulch up to the Clear Creek Trail.

You can click to enlarge this map. Here we are on the Clear Creek Trail.

Heading down the trail.

Go past the massive Coors Brewery.

I did not see the Beer Train this time.

There was a short detour due to road construction. You ride down a dead end road and get back on the trail by the grain silos.

Here's the other end of the detour.

With gold near $2,000 an ounce, a lot of folks were looking for it in Clear Creek. I saw at least a dozen prospectors.

Clear Creek looks real nice this time of year.

There is a section with a bike path on one side and a walking path on the other.

Unidentified scat. Top one is probably Fox the next two probably Coyote.

Coyotes tend to poop in the middle of a trail. Many other animals will pass by and smell them, it is a form of communication. I'm glad humans have email.

I crossed Kipling here. The path takes you up a hill so you can cross at a light. This is quicker but watch the traffic.

Single track along Clear Creek.

Starting to see some fall colors.

Such a beautiful time of year.

You go through one park after another. It's a really nice ride.

You leave the trail for about 200 yards, it's well marked.

This is where you re-join the trail.

Here's a couple shots of the bridge to the Ralston Creek Trail head. That bridge reminds me of a sailing ship.

From this bridge it's 10.7 miles from Ford and 10th in Golden and 7 miles to the Platte river confluence. The entire trip is about 30 miles.

You travel through a State Wildlife Area.

Good ol' Clear Creek. We're in Adams County. If you read the newspaper you know there is a surprising amount of corruption in Adams County. You go criminals!

Their trail making prowess is not in question though.

Near the Fisher Ditch I stopped to see my dead tree friend. Wow, it's all overgrown, you can hardly see what's left of her.

I got in closer and put my bike in for scale. It was a huge tree. I used to hang out under this tree ten years ago. Then one day they cut this huge tree and several large trees near the Fisher Ditch. Maybe the water owners decided the trees drank too much. Vegicide ensued.

At first I was mad at the Fisher Ditch, but how can you stay mad at a ditch?

Here's a shot of the good ol' Fisher Ditch. Isn't it awesome? Colorado is a semi arid state. The fact that people dug these waterways 150 years ago and they still deliver water to their shareholders and the fact that there are so many canals and ditches in the area. We'll cross or go near Tucker Ditch, Farmers Highline Canal, Church Ditch, Agricultural Ditch, Welch Ditch, Wannamaker Ditch, Eskin Ditch, Rocky Mountain Ditch, Croke Canal, South Boulder Diversion Canal, Reno Ditch and Swadley Ditch. OK, all these were dug by hand and are still serving their purpose all these years later.

Clear Creek.

I saw Winnie the Pooh. What substance does he crave? Honey (or Hunny)!

Right next to Winnie there were several bee hives. Let's hope they avoid that nasty complete colony collapse syndrome.

When you get to the Graffito tagged mobile home you know you're at Federal and can catch a bus if you're tuckered out. Not today, I'm feeling great.

During the spring flood season a significant log jam piled up here.

I also saw a bunch of rough edges along Clear Creek. They used to smooth these out. Now the city/county/state is broke. I'm on a mtn bike so no problemo but I feel sorry for the roller bladers.

Jesus on a tortilla? Heck I saw Marilyn on a bike path

In the distance you can see the concrete structure that marks the beginning of the Little Dry Creek Trail.

To continue on Clear Creek go over the railroad tracks.

Little Dry Creek is a nice ride. I gotta do that and Big Dry too. OK, that's next. That's a whopper.

It dawned on me that I was going to be too late to dine at Smokey's, I had several power bars and some granola left so I was good to go. It's weird, there are some places I've only been by bike.

Smokey's is one of those. When they say closed at 5 they mean it. I got there at 5:10 and it was locked tight.

Not too far from Smokey's the trail goes by the reservoir.

Next you see the dam, needed for the Lower Clear Creek Canal and the Colorado Agricultural Canal diversions.

This is the beginning of the Lower Clear Creek Canal. The Colorado Agricultural Canal branches off in about a half a mile.

Looking down the Lower Clear Creek Canal.

There seems to be more water going into the canals than to Clear Creek. This is the amount going to Clear Creek.

There's your Clear Creek after the dam.

It's a nice view.

Continuing along the Lower Clear Creek Canal.

OK, boys and girls, here's something brand new. This is where they split the Lower Clear Creek Canal into two. To the left is Colorado Agricultural Canal, to the right is Lower Clear Creek Canal. this is all new equipment and new concrete, the old gear is gone.

The picture below is the old setup. The new system looks fully automated, I think you could close the gate electronically. Someone used to have to hand crank it.

There goes Lower Clear Creek Canal in it's new spill way. then down the old canal below.

There goes the Colorado Agricultural Canal.

Water is important.

If you see the water start to rise climb to high ground.

There's I-25 in the distance

Almost to the Platte River now.

There are benches all along the trail.

Under I-25

Here we are at the end of Clear Creek. Take this bridge over Clear Creek to the Platte River Trail towards Denver.

I went over the Platte to check a construction zone

The trail on the South side of the Platte is closed, the trail on the North side is open.

Clear Creek empties into the Platte here. Clear Creek looks kinda green and stagnant.

There is some highway construction along the Platte but no detours necessary.

Look there's a foot bridge over the Platte. Looks like they're going to widen these I-76 bridges.

You can just see the water reservoir, former gravel pit old gravel pit that got built a few years back. My blog documents the changes in the bike path at the time. Everything's hunky-dory now. There's a twin reservoir on the other side of the Platte, it's hard to see from here.

OK, so you head West on the Platte River Trail one mile then turn up Sand Creek.

This is from the bridge that leads to Sand Creek. They're fixing I-270 bridge.

There's Good Ol' Sand Creek meeting the Platte.

Sand Creek Trail, looking at the most excellent city of Denver in the distance.

Hey this is a new picnic shelter along the trail. Good place for a break.

This sign was next to the shelter. It talks about how they've revitalized the area and I can testify that every word is true. Click to enlarge.

Some weird white substance leaked from the freeway onto the trail. Ewww! I think those are Coyote Tracks because someone walking their dog would probably not let their dog walk through unknown goo.

Here's a couple close ups.

Here's a nice turn out along the trail.

Looking down the Sand Creek Trail..

Looking up the Sand Creek Trail.

I took a picture of some mushrooms. The bigger one was about the size of an egg.

Sunset on Sand Creek.

There's the Sapp Brothers Truck Stop off I-70.

Just past the Sapp Bros You encounter construction. No detour, just be alert.

I've posted many pictures of this stream. This is the first time I've seen it running through a culvert. Massive construction projects are going on all along this ride.

Oh My, I posted on my first Sand Creek Trail post that this area was where the RTD Light rail line to DIA would be located. Lordy be there is is. Beyond the fence you can see the light rail bridge being built over sand creek. It will travel across a former runway at the old Stapleton Airport on the way to DIA.

It was dark by now but I took one pic with a flash. There is a very short detour around the light rail construction zone.

Then I saw a really dirty trail closed sign. I was a mile or so from the end of the trail. I went around the sign. The trail was fine. There was no trail closed sign at the other end of the trail.

*Equipment update: I had been using Nite Rider headlights but my battery died and a replacement battery was about $200. I went to Turin Cycle to check their lights out. I ended up getting A Serfas light. Tiny little tube you can mount on the helmet or handlebars. Made in China, around $150. It puts out 500 Lumens in a nice beam. Tonight was my test ride and it gets a great review. It is rechargable via USB cable or wall plug.

The bridge over Sand Creek on Havana.

I followed Havana to Peoria and turned South to Colfax to catch a RTD 15 to Denver. I could have gone a few more miles on the Sand Creek & Toll Gate Creek trails but I was tuckered out.

When you reach an RTD bus stop, note the 5 digit number on the bus stop sign. Call 303.299.6000, options 1, 1

(from RTD) The MyStop system features speech recognition and touch-tone technology. Once you’re dialed in, you’ll hear “RTD’s MyStop automated schedule. Enter the 5-digit stop number you want schedules for…” Say your stop number and you’ll be given the next three scheduled arrivals for today. If there are multiple routes available, you’ll be prompted to pick your route. To repeat the information or choose a different time, day, route or stop number, simply follow the prompts.

Knowledge is power. Clear Creek to Sand Creek encompasses a huge drainage. Also a four star ride.

LAKEWOOD GULCH UPDATE 2011-09-24

2011-09-25T12:41:00.006-06:00

I've had several injuries this Summer and haven't been on my bike lately.

I decided to check the progress of the construction up Lakewood Gulch.

I got on the Platte River Trail at Alameda and headed East towards Denver. The first thing I saw was the giant Dog sculpture outside the new animal shelter. Looks like a top quality operation. You go, Denver!

The Platte is shallow this time of year. Looks like you could wade across.

At Frog Hollow Park the path takes a detour. I went down the closed portion to see what I could see.

There are several cofferdams along the Platte.

Big machines too.

Approaching the old Gates Rubber plant, a new stretch of trail.

Here's something new. I believe this is W 13th. You used to cross at street level, now the trail goes beneath the road. Also a small dam that used to be here is gone. There used to be a small dock over the water here, a good place to chill. This section of trail has been remade twice in the last 6 years. On the other side of the street there was a wooden bike bridge. They took out the wooden bridge and replaced it with concrete. Now they changed it up again. All for the better of course. You can see the light rail bridge in the distance. I don't know if it's a result of the dam's removal but I saw a half dozen fly fishermen along this stretch.

Now we're on the Lakewood Gulch Trail. It's mostly ready to go, just a few sections need to be mended together. The trail and the stream used to go through a concrete canyon subject to flash flooding. A life was lost in a flood a while back. The dangerous canyon is gone and this area is going to look really nice after it's finished.

The trail has been moved, here the trail goes under the light rail line.

The stream itself has been moved a little to the South. In the distance is the new Federal Street Bridge.

Just add landscaping...

Below you see the stream & path a year ago. The baseball diamond hasn't moved, you can use the fence as a reference. You can compare the old bridge on Federal to the new one above.

There were people working on a Saturday! Not many but there were a few.

Tree down.

New bridge at Knox Court.

I took a detour up Dry Gulch, there was some new construction at the top, maybe they're going to extend it. At the top of Dry Gulch Trail I rode two blocks North on Vrain st to catch Lakewood Gulch again.

The Sheridan St Bridge. This used to be a street level crossing but they built a bridge so the Light rail can get through.

Here is the line as it runs along 13th st.

How it looked 3 years ago

Here we are looking back down Lakewood Gulch. Last year there was a path along here. This year I rode down 14th then cut over to 12th, then cut back over to the path I came up @ Sheridan.

How it looked 3 years ago. You can use the white building on the left as a reference. You can barely see it in the picture below.

New bike path, new rail line.

The picture below shows the same stretch of trail from the other direction a year ago.

And Three years ago.

Rail machine at work.

You can see how the topography has changed, the trail ends where a bridge was removed, rail line on the other side.

Well that's about it. Lakewood Gulch Trail is once again rideable, there are just a couple dirt sections. It's going to be interesting to watch it as it gets completed.

Compare these pictures to Lakewood Gulch August 2008: http://denverbikepaths.blogspot.com/2008/08/august-2008-lakewood-gulch-report.html

You can see that creepy canyon...

Good Ol' Sand Creek December 2010

2010-12-05T14:58:00.005-07:00

I haven't been on my bike much lately. I took an epic rail trip in Canada last month. You can see it at
http://www.viarailtrip.blogspot.com/

Anyway it felt really good to take a ride on December 2nd, when it was 60+ degrees out.

So I took an RTD 15L bus to Colfax & Potomac and rode North on Fitzsimons Parkway.

Fitzsimons Army Base has been transformed into a glistening new medical center.

Back in the day President Eisenhower had a heart attack while in Denver (his wife Mamie was from Denver) he was treated at Fitzsimons.

There's a construction project along Tollgate Creek, which we're looking at before it merges into Sand Creek. Looks like sewer lines but it might result in a new bike path. For now you follow a nice wide sidewalk along the road.

Turn right across Fitzsimons when you reach the Quonset Hut. One of the few army relics you'll see. There's some barracks too but I didn't photograph them.

OK, now we're on the path. This is the Toll Gate Creek Trail but Sand Creek is just ahead.

Nice December day in Denver.

Geese on a partially frozen lake.

Some tree friends

The city of Denver and the Rocky Mountains from the Sand Creek Trail.

After you follow Havana for a while you turn on a path that leads to the former Stapleton Airport.

Single track along Sand Creek.

Cattails in bloom.

Prarie Dogs

Sand Creek Trail.

The Sapp Brothers Truck Stop.

And there are the trucks.

There is a new auto bridge and a new bike path down below.

You used to ride right on the street next to the truck stop. Now it's all dedicated bike path. Really nice too.

I don't think they have enough signs on that pole.

This is under the freeway, US 6.

Here's where the bike path passes under the UP right of way. The Amtrak Zephyr passes here @ 7:00 AM Westbound and @ 9:00 PM Eastbound.

The city of Denver in the distance.

Once you cross over the Burlington Ditch you go through this gate, down a short dirt path and over a bridge to the South Platte River Trail. Turn left to head back to Denver.

There is a contruction project along the Platte. Detour provided.

JUNE 2010 LITTLE DRY CREEK AND MORE

2010-06-21T01:06:00.002-06:00

A while back I noticed there was a new bridge over the Platte River leading to the Little Dry Creek Trail. There is another Little Dry further North that runs into Clear Creek. This is the one that empties into the Platte.

I got on the Platte River Trail going South at Alameda Avenue. The Alameda bridge going over the Platte is being replaced right now.

Good Ol' Platte River. Mark Twain once mused the Platte Shouldn't be left outside at night lest a dog drink it up. It's about as full as it gets right now. We've had a cool spring and a hot streak starting June 1st that has caused all the rivers to run high. Later this Summer it will be a mere trickle.

I saw a big white bird. Stork or Pelican? It's good to see a bird not covered in oil.

Waterfall on the Platte.

Jim Beckwourth was a mountain man. He was a witness to the Sand Creek Massacre and testified against Col. John Chivington. There were plenty of important black pioneers. Read further: www.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Beckwourth

Ride past the power plant...

About 4.5 miles South of Alameda you see the new bridge over the Platte to Little Dry Creek.

Paid for with lottery money.

There's Little Dry Creek. I've been on this trail before. Sometimes I ride the other side of the Platte than the bike path to see what I can see. The Little Dry Creek Trail is less than a mile long and leads to Englewood's Central Park.

There is some nice scenery during that short ride.

There is the fabulous Central Park of Englewood.

Near the park I found an old Santa Fe rail station. There are train tracks about a block West of here. I guess back in the day tracks went right here. When I saw the green cross sign from a distance I thought maybe it was a medical marijuana dispensary. Denver has more MMJ dispensaries than Starbucks stores.

So I went back down Lil' Dry to the Platte River Trail.

Had I known there was going to be a Century Ride along the Platte today I would have stayed home. There was a ton of traffic. It's good to see so many people out riding but I'd rather go when it's not so crowded. Little Dry was so short I decided to go a little farther South on the Platte then shoot up Bear Creek to check on the trail construction.

Here's where the Bear Creek Trail diverges from the Platte River Trail (Mary Carter Greenway)

At the Bear Creek confluence is the mistake known as River Point At Sheridan. In my first post on Bear Creek I wondered if we really need another Super Target. I deleted my comments later because my goal was to focus just on the ride at hand and not my opinions. OK, it's been open a few years now and is only 40% leased. I can assure you the major tenant (Target) was given a sweetheart deal on taxes in order to lure them here.

This store front has been vacant for two years now. It's right on the Bear Creek Trail.

At least they completed the movie multiplex. There's an old post showing this under construction.

The failed shopping center isn't all bad, this is a grassy amphitheatre. I would like to see a bluegrass band play here one day.

Thank you James Windholz.

Here's a quick look at River point at Sheridan.

Most of the store fronts are empty, never been occupied. 60 acres of land for this project was obtained through eminent domain. I mentioned eminent domain in an earlier post regarding the RTD Light Rail project through Lakewood Gulch. I approve of that seizing of private property because light rail is for the greater good. This land grab was motivated by greed and it backfired.

For Lease, probably cheap.

Empty store fronts on the left, Super Target on the right.

There's the Super Target.

There are a few other stores but not enough to make this a profitable venture. Plenty of parking though.

When it was under construction they were very careful not to contaminate the river and they did a good job.

The Bear Creek Trail was closed in this area for a while but the new trail is really nice. Those posts on the left are light fixtures. On the right you got your nicely kept lawn and shrubbery. There are stairs along this part that lead to overflow parking lots.

But hey, if you want to park at the Bear Creek Trail head this is the spot. River Point at Sheridan is what's known as a boondoggle. There used to be a grove of trees I hung with before progress reared it's ugly head. I'm not bitter but I miss my tree friends.

Where the Bear Creek meets the Platte. I got a bird shot.

The secret bench I discovered on my last Bear Creek ride has been moved to the spit. It's not my bench so I left it alone but if we get a heavy rain this area could be underwater. Notice the flotsam & jetsam caught on the bushes & trees in the background. I hope the bench survives, it's a cool stop along the way.

Here's a view from the secret bench on Bear Creek. In the distance it empties into the Platte River.

Animal print in the mud.

This is a first. A lighted bike bridge. You can see those white warts along the trail? Those are lights.

Here's a close up of one of the lights. Someone has broken the plastic cover but the bulb inside is intact.

I saw pink. I took a picture.

There's a big old green tree. We hung out for a bit.

Waterfall on Bear Creek.

Cruising along the Bear Creek Trail.

I found a memorial for Tyler Ryan DelDaggo, 3 years old when he fell into Bear Creek and died in 1997.

Good news the Bear Creek Trail construction is almost complete.

Trail closed to road bikes, mountain bikes welcome.

In my last Bear Creek post I documented a mile of dirt. Now it's all concrete except the last 500 feet. July first is the target date for completion. it looks like they may finish early.

This is the end of the construction zone, at Bear Creek Park.

Bear Creek Park.

Better trails soon.

Not sure what this is about, if you tried that maneuver on a bike you would fall.

The Bear Creek Trail passes a golf course. The fence is designed to keep bikers from getting beaned.

On the way down I saw more birds and a model sailboat.

Is there anything as fluffy as a cloud? If there is I don't want to know about it. This was a ride taken after Little Dry Creek Trail turned out to be so short. The BCT should be whole by the end of this week. I give this ride 4 stars.

June 2010 Platte River Trail detour due to light rail construction

2010-06-11T15:13:00.005-06:00

When I rode the Platte to the Lakewood Gulch trail a few posts ago I went past the trail closed signs to investigate what was going on up there. There is an adequate dedicated bike path detour that Platte River Trail users are going to have to use until April 2012.

I got on the Platte River Trail at Alameda going North. Denver is a green city. This is a project at Phil Milstein Park.

Going North towards Denver the detour is just past Frog Hollow Park.

Here we are, instead of turning left over the bridge go straight ahead.

It's not very scenic but it is a dedicated bike path. You can see the Platte on your left sometimes but there's a lot of auto traffic.

It's not the greatest but at least the city of Denver has put up concrete barriers and painted lines down the middle. I love living in Denver. My favorite Denver Park? Red Rocks Ampitheatre.

The detour bike path follows Zuni St. When you reach 13th and Zuni you'll see the beige strip mall on the right.

If you ride all the way back to unit M you'll find the Strange Brewery. The name of their tap room is an homage to the movie "Strange Brew" starring the hosers Bob & Doug McKenzie, a movie I loved eh? I wouldn't of found it except like 2% of my fellow Americans my primary news source is the newspaper and I read an article by "Mr. Beer" Dick Kreck (who is an institution at the Denver Post) who wrote an article about them. Strange Bewing Company is run by two laid off newspaper people and they're open 16 hours a week. Wednesday through Saturday 4 to 8 PM.

When you get here you're almost back to the Platte River Trail. Hang a Louie here.

When you get to Mile High Stadium you rejoin the regular trail. In the next picture there's a fly fisherman in the Platte. Probably just practicing. I don't think the Platte running through Denver would be a good place to fish.

Bird by river looking for a snack.

That's the old Lakewood Gulch trail. Less than 1,000 feet up the gulch the trail encounters the RTD Light Rail project. The light rail will go from Denver to Golden. Bike path closed but detour provided.

Another bird looking for a fish to eat. My mission today was to travel the Platte River Trail detour and since we're gonna travel it for another two years you might as well learn to love it. The detour is less than two miles.