This morning Mom dropped Dad and I, and our bikes, off at the top of Vail Pass – 10,666, in the Vail Pass Rest Area. The Vail Bike Path goes right through the rest stop and there was a trail to hike!
We started by hiking out Wilder Gulch – it was 4 miles round trip. The trail started right alongside I-70 but quickly turned into the valley and we couldn’t hear the road and could have been miles away! The valley was filled with wildflowers and willow and views! The trail meandered next to a creek and there were beaver ponds all along.
After the hike we were back at Vail Pass and decided to have lunch at the picnic table! There were lovely views and not a cloud in the sky!
After lunch we started down the Vail Pass Bike Path! The route was all downhill and passed through some great scenery! It was hard to believe that we were riding in the median of I-70! At one point we were on the shoulder of I-70 for a few feet before the path turned into the median and continued down into Cooper Mountain! There were wildflowers growing alongside and there was a creek running right down the middle! It was impossible to take pictures, but I stopped a few times. At the top it was windy and twisty and it was kinda scary, but by the end it was lots of fun!
View from the top of the pass
Very steep detour around a bridge that they were working on.
Wild Iris by the side of the path
Bike path with view
Waterfall in the median of I-70 right along the edge of the bike path
The trail got a little hard to follow through Cooper Mountain, which was mostly deserted, but we made it to the other side and down the Tenmile Canyon Bike Path!
Tenmile Creek had different views! Great big rocky mountains, the mountains around Vail Pass were round and green, these were rocky and jagged. There was another creek that ran along the path, this one had big boulders in it and lots of little cascades!
Keep in mind that in all the pictures from the bike path I-70 is in view in most of them and if not in view, mere feet from where we are biking! Amazing to have that much scenery that close to the highway!
Soon the 10 mile ride was over and we were back in Frisco. We were trying to find Mom, who was having lunch with some friends from Florida who live in Colorado, we connected with her and got some ice cream (there was a small ice cream place in Frisco, we weren’t a big fan of the flavors but we found something we’d like) and then Dad and I took a few minutes to look at the shops in Frisco.
We went into a bike shop and we were looking at bikes. I’m thinking I need a bike and I’m trying to decide what type and realizing that they are very expensive. I think what I want is a hybrid bike – both a road bike and a mountain bike. We saw one at a store and the gal was trying to sell it to me, but I’m not ready to buy. She did let me ride it for a few minutes – WOW! What a difference from the bike I’ve been riding!
Tomorrow Dad and I are going up to Keystone to take a mountain biking class and rent mountain bikes and ride the lifts and bike down. I’m betting I’ll learn more about what type of bike I might want. To see more pictures check out my album on Google+, Vail Pass.
No comments:
Post a Comment