A biking we will go, A hiking we will go
Friday – 7/11
Today we are set for an early bike ride. It really is not that early (10:00 AM) and really not a ride.
We head into town to meet up with the outfitter, Colorado Bicycling Adventures, and they fit us with bikes, helmets and give us each a water bottle. They then load us into the van and head up the hills north of Estes on MacGreagor to Devils Gulch Road. Our family of 5 won’t fit in the van, so we ride with the owner’s wife. She tells us a little about the history of the area, how they ended up there last year and about the ride we will be taking.
The trip we are taking is the North Fork downhill tour. It will take us through canyons with a stop for cinnamon rolls on the bank of the North Fork river.
We line up and listen to a final safety talk. We will be riding on the road with traffic. The guides will flag cars around and we will be riding the brakes the entire way.
As soon as our entire tour pulls into the road, Wendy’s tire hisses and pops. They pull up the van, do a quick tube change and we are off.
The ride is very relaxing and easy. Many nice views of the canyons and mountains in the distance. The lead guide talks about the scenery and history in the area, but since we are traveling single file, it is difficult to hear what he is saying. I am following Jackson, who seems to be a bit wobbly on his bike. I have to keep reminding him to keep away from the edge and then back from the middle as cars are passing. Georgia is on a trail-a-bike behind Wendy, so no worry about her. We pass Storm Mountain, which the locals say gets hit by lightning every day of the year. Something about the iron ore at the top. We pass through a quaint mountain town of Glen Haven and then stop a little ways down the road for a late breakfast.
They have set up coffee, juice, cinnamon rolls and a lot of fresh fruit. A nice break, and the stream is very inviting. So much so, that my kids ask if they can jump in. The guides all join in and decide it would be a great time for a swim.
The water is in the mid 40’s, so any swim will be very short lived. We tell the kids that they must take off their shoes and deal with any consequences of being wet the rest of the day. They all jump in, and one of the guides rides his bike into a deeper part of the water. After they are all thoroughly soaked and cold, they climb out, only to realize that we do not have towels. Guess they should have thought about that before jumping in. It is really not a problem as it is very warm today, so they should dry out quickly.
We continue on our ride until we come to the town or Drake where we meet the van and load the bikes for the ride back.
One of the guides rides in the owner’s car with us, and we talk about hikes and places to eat. He tells us about a hike to Gem Lake where the kids can do some climbing over boulders at the end. This is exactly what Jackson has been asking for on each of our hikes, so we get details on how to get to the trailhead.
A little more shopping (who can resist visiting 20 t-shirt shops) and we stop at a toy store to pick up a couple items for Georgia’s birthday next week. Then across the street to Penelope’s for burgers and fries. Charlotte and Wendy each have the fish basket, which Charlotte proclaims to be fantastic.
We do a little more shopping, then head over to the community center to fill water bottles before the hike. Charlotte and Jackson are both complaining about being tired and not in the mood for a hike. It is very hot, but we really want to get another hike in before we leave. We remind Jackson that he has been asking for this hike with the boulders the entire trip, and this will probably be his only chance.
When we get to the trailhead. we pack our bags and head out onto the trail. Charlotte rallies and takes off down the trail. Jackson is still complaining about being tired and a stomach ache. We sit for a few minutes, and then I call out to Charlotte. Seems she has decided to take off down the trail without telling us she is going on. We had called to her a couple times to come back and wait, but she just kept on going.
Wendy and I decide to give Wendy the keys so she can go back to the car with Jackson, and Georgia and I take off to catch Charlotte. Each person we cross on the trail tells us that she is pulling further and further ahead. I try to make good time, but still need to stop as the altitude and heat are getting to me also.
By the time we catch up to her, we are almost at the trails end. I sat her down and talked to her about staying with the group and not taking off on these trails. Fortunately, we had a lot of people on the trail who could give us updates on where she was and there were no splits in the trail where we might have gotten separated.
Just as I was finishing my lecture, and we had turned to head back, up come Jackson and Wendy. He has also rallied and they are looking for heart shaped rocks for a collection Wendy wants to start. We decide to finish off the hike up to Gem Lake. The remainder of the hike takes about 15 minutes and the lake is very beautiful. It is small and shallow, but beautiful. Actually, I would consider it a small pond, not a lake, only about 30 yards across and 2 to 3 feet deep.
Charlotte wants to wade in, but the water looks a little dirty. They opt to crawl around some rocks for a bit, and then we decide we have to get a start on the 1.8 mile hike back. Just as we are about to leave, we see some storm clouds rolling in in the distance. The ranger the day before has warned us about how quickly storms can roll in. There were a group of 8 people who were hit by lighting earlier in the week. 3 of the people in the group sustained burns to their feet and arms. We decide to move quickly down the mountain. The storm rolled off and we then slow the pace a little bit letting the kids have some fun on the way down.
This was a nice hike, some lessons were learned and we now know that the kids can do a 4 mile hike with close to 1000 foot elevation gain.
We make a stop at Safeway on the way back to the RV. It will be a light, easy dinner. When we get back, Charlotte is not feeling well. She probably did not drink enough water on the trail and is complaining about a headache. Early bed for all will be needed tonight.
Today we are set for an early bike ride. It really is not that early (10:00 AM) and really not a ride.
We head into town to meet up with the outfitter, Colorado Bicycling Adventures, and they fit us with bikes, helmets and give us each a water bottle. They then load us into the van and head up the hills north of Estes on MacGreagor to Devils Gulch Road. Our family of 5 won’t fit in the van, so we ride with the owner’s wife. She tells us a little about the history of the area, how they ended up there last year and about the ride we will be taking.
The trip we are taking is the North Fork downhill tour. It will take us through canyons with a stop for cinnamon rolls on the bank of the North Fork river.
We line up and listen to a final safety talk. We will be riding on the road with traffic. The guides will flag cars around and we will be riding the brakes the entire way.
As soon as our entire tour pulls into the road, Wendy’s tire hisses and pops. They pull up the van, do a quick tube change and we are off.
The ride is very relaxing and easy. Many nice views of the canyons and mountains in the distance. The lead guide talks about the scenery and history in the area, but since we are traveling single file, it is difficult to hear what he is saying. I am following Jackson, who seems to be a bit wobbly on his bike. I have to keep reminding him to keep away from the edge and then back from the middle as cars are passing. Georgia is on a trail-a-bike behind Wendy, so no worry about her. We pass Storm Mountain, which the locals say gets hit by lightning every day of the year. Something about the iron ore at the top. We pass through a quaint mountain town of Glen Haven and then stop a little ways down the road for a late breakfast.
They have set up coffee, juice, cinnamon rolls and a lot of fresh fruit. A nice break, and the stream is very inviting. So much so, that my kids ask if they can jump in. The guides all join in and decide it would be a great time for a swim.
The water is in the mid 40’s, so any swim will be very short lived. We tell the kids that they must take off their shoes and deal with any consequences of being wet the rest of the day. They all jump in, and one of the guides rides his bike into a deeper part of the water. After they are all thoroughly soaked and cold, they climb out, only to realize that we do not have towels. Guess they should have thought about that before jumping in. It is really not a problem as it is very warm today, so they should dry out quickly.
We continue on our ride until we come to the town or Drake where we meet the van and load the bikes for the ride back.
One of the guides rides in the owner’s car with us, and we talk about hikes and places to eat. He tells us about a hike to Gem Lake where the kids can do some climbing over boulders at the end. This is exactly what Jackson has been asking for on each of our hikes, so we get details on how to get to the trailhead.
A little more shopping (who can resist visiting 20 t-shirt shops) and we stop at a toy store to pick up a couple items for Georgia’s birthday next week. Then across the street to Penelope’s for burgers and fries. Charlotte and Wendy each have the fish basket, which Charlotte proclaims to be fantastic.
We do a little more shopping, then head over to the community center to fill water bottles before the hike. Charlotte and Jackson are both complaining about being tired and not in the mood for a hike. It is very hot, but we really want to get another hike in before we leave. We remind Jackson that he has been asking for this hike with the boulders the entire trip, and this will probably be his only chance.
When we get to the trailhead. we pack our bags and head out onto the trail. Charlotte rallies and takes off down the trail. Jackson is still complaining about being tired and a stomach ache. We sit for a few minutes, and then I call out to Charlotte. Seems she has decided to take off down the trail without telling us she is going on. We had called to her a couple times to come back and wait, but she just kept on going.
Wendy and I decide to give Wendy the keys so she can go back to the car with Jackson, and Georgia and I take off to catch Charlotte. Each person we cross on the trail tells us that she is pulling further and further ahead. I try to make good time, but still need to stop as the altitude and heat are getting to me also.
By the time we catch up to her, we are almost at the trails end. I sat her down and talked to her about staying with the group and not taking off on these trails. Fortunately, we had a lot of people on the trail who could give us updates on where she was and there were no splits in the trail where we might have gotten separated.
Just as I was finishing my lecture, and we had turned to head back, up come Jackson and Wendy. He has also rallied and they are looking for heart shaped rocks for a collection Wendy wants to start. We decide to finish off the hike up to Gem Lake. The remainder of the hike takes about 15 minutes and the lake is very beautiful. It is small and shallow, but beautiful. Actually, I would consider it a small pond, not a lake, only about 30 yards across and 2 to 3 feet deep.
Charlotte wants to wade in, but the water looks a little dirty. They opt to crawl around some rocks for a bit, and then we decide we have to get a start on the 1.8 mile hike back. Just as we are about to leave, we see some storm clouds rolling in in the distance. The ranger the day before has warned us about how quickly storms can roll in. There were a group of 8 people who were hit by lighting earlier in the week. 3 of the people in the group sustained burns to their feet and arms. We decide to move quickly down the mountain. The storm rolled off and we then slow the pace a little bit letting the kids have some fun on the way down.
This was a nice hike, some lessons were learned and we now know that the kids can do a 4 mile hike with close to 1000 foot elevation gain.
We make a stop at Safeway on the way back to the RV. It will be a light, easy dinner. When we get back, Charlotte is not feeling well. She probably did not drink enough water on the trail and is complaining about a headache. Early bed for all will be needed tonight.