I checked 2 more bike trails off my bucket list this week. We went up to Loveland, CO to ride the loop trail that circles the city (22 miles). I think some of our bike club members were intimidated by the ride and so decided not to attend, but to me the hardest part of the excursion was driving up I-25 in rush hour traffic.
The trail was very flat (all concrete), and the weather was spectacular - 70° and sunny with a light breeze. Loveland isn't a very big town, so the scenery was gorgeous. The mountains look a little more rugged here than they do further south from my neighborhood.
I stayed on in Loveland and did a little sketching after our ride. I found a really nice coffee shop next to a quirky art museum. I think that sculpture on the right is supposed to represent a cougar and a couple cacti. The whole thing was made out of rusty metal.
The art spots continued as I drove south to Berthoud and then Longmont. I thought this sculpture of a lizard in a dress was a little creepy, but the whole park had similarly themed statues. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable sitting on that bench with the lizard looking at me.
I had dinner at the 99 Bar Saloon. I thought the barbeque burnt ends on a baked potato sounded really good. But let me tell you, that chef needs to take a trip to Kansas City, because those were not burnt ends. They were short ribs, only they were mostly fat. It was an extremely disappointing dinner. At least the baked potato was good, but $17 is a little pricey for a potato.
I spent the night in Longmont and then rode the St Vrain's Greenway trail the next day. I started at the trailhead near the Sandstone Ranch Visitor Center - one of the first homesteads in Longmont. But this rocky trail was way beyond my comfort zone (and my tires' ability to stay inflated). So, I took the park service road and luckily found the concrete portion of the trail. Gravel biking is very popular in Colorado, but not for me.
I also went back to the Sand Creek Trail this week. The last time I rode it, I was with the bike club and wasn't able to do any sketching. The trail runs through Central Park which was formed from the runways of the old Denver Stapleton Airport. They've turned the control tower into an entertainment venue. The picture on the right is a 2-lane bowling alley sandwiched between the restaurant and the mini-golf course. Since the mini golf course was not busy and in the shade, I sat out there to sketch.
As I was riding back through Central Park, I saw this elaborate 4-story playground structure on the left. I had to laugh at how complex it was (kind of like a slide on steroids), especially compared to the type of playground equipment we grew up with.
