My wife JoLynn and I decided to ride a trail that we've never been on here in Colorado Springs, CO. The Cottonwood Trail is at the northend of town and we don't hardly get up that way. There's no connector trails from the south up that far so we loaded the trikes in the van and headed for the recreation center/YMCA at Cottonwood Park. LOL, we had "no idea" where the trail started so we finally found it behind several baseball diamonds. Heading north the trail ends when the concrete turns into a "dirt single track" so we rode up to the spot and turned the trikes to head south. At the moment the south trail ends just before Academy Blvd., they are building a new bridge and the trail will go underneath it and will go all the way to the Pikes Peak Greenway, close to downtown C. Springs!! That will make it about a 25 mile ride so we will revisit the trail when it's completed. We rode down to south stopping point and had a cliff bar and shared a bag of our favorite "Jelly Belly Sport Beans", then headed back to the park and the van. BTW, part of the trail is along a "disc golf course" so you do have to watch for flying disc's! Sunny, 80F, light breeze a bit of MUD we had to moto-cross over. 8.5 miles RT, 80F, Sunny, light breeze and the rain held off till we got home! It was FUN getting to ride a new trail! :)

The end of the trail, heading NORTH out of Cottonwood Park

The MUD, was to the right, 20ft. long 12ft. wide and 3 inches deep!!

The current end of the trail, SOUTH,  just before the new Academy Blvd. bridge and trail underpass in progress!

Watch out for Flying Disc's!! :O

The last of the Summer "Southeast Area Bike Fest's"

There have been 3 Southeast Area Bike Fest's here in Colorado Springs, CO. since May and today was the last one for the summer of 2018. The first one we just showed up to check it out and found out it was run by a friend, Allen B. and LOL, he "drafted us" into help with the "Community Ride" for the event by being "Sweep Riders".  A Sweep Rider is the last rider in the group and makes sure all the riders get to the ride destination and back to the event area, safely!  We had a smaller group this time but they were a fun group, that included a little 4 year old girl we'd just got her first bike on Tuesday! She rode a little shakey but did great making the 3 mile RT on the Sand Creek Trail!!  We stopped at Wildflower Park and Allen gave out Popsicles and cold water as it was in the 90F's temp wise!! We even had two twin brothers on "scooters", do the whole 3 miles while Mom and Dad rode bikes with "trailers", incase they didn't make it!  We don't use the van for these rides, we ride from the storage unit to the Event and then back home, adding the 3 mile ride it comes out to about 13 miles.  It's a small way we give back to the local community! (Event Sponsors: Bike Colorado Springs/Kids On Bikes/Armed Forces YMCA/Girl Scouts/Pike Bike Share of Colorado Springs)

The Community Ride Group at Wildflower Park, I'm in the "red jersey" and JoLynn is holding up the water bottle! :)

A two trail ride

We wanted to start at America The Beautiful Park in down town Co. Springs but they were having Pride fest and wanted to charge $10 for what's usually FREE parking, we blew that pop stand and parked at the Bike Plaza/Fontanaireo Trail head of the Legacy Loop for FREE! :). They haven't made the future concrete trail from the trail head to the popcycle bridge yet so we took the slightly rocky dirt trail to the bridge and headed up the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail. We stopped at Criterium Bicycles for water and a break, shared a bar and a bag of jelly belly "sport beans" and headed up the Greenway to the start of the Cottonwood Trail which only goes for a couple of miles then the tunnel is "blocked off" till they finish the new bridge at Academy Blvd. and they make the "trail" go underneath it, it will add a lot of miles heading EAST when it completed!! :). We picked up the Vincent St. Bike Lane, Nevada Ave. Trail back to the new shopping center and got back on the PP Greenway Trail and headed back to the van. 13 miles RT, 90F+ with a nice breeze. Packed up the trikes and headed to Wendy's for lunch! :)

Rode the Sinton Trail

On Sunday, July 8th. we packed up the trikes in the van and headed out to ride the Sinton Trail, parked again at the Goose Gossage Youth Athletic Fields where the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail and the Sinton Trail intersect. It's not a long ride only 12 miles RT but it has LOTS of steep inclines but it also has the most SHADE so we traded "distance for altitude"! ;)  It follows as smallish creek and does a nice winding trail, all asphalt/concrete mix. You first go under a rail road over bridge and up a steep but short grade till it mellows out as it passes Sinton Pond. Then a major intersection with Chestnut St. and keep heading north. finally you get to the "tiny tunnel", LOL, it's only big enough for 1 bike/trike and it's kinda DARK!!  I swear it was a JOKE by the trail planners but it's LOT safer on the trikes than on our old Comfort Bicycles!!  Then the trail continues along a very DEEP drainage ditch up to Garden of the Gods Rd., turn left and ride the very wide concrete path up to 31st. St. and the Loaf & Jug store for a cold drink and a 1/4 pound hot dog!:)  Now the FUN begins as it all very fast down hill most of the way back to the Pikes Peak Greenway and the Van, YEE HAW!!! :) Packed the van and headed home, oh forgot, on the way back JoLynn had a FLAT tire, left front just like mine last week, hope that's the last of them for a time!!  :) Sunny, very warm, light breeze a lot of FUN! :)

The Infamous Tiny Tunnel!!! :O

Riding the Midland Trail

On Saturday June 30th., we decided to check out the progress they have made on the new Bike/Ped. Island and under the street path at Ridge Rd. and Colorado Ave. on the Midland Trail.  We loaded up the van with the trikes and parked/staged at America The Beautiful Park in down town Colorado Springs, CO. It was sunny and cool at only 60F but it felt good after several days of 90F+ lately! We weren't sure we'd find a parking space as they were having a "Art and Music Festival" we didn't know about and the park was already getting packed! The Midland Trail goes from down town Co. Spgs. to just east of the town of Manitou Springs. It's all concrete till you get past the Manitou Swimming Pool Park, turns into hard packed dirt, then ends at the back roadway into down town Manitou Springs.

They've been redoing the connection between the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail and the Midland Trail just outside ATB park for the last few months but it's finished and you can access the Midland Trail just outside the park and head west. Some of the trail is in a semi-urban area but a lot just follows a small creek and has some nice woods and lot's of little bridges criss-crossing  the creek. The trail ends at 21st. and you have to take the detour on back streets to 25th. Street where the concrete bike trail starts up again and goes to 31st. Street that has a VERY BUSY intersection crossing with CO. Hwy. 24, watch traffic as you cross over to continue on the trail!!!  The next section heads to Ridge Road and Colorado Ave. where they are working hard to redo the whole intersection to create a Bike/Ped Pavilion Area and they will be taking the trail "under" Colorado/Manitou Ave. to make for a much safer crossing of this very busy street! LOL, right now it's a mess, with a hard to use soft dirt and DEEP gravel path, leading to the road where you can detour up 36th. Street to Pikes Peak Ave, then turn left and follow the old Manitou Road past the really cool, Buffalo Bicycle Lodge (a great place to stay!), then follow the road to the Skateboard Park and you pick up the Creekside Trail thru the park and on to the Swimming Pool Park and the current end of the concrete trail. From there it's a hardpacked dirt trail till it runs out and you continue on back streets to the park across from the Manitou Springs Visitor Center, then take "Lovers Lane", the back way into down town Manitou Springs which is a great little tourist trap! :)  Head back the same way or stay on Pikes Peak Ave. back into Colorado Springs.

The Julie Penrose Fountain at America The Beautiful Park, down town Co. Springs, CO.

The new "connection" bridge between the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail and the Midland Trail heading west.

Heading west on the Midland Trail after crossing the busy intersection at 8th. Street and CO. Hwy. 24

Artsy rock rest stop on the Midland Trail

One of the many little bridges criss-crossing the creek along most of the trail, see the animal mural on the retaining wall?

Just short of the currently being reconstructed intersection of Ridge Road and Colorado Ave. Soon it will have the trail go "Under Colorado/Manitou Ave.", to make a MUCH safer way for bikes/Peds. to get across where the Midland Trail and the Manitou Springs, Creekside Trail", combine to take you into Manitou Springs!

Creekside Trail in the Skateboard Park in Manitou Springs

Where you see the car coming out of is the entryway to the Garden of The Gods Park, which has a great "Bike Lane" thru the whole park but it's VERY hilly riding!! JoLynn is climbing the hill to head to the Manitou Springs Swimming Pool Park and our rest/lunch stop.

Parked and grabbed a bench seat to have LUNCH, there's a Subway's Sandwich Shop just outside the park, YUM! :)

Heading back east into Colorado Springs just before the connection to the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail and America The Beautiful Park.