Sometimes things just don't work out!

Creek Side Trail just west of the skate board bowl in Manitou Springs, CO. (older ride photo)

LOL, we had a bit of a mess up on our last group ride, on Friday June 5th. we headed out to Goose Gossage Youth Sports Park to meet up with some fellow trikers and first we had a "seat" malfunction on the Hase tandem set up, somehow the seat bracket is BENT and it took us 30 min. to get it back into place, then the ride leader was late and then we spent 30 more minutes, getting the Hase tandem set up for different riders. We finally headed out going south on the Pikes Peak Greenway but by the time we got to the Popscycle Bridge the chain had come off the tandem 4 times so most headed back to the start, well JoLynn and I decided it was to nice a day to waste so we headed south and picked up the Pine St. Trail and headed for the Midland Trail over towards Manitou Springs. We'd been told for what seems like the 10th. time since the project upgrade to No Man's Land Intersection started 2 years ago that it's completed! Well they finally did complete the bike/ped underpass under Manitou Ave. so you don't have to risk your life trying to cross Colorado/Manitou Ave's. anymore which is GREAT but it's still not quite "finished".

The Midland Trail crosses Ridge Rd. and the concrete for the walk/trail hasn't been poured so you have to cycle-cross it up to the newly poured entry way to the underpass at the moment which is a PIA at the least. Still it's so nice to have the "connection between the Midland Trail out of  Co. Springs and the Creek side Trail in Manitou Springs actually FLOW together!! We headed into Manitou on the Creek side Trail and past the skate bowl park and to the park where the Manitou Springs swimming pool is, then over a little wooden bridge and at first we headed to a little Italian cafe but it was still only doing pick up orders and we didn't have the phone number so we settled for a sub at Subways! It was nice not to have to "brown bag" lunch for once. One day we hope Manitou Springs will finish concreting the trail along the dirt trail and all the way into the town. For now it ends on a back street which to follow then turn on "Lovers Lane", and head into down town. We headed back the same way so a RT of 21 miles, sunny and HOT 95F+! Hopefully the next ride will stay a bit more "groupish", LOL but we enjoyed the ride. Sorry no photos, my camera batteries died, rats!