May 2025-Ridding between the RAIN and WINDS!

 May 17-We needed to get to the Walmart Marketplace to put some funds on to her Walmart Money Card, so we decided to ride the Rock Island Trail to it's current end point at Powers Blvd. On the way, we took a detour to get iced tea for our brown bag lunch at the Mavrick Station on the Academy Blvd Access Path. Done with lunch we headed back to the RIT and headed east. The Rock Island Trail is a former Rock Island Railroad corridor that closed in the mid 1970's. 

There are a couple of spots along the trail that still have the railroad tracks in place.  Stopping to take a break at an open area bench, we headed up a couple of inclines to a cul-de-sac just before Powers Blvd., the ending of the current trail, till they start the access path and either build a bridge or a underpass to get across Powers Blvd and extend the RIT east! From there it's back the same way and heading out to find a place for a 2nd iced tea and our afternoon Think Bar!

May 18-Headed out on the Pikes Peak Greenway heading north to ride the Cottonwood Creek Trail up to Cottonwood Creek Regional Park, our turn around point for the ride. It was a really WINDY ride, stopping at the Academy Blvd and Woodmen Ave Starbucks for iced tea and the brown bag lunch. The clouds came in so at times with the WINDS it was feeling chilly but the sun came back out and warmed us up, YEA! 

May 20-Left the Storage Unit, picked up the Cascade Ave bike lane to Fountain Blvd, then the Tejon St. bike lane, wanted to check out the new Tejon St and I-25 intersection Ped/Cycle Path. It's finished but it has a lot of lighted crosswalks which slows it down, but it is SAFER that the old "bike lane through the intersection"! Picking up the Tejon St bike lane again up to the traffic circle where you pick up the Cheyenne Blvd bike lane and we headed west to get to the Sacred Grounds Cafe for, what else, ICE TEA to add to the brown bag special. ARRUGH, lot's more Road Construction now on the bike lane, seems it never ends!

Finally made the Cafe but parking was full, found a little space and parked. Got our tea and I got a slice of Pumpkin Bread, YUM! Heading up the bike lane till it disappears and then to the foot of North Cheyenne Canyon City Park and the Starsmoor Visitor Center. Rats, closed for training purposes! LOL, oh well we headed back and picked up the Pikes Peak Greenway. After a stop for the Think Bar snack headed bac to the storage area, Fun ride but wish the construction would END! 

May 21-Left the Unit and headed north on the Cascade Ave bike lane to the Templeton Gap Trail and headed north to the Pikes Peak Greenway and a then heading west we got on the Sinton Trail and took it up to stop at Angletech. When Jo got here new inline E-assist system, it came with a new style display but it's tiny and hard to read so we wanted to know if they could put a 860C style display on her system, like mine. Large and easy to read and, yes, they could but they had none in stock, so they ordered us one! 

From the shop, we headed west on Sinton up to the Loaf n Jug store for a hotdog and iced tea for lunch. We picked up the Foothills Trail heading south past the Garden of the Gods City Park and got on the 31st. Street bike lane to get the Midland Trail heading east. Headed over to Shooks Run Trail to the Good Neighbors Meeting house for Herbal Berry Iced Tea and of course, Think Bar snack! ;) Shooks over to the Rock Island Connector and back to Cascade Ave bike lane and to the unit to finish the ride!

May 24-Food and Supply run then lunch RIDE, Well the weather is turning rainy and chilly on us for Memorial Day Weekend, so we needed to get in a Food and Supply run. Headed from the Unit on the Cascade Ave bike lane, picked up the Rock Island Connector and RI Trail heading east. Rode the RIT over to a side street and down the hill into the Walmart Market Place to get food and supplies. Heading back the same way to the apartment to unload the food and supplies. Headed north on the Pikes Peak Greenway up to the University Village Colorado Center and Panera Bread, brown bag lunch and iced tea. Then headed out to do the Vincent St. Loop and head back to the UVC Center patio area for a Think Bar and water before heading back to Cascade Ave bike lane and back to the unit as the clouds and winds started building up! 

That's it's for now, next week we are in for several days of RAIN!! Might be a while before the next blog report!! Hope you're getting in some great riding! :)

April into May 2025-More nicer days so MORE RIDES!!

 April 26- PPRRN Meet and Eat Event, I scheduled our Recumbent Network here in the Pikes Peak Region, southern Colorado! It just happened that the Season Opening of the Tastee Freeze Drive Inn so that was our destination for the Meet & Eat. Well, crud it's gray and a lite MIST, we headed to the meet up point on the Pikes Peak Greenway and meet up with two excellent Recumbent Riders Mark and Steve. We headed out in the mist and by the time we got to the Drive Inn the mist quit, and the sun came out!! 

Had a great lunch, then rode over to Monument Valley Park for a break, we headed out our different ways from the park. Even with the damp start, it was a good ride, and we got to make new friends!

April 27- Motorless Morning at the Garden of the Gods City Park. Two times a year, April and October the Garden of the Gods Park, let's cyclists, skateboarder's, hikers and skaters get to take over the inside of the park roadway, that's right, NO CARS ALLOWED!! From 5am t 12noon, its fun time sharing the beauty of the Red Rock Formations and the vista views without the normally constant auto traffic. 

Although there is a marked BIKE LANE throughout the GoG Park so even with cars it's good ride! We got there about 9am and saw a few other recumbent trike and bike riders, we rode past Steamboat and Balanced Rock, the GoG Trading Post and stopped for photos at the Central Garden Parking area. We rode the whole Juniper Loop Drive and then left the park on the Foothills Trail to the 31st. Street bike lane heading to Starbucks at Colorado Ave and 31st. Street for Iced Tea and the brown bag special, LOL. Headed back to the storage unit, tried but glad to take another spin through the GoG Park with all our friends!

April 30- Vincent Street Bridge Loop, before the RAIN ride. There was a real good chance of early afternoon rain, but the morning was sunny and warm, so we decided to just do a short ride and catch lunch at Panera Bread. After lunch we headed the "backwards" way heading up the North Nevada Ave access path up to the Vincent St. bridge and back down a short ride on the Cottonwood Creek Trail to the Pikes Peak Greenway and heading south back to the storage unit as the skies turned dark, tucked in the trikes and got back the apartment just before the skies opened up!! 

May 2- Templeton Gap Trail and a "walkie-talkie" malfunction and an upset BJ! Headed off the Cascade Ave Bike Lane, on to the Templeton Gap Trail heading east, riding it till it's current end at Ranch Drive and Union Blvd. Headed back down the trail to pick up the Flintridge Drive Bike Lane up to Academy Blvd and a stop at Starbucks for iced tea and the brown bag lunch. 

Once back on the T-Gap trail heading west, we tried a "Radio Check" and for some reason my MIC stopped working and then we had a constant "INTERFERENCE" problem all across several different channels? After that we just kept heading down the trail and did a bit more riding here and there. Back to the storage unit and tucking in the trikes, another great ride!

May 3- A Beautiful Day to RIDE to Manitou Springs, It was a truely stunning day to get in a ride on a recumbent trike! Decided, we haven't been to Manitou Springs for a bit so we headed down the west side of the Pikes Peak Greenway, then took the Pedestrian Over Pass over I-25 to get on the Mesa Springs Greenway, then a bike lane or two over to the Midland Trail heading west. In Manitou heading west on the Creekside Trail to its current end at Mayfair St., headed back on the trails into downtown Colorado Springs and stopped at the Antler's Plaza Starbucks for, what else, Iced Tea and our Think Bars. 80 F temps and SUN with only lite winds made the even better, that and meeting up with fellow trike rider, Eva at Fields Park and back to the storage unit!

May 4- Ride to check the progress of the new bike path at Tejon St. and I-25 Interchange. We headed south on the Cascade Ave bike lane to get to the Tejon St. bike lane and over to see if they finished the new bike path and crossing lights at Tejon St. and I-25. It's a strange mix of concrete path and asphalt bike lane and several crossing lights but it is SAFER than the old bike lane that ran into I-25 off ramps!!!! Continued on the Tejon St. bike lane heading west to the traffic circle to get us to the Creekwalk retail center. Decided to cross over Nevada Ave to Southgate and stop at Panera Bread for Iced Tea and our brown bag lunch. Headed back the same way to back road to take us to America the Beautiful Park and the Pikes Peak Greenway north to Cascade Ave bike lane north and back to the storage area. The Dark Clouds and stronger winds fought us all the way home but at least the rain held off till after we got back to the apartment!