WELCOME to: BJ and Jo Ondo's recumbent trike cycling blog! This blog has information about US! We don't own a car and use our trikes for our main Transportation and, also our Recreation! Thanks for checking out the Blog, LETS RIDE!
Got a decent day to ride to the local Walmart, to get yarn and misc. items. Added a ride to lunch and then headed home.
May 23- Food Run and Lunch Ride
We've had several days of gray, cloudy and chilly weather! Finally got a decent enough morning to get to the Walmart Market for FOOD! The weather held after we unloaded the food, etc. so we headed out to "do Lunch"!
May 24-Errand Run and Lunch Ride on a Sunny day
Jo likes to make up plastic flower bundles for laying at the small monuments during the Memorial Day Service at the Veteran's Memorial in Memorial Park. We headed out to the local Dollar Tree Store for flowers and ribbon. It was a really nice day so we did another lunch run.
May 25-Memorial Day-Ride to Memorial Park and the Veteran's Memorial for the "Memorial Day Service, hosted by the local Special Ops Group
We always try to find a "Memorial Day Service", wherever we may be on Memorial Day! Our favorite local service is hosted by the Special Ops Group and Motorcycle Club here in Colorado Springs. The Military is important to us; we have 5 Military Installations here!
The day started sunny and warm, so we headed down the Shooks Run Trail over to High Street to the Hancock Ave bike lane and over to Memorial Park. The service starts at 11:15 AM, every Memorial Day. We arrived early enough to take some video and photos of the event, it has many local speakers including the mayor, etc. Wreathes are placed by several different organizations at the specific small monuments around the Veterans Plaza. After it was over, we headed down Union Blvd to the Fountain Rd. bike lane over to the Evergreen Cemetery, to put a flower bundle at my Step-Grandpa's stone in the American Legion Plot.
The weather turned gray and cloudy with a lite sprinkle of rain at times, but it wasn't a problem. We were going to ride to the Westside of town to Rudy's BBQ but the heavy clouds and THUNDER we decided to go to the Good Neighbors Meeting House and get a pulled pork and grilled cheese sandwich instead, it was good and the Herbal Berry iced tea really hit the spot! LOL, the Thunder got Louder, so we headed home by Shooks Run and Rock Island Trails. Always, "REMEMBER" to "HONOR" those that Gave All before you join in the other Memorial Day Gatherings!
Well, that catches us up my friends. Soon we will be heading into SUMMERTIME, Yea! Hopefully the rains will dry up, and we can get in some longer rides soon. Until we meet again. HAPPY TRAILS!
We headed up to Angletech to check out the Spokes Fighting Storkes traveling trike caravan. Dan has a huge trailer full of differently set up trikes for Storke victim's and other types of physical handicap folks that want to see if they can gain some mobility riding a recumbent trike. With all his trikes and the demo trikes at Angletech there were plenty of brands and styles of trikes to work with. LOL, I even rode a new AZUB 20" Full Fat off-road trike, it was a lot of fun. We also came because Pitmaster Toby, from Toby's Trikes and BBQ Channel on YouTube was supplying the BBQ lunch and we have always wanted to try his food and check out his new additions to his AZUB Ti-Fly X trike.
After lunch we took a ride with the whole group down to America the Beautiful Park in downtown Colorado Springs, CO. It was getting late, so we said our good bye's and headed home via the westside Pikes Peak Greenway Trail! Fun Day and great event!
5-3-A cloudy but warm ride, downtown lunch and more!
We headed out to get on the T-Gap trail and then took the Union Blvd path to T-Gap Road and the bike lane over to Nancy Lewis Park for a quick pit stop. Then we headed to downtown at Panino's 74 Restaurant and had salads and a mini-meatball lunch, YUM. after that we headed over to Midland Trail and caught the Foothills Trail over to Sinton trail and back home. It started out a cloudy day but got nice as it got later. Just a several trails ride for some miles!
Video Short-East Side Ride in the Garden of the Gods Park
The whole RIDE Video:
5-7-Food run and Lunch Ride-
Due to wet weather and lots of appointments, we really NEEDED to go to the food store, so we headed up the Rock Island to the Union Blvd Walmart Market and got food and supplies. Loaded up the trailer and pannier's and headed back to the apartment to unload, then up to the Mavrick Station Cafe for a good Hot Dog and BBQ Chips with, what else, Iced Tea!
It was a chilly morning, so we got a bit of a late start so after lunch we headed over to the Sinton Trail, to the PP Greenway and back to the apartment! Even an errand can be a good ride!
Video-Short: Food Run and Lunch Ride
5-9- BIKE LANE FEVER, heading up the Cheyenne Blvd Bike Lane to North Cheyenne Canyon Park
We hadn't been up to the Sacred Grounds Cafe for iced tea and lunch in a bit so we jumped on the Cascade Street bike lane over to the Tejon St. bike lane and the Cheyenne Blvd bike lane headed up to the Cafe and the Starsmoor Center at the foot of the North Cheyenne Canyon Park. It's a bit hectic with the car traffic but with the bike lanes it's not bad. Much better once you get to the Cheyenne Blvd bike lane and head west. We headed up to the Starsmoor Visitor and Nature Center, but the whole area is being redone, restrooms, parking lots, etc. so we turned around and head back down to the Sacred Grounds Cafe CO. For Iced Tea and our brown bag lunch. LOL, we need to save back a few dollars and buy lunch there again soon! We just seem to ride there at the poorest part of the month!
From there, it's back down the Blvd. bike lane and a bit of the same way back, except we headed over to America the Beautiful Park and the PP Greenway over to Monument Valley Park and the west side of the Greenway over the Popcycle Bridge back to the apartment, a long ride but still a lot of fun and excellent weather!
Video Short- North Cheyenne Canyon and Sacred Grounds Cafe
Long Video- Bike Lane Fever
5-14-Angletech then the Creekside Coffee House Ride
Headed up to Angletech to let Joshia check out the rear derailer as I want to upgrade to the rapid shifter (trigger) from the old bar end shifter set up on my trike. Got an appointment for June 4 and they ordered the shifter. Went across the street at Mavrick Station Cafe for iced tea and the brown bag lunch. Decided to not do the normal, Foothills and Midland route and instead head up to the Creekside Coffee House after riding the Cottonwood Creek Trail up to Cottonwood Creek Regional Park as a turnaround point back to the coffee house for afternoon snack and more iced tea! Gave Angletech information to a nice lady who wanted to know more about the trikes and then met an older couple of trike riders having a coffee and also gave them a card so they can check out our YouTube channel! Really nice day started out pretty cloudy but got better and warmer as we rode. 85F by the time we arrived back at the apartment!
Video Short-Mid Cottonwood Creek
Long Video-Angletech and the Creekside Coffee House Ride
Finally caught up, sadly a lot of our yearly medical appointments are in April and May and the weather has been really good our really BAD lately so no idea when the next ride will happen! Until we come together next time My FRIENDS, HAPPY TRAILS
4/23-Food Run, Hot Dog-Cold Winds- It was time again to head to the Walmart Market for a Food Run. Hooked up the cargo trailer and got on the Rock Island Trail over to Union Blvd, down the little used doublewide sidewalk into the Walmart Market Parking Lot. Did the shopping, loaded the cargo trailer and headed back to the apartment but wow, the wind was really chilly!
Thought about just calling it a day but we decided to head over to the Tasty Freeze Drive Inn for a iced tea and a grilled hot dog and bun!! Good stuff, the cold wind got calmer, so we decided to put on a few more miles, heading south on Shooks Run and get in a bit more ride for the day! Through America the Beautiful Park and then the Mesa Springs Greenway to Fontanero St. and back on the Pikes Peak Greenway, over the Popcycle Bridge and back to the apartment. Even with the cold winds we still enjoyed the ride, sometimes errands can be FUN!
We had hoped to ride the "Motorless Morning" at the Garden of the Gods Park on Sunday the 26th. but the weather sucked!! Foggy, cold, gray and windy so we bailed and did a walk in the late afternoon during a break in the storm clouds! HAPPY TRAILS.
Still kinda crazy with personal stuff and a bit of very WINDY weather here and there but we have been able to do a few rides!
4/19- Errand Ride and a whole lot more- We ordered some helmet visors for our SENA R1 intercom helmets from Amazon. As our apartment complex outer doors are locked, it's hard to get a Amazon/UPS, etc. delivery. We use an Amazon Box at a close 7-11 store. Sadly, that box was totally full, so we got directed to a 7-11 on Uintah St. We headed out for a ride before getting to the 7-11 and found we chose the WRONG 7-11 store; we had to go up to the Uintah and 19th. Street 7-11 Amazon Box.
Headed up on the Uintah Street bike lane over two steep hills and found the proper box, since it was a Sunday and late afternoon, we thought we'd just hang around till 3 PM. At 3:15 we headed back down the bike lane to the Mesa Springs Greenway and home, RATS
Long version Video
Short version Video
4/20-Errand Ride-Part TWO-The Music Video- Finally got the ID numbers from Amazon via phone and again we headed up to the Amazon Box at the Uintah St. & 19th. St. 7-11 store! The box is outside and you punch a number into a screen BUT, the sun is so bright you can't SEE the screen information!!! It took us several times to get it right but finally door 2 opened and we got our new visors!! From there we headed down 19th. St. to Pikes Peak Ave., rode the street to a stoplight and Midland Trail access. Rode west, on the Midland to access the Colorado Ave bike lane, east and stopped into a Sonic Drive Inn for an All-American Dog and iced tea.
After lunch, we headed back to the Midland Trail and headed east into America the Beautiful Park and then headed to Shooks Run Trail and over to Cascade Ave for a late afternoon iced tea and snack at the building 3 Coffee House. It was getting really warm so we headed back to the apartment!
Video Long Version:
Video Short Version:
4/22- We meet again, Creekside Coffee House on the Cottonwood Creek Trail-Another beautiful morning, headed north on the Pikes Peak Greenway to the Cottonwood Creek Trail junction. Turing northeast, on the CCT and headed up to the Creekside Coffee House for, well, what else, iced tea and the brown bag lunch on the patio! A bit breezy but abundant sunshine, headed again up the CCT all the way to the current detour due to water system construction on the trail. Turned around and headed back down the CCT to the Vincent Frontage Road-Nevada Ave Path to the "Cracked Trail" and the underpass into the University Village Colorado Center and Panera bread for late afternoon iced tea and snack. Back to the Pikes Peak Greenway heading south and home.
Video Long Version
Video Short Version
All caught up for April so far, IF it's not pouring rain on Sunday, April 26, we will be riding the "MOTORLESS MORNING" at the Garden of the Gods Park! 5 AM to 12 NOON, NO CARS allowed thru the park so it's a FUN ride with lots of other bike, trike rides, skaters, skateboarders, walkers, etc. Till we come together again, my fine friends, HAPPY TRAILS!
We had planned on doing a Food run and then adding a lunch ride but after we got the cargo trailer and panniers loaded up, it started to sprinkle! RATS, we just got back on the Rock Island Trail and headed for home. It never rained hard, but it was wet all the same so we bailed on the lunch Ride!
4/12- No particular place to RIDE and the call of CHEAP Grilled Cheese
Due to it being "National Grilled Cheese" Day, we headed out to Panera Bread for a $2 off a Grilled Cheese Sandwich! It was such a nice day that we by passed the short cut to Panera Bread and headed for the Cottonwood Creek Trail to do the Vincent Street Loop and then the Nevada Ave Path, the Cracked Trail and come in the back way to the cafe. YUM, excellent grilled cheese and sides, plus a nice large, iced tea! From there we just wandered here and there via different routes enjoying the early Spring weather for a change!
4/13- A Ride for the Enjoyment of it!
Wow, a rare, nice day for two days in a row in early Spring in So. Colorado is kinda rare so again we headed out! First the PPGW to Sinton Trail over to the Foothills Trail. At the Garden of the Gods Park, we took a chance and took a trail into the park a bit that in the summer months has SO MANY tourist's that there is NO WAY, you can ride it! Being early Spring, and a Monday it was almost empty, so we decided to ride it and do both a full video and a video-short (just the trail) for our YouTube Channel-"Out and About on the Recumbents". Stopped at Starbucks for the Brown Bag Special and Iced Tea lunch!
More of the, point the wheels and head type riding that we really enjoy! It's great to have a destination but it's more fun to make your way as you GO! Again sunny, warm and lite winds making the kinda day, you just got to ride. Rode the Pikes Peak Greenway back to the Apartment and tucked in the trikes. Tuesday-Tia-Chi,
Weds. Out to lunch with Jo's brother Jim on his 65th. Birthday at the Airplane Restaurant. Friday, the weather guessers are saying COLD and LITE SNOW so we will see and hope they are wrong!
YouTube Video-Short: Hiking Trail in the Garden of the Gods
YouTube Video-Long Version of the RIDE!
Till we come together Next Time my Fine Friends, HAPPY TRAILS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, we have been getting a lot of afternoon lite rain showers as April has come to So. Colorado! The flowers are booming but sadly, our rides have been less due to it's our 6-month assessment time with Rocky Mountain PACE senior care so we have had constant medical appointments, RATS. Our only ride in April so far, has been on Saturday April 4th.
4/4/2026-Pikes Peak Region Recumbent Network, (PPRRN) Meet & Eat ride to Tasty Freeze Diner and their season opening
As the "administrator" for the PPRRN Facebook Group, I try to set up a once-a-month Meet & Eat Ride. The rains dried up for Sat. the 4th., at the same time it was the Season Opening for the 50's style Tasty Freeze Drive Inn. With a "Meet & Eat", you pick a restaurant, Diner, Coffee House, etc. and let the members know a "Meet Time". This way they can ride to the Meet point at their pace and choose the route they prefer to get there!
Jo and I set up a secondary meeting place to let folks, RIDE IN with us from the Julie Penrose Fountain in America the Beautiful Park in downtown Colorado Springs at 11:10. We only had one other couple show up, Mark and Diane on their AZUB bike and trike. The four of us headed out the Pikes Peak Greenway to the Rock Island and the Shooks Run Trail over to the Diner. Got our food, they had ice cream and we had a good gab session and then headed out in different directions. A very enjoyable ride with great folks and good food too!
From there, we headed south on Shooks Run Trail, then Midland Trail and Chaurrs Trail, (very short) over to the Walnut St. bike lane, then the Mesa Springs Greenway, over the Ped Bridge to Monument Valley Park for a restroom break. Back over the Ped Bridge and the Mesa Springs Greenway to the Pikes Peak Greenway and finally home. Good weather, great folks and a fun day for a RIDE!
Video Short-6-minute version
Video-Long Version
Yes, not much riding so far, hopefully now that the medical assessments are over, the afternoon rains with mellow and we can get "Out and About on the Recumbents! Till we come together again, my fine friends, HAPPY TRAILS!
Arrugh, again I have fallen way behind in updating the blog so here is more "Fake Summer Riding" here in Colorado Springs, Colorado, LETS RIDE!
March 19- Rode the Homestead Trail North.
This trail is really hard to get to the starting point, it's got NO "signed" starting point! You pick up the first turn to the left, while heading across Academy Blvd and heading east on Mazeland Dr. There is a dirt and grass trail along the small drainage canal and that takes you to Penrose Park and the dirt/old asphalt trail, heading south. Lots of broken asphalt and dirt patches but just after Oro Blanco, it turns to concrete for a while heading north. The rest is mixed asphalt and gravel. We only go as far as the Trail Overlook; it's too rutted and slick gravel on a steep downhill!! It's also only a once or twice a year ride, it really beats up on the trikes!
March 21- Food and Supplies Ride.
Time again, to go get some food, hooked up the cargo trailer and headed to Walmart Market on Union Blvd. Then headed out to lunch after that and back home!
March 25- "Fake Summer" ride to Palmer Park Overlook
Jo had a rare "lunch date" with her sister Sue so I took off on my own, headed up Rock Island Trail to go to the Academy Blvd Mavrick Station Store for a HOT DOG BBQ chips and iced tea lunch!! Decided to challenge myself with a steep climb on a thin 2 lane only black top road that is the ONLY road in Palmer Park barely safe enough on a recumbent trike!! The view is excellent!
From there I picked up the sidewalk on Circle Drive to get over to the T-Gap Trail down to the Pikes Peak Greenway and up to the UVC Center for iced tea at Panera Bread. Back to the Greenway and home.
March 26- Errand Run and a different view of the Garden of the Gods City Park, (Mostly a music video).
First, we headed to the Walmart Super Center on 8th. street to return 2-wallets that the pockets were too small for credit cards, etc. to FIT into!! Made our way over to the Midland Trail, headed west to get to Ridge Road. We stopped at Mc Donalds for, cheap iced tea!! Ridge Road heading north goes through the back side of the Garden of the Gods park. Picked up the Foothills Trail heading east to the Sinton Trail west, Pikes Peak Greenway and home.
March 28- Creekside Coffee House, Cottonwood Creek Trail and a bit more
It was supposedly going to be mostly cloudy, but the sun came out and the temps climbed quickly! Headed up the PP Greenway to get to the junction with the Cottonwood Creek Trail. Did a right turn onto the CCT and headed east to get to the Creekside Coffee House for iced teas and brown bag special. Headed back down the CCT to pick up the Vincent Frontage Road and Path down to the Cracked Trail, heading south along Nevada Ave. Followed the path to the UVC Panera Bread for iced tea and a FREE loaf of bread, it pays to be a MEMBER! Then back down the PP Greenway to the apartment, calling it a day. Great day to Ride!
THAT'S ALL FOLKS, till next time, Happy Trails and BTW, HAPPY EASTER Holidays too!
