Notes from Bike Camping last month

What do I want out of this trip?
A bit of confidence; a bit of spontaneity; a bit of independence; to know I can set up camp and cook on a camp stove and carry everything I need on my bike. And that when an obstacle arises I can keep my head and fix the flat and improvise. I also wanted to see the magical in the mundane, an adventure in the middle of the suburbs.


Bike Camping 9-10-08

I left work at 3pm, I rushed home and quickly packed. I left my house at 4:15. At 5:20, on the Bear Creek Trail I got a flat tire. Luckily in the front. I arrived at the campsite at 6:05. I pitched the tent and cooked some pasta. At 7:05 I sat down to eat, pasta with Peanut Sauce. Awesome and smple camping meal.

The bike ride out to Bear Creek Lake State Park was beautiful. I enjoyed having the bike weighed down (and it was weighed down!) It made me ignore the passing bikes and ride mellow so I enjoyed the ride and scenery.

I need a stronger back wheel. I put a lot of weight back there. I also need new tires. I've been getting a lot of flat tires recently. I packed too much food. The pasta and sauce were perfect and tomorrow I'll probably brew coffee and maybe try oatmeal and cookies for breakfast.

The campground is pretty horrible: no trees larger than 12 feet, all open spaces, all spaces with electric hookups and huge gravel parking spaces in front. The RV parked across the driveway from me has a bright spot light shining on the side of their Motor Home. I came out here to escape all of the light pollution and maybe be able to see some of the stars and they brought a little of suburbia out camping with them.

But I kid you, it was an awesome bike ride. The grade of Morrison was pretty intense with all of the additional weight on my bike. I had to shift down into the granny gear! As I was barrelling down the other side of the hill I asked another cyclist where the park entrance was. He pointed it out and added, "Don't freeze camping!" Its weather is pretty mild at the campsite yet. As the sun went down, I put on jeans and a fleece long sleeved shirt, (the Lantz Guernsey Farm shirt my brother gave me!) and I am nice and toasty warm.

For bear and raccoon protection, I threw a nylon cord over a 7 foot branch to tie up the food. Granted a raccoon could reach that on its tippy toes but I figured I should make an effort. Still, what a joke. There's no tree branch really any higher in the campground to throw it over. I didn't pack that much food, I decided against making black bean soup because of the mess to clean up afterwards. The pasta was a last minute grab on the way out the door and will become a camping staple because of its simplicity to make and clean up afterwards. The Light My Fire mess kit worked perfectly, I even used the colander.

Next time, I need to organize the load better, so I can get at my tools (spare tube, pump, tire levers) without having to unstrap the tent, sleeping bag and sleeping pad from the rear rack to get at them.

What did I bring:
Tent, footprint, pad, sleeping bag
stove, fuel, lighter
food (pasta, sauce, trail mix, tamari almonds, Uncle Eddie's Vegan Cookies, oatmeal, ground coffee, instant refried beans, and instant black bean soup)
water: 3 bottles and also camelpak
Extra clothes (fleece, pants, wool hat, gloves, socks, thermal underwear)
toiletries (soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, dish towel)
camera
raincoat

I will assess tomorrow whether I overpacked (it seems like a huge load for one night). But readingWhat do I want out of this trip? A bit of confidence; a bit of spontaneity; a bit of independence; to know I can set up camp and cook on a camp stove and carry everything I need on my bike. And that when an obstacle arises I can keep my head and fix the flat and improvise. I also wanted to see the magical in the mundane, an adventure in the middle of the suburbs

The tent pitched easily in 10-15 minutes. It would've been a different story if it'd been raining. Rain would've changed everything.

Bear Creek park was lovely to bike through, it was everything I miss: tree lined bike path, golden sunset prairie grass, a relaxed ride, easy going vibe.

I think when people saw my loaded bike they thought: "oh an eccentric!", or, "Oh the homeless!", or "Oh I want to do an overnight bike trip!" or "Oh, he's on a holy pilgrimage! A pilgrim, a Holy Fool."

What do I want out of this trip? A bit of confidence; a bit of spontaneity; a bit of independence; to know I can set up camp and cook on a camp stove and carry everything I need on my bike. And that when an obstacle arises I can keep my head and fix the flat and improvise. I also wanted to see the magical in the mundane, an adventure in the middle of the suburbs: and I am smack dab in the midst of the suburbs, the superhighways 285 and C-470 are both less than a mile from where I am camped. I can see the constant traffic from the picnic table I'm sitting at, by I can also see the moon and the stars.

Next morning:
I woke up last night thinking: Wow, is it morning already? It was getting lighter in the east, then I looked at my cell phone and it was midnight. Oops! So I went back to sleep. The wind blew a lot, I was out in the middle with no trees to block the wind. I slept sideways in the tent because the tent wall kept blowing in an hitting the top of my head.

I woke up at 6:30am, by 7:30 I had pitched camp and was drinking coffee. At 6:30 there was a constant stream of traffic passing over C-470 already. If you close your eyes you can pretend its the sound of a river, a mechanical river. I left camp at 8am, got lost a couple times biking around the state park and got home around 10:30am. Fun ride home, a bit cold and damp, especially riding in jeans and with the camelpak on my back. But a nice ride, not too tired.

Additions I could have used:
Pillow!
chain grease.

Didn't need to pack:
camelpak
some of the instant food.

Sunday Sept 28: Biking to the Colorado Trail

61 miles total today
The Colorado Trail is a hiking (and mt biking) trail that meanders over the rocky mountains from Denver to Durango, 415 miles.

I rode down the Platte Trail today down to Chatfield Reservoir and from there hung a right to catch the South Platte Trail to Colorado Trail trailhead then rode down Waterton Canyon Trail up past the Strontia Springs Dam. It was a fun ride, made possible by the fat tires on my new Miyata Six Ten! From the right turn at Chatfield until the end of the ride were all dirt paths.

South Platte Trail

Here's the Waterton Canyon Trail Map:


Here's information on the Colorado Trail:


Here's a picture of the Pike National Forest that borders the trail:


One more pic:


On the way back I bumbled onto perhaps a more direct route from Chatfield to Waterton Canyon:
1. Bike south down the main park loop road
2. take a right at the horse stable exit, "B&B Livery - Horse Rental" (its a half mile past the main park exit/entrance on Wadsworth Blvd)
3. find the dirt trail to Waterton (I think it should be obvious.)

I'm excited about today's adventure as I've been looking for a fun, bikeable route from Denver to a National Forest where I can go bike camping without being surrounded by RVs. And I finally found it! Next weekend, hopefully I'll try camping overnight in the Pike National Forest on the Colorado Trail.

Saturday Sept 27: Bear Creek Trail to Dinosaur Ridge

58 miles
I forgot my camera so no pictures, which is too bad because this is the most beautiful ride. I left a little after 11am, cuz I can't get started before 11 for some reason. I rode down the platte trail, took the right fork to get onto the bear creek trail, rode out to Bear Creek Lake State Park, climbed to the top of the enormous Mt Carbon, was scowled at up top of said mountain by some suburban biker whom I said "Hi!" to at a water fountain. (Was the scowl the result of my vintage bike with puffy foam handlebars or the fact that I filled up my water bottle instead of using a disposable cup like him? We'll never know. I get very few nods or hello's in BCL state park, seems snobbier and alienatinger than any other trail, shit on C470 west, everyone I met was friendly and that even farther west into the burbs!)

Then I took S. Rooney Road up to Alameda Parkway which rides up and around Dinosaur Ridge. I took the time to look around Dinosaur ridge. The views up there are amazing and there are actual dinosaur foot prints on the rocks. Yes, next time I will remember the camera.

Then came back the same way. I'm still trying to learn to shift my friction shifters on the new old bike, but other than that a gorgeous ride. Also the bike seems to smooth over a lot the bumbity bumps.

Friday Sept 26: Getting Lost on Clear Creek Trail

I rode my new 22 yr old bike, its a 1986 Miyata Six-ten

45 miles
This has to be the least marked trail, with the most forking paths that I've ever taken. I met a couple who was also lost, they had biked down from Arvada and were calling their son at a cross roads, to ask him which fork to take.

I took the Platte Trail up from confluence park to the Clear Creek Trail turn off. The Platte trail during this leg is smelly and very industrial. There is a wide gamut of smells from Purina Dog Chow processing, to waste water management to Horse stable stink: bring a lavander scented handkerchief. (I did bring a bandana but it was unfortunately not scented, perhaps I will try that next time.) After you ride past the first 5 miles of the CC trail, it begins to become tree lined and pretty, next time I will take pictures, the falling yellow leaves were pretty and a bit seasonally wistful, that part of the ride made the Platte section worthwhile.

I didn't make it all the way to Golden, which was my goal, I just made it past the Wheat Ridge rec center, after which I lost the trail for the last time and decided to turn back home as the sky had been promising rain all afternoon.

Map of Denver Bike Paths

Sunday Sept 21: Chatfield-west C470-Bear Creek

View from W. C470 trail

55 miles
Yesterday I explored another good trail: the West C470 trail. I biked down the Platte River trail to Chatfield and then biked under C470 and took a wrong turn onto the abominable Columbine trail. (Ugh.) Then doubled back and found the C470 trail, which granted, yes, parallel'd C470 up a 100 feet, but the views of the hogbacks were spectacular, I had a grin on my face the entire time I was on C470 or Bear Creek. Then as the trail approached BCLP, I saw the home depot that I could see from my old camp site at BCLP a week ago. I bike passed it and was at the South end of Bear Creek Lake Park, which is a beautiful entrance.

the winding road into Bear Creek Lake State Park

Then I pedalled through BC, had a bit of a snack and then decided not to ride up over Dinosaur Ridge (55 miles would be enough today). I rode back through BCLP, saw a motorcycle with a couple kids driving through the bike trail of the park (I gave them a stern old-man-on-bike look, which no doubt made their ride worthwhile.) It rained a bit, just enough to muddy up the bike, and I had this view with Prairie flowers leaving Bear Creek.


Beautiful ride, I can't wait to ride it again!

Friday Sept 19: Bear Creek-Morrison Half Century

55 miles
I took a vacation day to go cycling. I liked this ride alot, although Mt Vernon Road is a bit narrow and cars seem to pass whether there was room or not.

Bear Creek Lake Park was beautiful and fun to bike through with all its hills and Mount Carbon. I rode through it to on the way out as well as to get back. (There is an option to take Morrison Road but I stuck with the bike path, its much prettier.) Then I biked up Mt Vernon road, up past the Red Rocks entrance. Cars speed on this road and its too narrow, so it was not such a fun segment. Then I turned off onto another road Alameda Parkway, it winds up and over the hogback: Dinosaur Ridge. That was fun to ride, there were alot of hikers, next time I decided I should bring along my hiking shoes. Then I got a bit lost and then I ended up going down the correct bike lane past the world famous speedway (whose name I cannot recall). Then back home through Bear Creek. I hiked around in Bear Creek looking for a potential stealth camping spot. There may be potential spots around there.

Sweet ride. Perhaps my new favorite.