Ramble Ride July 2021

Ramble Ride 2021

I carried my GoPro camera along and compiled a video of the trip. You can watch it HERE.

Day 1: 

Today was hard. Like… real hard. 😯 

It’s taken me 5 years to forget how hard this ride is/can be. I last did it in 2016- the first year they did this event- and I’d honestly forgotten (selective memory?)  just how difficult the riding is. And also how much fun… To get off grid away from cell signals; to meet a whole new group of rad humans; to ride bikes on quiet back roads with the ONLY objective of the day being simply to make it to the evening campsite, and set up my tent before dark.

Yes, It’s a good way to spend a few days. I’m so thankful I can do things like this. 

The primitive simplicity of it is the biggest piece of this vacation for me -  we laughed today as we struggled up this brute of a climb, that we could be vacationing on a beach 🏖 or in a ritz carlton but … why? We got to see the sights and take in the views from our bikes with only our legs to power us and mountain ranges and wildflowers and cattle and wildlife to look at. Yes it’s hard —and it’s also really rewarding.

Last night we arrived in Walden and camped there (I slept in my van, naturally!) and this morning we took off and rode 65 miles towards this lake, where we are camped out tonight. That doesn’t sound very daunting but let me tell you… this course is NOT for the faint of heart. Over 5000 feet of elevation gain achieved at times on 15-18% gradient roads that were relentless; yes, some walking and pushing of the bike took place, I’m not gonna lie. 10mph average pace is the goal. and even that isn’t always attainable.

I brought my Cannondale Fsi hard tail mountain bike - it’s the perfect tool for the job here. Super light weight with the Lefty Ocho fork for some moderate front suspension, easily locked out when not needed. I just recently put on new wider tires too-2.4/2.5 nice and grippy. Albeit -a bit much for this ride - but being able to manage the gravel on these tires gives me immense confidence. The roads we’re riding are rough enough this bike is much kinder on the arms and shoulders than a gravel bike would be plus some of these roads today were almost legit mtn bike trail-ish. I was glad for the front suspension and the upright position.  The bike was admired and wished-for by several riders. Gravel bikes are rad but they can be quite a bit less forgiving especially day after day. I’m thrilled with my choice of steed. 

This morning the RR Crew served us homemade bread pitas with eggs and sausage and spinach. Delicious.

Then the roll out time was up to us. The day’s pace is up to us - it’s a ramble NOT a race … some of us choose to travel light and let the vans carry the bulk of our gear while others choose to try out the full bike packing experience by loading their bikes with all the gear. We lighter riders rolled in earlier and those fully loaded down came in later. Then we all dodged a big storm that luckily blew through without pouring rain on us.  Tonight’s dinner was burgers, veggies and cucumbers. So good. Out on course they kept us rolling with fluids and a solid lunch stop where Peter made us sandwiches - that was so good. Eating real food versus eating sugarybike food all day makes such a difference. 

I type this tonight after this first hard day from inside my brand new tent - the first I’ve ever owned. ⛺️ Truly. It’s the Big Agnes bike packing tent - (two person for more room!) and I highly recommend it ! Today was the first official time I’ve set it up for myself (i practiced last weekend but that didn’t count). Tonight I’m set up right next to the lake where our campsite is …and I hear the water lapping up on the beach. I’m tired and so SO ready for bed. It’s only 815. Too soon? I guess that’s up to me to decide. I enjoyed lots of laughs with new friends at dinner and now it’s time for me- for solitude. 

This trip was just what I needed; I needed a clean break from the daily duties to give my head time and space to rest and download all that’s happened in recent months. So much loss and grief and trauma in the cycling world- far too many cyclists hit and taken from us. It’s my job to stand up and do something about it but of course it comes with a personal cost; I’m not a robot- this stuff lands hard with me. There is a price it exacts from me as a human. Perhaps more than most since I am such a deep feeler. No amount of compartmentalizing has ever made this work easier me. I feel things very deeply, Especially others’ pain.  It is how I’m wired; it’s how I see and experience the world- deeply- with my heart out front of me taking it in. It is both my greatest strength and also at times my greatest weakness. Lawyers aren’t exactly supposed to wear their hearts on their sleeves. 

So I’m out here trying to heal my heart by riding bikes in nature away from screens and cell towers. Today was hard enough that the monkey mind is for the time being, Silenced. 🤫 The fatigue quiets the mind and for that I say thank you. 🙏🏼 I’m tired mentally and physically and I welcome rest tonight in this cute little new tent home of mine surrounded by new friends and colorado gloriousness. If that isn’t a salve for broken hearts, frenetic minds and emotional wear and tear, I don’t know what is. ❤️ 😴 💤 🌅 

Tomorrow is a shorter day followed by two longer days: days 3-4 are re-routes due to the morgan creek fire currently burning which affected the original route. We won’t make it into steamboat as originally planned but that’s ok - this way we can leave our tents set up for both nights 2&3. 

We will ride back into Walden on Saturday and then I’ll head home- I hope- with renewed spirit, clarity in some big decisions pressing down in me, and tired legs. And a little more fitness than I had when I left home, I hope. 

Day 2

Much shorter ride today thankfully. Everyone was upbeat this morning as a result; yesterday wiped all of us out. Today was just 41 miles and normal climbs, none of that 15-18% gradient stuff we had yesterday. The highlight of the day was riding smack into a cattle drive on the road - we rode through a large herd broken up into three squads - I got to see cattle dogs working the herd back down towards the road and cowboys and girls working the herd forward. With their blessing & encouragement they told us to ride right through the cows. It was exhilarating and intimidating both. I was all by myself for most of it. Another rider (Jeff from Marin County CA- hospital IT) caught up to me towards the end which made me feel better. Those animals are large up close. And noisy and talkative ! It amazed me how scared they were of me riding my bike by myself into their groups. Some ran alongside me for awhile. Truly a remarkable experience. 🐮

We set up camp at the lake here (hog park) and this will now be our home for two nights. This lake is gorgeous and great for swimming. I didn’t set up camp quite as close to the water this time; instead I opted for some tree cover and I was hoping it would give me some wind cover too. But right now we are in the midst of quite a storm with strong gusts and rain and it doesn’t feel like the trees are helping. I can’t believe this tent & what it is capable of handling right now. I am truly Impressed. (But if I’m being honest I miss the comforts of 🚐 life!). 

With the early end to our ride today I had time to set up my spot and then I laid down in the tent and passed out for awhile. 💤 With no signal there’s not much else to do and it was lovely to just rest. Nowhere to be. Nothing to do. Hunkered down while the storm passes (we hope) before dinner time. It truly does feel like vacation when the only job at hand is to rest. 

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and another group sit afterwards chatting and laughing. So good for the soul- to meet kindred spirits from all over. There are riders here from CA, NY and everywhere in between. Many of us are from CO too of course. A CU professor, freelance writers from Foco and Aspen … a Lamborghini race engineer (I kid you not), folks from Pearl Izumi, a nurse, guys in mortgages from CA, a guy in real estate development from TX, a physician, several school teachers, a veterinarian— all ages and all levels of cyclist … so many interesting backgrounds and stories. I think I am the only attorney here- I wish more lawyers would avail themselves of experiences like this. 

Another light rain storm kicked up sending many of us to our tents to retire early. It’s nice to lay flat letting the body just be. And without a book, journal or internet to read stuff online, I find myself literally with nothing to do but think about the things I came here grappling with. Funny how we can use work and being busy -in motion to avoid giving deep thought to the things most weighing on us. 

It’s been 2.5 days since I last checked email and I can’t express how freeing it is to be away from that endless beast. Having no signal is the only way many of us here feel we can truly let down and have a break. Crazy, isn’t it… ?

Day 3: 

Today we had a 50-ish mile fairly challenging loop on tap starting & finishing at our campsite. Old megan would’ve ridden it and every other included mile for the achievement and accomplishment factor. Conquering every bit of it would’ve been the sentiment. 🏆
Current megan needed and wanted to show herself some love and take advantage of cell signal-less scenery by a beautiful lake. So I rode out an hour turned around and rode back for a nice easy two hour cruise. 

And then I rode out onto the boat dock here and sat there for a nice long while. As I stared out at the water, the tears came. Raw perhaps from tent sleeps and hard bike days - or maybe the grief saw a window of opportunity for release. Thoughts of my grandmother Jane and beloved dog Phoenix and friend Gwen came rushing to my mind; I sat and let the tears roll. The way our cycling community is hurting so badly this year with tragedy after tragedy — after last year when bikes saved so many people during Covid- it’s been even harder to see the aggression and anger towards us as riders now that the country has gone back to its old ways …

It was cathartic. It needed to happen. I sat there until it felt finished, then returned to our campsite and washed my hair (in the lake) for the first time on the trip and chatted with members of the RR team and then passed out again… another hard nap. I woke to the sound of rain hitting my tent and the sounds of voices of riders starting to come in. They’d had a good hard day out there compete with hail and rain… I knew I’d made the right call for what I needed. 

We enjoyed another fun evening of chatting, Jokes and laughter and then Peter bid us all farewell as tomorrow when we get back to Walden we’ll be grabbing bags and departing for home. It was a lovely evening here with a gorgeous sunset 🌅 and positive vibes all around. Everyone is tired //feeling accomplished & for good reason - peter said he designs these rides to be hard enough that we are pushed to new limits. 

It’s been a lovely adventure, one I needed and would for sure do again —and highly recommend to anyone who wants to get away for a few days but without the need to have to carry everything and be totally self supported. This is the perfect mix of roughing it and support - of feeling safe in the wilderness and also being self sufficient. You’re on your own out there, mostly, but you won’t be left behind, you’ll be cared for it something happens … It’s been fantastic. It’s gone too fast.

Tomorrow will be a big hard day and I know I’ll be sad when it’s over. And I’ll be glad to be home in my bed, too. I’ve really missed my dog Ramsey a lot while I’ve been here, she rarely gets left behind. 

I’m not sure I found the clarity I came out here seeking but my mind feels more sedated and peaceful than it did when we began… I have the sense that everything is going to be ok, which is better than when I started . I am thankful for the remainder of the weekend to download this experience and process it. I don’t want to simply rush on to the next thing and get sucked back into work mode too quickly. 

Day 4: 

Today’s ride was hard. It was gorgeous. And hard. Midday I got into a group pace line and we were so focused on clicking off the miles we missed a turn 🤦‍♀️ whoops. Added some bonus miles with that. County road 9b (9a?! 🤷‍♀️) was our reward- this gorgeous dirt road in the middle of nowhere it felt. Then it was pavement back into Walden …
The perfect end to a wonderful experience. I finished just as it started raining in Walden. Loaded up my stuff and began the drive home- loads of traffic plus a crash on Berthoud pass added an extra hour and let me tell you, the shower 🚿 at home felt amazing once I finally got there. It was nice to have Saturday night and all day Sunday to process the trip and get stuff cleaned up and put away. 

learn more about future trips at RambleRides.com ✅

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Ok so- what to pack for something like this? We are limited to 80L bags. I brought a 60L duffel —
here’s my pre trip load spread out on the floor (not shown-sleeping bag):

Guilty pleasure: clean bibs for each day (4 pair of cycling shorts). Fresh chamois makes a huge difference for me & it doesn’t take up much space

Things I regret taking: none

Things I packed but didn’t use: only two shirts & my swimsuit went unused. And some bike food that I didn’t end up eating/needing. 

Things I wish I’d had with me:

a chair for the campsites

a Warmer sleeping bag ! mine at 30 degrees wasn’t enough for me even with my puffy on and stocking cap while I slept - that higher altitude air plus being on the ground meant I needed a warmer bag 🥶

Rag for bike washing

Bug spray

Ibuprofen

Closed toed shoes- flip flops 🩴 were bad idea. =Cold and wet or dirty feet all the time 

Headphones for evening wind-down in my tent or at minimum a book 📕

All in all this was a wonderful experience- one I highly recommend. 

Visit their website to learn more about future Rambles.

My First 14er attempt… unsuccessful

This Van adventure was intended to cross off an item that has been on my bucket list since I first moved to Colorado back in 2006, namely hiking a Fourteener. 

For those not from Colorado or familiar, a 14er is a mountain hike that rises up to 14,000 feet above sea level and there are numerous 14ers. across the state. In fact it is a very popular endeavor to attempt to hike all of the 14 or‘s and many people have done so. I’ve ridden two 14ers on my bike, evans and pikes peak, but haven’t hiked one. 

For no specific reason this is one of those things that just simply has not happened for me, and it’s also not something I’ve wanted to attempt to do the first time on my own. 

So when I made a new friend who was willing to hike Yale, a 14er that she has done a couple times already, I jumped at the chance!

The night before Rams and I did a mini recon hike of the first half mile of the trail. Wow that sucker is steep.

Then, I drove the 🚐 up Cottonwood Pass and watched the sunset from the top of the pass which was absolutely incredible. This experience made this entire endeavor worthwhile in and of itself! 

I then drove a bit down the pass to VanCamp for the night, and if I could do this over again I think I would sleep at the lowest elevation possible, since I think the thin air caused me to get absolutely no rest. 🤦‍♀️ Dinner was a batch of hot Huel, some almonds and hot tea.

Micah and I met at the Denny trail head at 5:30 AM sharp and off we went to hike Mount Yale.

From the word go, I knew I was in trouble; my body felt like absolute garbage, my legs felt wobbly and I felt dizzy. I kept trying to keep the fluids and fuel on board, however the sense that my legs were just not reliable, persisted. 

As we approached tree line and then got above tree line I told Micah that I thought I needed to turn back -as disappointed as I was- because I felt like I was going to be a significant liability on the way back down if I went all the way to the top.

Thankfully she agreed to keep going so that she could get her acsent in, and I turned around and started back for the van. I am really sad that my first 14 or attempt was unsuccessful. 

I learned a few things in this process one of which is that I need to do a lot more glute strength work, as the butt cheeks were on fire 🔥 from the very start, whereas the quads never felt a hint of effort. I also think that getting up sooner than 40 minutes prior to go time is a good idea, as I don’t think I had time to sufficient to wake up (never got my coffee in!) and didn’t really get my mind in the game this morning. 

Lastly as I mentioned, I think I would sleep at a lower altitude and then drive up to the trail head the morning of. 

This is certainly not the last time that I will attempt to summit Yale, it is simply the first… while I am very sad that I didn’t get to stand at the top and hold the sign, I know that I will try this again soon!

Cottonwood Lake and the Women We Met Along the Way

“I have a lot of proof that the world is conspiring to make me happy.”
― Matthew McConaughey, Greenlights

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First: The women we met along the way …

The first was while filling up the van with gas at the gas station. The woman next to me asked if I liked my new black rhino wheels and Toyo AT tires. I said did and explained my reasons for choosing them and then we got to talking about the van etc. She shared she just moved to CO from FL to work and lives in CO six months of the year (in her “mini Winnie”) and that the day we were chatting was her 62nd birthday ! She simply exuded life and positivity. After chatting a bit we wished one another well and off we went. 

After arriving at my campsite I was walking Ramsey to scope things out when we came upon a woman sitting by herself on her ATV. I asked if she’d be willing to take our photo by the lake & she happily agreed. This led to us conversing about the area and she filled me in on several really good details to know. Like nearby free disbursed camping. And the path around the lake and so on. She was just sitting there waiting on the rest of her party to join her and it was so fun to chat. She couldn’t get over that it’s just me and the Rams out here. :) 

Last, at the campsite that evening a mom and her daughter rolled in around sunset and set up camp at the site across from me. So cute… the little girl looked to be around four or so. At one point the mom waves at me and then said she was sorry for the noise they were making. I was like ARE YOU KIDDING ME ! …there’s no one else I’d rather have for camp neighbors ! A mom and her girl (later learned it was Kelly and Luna from Longmont) out camping and chatting and listening to her little girl giggle it was so good. She went on to apologize for speaking loudly but said it’s because she’s 50% deaf. I said again seriously you guys are not bothering me at all and if I had a little girl that’s exactly what I’d be doing with her as well— camping out under the stars ! 

Next -Where are we this time? Cottonwood lake campground up Cottonwood pass from BV. After seeing pictures of this lake on IG I just had to come up here and yes it’s just as glorious as expected... The lake is absolutely stunning. 

The past two months since our last van trip have been an absolute whirlwind - we made our way back to CO from AZ in early May. I had a birthday :) then… I was off to Cabo for a trial lawyers college May 13-16; it was the first gathering of lawyers anywhere since Covid. Amazing experience.

Life forever changed when I landed back at DIA on May 16, I learned my dear friend Gwen had been hit and killed while riding her bike in a bike lane that morning. On a Sunday morning at 10am. This news absolutely rocked me and our entire community. I went straight into action that Monday getting her ghost bike done and installed at her crash site, organizing a ghost bike ceremony for the cycling community that next morning and getting involved with her husband Mike & her family to help make arrangements. News and media sources across the country picked up the story and the interviews and requests for comment were extensive. I was so glad they covered her story — she deserved it and it also helps elevate this issue for the public at large. 

That week was a blur. Her viewing was Friday evening and memorial service Saturday. Writing my friend’s obituary is something I hope to never have to do again- AND- it was a gift for me to once again re examine how I’m spending my precious days. I’m all too acutely aware of how any bike ride could be my last. For Gwen it was her last - and I take solace in knowing she went out doing what she loved. 

On the heels of that I was off to San Diego for a women’s trial lawyer conference June 4-6 - this one is special since i’ve been attending these the last four years (except 2020) and while it’s a group mostly of Nevada lawyers they’ve welcomed me into their family. This time I had the immense honor of closing out the seminar with a talk that was titled “finding your inner peace.” I was so lit up doing something I feel so passionate about and I truly hope we can save this noble profession by helping lawyers get and stay healthy. I talked a lot about trauma and how we aren’t trained nor prepared to manage the trauma we experience and adopt in our clients’ cases. No one teaches us about “secondary trauma” and how it’s tantamount to PTSD. And here we are as lawyers brushing it off as “just part of the job” and those emotions and trauma are living inside us until we address them. No wonder this work consumes so many people. Just over the weekend I learned another talented Colorado lawyer lost his life to suicide. 

Anyways — I ran off to “numb out” on nature and altitude. There are a lot of pressing things weighing down on me right now. I saw this 2-3 day gap between them and with my van packed I hauled a** out to the mountains. I highly recommend it. Give yourself permission. Yes. In the middle of the week. Mid-week camping is where it’s at nowadays with campgrounds so full. 

After settling in, our first night featured a nice long hike around the lake …complete with a semi stressful river crossing to get back to our campsite so we didn’t have to reverse the two miles back, as we were running out of daylight. I crossed in my shoes and socks to protect my feet and the current was strong enough I was really glad Rams had her puppy backpack on so that I could use her leash to tow her across. We made it and Rams got to cool off in the water so it was alllll good. 

Dinner was a nice big salad with extra toppings for flavor and protein. Then I made a fire and read outside until it grew dark. No cell signal. The compulsion to keep reaching for my phone lasts a while, then slowly the phone is no longer near me. And then eventually I forget where it is … 

I can’t get over how good it feels to me to be back out here. It had been too long- my last van trip was early April so… two months ago. I’d grown a bit rusty on the van stuff and already notice things I totally forgot to bring along. 🤦‍♀️ ahem Coffee bean grinder ! Sweat pants ! …definitely out of practice. Being out here with no cell signal is exactly what I wanted and needed. Adding in the area being close to the lake and not many humans and this is definite new fave spot. 

On this trip i wish I’d brought my gravel bike and not just my road bike. I wasn’t thinking about the long gravel road up here from the paved road, to get to the lake — only thought about riding cottonwood pass on the new road bike when I packed up. Whoops. Lesson leaned: Always bring the gravel bike no matter what. 

The next morning, we had our breakfast and coffee and then it was time to strike out for a reconnaissance run up the gravel road where woman number two had told me there was incredible dispersed camping. Before we left I chatted with the lady and her daughter Luna she so very kindly offered me the use of her kayak in the lake today. Is that not the most incredible thing? The kindness of strangers still continues to amaze me. Ramsey and I ran up the road to check out the dispersed camping sites and sure enough, there were many of them and they were incredible, many situated right on the river.

On our way back down we encountered a camper with two women in it. They stopped and rolled down the windows and chatted with Ramsey and I for a bit, asking me about the campsites up the road. I was happy to share the information I had just learned in observing the many spots along the road perfect for camping. So far that is five women (and a little girl named Luna) I have met on this van trip all of whom have added joy and happiness to my days.

When we got back from our run, Luna had a present for me- a drawing. And flowers. So cute.

I shared with her mom my intel from the recon run about the disbursed camping up the road and started to pack up. I bid them farewell and made my way to the spot I’d see on our run- right on the river, gorgeous trees around and the Grand sound of water flowing fast. Totally ideal.

I came out here to write this book that has been brewing in me for a couple years now. It’s around the concepts I feel lawyers can and should implement in life in order to thrive in this profession. It’s a combo of my own biography plus tricks and self help wrapped into one. I started it in late 2019 and then stalled out with a bad case of “who am I to write such a book .” But now after being asked repeatedly to write and speak on these topics and after what I’ve seen during the covid era and the fact that the book stuff keeps waking me up at night, I’ve decided to write it. No matter what. Even if no one reads it. 

This venue is perfect for this. No cell signal of any kind. No distractions. No people. Just Rams and me and my laptop and the van and the healing sound of rushing water. It’s not lost on me now that bringing the road bike actually serves my goal as I can’t just go for a ride here. Walks and runs are my options - far more time efficient.

So far the system that’s working is to write as long as I can and then take stretch breaks or stand in the water or quick nap or snack and then get back to it. I’m proud to say just in these few days of being out here I’ve got all of chapter one downloaded from my brain and solid start on two. 

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There are no emails to check. No house to clean. No Instagram posts to create or comments to read. It’s just us out here. And it’s incredible beyond words. Oh also it’s a week day. How lucky am I for this to be reality ? Time both goes very slowly and also, flies by out here. The time writing absolutely flies. Hours fly by. The time sitting still or resting go slowly. The good kind of slow. Check out the time lapse video of the clouds —-> good, right?

And another thing that is serving me out here: no sugary snacks. No distractions in terms of food. Just healthy meals like Huel curry or oatmeal. Avocados. Bananas. Grapefruit. RX bars. Tomatoes. Seltzer! But Nothing to mindlessly snack on. That’s proving really helpful and important for writing. 

The upcoming weekend will be perfect for catching up on emails and work. (Thank you Google for “schedule send” so they can go out Monday morning)— as no one ever said you had to work only on week days & play only on weekends. 

I’ll close out with this- on my way home from San Diego last weekend I bought Matthew’s new book, Green Lights. I read it all the way through on the flight home- I devoured it, and I bet you will too. I highly recommend it. The quote up at the top of this blog is one of my faves. Here’s another:

“I think we are our own aspiration and we should interrogate and investigate ourselves, get to know ourselves as well as possible,” … “And in doing so, we will learn and we find out what our own greenlights are.”

Golden to COS with dogs: a bike adventure

I have always wanted to go credit card camping on a bike adventure…. By that I mean- ride somewhere cool with a credit card, clean pair of clothes and flip flops, and explore the new spot, then maybe ride back.

On Tuesday of this week, my friend Chris introduced me via email to the owner of the Buffalo Lodge Bike Resort in Manitou Springs, Colorado Springs, saying, “Megan, you need to know this place and the woman who owns it!” I checked out this cute spot online and as I looked ahead to the upcoming weekend I thought- why not go and visit? When I learned they were hosting a “folk & flannel” festival with live music, I decided I was in— I was ready for a new spot to visit and a new adventure to experience …

I don’t know why but my immediate reaction to their website (upon learning that it is ALL about bikes AND that it loves dog guests), is “I gotta take my girls with me.” I have taken my dogs on short bike-trailer rides like to the vet and to the park but never more than 5-6 miles. This would truly be an adventure for all 3 of us. ;)

I don’t really talk much about my dogs but since they are my family I feel they deserve a bit of storytelling time here…

My girls are a 14 year old pittie pup named Phoenix and my 9-year old endlessly energetic running partner, Ramsey aka Rambo. 14 years ago on a bike ride, I found a mom pup and a box of 5 puppies someone had stashed under a bridge embankment in KCMO - they were pit mixes, illegal in KC at the time and it was clear someone just wanted to be rid of them. I took them to the vet as they were all in very poor health- the puppies were only a few weeks old and were starving, dehydrated, had heart worm, etc. Once we got them in good health I was able to find homes for them all- primarily with friends but I kept the runt- the peanut butter brindle girl and named her Phoenix, as in, risen from ashes. She has survived and outlived her siblings and a major neck surgery and even a dire prognosis back in July and she’s still here with me game for morning walks, human food, and face licks. I know my time remaining with her is running short so I savor my days with her by my side.

I say all the time that I rescued her once, but she’s rescued me right back 100-fold.

She’s truly a special animal.

Ramsey is also a rescue- we adopted her in 2011 from Foothills animal shelter in Golden right about the time I was trying to mourn the death of my bike racing dreams after a heart-breaking season. We asked for a puppy and she is what they had that day- approximately 9 months old they told us she was a “tri colored collie” and not knowing any better we accepted that as true … well she’s not really a collie, though she is clearly a working or herding dog of some kind. The closest thing online I’ve found for her is a “new zealand heading dog,” described as virtually inexhaustible, and that sounded about right… Ramsey has been my Ironman running training partner and is known to go on a 12-14mile run and then come home to immediately grab her ball to play fetch. She is wicked smart and teachable - she thrives with exercise and mental stimulation.

Combined, Phoenix and Ramsey are quite a duo- protective of me when it’s called for, otherwise fairly relaxed and chill once they’ve had a bit of exercise— just like their Mom ;) …

Initially as I began planning this trip- I thought that I might leave Phoenix home since she’s old and tired and loves to sleep all day AND she weighs about 55#. But then I felt bad for leaving her out of our adventure. So I decided we’d ALL 3 hit the road - four days later - Friday - and ride from our house in north Golden down to the resort in Manitou, COS.

Early mapping recon showed me this would be around 100 miles and approx 4500 ft elevation gain. Not a big deal by Colorado and front range riding standards (honestly) … but taking into account the 90#+ of dog weight plus Burley trailer weight + supplies and backpack weight, the difficulty in this ride would come from me basically doubling my body weight. I weigh 120# on an average day and I was undertaking the task of towing my bodyweight behind me- asking my legs and body to push around 240# on this adventure.

Could it be done? “Only one way to find out,” is my usual response.

After scouting the route and using Ride with GPS to create the route and download the file to my garmin so I’d have turn by turn help in the unfamiliar areas, I turned my focus to packing.

Backpack contents👆🏼

I feel like I nailed the goal of keeping it light yet covering all of my bases. The one thing I wanted to bring but couldn’t squeeze in was my tennis shoes- so I settled for flip flops even though the evenings are cool now. And it would limit my hiking options. The one other thing I forgot in light of the evening festival was a stocking hat to keep my head warm at night. (I bought one once I arrived). Otherwise I covered it all and kept my backpack pretty manageable. I’d guess it weighed in around 15-20#.

The start … and so it begins ;)

Friday morning, it was time to depart. I figured optimistically we would average 10mph including the stops I knew we’d need to make for the girls and for me to refuel. And that ended up being spot on. We left at 8:16am and (spoiler alert) we rolled into the hotel exactly ten hours later, 6:16pm.

The route was great leaving Denver- I know the roads out of Golden, and the C-470 trail took me south towards Chatfield. While we were in BCLP, I let Ramsey out and she ran alongside me for awhile to burn up some energy.

I decided to stop at a gas station off the trail to grab a jug of water - while I hated to add that extra weight to our rig for the remainder of the day, I wasn’t sure when we’d be able to fill bottles again once we got further south. (Turned out to be a GREAT plan - we never had to stress about water, and to be candid, there were no other spots to stop the rest of the way!).

I took the bike path into Chatfield where we enjoyed nice smooth bike lanes through the park. We stopped for a quick stretch and snack at one of the campgrounds before leaving the park. From that point on I was entering the unknown part of the day.

Douglas County surprised me with these brand new glorious bike paths leaving the park headed towards Titan Road, and a nice bike path along Titan - PLUS huge bonus, I was able to skip 85 by heading south on the road just west of Santa Fe instead (south on Moore Road) , and low&behold discovered a new and gorgeous stretch of road near the airport that made that entire stretch a breeze (Airport Road?). We took that to the frontage road and just like that we were in Sedalia.

This was the stretch I was most worried about after reading other people’s accounts online. I knew it was the most common cycling route however it didn’t have a shoulder and was heavily trafficked by trucks and semis. I was not prepared for the difficulty I would experience in the endless rollers. The miles ticked by painfully slow and on several climbs I had to get off and walk and push the bike and burley uphill … thankfully every overtaking vehicle (except for one) was kind to us. But the volume of traffic was much heavier than I expected.

I wasn’t able to look around much and enjoy the scenery, and I neglected to eat or drink enough on this section which further resulted in the proverbial wheels falling off…. it was a rough stretch and for those thinking of doing this route, I am not going to sugar coat it - I was desperate to get that part over.

We were SO lucky to have a tailwind the entire stretch.

Finally we arrived at Palmer Lake and the entrance to the Santa Fe trail- which would take us through Monument and the Air Force Academy and south into COS. I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief, since the remainder of the journey would all be bike path. THAT SIGN WAS SOOOOO GOOD TO SEE!

Ramsey got out again and ran alongside me for a few miles - we took in the sights of Palmer Lake and Monument:

On this stretch about 10 or so miles south, my friend Chris (mentioned above), met me and escorted us through the final 20-25ish miles on the bike paths through COS -into Colorado city and finally into Manitou Springs to the Bike Resort. I was so thankful to have him navigating those miles so that I didn’t have to stop and consult my phone or the bike trail maps. My brain was fried by that point of the day.

As we rolled into the Bike Resort we were greeted by the owner and she came out and took photos of my tired little caravan - by that point the pups and I were exhausted and hungry. Thankful for arriving before the sun went down, I got us settled, showered and then pursued food. I was tired and the pups were tired too—but it felt so great to have accomplished the thing I set out to do. And the girls were so good all day and so cooperative with my crazy idea. 🙏🏼

Saturday at the Resort was a blast. The resort owner Torie led a morning group ride through Garden of the Gods to the Castle, and there was no way I was going to miss this (even though yes let’s be honest my legs were tired!). I detached the trailer, downed coffee, savored a fresh chamois and a clean bike, and off we went for a gorgeous spin. 🚲 ☀️

Saturday afternoon included a kombucha and then an evening walk with the girls, followed by the Folk & Flannel festival hosted at the resort. Such good times and fun - just being part of community, even while wearing masks and keeping our distances, felt so good for the soul.

The original plan was to ride back home Sunday - but after having such a fortunate ride with zero mechanicals, flats, incidents with motorists or injuries- I decided not to press my luck and instead opted to “phone a friend” for a lift home. Aka - Bill, owner of 303 Endurance. Serendipity played a role here - he had texted Friday to thank me for a package I’d sent him. I’d responded during the ride telling him what I was doing — then, full circle and because he owns a cycling media company, he wanted to check out the resort anyways —he got to interview Torie about the Resort and hear all about its history from her, so it worked out great. Check out 303’s Video interview of Torie HERE.

Before he arrived, we snuck in one last walk and I hopped on the bike for one more short spin through GOTG…

All in all and as you can tell above, it was an amazing experience and wonderful weekend.

The top questions I got from folks along the way and at the resort were:

1. What route did you take? View the route on RIDE SPOT- HERE. (My Strava post is HERE but it’s private unless you follow me). Generally speaking the route was: Golden to BCLP, to 470 trail, south to Chatfield, through the park to Titan Road, to Airport Road, to Sedalia. Then, Hwy 105 south to Palmer Lake. Sante Fe Trail south into COS, then city bike paths the rest of the way. Approx 95 miles/4500 ft elev gain, give or take.

2. Have you done this kind of thing before? No- not really. A bike Packing trip 4 years ago but that didn’t really count as there were no dogs involved.

3. Did you train for this? No. This idea was hatched on a Tuesday and the ride happened Friday.

4. What kind of sunglasses are those? Ride 100% (not sponsored). Highly recommend.

5. What made you want to do this? Haha have we met? If you don’t know me, know that my answer is usually -”Why not?”

6. Do your dogs just lay down in the trailer? Mostly, yes. They face opposite directions so that they each have a view (either forward or backward) and we stopped often enough they got to get out and stretch their legs, have a snack and a drink, and then they were game to hop back in. (Ahem- copious treats help).

7. What did you eat along the way? Normal bike food- Crafted Energy Bars, Clif Blocks, a couple bananas, Skratch hydration mix and then I also had sour gummi bears in my bento box which were the only thing that sounded good to me late in the day. Probably did not fuel enough as I reflect back on the day- that is an area for improvement for future adventures.