#1
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suggestions?
My wife is making a strong case for "wife of the year", for Xmas she
booked flights for us from Mt. Biking poor KY (Louisville area) to Colorado in July for a week of getting lost in the mountains. I'm now looking for suggestions... We fly into Colorado Springs and will be renting a car. I guess I'll be bringing my own bike although I need to check into the logistics on that. The only plan we have is to drive to the Monarch Crest trail in Ponch Springs, a trail I had mentioned to her after reading about it in Details magazine. Other than that the itinerary for the week is up to me. Fruita looks like just over 3 hours from Ponch Springs and I've always heard there is fantastic riding there. Any other thoughts? I've ridden in a lot of places (Moab, Wasatch in UT, many NorCal trails since I lived there) but never had the chance to do CO. I tend to like great climbs and vistas to a bunch of downhill. Looking for suggestions on rides, trails, places to stay that are reasonable in budget and decent enough for myself and wife, and anything else that factors into this week of fun. Tower |
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#2
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suggestions?
"tower" wrote in message ... My wife is making a strong case for "wife of the year", for Xmas she booked flights for us from Mt. Biking poor KY (Louisville area) to Colorado in July for a week of getting lost in the mountains. I'm now looking for suggestions... We fly into Colorado Springs and will be renting a car. I guess I'll be bringing my own bike although I need to check into the logistics on that. The only plan we have is to drive to the Monarch Crest trail in Ponch Springs, a trail I had mentioned to her after reading about it in Details magazine. Other than that the itinerary for the week is up to me. Fruita looks like just over 3 hours from Ponch Springs and I've always heard there is fantastic riding there. Any other thoughts? I've ridden in a lot of places (Moab, Wasatch in UT, many NorCal trails since I lived there) but never had the chance to do CO. I tend to like great climbs and vistas to a bunch of downhill. Looking for suggestions on rides, trails, places to stay that are reasonable in budget and decent enough for myself and wife, and anything else that factors into this week of fun. Tower Unless you like high heat (thus carrying tons o water) I'd avoid Fruita, GJ and Moab in July. There's great mountain riding (cooler temps) near Denver west to Vail and really great stuff in the SW corner of CO (Durango, Ridgway, T-ride, Gunnison, etc.) Of course a lot of this riding is at high elevations (8000 feet) and you'll think your lungs are going to explode but the rides are usually worth it. great trail in T-ride is Wilson's Mesa (start at Woods Lake and go east for an out and back of 25 miles) great trail in/out of Ridgway is Dallas Creek Trail (start at Box Factory Park and head east, 29 miles one way, ~6000 feet of climbing but you'll end up in Ouray at the hot springs to soak away the pain and then catch dinner in Ridgway at the Adobe Inn) Durango....too many to list (not that I've done that many) Gunnison- ping Mattb for suggestions but I'm sure he'll chime in. I keep hearing that the Monarch trail is great but I alway seem to bring rain on that ride so have never done it) You've got plenty of time to plan. Gary |
#3
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suggestions?
tower wrote:
My wife is making a strong case for "wife of the year", for Xmas she booked flights for us from Mt. Biking poor KY (Louisville area) to Colorado in July for a week of getting lost in the mountains. I'm now looking for suggestions... We fly into Colorado Springs and will be renting a car. I guess I'll be bringing my own bike although I need to check into the logistics on that. The only plan we have is to drive to the Monarch Crest trail in Ponch Springs, a trail I had mentioned to her after reading about it in Details magazine. Other than that the itinerary for the week is up to me. Fruita looks like just over 3 hours from Ponch Springs and I've always heard there is fantastic riding there. Any other thoughts? I've ridden in a lot of places (Moab, Wasatch in UT, many NorCal trails since I lived there) but never had the chance to do CO. I tend to like great climbs and vistas to a bunch of downhill. Looking for suggestions on rides, trails, places to stay that are reasonable in budget and decent enough for myself and wife, and anything else that factors into this week of fun. Tower Yeah, The Crest should be nice, and then you are pretty close to Gunnison (about 40 Miles from the summit of Monarch pass) and Crested Butte (about 30 Mi from Gunnison) which have some great riding. Hartman Rocks in Gunnison is a good intro to altitude with no really long climbs but plenty of shorter (sub 500') ones. It might be hot by my standards that time of year, but 85 is hot to us here. Crested Butte is full of great and famous rides. There's also some good stuff between Gunnison and CB. As Gary said, it will be really hot in the lower desert (GJ, Fruita, and Moab) and I'd stay away from those places that time of year. Have fun! Matt |
#4
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suggestions?
tower wrote:
My wife is making a strong case for "wife of the year", for Xmas she booked flights for us from Mt. Biking poor KY (Louisville area) to Colorado in July for a week of getting lost in the mountains. I'm now looking for suggestions... We fly into Colorado Springs and will be renting a car. I guess I'll be bringing my own bike although I need to check into the logistics on that. The only plan we have is to drive to the Monarch Crest trail in Ponch Springs, a trail I had mentioned to her after reading about it in Details magazine. Other than that the itinerary for the week is up to me. Fruita looks like just over 3 hours from Ponch Springs and I've always heard there is fantastic riding there. Any other thoughts? I've ridden in a lot of places (Moab, Wasatch in UT, many NorCal trails since I lived there) but never had the chance to do CO. I tend to like great climbs and vistas to a bunch of downhill. Looking for suggestions on rides, trails, places to stay that are reasonable in budget and decent enough for myself and wife, and anything else that factors into this week of fun. You should stay in Salida (four miles east) rather than Poncha Springs, more hotel rooms and restaurants. Also, depending on you and your wife's fitness, you might consider riding out of Salida (7000 ft MSL) for a day or two to acclimate before hitting the Crest (11,000 ft MSL) and points west. Considering the time of year and the fact that driving around Colorado sucks *huge* amounts of time, spending the rest of your time in Crested Butte would maximize riding and recreation in a high mountain area that's inaccessible to bikes for a lot of the year. Plus it's high, cool above the heat of lower elevations, beautiful, and great riding :-) Shawn P.S. I've had the same problem as Gary with weather on the Crest Trail (one time he was there too). Believe the locals when they tell you to ride early and head home when the weather moves in (regularly, around 1:00 every afternoon). |
#5
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suggestions?
Thanks for the suggestions...I definitely don't want to spend the week
in the car but I do like to wander a bit. I've ridden Moab in the summer so I know what the heat can be like. It doesn't really bother me too much but it's not something I guess I'd seek out. I also have to keep in mind the places we stay have to be wife- friendly...I'd stay in dives but can't do that with her along. She won't be riding but most likely will hike. I have been off my bike more than I like this summer due to a new baby and lack of interesting riding around here so I'll definitely have to do some conditioning of both the lungs and the butt. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to it! Drew You should stay in Salida (four miles east) rather than Poncha Springs, more hotel rooms and restaurants. *Also, depending on you and your wife's fitness, you might consider riding out of Salida (7000 ft MSL) for a day or two to acclimate before hitting the Crest (11,000 ft MSL) and points west. Considering the time of year and the fact that driving around Colorado sucks *huge* amounts of time, spending the rest of your time in Crested Butte would maximize riding and recreation in a high mountain area that's inaccessible to bikes for a lot of the year. *Plus it's high, cool above the heat of lower elevations, beautiful, and great riding :-) Shawn P.S. *I've had the same problem as Gary with weather on the Crest Trail (one time he was there too). *Believe the locals when they tell you to ride early and head home when the weather moves in (regularly, around 1:00 every afternoon).- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - |
#6
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suggestions?
tower wrote:
Thanks for the suggestions...I definitely don't want to spend the week in the car but I do like to wander a bit. I've ridden Moab in the summer so I know what the heat can be like. It doesn't really bother me too much but it's not something I guess I'd seek out. I also have to keep in mind the places we stay have to be wife- friendly...I'd stay in dives but can't do that with her along. She won't be riding but most likely will hike. I have been off my bike more than I like this summer due to a new baby and lack of interesting riding around here so I'll definitely have to do some conditioning of both the lungs and the butt. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to it! Drew I'd say focus on Crested Butte. Endless hiking and riding and some fun restaurants. You could check out Black Canyon of the Gunnison, http://www.nps.gov/blca/, too. Greg You should stay in Salida (four miles east) rather than Poncha Springs, more hotel rooms and restaurants. Also, depending on you and your wife's fitness, you might consider riding out of Salida (7000 ft MSL) for a day or two to acclimate before hitting the Crest (11,000 ft MSL) and points west. Considering the time of year and the fact that driving around Colorado sucks *huge* amounts of time, spending the rest of your time in Crested Butte would maximize riding and recreation in a high mountain area that's inaccessible to bikes for a lot of the year. Plus it's high, cool above the heat of lower elevations, beautiful, and great riding :-) Shawn P.S. I've had the same problem as Gary with weather on the Crest Trail (one time he was there too). Believe the locals when they tell you to ride early and head home when the weather moves in (regularly, around 1:00 every afternoon).- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - |
#7
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suggestions?
G.T. wrote:
tower wrote: Thanks for the suggestions...I definitely don't want to spend the week in the car but I do like to wander a bit. I've ridden Moab in the summer so I know what the heat can be like. It doesn't really bother me too much but it's not something I guess I'd seek out. I also have to keep in mind the places we stay have to be wife- friendly...I'd stay in dives but can't do that with her along. She won't be riding but most likely will hike. I have been off my bike more than I like this summer due to a new baby and lack of interesting riding around here so I'll definitely have to do some conditioning of both the lungs and the butt. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to it! Drew I'd say focus on Crested Butte. Endless hiking and riding and some fun restaurants. You could check out Black Canyon of the Gunnison, http://www.nps.gov/blca/, too. Greg If you like (and can afford) fancy hotels, you will have several choices in CB. There's also lots of shopping if she's a shopper. Matt (more of a camper than a shopper myself) |
#8
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suggestions?
On Dec 27, 1:35 pm, MattB wrote:
G.T. wrote: tower wrote: Thanks for the suggestions...I definitely don't want to spend the week in the car but I do like to wander a bit. I've ridden Moab in the summer so I know what the heat can be like. It doesn't really bother me too much but it's not something I guess I'd seek out. I also have to keep in mind the places we stay have to be wife- friendly...I'd stay in dives but can't do that with her along. She won't be riding but most likely will hike. I have been off my bike more than I like this summer due to a new baby and lack of interesting riding around here so I'll definitely have to do some conditioning of both the lungs and the butt. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to it! Drew I'd say focus on Crested Butte. Endless hiking and riding and some fun restaurants. You could check out Black Canyon of the Gunnison, http://www.nps.gov/blca/, too. Greg If you like (and can afford) fancy hotels, you will have several choices in CB. There's also lots of shopping if she's a shopper. Matt (more of a camper than a shopper myself) I'm half-shopper, on my mother's side. JD |
#9
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suggestions?
On Dec 27, 1:02*pm, "G.T." wrote:
tower wrote: Thanks for the suggestions...I definitely don't want to spend the week in the car but I do like to wander a bit. *I've ridden Moab in the summer so I know what the heat can be like. *It doesn't really bother me too much but it's not something I guess I'd seek out. I also have to keep in mind the places we stay have to be wife- friendly...I'd stay in dives but can't do that with her along. She won't be riding but most likely will hike. *I have been off my bike more than I like this summer due to a new baby and lack of interesting riding around here so I'll definitely have to do some conditioning of both the lungs and the butt. *I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to it! Drew I'd say focus on Crested Butte. *Endless hiking and riding and some fun restaurants. *You could check out Black Canyon of the Gunnison,http://www.nps.gov/blca/, too. Greg You should stay in Salida (four miles east) rather than Poncha Springs, more hotel rooms and restaurants. *Also, depending on you and your wife's fitness, you might consider riding out of Salida (7000 ft MSL) for a day or two to acclimate before hitting the Crest (11,000 ft MSL) and points west. Considering the time of year and the fact that driving around Colorado sucks *huge* amounts of time, spending the rest of your time in Crested Butte would maximize riding and recreation in a high mountain area that's inaccessible to bikes for a lot of the year. *Plus it's high, cool above the heat of lower elevations, beautiful, and great riding :-) Shawn P.S. *I've had the same problem as Gary with weather on the Crest Trail (one time he was there too). *Believe the locals when they tell you to ride early and head home when the weather moves in (regularly, around 1:00 every afternoon).- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Thanks for everyone's suggestions/responses. I'll be taking them into account in the planning. I am thinking I'll try to find one beginner trail and bike rental to take my wife on her first ride. I figure I owe her that much for planning the trip. |
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