First self-supported bicycle tour: Oregon Ramble!

The thing about cycling that most sets me alight is experiencing new places from atop a bike saddle. I often say that I train so that, when I'm in a new place, I can get on a bike and go up any hill or ride any distance that suits me...and enjoy the ride. I just feel most alive coasting down a beautiful road in a new place.

So I've known for a long time that the next step for me is a self-supported bike tour and I'm finally taking that plunge with seven days of cycling in Oregon. I got a cheap ticket ($204) and then proceeded to spend many times that on a tent & footprint, sleeping bag & pad, camp stove, some clothing, frame pack, better lights and more. Oh, and the bike I planned to take turned out to need $600 in repairs. There goes my cheap vacation! Well, I tell myself, now I'm set to do this at least once a year.

I started putting this together and my good friend Daron decided to come along for as much as he could, which turned out to be three days; days 2-4 for me. So that pretty much ruled out a full Oregon coast ride and, while I've heard amazing things about the Oregon coast, I've also heard amazing things about other parts of the state. I love the coast but I also love river-side rides and forests. I figure I can put together a pretty good Oregon sampler with a loop that goes out to the coast and then back into the state interior. I have a couple major routes but will be able to adapt to weather and whims.

I'm using 75 Classic Rides in Oregon and the Travel Oregon list of Scenic Bikeways to help make sure I'm spending time on the most scenic roads possible. I also got the Moon Guide to Oregon Camping. I saved all the best campgrounds on a list in my Google Maps so I'll know what good campgrounds to try and plan to make each day. This is on my Kindle app on my phone so I can easily find more if I need them.

That first day, it'll be just me, exploring the Columbia River Gorge (east of Portland) while Daron is en route. After that, it'll most likely be up to Astoria (at the coastal border with Washington) and down to Tillamook/Cape Lookout. Those'll be Daron's three days and then I'll either spend more time on the coast or head east and try to make it to the Cascading Rivers Scenic Bikeway  That would involve about a 95 mile ride to the Salem area so, if that proves to be too ambitious, I'll head on up through the Willamette Scenic Bikeway and on back to Portland on ride day 7.

The big question for me was whether riding with 30 pounds worth of stuff would still be enjoyable so Daron and I loaded up to about 95% of our expected weight for a shake-down ride to a local state park on a route with some fairly big climbs. We were both very pleasantly surprised by how much easier it was than expected. I usually push pretty hard on climbs so I was actually less winded going easy with the full load than when I chug up those hills trying to get personal bests on my 19-pound road bike. Granted, I'm in good riding shape right now and my low gear is mighty low, but if you take your time, it's not tough at all.

So, the bikes are on their ways to Portland as I write (bikeflights.com) and I'm compulsively checking the weather report in various Oregon towns. Hopefully, this is the first of many adventures to come!

Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park

View from the top!

Ride Summary: Bucket list Colorado ride up to the top of Trail Ridge Rd.
Distance: 50, with the Fall River Road add-on at Deer Ridge Junction
Elevation gain: 5300+ (my app tracked 5900, but I'm using the override/corrected number )
Roads: paved perfection
Driver tolerance: This is one of the most popular drives in the state of Colorado and RMNP is THE most visited national park. A local cyclist advised me to start early and I was on leaving the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center by 6:15 a.m. I experienced nothing but friendly drivers and relatively few at that. When I headed down at about 9:30, there were considerably more vehicles on the road. I think they would be courteous but it would compromise the experience if you had a lot of traffic.
The bad: $11 entrance fee for cyclist. See note above on traffic. Estes Park itself is kind of a drag to ride through. If you don't like climbing, this one's not for you. Oh, and it hits 12,000' above sea level.

Early morning on the way to Deer Ridge Junction

The good: Spectacular views, varying ecosystems, babbling streams, wildlife, epic descent. Nothing but sheer cycling bliss (unless you encounter tourist traffic hell).


I'll say it again, leave before 6:30 a.m. if you're going to ride this during peak tourist season (July and August) and do it on a weekday (I rode it on a Friday and was fine).

I'll let the photos do most of the talking here. Basically, the ride is pure heaven after you get through entrance gate. You will have already been climbing a bit at this point and it pretty much gets steeper and goes on and on from there, with a couple respites. The first drop is after the Deer Ridge Junction (a mile or two). I believe the steepest climbing of the whole ride starts at the switchback after this drop. You'll go up past an overlook that has a pull-off lot and then it starts to mellow.

Up, up, up you go, through pine forests and with glimpses of the terrain below. Rainbow Curve is a nice spot to take it in and see from whence you came. Continue up and you'll begin to get to the Alpine area where the trees disappear, allowing you to see peaks to the edge of the earth. So, so beautiful!

You'll get to the rock cut and I believe this is the high point, just over 12,000'. You'll get the second respite from the climbing as you drop a bit and rise a bit in this alpine ecosystem on a nice stretch of road that lets you savor the elevation, rather than sending you careening over the other side of a pass like so many other Colorado roads.

Another little drop and you arrive at the Alpine Visitors' Center, where the cacophony of tourists debate t-shirt choices will shatter your blissed out mind. I think I'd have just skipped this if I had it to do over again. Still, it's good to revel in their awe and shock as they realize that, yes, you rode your bike here.

After some photos and maybe a hot chocolate or something, it's time to descend.

How do you describe the feeling of soaring down a mountain for a good 25-30 minutes? I dunno. Give a try and get back to me. Just watch out for traffic, especially around that pull-off and lookout point a few miles after Rainbow Curve (I think it's called Many Parks something or another).

At Deer Junction, I chose to see something different and so took a left on Fall River. This is a great little section and the stuff after exiting the park is fun too (still descending). The only catch is you have to navigate the tourist crowds and traffic in Estes Park, which is about as bad an ending to this glorious ride as you could conjure up. Still, I like Fall River Road.

Bucket list ride for sure...

Lookout Mountain to Idlewilde to Red Rocks and back to Golden

The road up Lookout Mountain, as seen from the top

Back home in Austin after 475 miles and 42+ hours of riding in Colorado. I am so fortunate! I'll detail some rides here, rather than try to summarize all 42+ hours. 

Let's start with my go-to loop in Golden (link to Strava file at bottom). 

I ended up cycling up Lookout Mountain three times and down once. It's a great climb with mild grades that pretty much anyone can do with a decent level of fitness. The ride is especially good once you hit the pines, which happens in the last quarter of the climb (or so). 

Grapevine: pretty but be ready for gravel and rough pavement

Most go right down the way they came up but I prefer dropping down the other side via Paradise Rd or Charros, crossing over I70, then taking Grapevine down to Bear Creek Rd.

You'll drop down on Grapevine from I70 with a fun, short descent, then climb past some fancy homes. Soon the good pavement turns to gravel and crappy pavement and you'll descend sharply down to Idlewilde, through a hodgepodge of homes and some gorgeous views. I did it on smooth, 25mm tires and it was just fine; gravel tires would be better. 

The descent on Bear Creek Road is a beautiful blast through a canyon. I was grinning ear-to-ear the whole way down. This is one of the rides that got me hooked on Colorado road biking and I still love it.

Red Rocks!!

Rather than go through the Morrison tourist hell, I take the second entrance into Red Rocks, tooling around and taking in the majestic beauty that surrounds. There are various paths and roads in Red Rocks and, depending on your time, I recommend forgetting about your destination and just checking some out. The rock formations are amazing and the road provides different vantage points. You can also get close to the performance space and stage. I need to do more exploring here...

Finally, I steel myself for the last 6-7 miles back to Golden on Hogback, US40, Heritage Rd and the bike path. The latter's pretty nice but, as great as the first 19 miles were, those 3-4 miles on Hogback and 40 have me thinking about calling the wife for a pickup. I don't but I think about it. Hogback is a grinding ascent and then 40 to Heritage is a high-traffic descent so be aware.

I don't think I've been on a more diverse, 20-30 mile ride anywhere. If you're in the area, give it a whirl!

Here's that Strava file: 

A top 10 Texas bike ride: Willow City Loop (out and back)

Ride Summary: One of the Texas Hill Country's most scenic drives: wildflowers galore, creeks, pink granite and other geologic points of interest.

Distance: 25 miles, out and back, with an option for at least 10 more if you add on Willow City-Click Rd

Elevation gain: 1900+, with Willow City-Click

Roads: relatively smooth chipseal, low speed limit. Skinny-tire friendly but be prepared for a number of cattle guards. I got a pinch flat but that's my fault for being on a bald, slightly underinflated tire. 

Driver tolerance: I had nothing but friendly waves. This is a well-known scenic drive and people tend to only be on this road to see the sights.
The bad: I think this could get might busy on a weekend in bluebonnet season but I still think it'd be enjoyable. You're not supposed to stop and get out of your vehicle but I had no issues stopping the bike and taking some pictures.
The good: Wildflowers, primo Texas hill country scenery, geologically interesting 

Does spending a couple hours pedaling past spectacular wildflowers, some impressive geology, multiple creek crossings sound like a nice way to spend a precious Texas spring day (there are only so many, you know)? Then throw your bike on the rack and check out the Willow City loop.

This is a popular road for bluebonnet gawking and I drove this with the wife and MIL about a decade ago. I've been wanting to do it on the bike ever since and it was, if anything, even more beautiful than I remembered.

Cycling this 13-mile stretch of heavenly road definitely allows you to linger and savor it a lot more. Just remember, the road is public but all the land is private, so you're really not supposed to pull off and walk around. I stopped the bike multiple times, however, and got no guff from anyone. I think they're mostly worried about having dozens of families trying to pull off to take bluebonnet portraits and/or have picnics.

I was there during a very wet spring and the day after some torrential rains in the region so the creeks were full (but didn't create any issues at crossings), the flowers vibrant, and there was even a waterfall to be seen in the distance hundreds of feet above me. I'm sure this ride is wonderful at any time of year but riding it in the spring--especially after good rains--is when you really want to do this one. 

Now, bluebonnets peak in mid-March to mid-April and I'm guessing that the road can get pretty clogged with cars and motorcycles. While I love me some bluebonnets, I think the Texas hillsides get more spectacular as the spring wears on--certainly more colorful with much more red, yellow, pink and white--and I think the traffic decreases a bit as the bluebonnets fade.


I took my spin on the first Saturday in May, starting about 2:30 p.m., and I pretty much had the road to myself most of the time--probably got passed by about 10-20 cars and about the same number of motorcycles.

Coreopsis are at least as pretty as bluebonnets

Traditionally, this is ridden as a loop with the western section on State Highway 16. That's pretty fast, uncharming chipseal, IMHO, so I recommend doing this as an out-and-back starting in Willow City. There's a wide shoulder across from the general store, whose attendant told me I was fine to park there. If you do take 16, I'd take that north and then do the Willow City Loop road from north to south because it puts you climbing in the pretty stuff and descending on the busy highway.

The climb back up to Willow City is a nice, 500+-footer; not too steep but it's pretty long and will get your blood pumping. If you're disinclined to inclines, just make sure you have a low gear and take your time; you'll get there...

Unless 25 miles is your limit, I'd also throw in Willow City-Click Rd, which the tourists tend to avoid. I was running out of time so I didn't do the whole thing but there was a nice

The creek on Willow City-Click Rd the day after a deluge...

creek about 2.5 miles down the road that I blissed out at for a bit. I am pretty sure the road continued at least another 2.5 miles but I'm not sure if the roads shown on Googlemaps/Strava are actually open to the public. I'll have to give it a try next time...

On e-bikes and double knee replacement surgery

I played racquetball regularly for a few years. Jeff, a friend from those days, played well but was clearly limited by his arthritic knees. The time came when he finally decided to do what he knew needed to be done: new robo-knees.

[I have my big takeaways itemized below if you want to skip the narrative and get right to the good stuff. Scroll down to the next picture...]

He chose to do both at once, which seemed insane right after the surgery, but definitely made sense after he was back on his feet (after the pain of recovery, I don't think he'd have gone back for the second surgery).

I kept checking in on him post-surgery and, knowing I had switched from rball to cycling, he asked me for some guidance in picking some form of pedal-powered vehicle to help him regain strength and flexibility. He had tried some direct-drive trike (kind of like a Big Wheel for grownups) and hated it. They are garbage, for this purpose at least, because it's easy for the thing to get away from you going downhill (remember taking your feet off the pedals of your Big Wheel and just letting it fly?) and it's really hard to get uphill. 

I suggested an adult tricycle, adult training wheels, a low step-through bikes (i.e. "girls' frame"), or a folding bike. I went to Bicycle Sport Shop, Austin's bike retail behemoth, to get their thoughts. They pretty much cut down my ideas and really pushed me toward a Specialized Como ebike. 

I told him about the recommendation, but at nearly $3k, I had my doubts that Jeff would go for it. He read up on the topic, though, and realized that it was probably the way to go. So we went into BSS and tried it out on a trainer.

It did not look good to either me or the BSS saleslady. He could barely get a pedal stroke going but he said was having a bad knee day, he said. Regardless, he put down the card and soon was toting home his new toy. 

I was not there for his first excursion/attempt. It did not go well. He hadn't ridden in decades and forgot to put it in a low gear.  He was also afraid it'd get away from him so he thought it'd be better to try going uphill. He also forgot how to use bike brakes. All this meant he ended up in a ditch less than 30 feet from his driveway. Inauspicious...

So, being the noble friend that I am, I went over to check out the bike and to see if I could help him get going. I took it for a spin and, I have to say, it put a smile on my face. The experience is kind of like stepping on a moving sidewalk in an airport--you're still walking (presumably) but you're suddenly moving much faster. And if you want to let the moving sidewalk do all the work, you can do that; you just have to "soft pedal;" no actual force, just keep the feet going around. 

The Como has four settings: no power, 20% power, 50% power and 100% power. I took it up the biggest hill in his neighborhood, cranked that puppy up to 100% and--damn!--it was like going up an escalator! If you stop pedaling, you get no power, regardless of the power setting so it really can't run away from you like a motorcycle can do. The more power you put in, the more power it puts out, so you really do get some actual exercise. 

Knowing how the thing felt and worked now, Jeff and I decided to go to a little park where there was some an open field--he was afraid of falling again but, dang, he was determined to make that thing work for him. 

I did what a dad does when teaching a kid to ride: placed my legs on either side of the back wheel while he got on, held the seat, gave a push. He was scared the thing would run away from him if he used the power but I convinced him that was the secret of getting rolling. 

Much to my surprise, Jeff had that thing going around the park like a champ within 30 minutes. I won't quote his gleeful exclamations because they involve exuberant swearing but, man, it was hilarious and delightful to see him taking laps around the park. He was as gleeful as a kid, maybe more so.

Soon he was on the pavement and we did a lap around his neighborhood. "The wind on my face!!" he kept saying. He'd basically been stuck in his house for five months and he suddenly had mobility and the experience of flying down the road on two wheels that is so very addictive. Another disciple in the Church of MAMIL...

Jeff's been riding nearly every day the weather permits and has "seen the light" when it comes to cycling. He's usually on 20% power, so he's building strength as well as mobility. He even plans to get back on the racquetball court next week. 

So here are my takeaways on e-bikes for those recovering from major knee surgery: 

1. First, e-bikes are damn awesome. I cannot believe how easily Jeff, who had had double knee replacement surgery just five months before, took to his Specialized Como. Having the 100% power setting allowed him to know that he would not get stuck at the bottom of a hill. He was quite skeptical that the thing would have enough battery power for a good ride but he's learned that he can actually go on a couple of rides without needing to recharge. 
2. E-bikes also allow a lot more people to experience the joys of cycling, which means fewer motorists telling us to get off "their" roads, less pollution, and more fitness. Yes, I'm a purist and "don't need no stinkin' motor," but I can definitely see the place of e-bikes. There are many of my ilk that will mutter and roll their eyes about this growing phenomenon. Screw 'em...  
3. The low step-through thing was a very important factor in Jeff's success here. A "men's frame," with that high top tube means you have to swing one leg up high and support all your weight with the other leg. That was just not going to happen for Jeff so the low step-through was critical. 
4. A TIP: It was actually pretty hard for Jeff to get his leg over the low bar at first so I had him lay the bike down on the ground, step over it, and then pull the bike up underneath him. A pretty nifty trick, if I do say so myself, but he graduated past that quickly. Still, it's something that might make more of a difference for others.
5. I suggested Jeff get a trainer which, yes, CAN be used with an ebike, so he could build some confidence, strength, and flexibility without risk of falling before his first excursion. He demurred but I definitely think it's something to consider. It would also allow you to ride when the weather is bad.
6. Jeff's main fear was falling and injuring his knees and setting himself back. This is a legitimate concern to be sure. I highly recommend some of the knee and elbow pads made for mountain biking. Yes, it will protect those expensive knees directly and it will indirectly protect the knees because the elbow pads allow you to stick out your elbows and catch yourself (kind of like ski poles) with a much-reduced risk of injury. Again, Jeff declined but he'd have saved himself some pain if he'd worn pads; he's taken more than a couple of spills. 
7. I think this goes without saying but, just to be sure, you do NOT want to use clip-in pedals if you've had major knee surgery. These are indispensable for serious cyclists and your local shop might recommend them, but you have to twist your feet out of them, which is hard on the knee, and they just make it much more likely that you'll fall over when you're coming to a stop. 

I'm not a doctor, physical therapist or in any related field. All I can speak to is my experience helping my friend get out on a bike so you need to talk to your medical/recovery team about whether an e-bike is a safe option for you (covering my legal butt here). But Jeff's experience was remarkable and it's given him a fun way to recover his strength/flexibility and get his mobility back. He has shown amazing determination, commitment and, yes, bravery and he's been rewarded with a new way to spend some time outdoors, meet new people and rehabilitate.

Tour Das Hugel!

Ride Summary: 110+ miles of one steep hill after another, totaling 12K' of elevation change. A surprising number of fellow cyclo-masochists...
Distance: officially, 110-112 miles but you can easily shorten (which makes it easier than it should be to bail)
Elevation gain: 11000-12000' (with this many hills, no two Garmins will agree)
Roads: mostly smooth pavement, wide shoulder on Bee Cave, other roads have small or no shoulder but low traffic. Beauford is scored pavement to keep cars from losing traction (reassuring, no?).
Driver tolerance: Generally good but you're bound to encounter a few impatient drivers with this many hills. I find 360 to be the most harrowing, despite the wide shoulder. I had a pretty close call with someone trying to take an exit ramp while I was going straight.
The bad: Beauford, Jester (at about mile 100!), Big View, Courtyard/City Park. Shall I go on? Seriously though, if you're fit, this will be challenging but fun. If you're not, it'll be a rough day (or morning, more likely). I had done a century about three weeks before so I knew I could handle the distance. By not burning up any single climb, I was able to make it through (see below).
The good: At least there's oxygen, right? Riding with 300-400 other crazy cyclists. The first loop is one of Austin's finest road rides with nice scenery, some tree-sheltered roads and low-traffic roads.

"Do you have it? Are you strong enough?" 

"I know I can do loop one. Heck, I 'gave' myself that for my birthday last year. I've done nearly all the big/infamous climbs of loop two...Putting them together and adding more miles and a couple thousand more feet of climbing? Hmm..."

Those were the voices in my head as the date of  Tour Das Hugel approached. 

Not completely believing in my abilities, I unpacked the bike underneath the MoPac bridge and contemplated how many layers to put on in the 50-degree overcast day forecast. Before I was really quite ready, the pack of--what 300 cyclists?--sounded their battle cry and sped off.

Das Hugel is laid out in two loops. Loop one is a bit shy of 40 miles and has probably 4000' of climbing. The only thing super steep is The High Road but it's pretty short. River Hills is a gorgeous road and the climb is longer but nothing too intimidating. Same with Barton Creek and Lost Creek. The latter is one of my favorite roads in Austin. 

My inclination is to really push on climbs but I got in a group and a groove going up Terrace Mountain and realized that if I just spun as much as I could on these climbs, I'd be able to last a lot longer, maybe even the whole ride.

Loop two is over 70 miles and connects one nauseating climb in northwest Austin after another: Mt. Bonnell (177'), Smokey Valley/Ladera Norte (352', 25%  in a couple places!!), Bluegrass (162'), Rain Creek (195'), Beauford (276', scored pavement, reaching 30% in one spot, supposedly), Courtyard (312')-City Park (153'), River Place (~400'), Bullick Hollow (200' but I missed this one) , 620 Dam to 2222 (415'), Big View (385') and Jester (341'). Oh, and then you have to get home going the big hills on 360 (540', albeit there's a downhill section in there). 

Cresting Courtyard. Nice view. Hard to appreciate it. Photo by http://cycling.frenzied.us/

I paperboyed Smokey Valley going from one curb to the other. Can I go straight up? Yes,  but again, I was trying not to burn myself out, especially that early in loop two. 

Which climb was worst? I think it might have been Big View for me. At about mile 90, you go down this badboy just to turn around and come right back up. This, knowing that Jester is still ahead of you and I hate Jester. Courtyard was pretty ugly too. On paper, 620 is the biggest climb but it's stretched out so you can just spin. Which I did, of course. 

Take one in isolation and you might think, "What's the big deal? 5, maybe 10 minutes of pain and pushing and you're cresting the top. Arranged in sequence like this, one hit after another, and the total will test you at least, knock you out at worst. But, hey, at least you have all the oxygen you need, unlike Colorado climbs. 

Do you have it? Are you strong enough? Give it a try sometime and get back to me!

Colorado rides

Just back from a big Colorado "workation:" I had seven dates of work in Colorado Springs, flew back to Austin to celebrate my daughter's 18th birthday and then flew back to CO and drove out to the Roaring Fork Valley (Aspen area).

I got in over 330 miles of great riding in those varying parts of the state so I thought I'd list my big rides and offer my thoughts.

Hardest ride: Deer Creek Canyon
> Nearly 66 miles and over 4600' of elevation, this was pretty ambitious (for me) but it was made harder because I was trying to stay up with a friend who is a former semi-pro and his wife who can climb like nobody's business. I don't have a lot of pics (the ones that came out well are on the Strava activity page) because I was huffing and puffing up and then absolutely flying down. We don't get descents like that here in Texas--the better part of 22 miles!

I had hoped to do Pike's Peak, Mt. Evans, Independence Pass or Trail Ridge Rd but we had some truck woes and time issues (marriage and cycling are a hard thing when only one spouse loves the bike) that prevented that from happening. I'll be back in October and will tackle one of those biggies, I hope.

Prettiest ride: Frying Pan Rd


I do love a mountain stream! From Basalt, I took Frying Pan Rd up to the Ruedi ("ROO-dye") Reservoir. This route takes you gently (~1% grade) upstream for about 12 miles past beautiful red rock formations, pines forests, ranches, resorts and numerous fly fishermen. I'm not an angler but, apparently, these are some primo, "Gold Medal" waters, and it was fun to wheel by and absorb their blissful excitement. The final 1-1.5 miles is a climb of about 6-7% which takes you up to Ruedi, a lake set in the mountains. The descent was a blast and provided a different vantage. Colorado has given me a new appreciation for the out-and-back, which I have ardently resisted most of my life--funny how much prettier things look going downhill than up!

The road is high quality and the motorized vehicles were few but I was warned by a local that the traffic can be bad on weekends as revelers tow their boats up this road to the aforementioned reservoir.

Castle Creek and Maroon Bells were the rides I heard most about but, for my money, I like this route. I was there during a drought, so the wildflowers were compromised and that may have affected my final judgment. All are spectacular so, if one is easier for you to reach than another, all will leave you lucky to be alive and healthy enough to enjoy pedaling a bike.

Most Under-rated ride: CO 133



As mentioned above, I was hoping to get in at least one mountain pass ride while in Colorado. I was staying in Carbondale so was pretty close to Independence Pass but I'd heard that traffic was bad and that the road was narrow and twisty, especially on the Aspen side.

I had floated the idea of McClure Pass by a couple of locals and they had said that it was steep and didn't offer much enthusiasm. I can't compare it to the more famous, challenging Colorado passes, but I will say that CO 133 is spectacular and the climb to the pass was a good challenge--1250' at about 7-9%. I happened to catch it within weeks of being repaved so it really was cycling perfection, imho.

Total elevation change from Carbondale would be about 3000', but that's mostly mild, barely-noticeable grades of 2% or less. The real climbing starts right at the turnoff for Marble (a lovely stretch of road down to a tiny mountain town with a world-renowned marble quarry--the marble for the Lincoln Memorial came from Marble, CO).

Being from Austin, where there are a number of hills with 15-25%+ grades, I didn't really find the climb to that steep; I believe it was mostly in the 7-9% range. Elevation tops 7855, with a total gain of about 1250' from the Marble turnoff (about 3.3 miles), so it's nothing at all like the challenge of Pike's or Evans but I think it was a good intro for the likes of me.

Like Frying Pan Rd, it follows a mountain stream (the Crystal River, in this case) and passes through some beautiful rock formations and forests. I recommend stopping at the Hays Creek waterfall. It doesn't look like much from the road but, as you approach from the trail and get a better look, it really is worth pausing the ride to enjoy.

There are many pull-offs along 133 to stop and enjoy the scenery. I was limited for time (that marriage/cycling thing again) so I drove about 7-8 miles up from Carbondale and parked while I rode.

NOTE THAT YOU WILL HAVE NO CELL RECEPTION IN THIS AREA, at least if you're on AT&T.

I drove back up this road with my wife (who says it's her favorite road she's ever been on) and we saw a black bear basically tumble out of the trees and scurry across the road and into the river, so, yes, I can affirm that there are bears in the neighborhood, for what it's worth...

I'll post about other rides (Cheyenne Canyon/Gold Camp Rd, Lookout Mtn, Maroon Bells, Garden of the Gods and Castle Creek) soon so stay tuned or ping me if you don't see that and want more details.