A couple bike repairs again this morning before we drove to Trail Ridge Road. My tire splint looked questionable, and I really did not want to worry about it while descending down the mountain. High speeds and a flat front tube just sounded like a crash waiting to happen! Elizabeth also had a stiff chain link, that would be nice to get fixed.
So, we stopped off in Fraiser at one of the bike shops to look for a new tire for me. Not an exact match of tire depth, but it was certainly better than one with a slash! The salesman was rather friendly until I told him not to use his screwdriver to take off the old tire. He was going to either scratch up my new tire rims or puncture that tube that already had two patches!! I offered to take the tire off myself with my tire irons, but he eventually find some himself and did it correctly (I am rather protective of that bike!).
With a new tire and Elizabeth's chain in better working order, we were off to Trail Ridge Road. After an hour drive of anticipation, we were ready to enter Rocky Mountain National Park and begin our climb.
The ride began with about 10 miles of beautiful highway. It was a very mild grade and new pavement. Wow--you could fly! We enjoyed speeding by the car speed checks!
And then, we hit the switchbacks, and I was back in my element-enjoying the steady grind up the grade! How beautiful it was! I surprised myself that riding so close to the edge of the mountain was not as scary as I thought it could have been. I felt so strong, and in control. I was loving every minute of this (and it did take us quite a while for that climb!)
We stopped for a while at the top to take some pictures and enjoy the view before descending back down. Wow did we fly down that mountain! Using the whole lane (because we were going as fast, if not faster than the cars on the way down), we could whip around those corners. We were screaming and smiling the whole way down until we hit that strong headwind for the last 10 fairy flat miles. My legs did not want to go again! We made it back to the car, cleaned up, and went to a little Mexican restuarant nearby to celebrate our ride!
About an hour later we took a short hike to Adams Falls-beautiful! We thought about going to the field up a little further to see if we could see some more wildlife, but opted to return home for dinner instead.
I was in charge of dinner for tonight. Salmon cakes, broccoli, and corn on the cob was the menu. Tasty, and just light enough after a heavier Mexican meal.
Tomorrow we are going to do some mountain biking-a new experience for me! |