FoCo Fall Fun: Welcome Home Pilgrim

Rigid 26"er Singlespeed Horses for Courses @ Horsetooth

"Sadly, dual suspension offers no hope for you and your kind. We have never met, but I can visualize the sun baked leather skin, flecks of gray in the unshaven face, the furrowed brow, the distant gaze, the zero body fat physique with skinny legs and arms that can pound out 12-hour rides without a drop of water or a gram of sustenance. I can feel the half smile you crack as you motor by enduro bros down sketchy descents. You, and all of your million-feet-of-climbing retired firemen friends have the skills, lungs and legs to humble dual-suspension contemporaries at will, but your septuagenarian muscle memories are evolutionary cul de sacs, stranded decades ago when the land bridge to rear suspension collapsed into the sea. " - Richard Cunningham

 

Horsetooth's Techy rocks, drops, and steep downs without pads, no probs.  

Every Trail ends in Mountain Lakes

I think JD has it in his mind now that every hike leads to a swimming hole. The past 3 weekends since my return from Scotland have found us out backpacking and camping in the Zirkels, Flattops, and Rocky Mountain National Parks. Several more weekends lined up to knock off a few more mega hikes from this year's list. But suffice to say, JD has been having a blast swimming in over 12 fresh mountain lakes the past 3 weekends.  All seasons in Colorado are pretty sweet, but fall camping is the best and time is not to be wasted indoors.

 

Whittled a Spoon

Lochs, Rocks, and Midges

My second trip to Scotland offered up a 19 day bikepacking adventure. 512 miles (only 80ish were on paved roads/routes, the rest were gravel, marsh, or mountain tracks), 46,120' of climbing, 1 mega midge swarm-pocolypse, 2 multi-hour ocean ferries, 2 train rides w/ bikes, 3 isles of the Hebrides, giant circle of the highlands east and west coasts, many village pubs, over 8 bothies, a mtb ride to the other end of Loch Ness (I stayed at the opposite end last year), and endless memories and laughs.

I can't wait to go back. 800 mile route in the works. Wales, England, and Scotland. Mostly all off road. 2020's gonna rock. Scotland is a bike adventurer's paradise.