Bicycle Tour of Colorado: ~ 415 miles, 35,000 feet climbing

[HappyAnika]

Congratulations on finishing the ride. I'm glad the altitude didn't affect you. Getting caught in those afternoon rain/hail/lightning sorms sucks. That hail can really hurt. It's good to hear you had fun overall and got to see some of the prettiest parts of the state.

(Turns out my friend Tammy who is friends with Daniel backed out of the BTC because she spent so much time this spring training for a 4 mile swim that she felt like she wouldn't have fun on the BTC).

[mimitabby]

wow, great ride! good work! beautiful pictures too.

[BikeMomma]

Ok, Cin....since nobody has said it yet (but we're all thinkin' it!), I'll say it: I'm jealous as ...er...hail! Yea, that's it.

Really -- sounds like a ride to do sometime before I'm 80. Way cool.

Take care...hope Denise gets better and you have fun getting to re-know your old Bianchi friend.
~BikeMomma

[cosc]

CindySue, that sounds like it was a trip of a life time. Thanks for posting your story and pics.

[cindysue]

.....Sorry about Denise too. I'm wondering if I rode with her and Pat when I came out to ride with Pat on the cindarella ride? I'm thinking that I might have. jan

Denise P is very petite with red hair

Denise Y is tall and has perfect teeth (that sounds odd to say but it is definitely something you would notice)

[cindysue]

It's good to hear you had fun overall and got to see some of the prettiest parts of the state.

I'm really wondering what the rest of the state looks like. I'm searching the want ads for planning/environmental jobs in Boulder but I may have to settle for another City if I am really serious about moving to Colorado.

.... I should probably visit my sister for a week once the snow hits before I make any final decisions.... (she lives in Parker)

[HappyAnika]

Well, you got to see my favorite parts - the high parks (high flat areas), and the mountains with some of the highest peaks. The west side can look more like AZ and Utah in parts (Yellow's post about their ride from Telluride to Moab will show you that). The NW is still desert-y but different yet. The east is all flat plains, think Nebraska but less green.

The snow is so unpredictable at the lower elevations, meaning the front range which is loosely Colo Springs to Ft. Collins. I think it was two winters ago we never touched the snow shovel because we never got more than 2 inches at a time. Compared to last winter when we got slammed with 3 ft. at Christmas and then another 5 inches to a foot every week for the next 7 weeks, which was extremely abnormal. Every year is different. But generally our winters are pretty mild (again, at the lower elevations), compared to midwestern and eastern winters. Mountain living is a different beast, one I would gladly tackle, but its just not practical at this point for us. The front range, esp. Boulder are great because you can be in the mountains in no time, but still live reasonably close to work.

[onimity]

I'm really wondering what the rest of the state looks like. I'm searching the want ads for planning/environmental jobs in Boulder but I may have to settle for another City if I am really serious about moving to Colorado.

.... I should probably visit my sister for a week once the snow hits before I make any final decisions.... (she lives in Parker)

Congrats on the ride and I loved the writeup. I'm hoping to do one of the big mountain rides next year.

I live in Boulder and *love* it. I'd definitely second HappyAnika's comment about the snow, though. We do get snow in the winter but the storms are usually spread out enough that it is a welcome change and it's really a climate that allows for year-round riding, except when we have a winter like this past one. I was lucky, though...I spent Dec./early Jan. in South America and missed all three of the big storms.

Small world, though, I was born in Walnut Creek and grew up in Parker (only back then it was a *small* town; horses outnumbered people 2:1.)

Anyhow, thanks for the writeup and good luck job-hunting in Boulder. There are plenty of surrounding cities as well that would be good to work in, if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

Anne