5 years in Colorado....

Celebrated 5 years in Colorado on Friday,. That's the most number of years we've lived in a state other than Wisconsin. 5 years ago, we finished our drive out from California (a scenic detour up through Yosemite and parts of the state of Jefferson), and ended up in the Fort. First full day here in 2006, I went for a jog and almost got hit by a car. Not really almost, I'm embellishing -- I was crossing with a green light in a crosswalk, but on the left side of the road, and you know how that game goes when the driver is not watching while waiting to make a right turn. I know how that game goes, so I went out in the crosswalk but waited to get her attention at the last minute -- but I imagine it's harder to teach children this, which is why "Look both ways" is just a good idea for life.

Later that first day, with our 'stuff' not yet arrived and unpacked, we got our library cards. I am suspicious of people without library cards.

Also happened to be my birthday. No significance to this, other than what number might appear after my name, separated by a comma, should something silly happen, such as: "Hinterberg, 32, ended up safely at a Leadville bar after wandering off course and getting lost in the Leadville 100 trail race."

So in that spirit, we celebrated up in Fort Collins, at El Monte Grill, which has a limited but delicious menu of Mexican favourites. It is owned by the Rio owners, but is less noisy and has better food, though both places are great depending on what you're in the mood for, and I'm glad to see it looks like they're doing well.

Had a good time with the in-laws and DJ, and J made an awesome chocolate layer cake with jimmies for dessert.

Bike Ride North Again
Since everyone was up there but me, it was another leisurely bike ride. I did some work in the morning and didn't leave til near noon, so I met J in Loveland, but still got a solid 70 miles. As usual, the cluster through Aurora and Denver sucks up the most time -- I inexplicably ended up on the wrong side of Sand Creek in an area I've been on foot dozens of times (but wasn't thinking about where the real trail was vs. singletrack), and ended up fording the creek, then the trail had a construction detour, which led me to new surface streets near the Western complex and a train delay. Still, one of my favourite pastimes is wandering on a bike in a general direction and taking a random route.

And that is not unique, as I simultaneously enjoyed listening to David Byrnes's Bicycle Diaries audiobook.

Eventually I got back to the Platte River Trail, which I've been on before, but then decided to head West on the Clear Creek Trail, which was new to me and quite pleasant. I didn't know a good way to get North, since Huron St. has let me down before, but eventually I ended up on Sheridan, which has a nice shoulder north of Broomfield, and was a great decision. (Google maps has a green bike route line on Huron, but not Sheridan, despite Huron not really having a bike lane or shoulder).

Then I ended up swinging back East from Sheridan to the frontage roads. This means I ended up going almost 3 miles west of I-25, only to head back to the frontage roads, so it wasn't the quickest route by any means, but its more pleasant than Thornton and Northglenn on the east side of I-25 when there isn't a frontage road.

Finally on the Frontage road, I was able to crank mindlessly and keep up a decent pace. Enjoyed this for a few hours and headed up to Centerra to meet J. Maybe 6 or 7 miles south of it, an accident had all of I-25 South backed up, and it was a reminder of how much more enjoyable it was to be on the bike, even on a frontage road, than sitting in a car in traffic. Several miles down the road -- I hadn't been thinking about this consciously -- but traffic on my frontage road started picking up, as people were using it as an alternative. Then, one particular Important Human Being decided to pass a semi and a couple of other vehicles, which I didn't notice until he was speeding at, let's say, a speed differential of 90 miles per hour (my 20 vs. his 70) a couple feet from my left shoulder! I shouted as he passed, but there was nothing else I could do. It got me curious about the Colorado Driver's handbook, since it seems obvious to me:

DO NOT PASS...
if you cannot safely return to the right-hand side before coming within 200 feet of an oncoming vehicle, including a bicyclist in the oncoming lane or shoulder


Not all states specifically mention the bicyclist clause, so that's nice....and 200 feet(!) is significantly more than 0. Laws won't save a life in a particular accident, though, I get that, and we've all been driving when an idiot passes in the opposite direction too close for comfort. And I'm overall quite happy with the cycling situation in the state as a whole -- there is a noticeable change from people actually following the 3-foot passing rule versus 5 years ago. Still, this is another frustrating case where somebody was in a hurry and wasn't even thinking about looking for the possibility of a cyclist or pedestrian, which (to me) is the root of our low expectations for driving skill in this country. You may have an opinion on cyclists riding on highways with otherwise good shoulders, but show me a regular cyclist and pedestrian, and I will show you somebody who looks at for other people when they're driving as well.

I am getting old, and can now drive twice. The legal driving age should be 31.

More accidents, more bikes
Saturday morning, a run up Overland toward Reservoir Ridge was thwarted by a fatal single-car accident. Troubling -- not at all the fact that I had to turn around! -- but the loss of life on a beautiful morning.

Eventually did get up to the Foothills trail for a decent morning run, then joined J, Neil, and DJ for a leisurely bike ride -- always enjoy riding with them! Happy to see the improved surface on the Poudre trail.

Worked some more on that chocolate cake...

Then, drive back down to Denver. School's going to be tough for the next 7 weeks -- June 8 is the last day of prelim exam and will be quite a relief -- but I signed up for it and am grateful for the opportunity. Need to balance and keep at it, it will be better in the summer when I can have a single research focus instead of 3 or 4.

Fort Collins to Denver: Best Bike Route

With some housing business to take care of in Fort Collins, and my sister-in-law's birthday, we needed to be up in the Fort for the weekend. But, J and our car were already up there, so the choices were either to have her come back to pick me up; rent a car; find a rideshare; or ride the (darn) bike (RTDB).

Luckily, the temps were in the 50s for a decent December day. Unluckily, wind gusts were in the 20s/30s. I did get blown off the road for a brief moment when I wasn't crouched enough in the correct position, but other than that it was fairly manageable.

I've ridden this route 5 or 6 times for various reasons (including meeting J at a flea market, and riding to the Great American Beer Festival), and I'm now forming some more informed opinions (and vehement disagreement with Google Maps) on the "best" route. Some people have asked about this route, so that's the purpose of this post.

The worst part of the route is what I call the "Death Triangle" formed by the major freeways just north of Denver:


There is no real good way through here. I've tried the West side (relative to I-25) through Arvada/Broomfield/Westminster; the East side through Thornton; as well as some of both, crossing over in Thornton/Northglenn. There is no really good route, as it is a big time suck of stop lights and dangerous traffic.

Interestingly, the default Google Map Bicycling route suggests taking Huron St., which has a narrow shoulder and many stoplights and isn't any better than routes on the East, before suggesting Co Rd 3, which is a washboarded dirt road. (If you're looking for a Roubaix-style adventure, that one's for you). In short, the Google map option is a poor one.

In general, I suggest the following for the experienced distance rider who is looking for an efficient route:
* Use the extensive bike paths when you're south of the Death Triangle, where you can get to downtown Denver or Aurora. They're twisty and a bit longer, but both faster (lack of stoplights) and much safer.
* To get through the Death Triangle, I suggest staying East of I-25 and using Grant and Washington street. These roads are crowded, shoulderless, and unsafe, but so are most alternatives. I prefer these roads, however, because much of it is 3 lanes, so there is more room for cars to give you the whole lane if necessary; there are sidewalks or occasional parallel streets for the most part if traffic is really bad; the worst parts of the road are rolling hills, which I content are safer, because you have increased visibility going uphill and better speed matching going downhill.
* The quickest, most straightforward route to continue North is staying on the Frontage road. It is less scenic and has the drawback of being near the freeway, but it is easier to cruise, has a decent shoulder, and you don't have to look at a map to find out where the Weld County dirt roads are/aren't.
* If you want better scenery, I'd stay East of I-25 closer to Denver, and West near Dacono or further North. But be sure to stay sufficiently West to avoid dirt roads.
* Alternatively, Hwy 85 has been suggested to the East due to a wider shoulder, but certainly adds miles if you want to get between Denver and Fort Collins.
* Finally, if you're from out of town and just kind of want to ride across this part of the state but don't really -need- to go to between the towns by direct route, ride to Estes first and then take Peak-to-Peak highway towards Golden instead!

Anyway, those are my observations. Please share any that you may have if you ride this route. The most important observation is that the top suggestion for bicycling from Google maps is highly sub-optimal (Huron Street isn't that good unless you use the sidewalk only), and the biggest piece missing from a good bike route is a 4-5 mile N-S section south of I-470, so your concerns for timing should take into consideration of trying to avoid rush hour or lighting/visibility issues near Denver, as well as the slowed pace.