Salem Lake - August 2018

Rebecca and I went back to ride around Salem Lake again. We just had a series of storms roll through and the weather afterwards has been unseasonable cool and nice, so why not take advantage of it?

What we were surprised about was that the storms had caused a bit of damage around the trail. There were several trees down that needed to be cleared away. Some were easy to lift the bikes over,

but others were more difficult.

Some were on the verge of going over into the lake, but hadn't fallen all the way yet.

The ones who were most happy about the new logs in the lake were the turtles who were using them to sunbathe!

Salem Lake Bike Ride

Rebecca is most definitely the more motivated of the two of us. For the past couple of months, she's been taking her bike out and going on rides in different places. She kept hassling me about coming along, so this morning, I finally caved and went with her on a ride around Salem Lake.

I have to admit, it's an amazing ride. It's about 7 miles around the lake and you are rewarded over and over by views like this. Salem Lake is truly a hidden gem. (I know, it's not really "hidden" since there's a marina and a biking trail and all that, but still... until she told me about it, I had no idea it was there.)

We had fun going back and forth trying to catch selfies on the go. It's a wonder I didn't hit a tree!

I was definitely saddle sore by the time we were done, but I can't say enough about how amazing this trail is and how beautiful the lake is, especially on a day like this.

Colorado 2014 - Bicycles

One reason we brought a trailer with us this year is so that we could bring bikes with us. Last year, our kids weren't really into riding (except for Olivia) so it wasn't a big deal. This year, however, Gabe and Ezra have really been wanting bikes. Jamie, who is a master of finding deals, managed to find us two bikes for Gabe and Ezra and a new (to her) one for Olivia, who had outgrown her old bike. She even had a scooter for Emma to use while she was there. :) It was such a blessing and an answer to prayer for us. Jamie had even walked into the Goodwill praying for two good bikes for the boys and there they were! It's surprising how quickly all the kids took to their new bikes, especially Ezra, who took to it like a duck to water.

Rebecca and I had our bikes from home with us and Jamie graciously volunteered to watch the kids for a day while Rebecca and I had a date day. We decided to ride the Cherry Creek Trail, which runs for 40 miles from Franktown to Downtown Denver. We started a few miles up the trail in Parker and decided to go as far as we felt comfortable. It was a warm, but overcast day and we got going right after lunch. The ride is pretty easy with just a couple of gentle hills, but mostly flat and winding through fields and behind neighborhoods along Cherry Creek. I brought the camera, but found it more of a nuisance and never did take a picture. About 3 or 4 miles into the ride, we rode out from under the cloud cover into bright, clear, intense sunshine. Neither of us had thought to bring sunscreen, so we knew we were in for a bit of a burn. Still, we kept on and rode about 12 miles up the trail only to find it end at a construction site. We tried to go around and find our way back to the trail only to find ourselves riding onto the 14th hole of the Valley Country Club gold course. Thinking this might not be the best plan, we went back the way we came and kept looking. From what we could find, they were still constructing part of the trail and it was difficult to tell where the trail might be. It was also at this point that my seat gave way and made riding a bit uncomfortable. So we decided to head back down the trail to the car and then look for a late lunch. By now, we were thoroughly hot, exhausted, and very thirsty (didn't bring water, either...) and my seat was making every mile more and more difficult. We did make it back, though, with the plan to someday do it again, but with sunscreen and water.

 

For lunch, we rode into Denver and went to Jerusalem Middle Eastern Restaurant, which is probably our favorite place to eat. We indulged in some fantastic food and got some awesome baklava. We stopped for coffee at Dazbog on the way home. In all, it was a wonderful time despite the difficulties and we will do it again next time we go out there, maybe with the kids in tow and riding along with us.  

A Summer Day

Friends of ours have a great trail with a creek access near us. They shared the adventure with us on a hot day when I did not bring the camera. It was fun! Then we took Daddy back another day to show him. He did brave the camera so here are a few pictures (albeit, some are a bit blurry but then, we were riding bikes and JR managed not to crash so what can we say. :) )

Headed down the trail. Olivia has really gotten stronger this year and is doing well riding her bike.

A stop at the creek to play a bit. Gabe was the first to head right down into the water. He really enjoyed splashing and tossing pebbles.

Then everyone joined in the fun and got in the water. They were all soaked by the time we were done. But it sure was fun! Ezra wasn't sure at first how he felt about putting his feet and hands down in the water and touching the sand but he quickly progressed to trying to eat the rocks and then crawling all around to explore.