Double 14er Mini Tour [Pikes Peak & Mt Evans: 9/25-10/1; 430mi, +41,000ft]

On a cold, soggy late August morning in Dresden, I opened my email to find a note from my bike-adventure-maniac friend Justin Simoni. It went something like, "Hey your trip looks like it's going great. Got any climbing legs left? Because...."   And he went on to inform me that during this September only, the folks who operate the Pikes Peak Highway tollroad are allowing bicycles on their road for the first time ever. Want to come ride up Pikes (14,110ft) and Mt Evans (14,264ft) with him? Sure!!

I have to admit I was pretty nervous about agreeing to ride with Justin for several days. He routinely takes adventure touring to a new level, he's insanely fast and mighty determined. He's got lightweight touring down pat. He won top singlespeed honors Great Divide Mountain Bike Race this year. As for me? Sure, I'd been touring for 3 months, but it wasn't fast or light, and it certainly wasn't at high altitudes. Until riding around in Ned last week, the highest I'd been since May was around 9,000ft on the Cime de la Bonnette in France. But what the hey, I'll give it a go. We planned an interesting route- Denver south to Waterton Canyon, then about a dozen miles of singletrack on the Colorado Trail, 50mi of dirt roads to Woodland Park, up Pikes Peak, north to pick up the CO Trail again to Bailey, over Guanella Pass, up Mt Evans and then back to Denver.

The weather was looking a bit dicey for the next few days, but not imposing enough to cancel the trip. So we set off to Tuesday evening and camped in the drizzle a little ways up the CO Trail. The next morning was alternatively fun and challenging negotiating 10mi of switchback singletrack on the CO Trail. Cyclocross-singletrack touring is an interesting endeavor to say the least. 

Justin, one half of the two CX touring weirdos

the Colorado Trail

The trail was a fun way to start the trip, but I could immediately tell there was no way I was going to keep up with Justin. This became even more evident along the 40mi of endless rolling hills and soft dirt that was Rampart Range Rd. We spent the day somehow sneaking in between some massive thunderstorms along the way, me feeling increasingly frustrated at my inability to keep Justin in my sights. He was totally mellow about it, never got impatient or agitated- but it's no fun for either rider when there's such a discrepancy of speed.

The next morning we paid our $10 admission fee (they charge the same for a bike as for a car, but at least we're allowed in) and began riding up the 19mi climb from the entrance gate in Cascade to the top of "America's Mountain". The colors were still gorgeous!

Pikes Peak, our destination

Justin was waiting for me at the Halfway Point picnic grounds (mileage wise, anyway) and I told him to go on ahead without me. I was going to get myself up to the summit, but I didn't want him to spend half a day waiting for me. And I knew I didn't have it in me to ride over Guanella Pass (11,669ft) the next day, and Mt. Evans the day after that. We shook hands, wished each other luck, and he quickly disappeared around the next bend. I was on my own now- I really enjoyed riding with Justin, but it felt good to turn him loose and now poke along at my own snail's pace.

I got to the Glen Cove cafe/gift shop at 11,450ft and stopped in to use the bathroom, eat a snack and have a coffee. Some clouds were rolling over the ridge to the west and a few snow flakes were blowing around. As I readied to continue up the road, the ranger informed me that the road above was now closed until this storm passed. And he advised me that I really ought to head back down before it got worse. "Just sayin', this is 27 years of experience here talkin'." Fair enough, but I went inside and refilled my coffee to wait and see what the skies would do. I only had 6mi to go before the top; it would be a shame to ride down from here. The snow/sleet continued to build, the same ranger then said there's a 2nd, larger storm about 40min out, and that I really, really should get off the mountain now. I decided he was right- I couldn't go up because the road was closed, and I was potentially going to descend in accumulating snow or ice. I retreated; the weather had got me.

Round 1 goes to Mother Nature

Three times now I've attempted to summit a 14er using only my own power and transport... ie no driving to the trailhead. I tried Mt Evans this spring on my road bike but turned back at 10,500ft. In May I toured to Longs Peak, hiked into a blizzard and made it up to just 300ft below the summit before I couldn't safely get any further. And now I'd been foiled on Pikes as well. As I descended the sleet thawed into rain; I stopped into a diner in Cascade for lunch and to see what the storms were going to do. They got worse, just as the ranger predicted. It poured rain, it poured hail, and it still looked threatening. Justin had been fast enough to get ahead of the road closure- I knew he was somewhere up high in this mess, but then again this is sort of his forte and I knew he'd survive just fine.

And I threw in the towel. I was wet, cold, tired, and mentally demolished. I waited for a break in the precip and coasted down towards Colorado Springs where I could hop on the regional FREX bus back to Denver. All I wanted was a hot shower, a blanket and a bowl of steamy soup. It hurt to quit: I've never been a fast rider, but I've never been a quitter. However I'd had it- I was cracked.

On the way down I did take a sidetrack to ride around Garden of the Gods, which I'd been wanting to see. It's a cool city park, kind of CO Springs' version of Denver's Red Rocks Park.

Garden of the Gods

When I stopped into the Visitor Center in the Springs, I was told the FREX bus has stopped running. Like, for good. Dammit! Now I was down in the Front Range city sprawl, still wet and cold, and looking at riding ~85mi back to Denver on flat, boring, busy roads. I started making my way north through the endless suburbia that is CO Springs and well after nightfall, discovered a great 'campsite' beneath a bridge of a 4 lane divided highway.

morning #3: under the bridge

I woke up well rested, dry and warm. As I emerged from beneath the bridge to continue the slog back to Denver, I turned around and stared at Pikes Peak looming large in the sky. Without a cloud around, it was a perfect day. Pikes was shimmering with the fresh snow it picked up yesterday afternoon, it was calling me back. No way I'm going to quit! I turned around and backtracked through the Springs and back up the canyon, intent on getting to the top of this mountain after all. I can do this, and I'm gonna do this.

By the time I'd resupplied food, eaten breakfast and backtracked (mostly) uphill for 30mi, it was getting a little too late to try to ride to the top today. So I enjoyed a chill afternoon in the little artsy mountain town of Manitou Springs and waited for darkness to come in order to begin in earnest early tomorrow. And what a sight the next morning from camp:

morning #4: a clear shot at my mark

I made it up to the summit around 1pm with bluebird skies and a fantastic sense of accomplishment. My first 14er-- and all under my own power. Fourth time's a charm, apparently.

Pikes Peak summit!!

The vibe was reminiscent of the big Cols in the French Alps- lots of cyclists around and a strong sense of camaraderie amongst us. It was cool to see so many bikes up top, as well as those still grinding up or already zipping down. The summit it a bit of a circus: there's the auto road, there's a popular hiking trail and there's the Manitou Pikes Peak Cog Railway that brings groups of tourists to the summit, including heffers in flip-flops and old ladies asking (sincerely) for supplemental oxygen. There's a gift shop and a restaurant, it's essentially ski-resort-meets-tourist-trap.

No, I did not spend the $20 for this shirt...

The ride down was pretty fun, and pretty cold. The road (like most in Colorado) is just not steep/winding enough to be serious fun like I had in the Alps... but you can't have it all every time. I gathered up my panniers which I'd stashed in the woods closer to the bottom and took some gravel backroads to get back to Woodland Park for another tasty burger and more groceries. Next stop: Mt Evans! The weather outlook was solid and I'd become very determined to accomplish my original goal of riding up both the 14ers with paved roads to the tops.

My route north to Evergreen passed through vast sections of the Hayman Fire burn scars from 10 years ago, and I rode late into the night under the silver glow of the full moon. A little spooky yet completely sublime.

Hayman Fire scar and "burning" aspens

I arrived in Evergreen the next afternoon and finally ate at the Tin Star Cafe- where they serve up fantastic BBQ and fresh homemade donuts. Best. idea. ever.

Pulled pork BBQ, homemade chips, fresh donut. Yes!

Evening turned to night as I rode under the full moon past Squaw Pass and up to the Echo Lake Campground (10,600ft) for the night. Luckily for touring cyclists like myself, the campground and the Mt Evans summit road had already been closed for the season- therefore free campground and no cars for the last 14mi to the top. Sweet.

The next morning I stashed my panniers again and pedaled the 14mi/3700ft up to the summit of my 2nd 14er in 3 days. and what a day- with the road closure I was literally all alone at the summit, save for a small herd of hearty mule deer.

Mt Evans summit @ 14, 264ft

Gotta say I'm pretty happy to have pedaled the highest paved roads on two continents in one summer: The "La plus haute d'Europe" on the Cime de la Bonnette, and now Mt Evans. Not too shabby.

After that it was back through Evergreen, then Golden and 'home' to Denver. What a great trip- made all the sweeter knowing how close I was to giving up. Here's to second chances, and perseverance.

As for Justin: he summitted Pikes in the nasty storm, then hiked three additional 14ers (Bierstadt, Greys and Torreys) en route to Evans. And he made it home a full day before I did. Different strokes for different folks- I knew he's in a different league. Nice work, buddy, and thanks for putting this idea in my head!

My route:

A week in the office; a week in the woods [9/16-9/24]

I've been happily unemployed and homeless since June... and luckily still have some savings left in the bank account. Floating around amongst a few friends' couches in Denver has been nice but it's getting boring/lazy... Fortunately(?) my old employers needed a substitute dispatcher for 6 days, so I'm back into the workforce as a productive member of society or something like that. I'd be working in the courier office in Boulder, and what better place to live than the National Forest outside of Nederland for the week?

I found a fantastic campsite a few hundred yards off singletrack not far from town and settled in for the week. It's a great life- wake up to the sunrise every morning, ride about 25minutes of trails on my way into town for a coffee at Happy Trails (my fave coffeeshop in the world) and catching the bus down to Boulder for office duties. After work it's back up the canyon on the bus for about an hour of trail riding, returning to camp with the aid of bike lights. The daylight is short nowadays, so my riding is pretty limited but still super fun.

sunrise from camp

September in the Rockies is my favorite time of year here: the air is crisp, the temps moderate, the aspens and oaks burning with vibrant fall colors. Every year I get a spur of motivation to make the most of the last few delicious days in the hills- and living in the midst of it in a tent for a week is just perfect.

my new neighbors

A summery summary

I feel a little self conscious about waxing poetic on the virtues of my trip, of a meandering life on the road, a simple life on the bike, of experiencing foreign countries, etc etc... so I'll keep it to myself. It's been great, and I can't wait to get back on the road. For now, it's back to Colorado for September loveliness and a visit to my family in the midwest come October.

All in all:
90 days
4050mi
75 nights camping
15 nights indoors
6 countries

Cheers to the best summer so far! And here's to more adventures to come.

A solemn goodbye: Iceland redux [9/3-9/4]

Instead of trying to track down a cardboard bike box in Berlin, I opted for wrapping my bike whole in industrial Saran Wrap, along with foam pipe insulation and some bubble wrap padding that I bought at a Bauhaus (German for Home Depot) in the Berlin suburbs. There were several benefits to this approach: I could take the city train to the airport with packing materials in tow; I didn't have the headache of locating a bike box (although it turned out there were several large bike shops near my hostel); and the hope that baggage handlers would be more gentle with a whole bike rather than a cumbersome box.

It worked out just fine and I arrived at the airport in Keflavik where I started this journey 3 months earlier. Cold and very blustery, it was also dark when I arrived around 1am... the first time I'd ever experienced darkness in Iceland. I unwrapped my bike outside the terminal and pedaled away from the airport. It's not everywhere that you can ride literally 2mi from an international airport and pitch your tent on the side of the road, completely legally and without the slightest hassle. Luckily I found some shrubs to block the incessant winds.

the last campsite

My flight to Denver left the following evening, so I killed some time back at the Kaffir coffeeshop where I'd spent my first afternoon in early June. It was a weird feeling to be familiar with an obscure town like Keflavik- comforting, but solemn to know my fantastic 3 month journey was about to end. Coincidentally I ran into a German cyclist who was just beginning his own month long tour of Iceland; we shared coffee and conversation until he set off onto the road and I to the airport.

Some really cook views of southeastern Greenland from the airplane:

Greenland

And seven hours later I was back in the familiar confines of the Denver International Airport as the sun set behind the lovely Rocky Mountains.

Last stop: Berlin [9/1-9/3]

Florian, one of my hostel bunkmates in Prague, suggested a particular hostel in Berlin; he was also en route (via hitch hiking) to the city and would be there around the same time as I would. So I took his suggestion- turns out they were waiting for me...

The Odyssee Hostel

As with most city stops, I had no particular agenda here but did some wandering around each day. With only a couple of days left before returning home, I was feeling a little mopey and more reflective than explorative. Having been effectively leveled during the massive Allied bombing campaigns, it's a much newer and more sprawling city than most others I visited in Europe. As such, it was the gritty street art and Cold War relics that were the most interesting aspects of milling around.

The Berlin Wall

some random unmarked building

gutted commie apartments on the old East side

And eventually it was time to head to the airport. I'd be flying back to Iceland for one final night, then from Iceland to Denver the next afternoon. I'd have been happy to keep up life on the road for a while longer, and had seriously considered extending my trip by a few weeks. But in the end practical life considerations won the debate and I elected to return home as planned. Bummer....

4000 miles later... [Prague > Berlin; 8/29-9/01 - 273mi]

I'd planned to depart Prague a day earlier, but the WiFi at the hostel was being disagreeable so I walked down the street to a cafe to finish catching up on some emails... ordered a beer, then another beer... "It's getting pretty late, why not just stay another night in Prague?"

Beer = laziness.

On my way out of Prague I stopped off to check out the gigantic 75ft tall metronome that overlooks the city. I'm not sure of its exact purpose, but read that it was built upon a spot once occupied by a Stalin monument. A nice quirky public art piece, it lumbers away ticking back and forth endlessly.

Prague Metronome

There is a designated cycling route from Prague to Dresden that I followed for the first couple of days. Lacking a detailed map, I was sort of stuck winding around on the route which is frustratingly rarely a direct or efficient path; low vehicle traffic and very flat, however. I've been looking forward to getting back to mountain biking when I get back to Colorado next week. Little did I know this official route would give me a little taste:

Vlatava River north of Prague

And there aren't many bridges in these parts, but there are numerous small john boats that will take passengers and bikes across the rivers & canals. Unfortunately it was late in the evening when I got to a crossing point and the Privoy was shut down for the night. My alternative route took me over a pipeline bridge. Lugging a touring bike up and down 3 flights of stairs was not the least bit fun.

Eventually I reached the small city of Usti, where I procured better map from the Tourist Info Office and that was the end of following this ridiculous cycling route. Now being on a more direct path of my own chosing, albeit one with a few steep climbs, was significantly less frustrating.

Nearing the Czech / Germany border and still holding 103 Czech korunas (~$5) in my pocket... figured it'd be more fun to spend it than covert it back to Euros. I passed through the border town of Petrovice looking for a suitable place to blow 5bux... and immediately knew I'd found my spot!

This was a restaurant in a decommissioned airliner, super cool. The waitress spoke Czech and German (no English) but I was able to explain my cash situation to her: I had enough for a beer, a traditional Czech noodle soup and a coffee. Perfect for a cool, drizzly evening. Then she said she'd give me the coffee for free so I could order a dessert and suggested the Czech honey cake... oh was it tasty!

After my airline dinner, I continued on and slipped into east Germany under the cover of darkness and fog. Finding a great secluded campsite off in some woods, it proceeded to rain all night long... and most of the next day into Dresden. I have to say that I've been incredibly fortunate regarding weather on this trip- but a soggy cold day is never much fun regardless.

Dresden was a pretty interesting city, and I was surprised to find some historic buildings still standing after the massive Allied bombing campaigns of WWII. However I'd picked up a couple small nails in my rear tire (my mantra from my messenger days: "it's never really a rainy day until you get a flat tire") so I didn't take a whole lot of time to poke around and instead focused on repairing the punctures and finding myself a map to get the rest of the way to Berlin.

Dresden

The weather improved by the late afternoon, and I was treated to a couple of perfect autumn days en route to Berlin: brisk, sunny and breezy. This is not terribly exciting terrain to ride through, but the seasonal shift made it pretty comforting.

I've been nearing 4000 cumulative miles and was excited to clear that hurdle, arbitrary as it may be. Literally 2 blocks after I crossed into the Berlin city limits, my odometer finally clicked over the 4K mark... nice!

The Vegas of Europe [Prague; 8/26-8/28]

thus Way back in the spring when I was 'planning' this trip- and by "planning" I mean just thinking of places I wanted to go and occasionally looking at Googlemaps- a visit to Prague was on the "must do" list. Later on I didn't imagine it would be feasible to get all the way over here, but as it turns out it's right on the way up to Berlin.

Prague is on par with Rome & Florence as one of the most interesting and fun cities I've been to this summer. There's still a bit of a bohemian gypsy vibe here with lots of street musicians. And there's a Vegas vibe as well: distinctly different crowds of daytime tourists and the nightlife clubber set, beer & cocktails for sale at sidewalk vendors, a bit of an 'anything goes' attitude.

After all these tourist laden cities I've visited this summer, I finally talked myself into splurging on a guided walking tour- The Prague Underground- to learn more about the history of this place. It was very informative and worth the $13... I learned that back in the 13th century, tired of frequent flooding from the river, they raised the street level by 3 to 8 meters, burying the first floor of all the houses in the process. This network of basements and tunnels proved handy to the resistance fighters during the Nazi occupation and now provides a perfect home to numerous dive bars and nightclubs. And hence a thriving nightlife scene was unintentionally fostered.

the Prague underground circa yr 1200

 Lunched on a traditional Czech ghoulash soup in a bread bowl w/ a liter of pilsner for $6.

Later in the evening I splurged again ($20) to hear a classical concert at Church St. Giles, a 13th century Romanesque church with a huge pipe organ constructed in 1737. It boasts 3500 reed pipes, 50 ranks and 3 manuals. I have no idea what that means specifically, but I know that being engulfed in the acoustics of that immense cathedral with a bellowing pipe organ was unreal. The program was a sort of 'greatest hits of the Baroque era' and it was great to hear many familiar pieces. The hands down highlight, however, was Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D Minor: the famously ominous organ piece that is familiar as the intro to some funky 70's disco hit.

Church St. Giles

During my wander back to the hostel after the concert, I passed a real-deal absinthe bar... an essentially illegal alcohol in the US because it contains wormwood (an allegedly psychedelic elixir.) I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try an absinthe cafe mocha... in a to-go cup no less. As I said, it's a little 'Vegas' here. It was a little trippy... a fun treat. And then I went to bed at 11:30pm, like the good church-goer that I am.

absinthe mocha frappe... tasted better than it looks here!

 

Autumn in Bohemia [Munich > Prague; 8/22/8/26 - 290mi]

I paid 19euro for my spot in a 6 bed dorm room in a Munich hostel... as luck would have it I ended up having the whole room to myself! What a deal, and another nice night of lounging around in privacy. Munich is certainly not the most interesting city I've been to, but there's some nice Gothic architecture in the center.

Munich

At Julie's insistence I got myself a giant soft pretzel- this one had cream cheese and scallions in the middle. Tasty Bavarian treat!

There's an 'official' marked bike route from Munich to Prague... it primarily follows bike paths and backroads, with the occasional stretch of gravel, dirt, and even bits of singletrack. The signage isn't always the best, though, so I sort of loosely followed the route with some shortcuts and diversions along the way.

mini mini mini mini

I passed through Regensburg, Germany, on my way northeast to Prague. It's listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site... very cool historic city center and (more) Gothic churches. I got a little obsessed about eating a piece of cake- is there really such a thing as 'Bavarian Chocolate Cake' or is this just an american invention?? I found a little sidewalk cafe to see for myself; the cake was quite tasty but not as dark and dense as what we'd call 'Bavarian chocolate.' So the jury's still out.

For each of the last two nights, the sky has been clear when I've gone to sleep and it didn't seem like I needed to bother with pitching my tent. And each night I was awoken around 3am by rain and t-storms; frantically setting the tent in a half-asleep stupor is no fun. From now on, just pitch the tent before sleeping, you lazy moron.

On my way out of the woods I camped in last night I came across a nice ripe blackberry thicket and harvested a whole bag full. Musli & wild fruits!

I crossed the border in the Czech Republic while cycling along a farm road / bike path. Again nothing more than a sign...

if I knew how to say "Welcome to Czech" in Czech, I would write it here

 The route wound through some nice forest preserves and small farming villages before passing through the first bigger town, Domalize. A very distinct change in architecture & culture now that I'm across the border, but plenty of western gluttony...

A highlight of the route was a stop in the city of Pilsen ("Plzen" in Czech,) birthplace of Pilsner-style beer and home of the Pilsner Urquell brewery. I stopped off at the beer garden on the brewery grounds to sample the wares... half a liter only costs about a buck and a quarter!

the 50/50 mix of Pilsner and Dunkl

I've ridden myself right into autumn here in the Bohemian countryside... brisk breezes, occasional drizzle and nighttime t-storms. It feels like a fitting wrap-up to my summer. When I started around Iceland in early June, the farmers there were just plowing over their fields for the spring planting season. In Rome & Florence it was the dead of summer and now I've come to the final harvests and seeding of winter crops. I'd say summer's been alright....

Bohemian autumn