Fort Collins Visit - Family, Snow day and Cycling

I spied a wonderful Peanuts-themed book box. One afternoon, we made slab pottery at their place.

 I visit our eldest son in Fort Collins every year. My husband drove again, hauling our mountain bikes. This year was extra special because of staying at their first home, a 3-level townhouse, close to Horsetooth Reservoir, foothills trails, and a city park. The location suits them: great for walking, riding trails, and daily walks with their large dog. Their basement alone is good-sized, complete with a large bathroom - a perfect setup for guests. And their garage, well, let's just say they love cycling as much as my husband and I do.

For 10 days, we stayed near Fort Collins in general, this time around. We hung out with old friends one evening, visited a brewery for trivia night, and cycled almost every day except for the day a wild, but beautiful snowstorm dumped 5" of heavy snow, breaking limbs all over the city. We sat in recliners at a cool theater.

 On Mother's Day, we visited an amazing train museum in Greeley, complete with a humongous model train set up - per my request - and it was wonderful. But that's not all, we had lunch nearby at Weldwerks, a recommended brewery, and later my son and I mountain biked in a natural area, then we all had pizza at a low-key spot. It was likely the best Mother's Day ever!

The high desert climate speaks to me. Dry air, abundant sunshine, low-growing cactus, wildflowers, non-poisonous bull snakes, prairie dogs, deer, magpies, open landscape, cliffs, reservoirs, rivers, and canals. It is interesting in an arid climate, how water is captured, contained,  and channeled (sloped sidewalks direct water to street-side catchment areas that drain to canals). I learned that 40% of Fort Collins' water supply comes from the Colorado River! That kind of diversion wouldn't happen today. It makes me wonder how many other communities east of the Rockies rely on the same resource. Even with all that, Fort Collins and the surrounding communities are growing. Unfortunately, drought conditions were abundantly clear - a brown landscape - compared to my last visit.

We cycled most everywhere for groceries and errands. I used my son's Peugeot for city jaunts, and my hardtail on trails. We rode in Hewlett Gulch, Bobcat Ridge Natural Area, and right from their home into the hills. I went by myself a couple of times - my husband had an annoying injury - exploring Spring Creek Trail, Mason Trail, plus discovering more of the foothill network.

I'll be back next year.