Ideas for 2026

My goal in 2026 is to keep the cycling momentum by incorporating new trails and routes. Besides the  Colorado trip, I want to complete another weeklong bike tour - last year's was great - where is yet to be determined.

• In March, I'm heading back to the Philly Bike Expo, this time with my husband! I'm excited to meet up with cycling friends, ride with others, attend seminars, and, of course, attend the main event. It's also the 250th anniversary of the US, and we may stumble upon some of Philly's special events.
• Because bike touring in summer's heat was successful, I plan to do it again. It has its merits: cooling off in streams, packing less, and being able to bail on local adventures. Ideas include a 3-day Champlain Islands loop, an upstate New York adventure using the Adirondack Rail Trail, and a one-way journey using Amtrak. So many possibilities!
• With a front rack and comfortable bars installed on the Downtube Dyan, I plan to test its handling capabilities on an overnight. The long-term goal is to lower the gearing and try wider tires for more adventurous multimodal trips, but one step at a time.
• I'm heading back to Colorado, which has now become an annual pilgrimage, visiting family and friends in Fort Collins for more cycling/hiking fun. 
• We'll continue to explore more mountain bike trails. Ideas include Woodstock, Millstone and North Branch, all in VT, and Blueberry Hills in Elizabethtown, NY.

Pedaling Around Fort Collins and Beyond

Riding Loveland's Recreation Trail Loop.

My 10-day May vacation in Colorado was primarily visiting our number one son. This year, my husband drove out west, toting our mountain bikes so we could ride easy dirt trails in comfort. I often have problems with elevation, so I gracefully altered intense workouts with Fort Collins's easier and extensive trail network, many along rivers, parks, wetlands, and canals. Like last year, I rode my son's Specialized St. Laurent in the city.

A loop in Red Mountain Open Space. The Ruby Wash (lower right photo) was particularly challenging to navigate deep sand - thankfully, it was downhill, revealing a change in the landscape around each corner.

Springtime in the high desert is stunning. While parched and hot as early as June, I'm glad I came earlier this year. The open spaces steal my heart.

The Dams Loop is a training ground for various organized rides.

Our son mentioned we should ride The Dams Loop early on, but with the elevation gain - especially for flatlanders like us - I wasn't sure I could do it. After several days riding, drinking lots of water, and generally feeling good, I proposed that we should try it. I knew I was the weak link, standing in the pedals, taking breaks along with my husband to catch our breath, and despite the ferocious head and side winds, we made it! What beautiful views!

Curt Gowdy State Park in Wyoming, a real gem of trails snaking through aspen groves, pines, and around smooth granite rock formations. We barely touched the network of available trails. 

One afternoon we went on a bicycle brewery tour, organized by long-time friend, Rich. 

Downtime included relaxing at our son's house, walks, and ball throwing with big dog Doughnut, 

cycling for errands, scoring 12 oz 6-pack of delicious double IPA (bought solely due to the label art), and walking to a Food Truck rally. I helped out by weeding their overgrown front beds while enjoying wild bunnies that graze lawns, and my husband mowed the lawn. I particularly enjoyed long conversations with our niece, who joined their household in December. 3 people (son & girlfriend) plus dog and two cats who don't get along make for a complicated household! My husband and I camped in a nearby KOA.

We connected with cousin Kerry in Boulder, who led a fun-filled tour of Boulder Creek Trail, famed Pearl Street, and climbed to views of the Flatirons mountains. Compared with Fort Collins, Boulder is hilly!

Our accommodations for a week. I slept well!

Oh, Fort Collins and surrounding environs, I love you so...I'll be back.

Ideas for 2025

Cycling goals for 2025: keep touring, painting, and exploring new bike styles.

I make an annual pilgrimage to the Kingdom Trails, but with good weekend weather, I plan to explore more of southern Vermont. Some of the ideas below require planning.

• In May, I'm returning to Fort Collins to visit family and once again explore by bike.  This time, I'm excited that my husband will attend.
• Inspired to find another folding bike, I've been researching the Tern Node and Dahon Briza. Both have 24" wheels, but should fall under Amtrak's free onboard, non-reservation status for folding bikes. I prefer a used bicycle - the goal is to locate either model within a reasonable distance for test rides.
• Touring ideas include a loop connecting the Cross Vermont Trail and the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, and/or portions of the VTXL or a compilation of all three! Both Cross VT and LVRT trails sustained significant damage from 2023 and 2024 floodwaters. Due to ongoing maintenance, expecting both to be passable from end to end is unrealistic. Including the VTXL means there are more options for an interesting weeklong route.
• I have a travel painting kit. I plan to ride locally for inspiration and try out mini paintings.

2024 Rewind

2024 started off well, plunged into winter conditions, easily adapting to riding safely on snowy bike paths. I set my yearly intentions to have something to look forward to - it's the way I roll.

I broke my ribs in late January. Fortunately, it was only a hiccup in my cycling life. I fully recovered in 6 weeks and attended the Philly Bike Expo. The bonus was meeting and riding with online friends! 

I put together these bags for our son the bike mechanic. No two are alike.

On the creative front, I explored gouache painting for the second year for the Coffeenuring Challenge, tried a new stem bag pattern, and later sewed 4 more.

In June, I visited our son in Fort Collins, Colorado, and came home in awe of their cycling infrastructure and surrounding beauty.

Pine Creek Rail Trail in Pennsylvania.

My husband and I purposely sought new local trails in 2024, experiencing the D&H Rail Trail, Adirondack Rail Trail, two trails in New Hampshire, and a weeklong adventure in Pennsylvania. 

I went on solitary Amtrak adventures: riding one-way from Hudson, NY to Saratoga Springs during peak foliage (part one) and finishing a few weeks later, and from Castleton, VT homeward.

It's interesting to see the Monday-Friday progression.

Yearly accounting: I sorted the rack situation between the Rachel and the Hard Rock so both are touring-ready. I made it, finally, to the Philly Bike Expo after several years of trying (the pandemic didn't help). Due to two years of flooding, what's still elusive is riding across Vermont and back. 

I went out of 2024 with a bang, finishing the year with 3532 miles!

Riding in Fort Collins - Visiting Family & Extraordinary Biking Infrastructure

Riding easier trails in Soapstone Prairie, just north of Fort Collins.

I went to Fort Collins in early June, primarily to visit #1 son and his girlfriend. What I didn't expect was how much I missed the high desert, the climate reminding me of Central Oregon.

Our son has always been thoughtful. He arranged a few things to do, lucking into a once a year benefit pancake breakfast in Big Thompson Canyon, which included a craft show in the firehouse.

Our days were filled with lots of riding on the extensive Fort Collins bike paths, and lots of restaurant eating, and tacos at a food truck.

Fossil Creek Trail

Fort Collins preserved land outside of the residential region, so trails snake through grasslands, along inner city creeks, into single track on the west side border. Signage is stellar so you can't get too lost. There's even a printed bike map.

I walked some everyday, tagging along with their dog, Doughnut's twice a day stroll. They live near City Park so we often checked in on the waterfowl.

Both my son and his girlfriend are cyclists, so I fit his old Peugeot (lower right photo), a bike he doesn't ride anymore. With a rag and some lube we cleaned it up and it still works remarkably well. We visited a few bike shops also.

Saw some wonderful public art.

And went to a few brew pubs. We toured the iconic New Belgium Brewery. I didn't care for any of their beers, but I liked their sour beer - first for me - probably because they're fermented in oak barrels. New Belgium has supported the bike community, holding short track series on their property and hosting many bike events throughout the year. My favorite brewery was Maxline Brewing. We went on the bingo night, had great food truck sandwich - food trucks are big in Fort Collins. Maxline also had the best IPA. 

Our son's girlfriend is into biking bigtime. We watched her in the last short track event of the season.

Early mornings were quiet. I had coffee and read my book, sniffing the sage I had found along a trail.

One day we hiked in Rocky Mountain National Park to a beautiful waterfall.

Horestooth Reservoir is a playground for hikers, boaters, and mountain bikers. I went with our son's girlfriend's group meetup, hoping for gentle trails, but due to 90F heat we rode switchbacks up a shady slope. It was too technical for me, also due to not being fully adjusted to altitude. I stopped several times, and enjoyed the scenery.

Descending was scary, but I eventually made it without mishap.

They are much easier mountain bike trails, and my son brought me to lovely Soapstone Prairie, 30+ minutes north of Fort Collins. I was in love! Manageable trails, tiny cactus, lovely wildflowers, prairie dogs, and an extensive network of hiking and bike trails through short grass prairie environment. It was fun to descend and climb though small washes.

We met up with a couple I hadn't seen in 20+ years. He's a regular bike commuter to his office downtown but for an early Sunday morning ride we met up, and did a lovely loop on low traffic roads just west of Fort Collins. We met up later in the day for dinner at their home.

To catch my return flight from Denver, my son set us up for a Fort Collins express bus (express lane) / train transfer to the airport that worked extremely well, and of course, his escort was immense help. I imagine driving would be inefficient, especially because of early weekday morning traffic. 

Fort Collins, I'll be back.