We went to the “biker bar” across the street this morning for breakfast (Friday, July 3rd). It came highly recommended from the locals and we took a chance. Jason was concerned he was going to have to put his hat on backwards to look like a biker!It was early and the action had not started yet. This place is jumping in the afternoon and evening.Jason really liked the drag car positioned near the stage.He even liked the motorcycle better!We were glad that Jason did not accidentally bump any of the bikes and knock the whole group over! We are going to put chairs outside on the 4th to listen to their live music. They have four different live groups performing. We expect the place to be jam-packed. They have a couple of acres of parking so we know the group will get very large.After breakfast and a quick trip to the flagship REI store in Denver to pick up a part for my hydration pack, we headed for a short trip to Idaho City. Unfortunately, it was rush hour on an interstate that was heading out of town for the holiday weekend. A real trifecta! It took us an hour and a half to travel the 12 miles to Idaho City. We did see a lone BLM protester alongside the road. There is a plethora of biking paths in the area and the Scott Lancaster Peaks to Plains trail in Idaho City looked about a flat as they come. We started off downtown and quickly traveled to the Clear River to capture this view.Jason enjoyed the downhill runs but for every downhill there was a corresponding uphill.After making several attempts at trail finding, a white water rafting worker approached us and gave us directions to the trail. It seems that there was construction in the area and the trail was rerouted. We had to backtrack a couple of times, once from an interstate on-ramp! A little cross-country carrying our bikes was also needed. We finally found the rest of the trail and rode to this bike bridge over the river. The trail ended temporarily at the bridge so again, we had to turn around.The view of the river from the bridge was lovely.We rode around a mountain then rejoined the trail, looking across at the interstate and the tunnels that routed traffic though the rock.There were several rafting companies providing the fun on the water and we watched several groups pass by.At the turn around, we again saw the same groups and watched them pass by.Heading back on the bike pathway the scenery was dense trees and brush. We were glad there is little bear activity in the area!This is what a knucklehead looks like when he takes his truck down the bike path. Just to the other side of the truck are large barriers to prevent motorized vehicles from traveling this section. He “tried” to turn around (instead of backing up) and was totally stuck. The embankment drops vertically just to the front of the truck. We passed a local sheriff heading to him on the way back into town. Haha. We biked a little over ten miles with elevations ranging between 7,200 ft and 7,800 feet.
On July 4th, we drove into Golden to further investigate the town. We had visited it briefly the day before but had very little time. We tried to find the Triceratops Trail but had to do a loop on the Interstate as the GPS sent us in the wrong direction, then we could not find the trailhead so we parked on the Colorado School of Mines Campus and walked across the Fossil Trace Golf Club (kinda like a game of frogger) and wound up at the end of the trail. We met a family from Minnesota who were surprised to see us walk up from the course. These are many ferns that have been preserved for roughly 68 million years.This is the footprint of a TriceratopsThese are the footprints of a hadrosaur, a duck-billed herbivore.When we reached the top of the trail again, I read that there was a Tyrannosaurus (T-Rex) footprint on display and I realized I had missed it. I walked the 100 or so steps back down into the depths of the canyon and searched. I found the track, encased in a plastic viewing box. Apparently it had became unattached to the wall and this is how it is being preserved.Pre-historic raindrops prints have been preserved for millions of years. It must have really rained hard!Cathy and Jason were down in the canyon, between the sandstone walls.
This is one of the many points of rock that dot the landscape near Golden. This was taken from our downtown parking space.The town of Golden had shut down their downtown area. We thought it was for the 4th of July but found out that the restaurants could only serve outside. Washington street was lined with dining tables but the bars were inside and full of people. We saved money by leaving our masks in the car, thus ensuring that we could not enter any of the many antique and gift shops.Cathy and Jason relaxed in one of the downtown gardens maintained by the local garden club.Continuing down the street, we found this bridge which spanned Clear Creek and led us to the adjacent Parfet Park. Notice the large, bronze trout sculptures lining the walkway. The Golden Visitor Center was located across the street. The creek is loaded with trout and used by tubers during the summer. We were early so the tubing had not really started for the day. There was a take-out area just beyond the park.Jason did not seem to be afraid of this bear. But he did get to ring the bell!Jason missed his calling. He could have been a paperboy!NO visit to Golden is complete without meeting Mr Coors himself!And finally, what drew our attention to downtown, the fully extended ladder truck with the enormous American flag. The ladder was extended to almost 100 feet.
Travelling with the Schinglers 