More driving in the Rockies

Over the last few weeks nothing that exciting has happened. I really need to buy a bike and by that I mean one with pedals instead of throttle and clutch etc. Last summer in Finland I rode around 2,000 miles during the very short summer season which didn't even start until late May after the worst dusty and pollen-ridden season (I'm very allergic to birch pollen) was over. Because of the cold and the humid climate, it's impossible to keep the roads clean of snow and therefore loads of gravel is put on the streets to help with the traction. Come spring, the snow and the ice melts and the studded tires of the cars grind that thing up - as well as the asphalt itself - into very tiny particles that get airborne and until the streets are finally pretty much thoroughly washed multiple times, the air quality can be horrid in many places. I absolutely hate the springtime in Finland.

Over here it's a totally different story. No gravel is needed since the nearest sea is around 1000 miles away and therefore the air is very dry. In fact, after the snowstorms in February, it was fascinating to watch as on the following days the roads were pretty much steaming as the snow turned incredibly quickly from solid to vapor. Oh, and the best part? I haven't seen a single birch tree around here. Bliss. The temperatures aren't that bad either as in Finland we usually don't hit these figures until June. It was 26 C = 79 F today.

Lies. There were no elk in the meadow.

What I've basically been up to the last two weekends is... well... ask a random local whether they ever get tired of the mountains and the answer is always no. Some have lived their whole lives staring at them and even still, every morning stepping outside the views are as breathtaking as ever. Since I was brave enough to head out into the mountain roads in my last entry, I've basically just kept on doing that both weekends since then. I think I have found my new favorite hobby.

Saturday 24 March - checking out the route to the top of Mt. Evans, 14,265 feet (4,348 m). The road up there is closed until the Memorial Day though.

On Sunday 25 March it was time to head up north to Fort Collins and then turn west towards Walden following the beautiful Cache la Poudre river. After Walden I turned south and crossed the Colorado plains which wasn't that interesting but then again you had distant mountain peaks no matter which way you turned. Once I got close to Granby it got a lot more fun and after Winter's Park there were some seriously yay! sections.

Now tell me that driving on a road like this isn't fun

The trip ended up lasting six and a half hours but well worth it

On the Saturday ride I passed by the Red Rocks Amphitheater by accident since I had no plans of going there that day even though I had planned on checking it out some time. It's a pretty stunning location for concerts and the acoustics are fantastic as well. I'm keeping an eye or two out for some
shows in the summer that I'd be interested in but so far there hasn't been any real big announcements.

You could see the Denver skyscrapers in the mid left of the pic if the resolution was better. It must look great in the dark.