Despite the ravenous High Park fire consuming thousands of acres in the Rockies, we headed off for a nice bike ride along the Poudre (pronounced poo-der) River Trail in Windsor. Not counting the smoke filled air, it was a great day for a bike tour.
The 21 mile trail runs all the way from Greeley, past Windsor and over to the town of Ft. Collins. We didn't do the whole trail, even though I'm sure Kim and our grandchildren would have no problem riding that distance.
You can see how hazy the sky is in this portion of the trail which took us through the Water Valley subdivision. Don, Nate and Tatum are way ahead of me, then Kim pulling Ella in the chariot, and last.........dead last, is me. Hey, at least I'm still peddling! Stopping to take pictures puts me at the back of the pack and the camera hanging over my shoulder is extra wind drag. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!
We stopped for a short water break, even though Nate and Tatum are anxious to get started again.
Ella enjoys riding in the chariot and doesn't have to worry about keeping up with us......err........me. She just learned how to ride her bike without training wheels this week. By the end of summer, she'll probably be passing me up! We passed by some interesting abandoned buildings and an old, dilapidated corral along this portion of the trail. Makes me wonder who lived here many, many years ago and how they eeked out a living.
This was the portion of the Poudre River where we saw a Great Blue Heron as we headed towards Highway 392. On the way back, Kim's keen eyes spotted a deer in the shade across the river. The numerous small lakes and riparian areas are perfect for wildlife.
Kim and Ella look down at Nate. He had decided the seat in Ella's chariot was the perfect place to eat his pizza goldfish.
The 14 mile ride was good for our legs and our spirits. Don and I plan on doing this again, perhaps when the skies aren't so grey and brown as a result of wildfires.
Looks like a lot of fun - we are there in spirit!!! :-)
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