When Friday rolled around, I wanted to spend some time on my birthday present to myself...my new mountain bike. I drove up Eldorado Canyon after work and rode around the stunning canyon.
The area reminded me alot of Zion National Park with its reddish vertical walls.
The state park is a big rock climbing destination. I saw probably 20 people dangling from the walls.
The ride back to my vehicle was neat when I rode upon 7 bucks standing in this field.
On Saturday I woke up with a bit of a cold, but decided to go hiking anyways. Probably not the best idea since I am pretty sickly while writing this, but it was mostly fun when I was out there.
I decided early on in the week to climb Mt. Bierstadt and to maybe combine it with Mt. Evans by following a Class 3 ridge, called the "Sawtooth."
I was surprised to see as much snow on the mountain tops. The snow made hiking difficult, but the trail was not dangerous by any means. I abandoned my plans for Evans after seeing all the snow.
There was a ton of people hiking up this trail. I will be glad to get all the "riff raff" peaks off my 14er list. Here is some common sense rules for all you fools on the trails (May prevent me from pushing you off a cliff).1. If the peak is covered with snow, t-shirt and shorts is probably not the best outfit to wear while climbing.
2. If you are sitting on the side of the trail trying to catch your breath, don't pull out onto the trail right as someone obviously faster comes upon you. (This happened like 5 times to me!)
3. No one wants to hear you pass gas while you're sitting on the top of a 14er.
4. The trail system prevents excess damage to the tundra. Even if the trail is slippery, stay on it!
5. If someone is walking on your heals, you may want to allow them to pass you by.
6. Some people are not meant to climb 14ers...you know who you are!
7. Being loud and obnoxious should be punishable by thrown rock.
8. Lying down in the middle of the trail to rest deserves a swift kick to the ribs. Get out of people's way!
This 14er hike was by far the most frustrating yet...too many stupid people.
The snow really melted quickly if you compare the ascending picture above with the descending one below.
I was surprised to see two chubby pugs on the top of the peak. "Rambo" was 10 years old I overheard. They looked like an unbaked, Pillsbury biscuit log.
The scene was spectacular. Mt. Bierstadt is on the right...the Sawtooth to its left.
The drive from Guanella Pass was neat because of the glowing aspens.
Pics
http://picasaweb.google.com/N.Marshall.80/EldoradoCanyonMtBierstadt
On Saturday, we drove an hour up to Estes Park on a beautiful day. We first started our adventure with some rock scrambling at the Alluvial Fan. The Alluvial Fan is like a big ball pit, but for boulderers, not kids. Lots of fun!
Next up was a hike to the Loch on the Glacier Gorge trail system. At Alberta Falls, Beck made a new friend. Careful...they are ravenous.
After stopping at the Loch for a minute, Beck commenced feeding. Nice gloves, Ace.
Timberline Falls was very cool and a great location for a snowball fight. 
Chris did awesome too, especially in tennis shoes.
At the end of the day, the flatlanders seemed worn out. Pizza in Estes Park never tasted this good!
On Saturday we went to Rocky Mountain National Park. That will be a future post. Way too much happened this weekend for just one post.
Sunday afternoon I finally picked up my new bike. The bike wasn't exactly made for such an easy trail, but at least I looked like a stud riding it.
The trail was pretty open and not particularly steep. It was very rocky and would have been ideal for a full suspension bike (Ahem). The trail reminded me of Clinton Lake...lots of rocks.
After I finished up at Rabbit Mountain, I was still thirsty for more. I took a gander at my Boulder County Open Space map and decided to try out Betasso Preserve. What a great choice!
Betasso was alot like the Kansas River trail...fast and undulating. The area was gorgeous.
Thankfully, this fence kept the manhunter at bay. 
The weather was around 70 degrees. Just a beautiful day to ride through the mountains.
Looking northward at Mount Harvard...#3 highest in Colorado.
As I descended, I saw an owner with his dog, "Crash." As I passed Crash, he started following me downward. His owner started yelling at him to come on. The dog seemed very hesitant to continue going upward. I think it is pretty neat how dogs are out hiking with their owners, but I thought this situation was not cool. The dog obviously was either tired, cold, or scared of the terrain, yet the owner kept yelling at him to keep going. After I had descended several hundred feet further, I could still hear him yelling at his dog. Grrr!
Lately after driving to a distant location, I have been driving back a different route to see new Colorado sights. This time I went east on Highway 24, which was spectacular. The route runs through a prairie with the mountains as a backdrop. Very cool. Before reaching Colorado Springs, I headed northward towards Denver and got enjoyably lost on a dirt road that ran along the Platte River. I am getting a kayak next summer.
