Tag: Travel

Dirty Chatfield & Waterton Canyon

Waterton Canyon or Bust

Two months ago we landed in Colorado and began the process of Unpacking and Setting Up The House. I haven’t been on my bike since October at this point – so long ago TrainerRoad knocked my FTP down to a level I have never seen. (To be fair, I only have a power meter on my trainer, so while I may have been at this level before, I’ve never *seen* it)

Our new location is stupid convenient to everything, so I decided to buy myself a dedicated About-Town bike. Look at this beauty!

I’m not usually a Pink Girl but it looks so good next to the green-grey frame

(For fellow bike nerds, she’s a 2025 Surly Ogre in Orlock’s Shadow with a Surly first-gen 24-pack front rack. I recently added a Waald 139 half-basket. Why a first-gen? Because I can move it to my Wednesday for bikepacking, should I find a suitable fatbikepacking route locally)

Anyway, we are deep in a Climate Change Winter here. We had a cold snap a bit ago, but overall it’s been very pleasant. Sunshine, blue skies, jeans-and-a-t-shirt weather. Yesterday, the temps were expected to be in the upper 60s, so I decided to try a route I found on Gravel Bike Adventures – Dirty Chatfield & Waterton Canyon. Waterton Canyon has been on my To Do list since I moved to New York and discovered a love of dirt roads.

(full disclosure, the two lonely routes in New York are mine)

Within 3 blocks, I was on the local multi-use trail. The one thing I – didn’t really forget so much as haven’t had the ability to take advantage of – are the abundance of off-road multi-use trails. In the Denver metro area, it’s very possible to bike 100 miles – maybe more – without meaningfully being on a road with cars. This also means not a ton of hills in the traditional sense. Noting I’ll need to seek out hills to regain my climbing prowess.

Being a beautiful day, the trails were busy with families, people on bikes, people walking their dogs, and plenty of anglers in the Platte River. As I got closer to Chatfield Reservoir, more roadie cyclists appeared.

Platte River north of Chatfield
A view of the reservoir and dam

I climbed up the dam, a gentle half-mile at slightly-higher than railroad grades, and crossed the top of the dam. Another thing I didn’t really forget so much as didn’t have to deal with was the wind. You can see a million miles – and the wind will always find you. As I headed southwest, the headwinds and sidewinds prevailed – so I reduced my speed to avoid burning through energy on the flats.

Dropping into the southern trails in Chatfield was a treat. I didn’t see another person for several miles and enjoyed the rustic Western beauty. The route took me southwest onto the High Line Canal trail, winding its way through the plains and into new housing developments south of the park before pushing back into working ranch territory.

A right turn onto a road led me to the Waterton Canyon trailhead, which was swarming with people of all ages and abilities. Notably no one had their dogs, which is prohibited due to the wildlife in the area. Sadly, I did not see any big horn sheep – but I did see a pack of mule deer!

The climb itself is very, very accessible. The lower portions were more heavily trafficked, and the farther up the canyon, the fewer families and more cyclists, hikers, and anglers. 6.5 miles at a steady 1-2% grade on a wide, hardpacked road. Around every corner was another stunning view of the soaring mountains surrounding the valley. There were also plentiful pit toilets, picnic areas, and trash/recycling receptacles. Literally no reason to not Leave No Trace.

why yes, there is ice and snow in the shade

The hardest portion of the canyon is the final 4/10 mile past the dam, which takes you to the Colorado Trail. I took a short break to catch my breath and have a snack before gliding back down the canyon and heading towards home on the western trails in Chatfield. I ended up leap-frogging with a group of groadies (gravel roadies, a term for gravel riders on high-end, aero gravel bikes meant for racing with a background in road racing).

As I descended the Chatfield dam, and noticing all the roadies and groadies, and wondering if I’d find my people. I was on my Cutthroat with my bottle mounted out on the fork – a decidedly Not Aero position for them but highly convenient when bikepacking – just noodling along when I saw …

Tall, thin guy, tattooed arms and legs, old-timey mustache, flared bars … and bottles on the front fork.

My People.

I pedaled the remaining miles up the multi-use trail smiling, feeling seen, and that I will eventually find my people. I’m already in contact with Front Range Overnighters to get more involved in the local bikepacking scene, my goal being to not only figure out bikepacking Out West for myself, but also help lower the barriers of entry for others to try bikepacking.

Thank you to Gravel Bike Adventures for the core route – it was very enjoyable! Looking forward to exploring more of their routes locally.

Thoughts for 2026

finding a new normal

The last 2 weeks have been a blur. We left New York, drove across the country in single digits, endless semis, rest stops, a wind and dust storm, and landed in Colorado in time to close on our new house. We were back to work two days later, adjusting to East Coast hours being 2 hours earlier and trying to get the house unpacked and organized. It’s the same size, but has different spaces, so things don’t just GO where they used to go.

I’m also learning that despite the massive purging we did in New York, I still have too much Stuff. Some of it might just stay in boxes until I’m ready to fully part with it.

The holidays have barely registered for us – each holiday was a day off from work and a chance to catch up on the house (and sleep in). We’ve had service people out almost every day this week to complete the routine maintenance the previous owner didn’t do. We have a handman coming next week to knock out a long list of little things that, once completed, will give us more time to maintain rather than catch up.

We’re like 90% moved in … that 10% is going to take a minute.

In bike news, I’m psyched to have a local bike shop and will be dropping my bikes off for tune-ups after being in a moving pod for a bit. I’m starting to think about bike plans for the year. The plans will be modest, as 2026 will be reacclimating to elevation and exposure (there are very few trees – you can see forever, but there’s also very little shade).

Events and Routes I’m looking at this year:

The goal is to reconnect with old bike friends and find new bike friends who want to explore at a casual pace. I’m super into fat bikepacking and want to do it a few more times. The number of routes and options for bikepacking out West is tremendous – way more than out East – so I’m bound to get to at least a few new places.

And of course, spend more time with my family and Pete’s family. That’s the main reason we moved back – we missed being near our people. For now our kids are still out East and we look forward to setting up vacations to see them. Our kids are the coolest people we know and we always love spending time with them.

So that’s the plan for 2026 – be gentle to myself, try new things, find my place in where I live, and do my best not to become a Z-list celebrity among bike people in my area.

Hope to see you out there!

Thoughts from an Adventure Snack

like riding a bike, it all comes back

Pedaling felt effortless. The sun was warm on my face, and the road was remarkably quiet. My brain was playing the Pina Colada song on loop, and I couldn’t help but feel completely at peace.

I haven’t been on a bikepacking trip since I got home from the Northwoods 600. There are a variety of reasons – some I’ve chronicled here and some I haven’t. Time seems to keep moving; our relationships evolve.

The bikepacking overnight I planned to attend back in April was canceled due to weather, which was fine because I’ve done the riding bikes in the chilly rain and it’s not fun. So last weekend when I looked at the weather (it looked great – high of 70*F and low of 50*F overnight) and checked the local campground (literally one site left) …. I booked it. Perfect for a quick adventure.

Friday was a complete washout – well over an inch of rain in 24 hours – so I decided to leave on Saturday and stick to roads instead of incorporating a few rustic trails. Leaving after lunch on Saturday meant an unhurried start to the adventure. I stopped by a gas station to pick up a beverage for dinner and continued along, arriving at camp a few hours later. I convinced the ranger to bring me a bundle of firewood.

When it’s been a minute, it’s easy to forget what it’s like to haul everything for the weekend. Those first few pedals take a bit more power to get going, but once the tires roll, they feel effortless.

It wasn’t lost on me that my mom’s birthday would have been Friday, and Mother’s Day is Sunday (and my dad’s birthday). Getting away gave me space to think, heal, and be responsible only for myself. But truly, getting outside, setting up camp, relaxing with dinner by a campfire, retiring to read before getting some sleep—this is living.

I definitely wished I had a friend or two along for the trip, but I’m learning we can’t always wait for the stars to align. We all have our own lives separate from our friendships and adventures. When adventure calls, sometimes you just have to heed the call.

Anyway, the weather was perfect, and loading up the bike and heading out to camp for a night felt really good.

Gear Thoughts

I have the original Revelate Designs Nano Pannier, and they are fantastic for short trips where I’m not bringing a lot. Revelate recently introduced the revamped nano panniers and the Pannier Pod. I already have two Dopp bags, so I picked up two of the pannier pods, thinking they would be solid for organizing my nano panniers. They only hold 12L total, so good organizing practices are key.

I had my doubts about if they would hold anything substantial – and I was totally wrong. I was able to put my sleep attire, unders, socks, and a spare shirt and shorts in one; the other held layers.

Made it super easy to stay organized and pack in everything I wanted to bring.

Also, there is no right or wrong in bikepacking in terms of the amount of gear. Sure, there are people who can live in the same clothing for weeks on end and carry only a toothbrush, but there are also people who prefer to be comfortable and not have to put on every single thing they brought to stay warm at night. The only person you’re hurting is yourself by having to haul all that stuff around.

One of my Non-Negotiable Nice To Haves is my Helinox chair. Any collapsible chair will work – but having a place to sit that isn’t a rock, a log, or the ground is tops. I also bring a full (non-shower) toiletries set – body cleanser wipes, face cleanser wipes, witch hazel wipes, deodorant, tooth brush & toothpaste, saline nasal spray and allergy meds. My clothing might not be super fresh,but I like to feel like I’m decently clean despite irregular showers.

Anyway, it’s great to be back on the bike and going on adventures. This trip felt very important to do as a reintroduction to an activity I love but have shelved for the past 18 months. I have a few more trips planned this year that I’m really excited about.

Hope to see you out there!

What’s Goin’ On

It’s really sad but I haven’t been on my bike in almost two weeks now.

The shop took a few days to put Electric Dream Machine together and I opted to have a basic fitting to get her specs back in alignment for Cycling Nirvana. And the next day I went on a non-cycling vacation.

But I promised a recap of the Travel with Your Bike experience.

  • The boxing/unboxing experience was probably the most painful part. I’m not mechanically oriented just yet – so I don’t feel comfortable disassembling/re-assembling my ride. It was ~$35 per instance to have the shop take care of that for me – so $150 total.  (Although making appointments for said services tended to speed things up. )
  • The box itself is moderately unwieldy – standing on its end it was almost as tall as I am. But it was surprisingly easy to wheel around and load into a mid-size SUV by myself.
  • Frontier Airlines was awesome. The box came in at 52 pounds (53.5 with my saddle bag included on the way back). Both overweight fees were waived – but I attribute this to having status on the airline more than a testament of the airline. Had I needed to pay the fee, it’s $75 each way ($150 total)
  • Having my bike to ride? PRICELESS.

Have you seen my ride? She’s beautiful!

So the question becomes – do I take my bike with me on my next vacation in July? Or do I rent one from a local shop? Financially it’s a toss-up – about $350 total for a week-and-a-half vacation. The edge goes to renting because there will be no delay in assembling or the hassle of schlepping it around with me while also trying to keep track of my kids. But it’s not my bike.

 

Looking forward to being back home for a few weeks to get back to cycling a few days a week. My son and I are doing the 25 mile route in the Cycle Bucks County event next weekend – will be  his first cycling event with rest/aid stations. He’ll be on his mountain bike and I’m committed to riding his pace to make this the most positive experience possible. We’re both pretty excited to do this event together.

I also signed up for the Scenic Schuylkill Century this fall – need to finish 100 miles in 9 hours or less including rest stops! I’ve built my base miles pretty well recently –  50 miles is completely manageable now. Time to start adding miles for endurance and working on speed to get to about 13-14 mph over the entire ride (finish in about 7-7.5 hours). I’m at a verified 13mph average over 50 miles now. Planning on a 63 mile ride in about a month (self-mapped and with friends) and then meeting up with another local female rider on weekends to increase to a consistent 75-80 miles per ride.

So look for more talk of training rides and elevation gain all kinds of stuff that really only is interesting to me. 🙂

See you on the road!