UltraRob's Adventures

Over the years, January has been my least favorite month of the year. It's cold and the days are short.

It's more than just the cold and dark. February isn't much warmer. It's starts warming up some in March but it's our snowiest month. Still neither February or March are my least favorite.

January is when I ramp up my training for the new season. I love riding my bike outside but don't like the trainer very much. I ride outside when it's cold but I hate getting on all the layers.

So why is February not as bad? The days are noticeably longer and spring doesn't seem so far way. I know training now will make me stronger and I'll have more fun on the bike when it gets warmer.

This year January has been different. Although we've had a bit of sub-zero weather, we've had several days in the 60's or even 70. I also did a road trip with great mountain biking. I did a couple rides at St. George, UT (Day1, Day2), Bootleg Canyon and west of Las Vegas near Blue Diamond.

Saturday was another 60 degree day. I headed out for a mountain bike ride and there were many other people out enjoying the outdoors. There were the most people I've ever seen rock climbing in Red Rocks Canyon.

We may pay for January's mild weather in February but spring is getting closer. Now is the time to prepare for summer adventures. It's nice today and time to take advantage of it.

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Labels: cycling, mountain biking, weather

Yesterday was a beautiful day with the high in the upper 70s. This time of year in Colorado that often means that cold front is on its way. That was the case this time. We had heavy, wet snow off and on today.

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Labels: Colorado Springs, weather

It's a little hard to tell without clicking for a bigger image, but the highway sign says wildfire. The 2nd part of the message was Hwy 115 closed. I took the picture soon after 6 PM.

Yesterday it was in the 70s and a couple brush fires started. There were big plumes of smoke to the south. Highway 115 was closed as were some highways to the southeast from another fire. 3 Firefighters died fighting the fires.

This morning it was sunny but a little cool. This afternoon a sloppy spring snowstorm moved in. According to a report on The Gazette tonight, the snow has allowed residents to return home along Highway 115.

Related Links: Slideshow with Good Pictures of the Fires

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Labels: Colorado Springs, weather

one day it's 73 degrees and the next day it's snowing. Saturday we had a record high of 73 degrees before a cold front hit during the night. Yesterday it was in the 20s and snowing. It only snowed a little but there was a cold wind. Even at the top of the Manitou Incline there were only a couple inches of snow. Today it was in the mid 40s with great sunshine.

March is typically the month we get the most snow. April is the 2nd snowiest month. The good news is we keep getting warmer days in between the snow. I'm ready for some more warm weather.

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Labels: Colorado Springs, weather

Chris and I successfully summited Pikes Peak after hiking all Friday night. We had several hours of great moonlight followed by a snow storm. Instead of the round-trip taking our planned 12 hours, it took us 17.5 hours. By the time I got a nap, I had been up for 34.5 hours.

Related Link: Chis' hike report

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Labels: hiking, Pikes Peak, weather

Full moon is this week. Last night was a full lunar eclipse but unfortunately we mostly had clouds. When the moon should have been partially eclipsed, I could see bits of it through the clouds. When it was coming out of the eclipse, there were just thin clouds so I could see it faintly but it wasn't very impressive.

Sunday I hiked up to Barr Camp and got up there just after dark. It had snowed off and on during the day but it was clearing while I was hiking. On the way back down, I had great moonlight sparkling off the fresh snow.

Last full moon I had mentioned that in the past I've hiked to the top of Pikes Peak by moonlight in the winter. Chris asked in a comment whether I was interested in having someone along. We ended up making plans to do it tonight.

Hopefully it'll be a clear night but there's a slight chance of snow in tomorrow morning. Last night it snowed a little during the evening but by 11 PM there was bright moonlight. It's a beautiful morning and there's bright blue sky.

The round-trip on Barr Trail is about 26 miles with 7,500 vertical feet. Going up the Manitou Incline would cut about 2 miles off but not make it any easier. Above timberline this time of year, I generally just go up the face because the trail is burried.

Depending on snow conditions and weather above timberline, it'll probably take somewhere around 12 hours to do the hike. I talked to some guys on Sunday that had been to the summit. They said Barr Trail was pretty packed all the way to the A-Frame which will help. Above timberline they didn't feel their snowshoes were grabbing enough so they switched to crampons. With crampons they were breaking through the crust and struggling.

There's new snow so we may be alright with snowshoes. We'll have YakTrax, snowshoes, crampons and ice axes so we should the gear for any conditions. We may end up using all of them.

Below are a few more pictures from my hike last Sunday.

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Labels: Barr Trail, hiking, weather

Over the weekend we had very strong winds. At night I would wake up hearing stuff blowing around. Saturday morning we found our shed upside down.

This time of year, our strongest winds are usually Chinook winds. This month it's hardly gotten above freezing but by Sunday it was nearly 60 degrees. Even at Barr Camp at 10,200 feet it got up to 40 degrees.

Now the Chinook winds are gone and it's cold again. Last night we got a little snow again. Although we still have a couple more cold months, I'm ready for some warm weather riding.

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Labels: Colorado Springs, weather

We had a few days this week of 60 and 70 degree weather. I got lunch time rides 3 days in a row and rode in shorts and short sleaves. If we have enough time, we do a full loop at the Air Force Academy. If we have less time we either do a partial loop in the Academy or go out to Black Forest.

A couple weeks ago, I took my camera on a lunch ride in the Academy. It looked pretty much the same on our ride today.

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Labels: Colorado Springs, cycling, weather

This fall has continued to be warm and dry. We hadn't even had a freeze until Sunday. Saturday it was in the 70s. Sunday morning we woke up to snow. Danielle, our 4 year old, had looked out and saw the snow. We were being lazy laying in bed when she came and pegged me on the neck with a wet snowball.

At our house, we didn't have more than an inch on the grass that melted once it quit snowing in the afternoon. We were at a friend's house near Monument and it looked like they had at least 6 inches. I heard that Woodland Park got a foot. Fonk lives up above Manitou and posted some cool pictures of snow at his house. Out there posted a picture of snowy Manitou.

Today was a beautiful day in the 60s and I managed to head out at lunch for a lap through the Air Force Academy. Tomorrow it's supposed to be back into the 70s. I'm going to have to try getting out at lunch again.

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Labels: Colorado Springs, weather

The last couple of weeks we have had awesome riding weather. It's been dropping into the 40s at night but the highs during the days have been in the 70s. I got out for a couple good lunch time rides and took the kids in the Burley to a couple activities. Wednesday nights I been riding by Colorado College 4 times when dropping off at Awanas and picking them back up after going home. A couple weeks ago a mountain lion was seen in the area. I've kept my eyes open but haven't seen anything more than a fox. One round trip is after dark but I don't think it would attach a bike and trailer. Today I just had Danielle with me so we rode some of the BMX jumps. Danielle loves doing them but Cassidy hates even little bumps.

Speaking of big cats, a tourist got some good pictures of 2 mountain lions in Garden of the Gods. They actually weren't far from my parents house. We never saw any when I was growing up. Something did tear our rabbit cages apart and get a couple rabbits. We always figured it was a coyote. Bears come around every so often. A couple falls ago a mama bear and a cub would come every night to eat plums. One morning my parents woke up to find half the tree broken off. Apparently reaching up into the branches was too much.

Although most of September is usually nice, we generally get at least one cold snap. So far this year we haven't even had frost. It has been great for what's left in my garden. I really like tomatoes fresh from the garden but there's only so many I can eat.

The downside to all the great weather is that it's been really dry. Friday a fire was started near the Manitou Incline. Fonk has posted a good picture of how close the fire was to the Incline. Even from the north end of town I could see a big plum of smoke. It was pretty windy but there were able to get it contained by Saturday. I believe Barr Trail was re-opened Monday or Tuesday. I did a long ride out east on Saturday. Soon after I passed Squirrel Creek Road on my way to Hanover, I noticed a plume of smoke back where I had come from. They managed to get it under control pretty quickly which was very good because the wind was gusting to 65 mph.

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Labels: Colorado Springs, cycling, Manitou Incline, weather

After the snow the last couple days, it's supposed to be a beautiful weekend. The forecast is for 50's today and 60's tomorrow. The main part of the snow storm was to the south of us with Colorado City getting 14 inches of snow.

The local races this weekend shouldn't have any problems with the weather. I'm going to try to ride down to Colorado College later today and see a little of the criterium. It's less than a mile from my house.

The picture above is basically the view I get from my living room window although I did walk part way down the block to set the picture up better. The Manitou Incline is the line that runs down the mountain behind the street light.

Labels: Colorado Springs, cycling, weather

Melissa from Pikes Peak Velo just sent an e-mail saying the Cheyenne Canon Time Trial tomorrow morning has been canceled. It snowed most of yesterday and off and on today. The snow has stopped now and the clouds have lifted some. The streets in town are just wet but there are a few inches of snow on bushes and grass in places. I'm sure there could be some icy areas up in the canyon early in the morning.

The word Melissa heard from Steve McCauley at USA Cycling is that the other 2 races are still on. The Colorado College criterium tomorrow is at low enough elevation that ice shouldn't be a problem. The Air Force Academy road race on Sunday is at a little higher but by then the weather shouldn't be a problem.

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Labels: Colorado Springs, cycling, weather

I hope you all had a happy Easter. Today I spent some time with family which was good. I also spent time setting up a different laptop for work after something got corrupted earlier this week. I couldn't get it figured out and the IT guy spent a while on it too. The good news is I can still access all my data but Windows won't work right. I'm stressed enough about work and really didn't need computer problems.

Even besides the laptop, I had a crazy week. Julie, my wife, was out of town for the first 4 days for her cousin's funeral. She took Cassidy, our 2 1/2 year old, but I had Danielle, our 4 year old. The day Julie came back, I came down with a cold. I'm feeling mostly over it now.

We've had freezing drizzle and snow since Friday. Friday I had to chip thick ice off my windshield when I left work. Yesterday a couple guys came over and helped frame part of our new garage. It wasn't very nice to be outside working. Today it snowed off and on. It's still cloudy and cold but the snow has stopped. Tomorrow it's supposed to be nearly 60 degrees so hopefully I'll get a lunch time ride in.

Labels: Colorado Springs, weather, work

During the last couple weeks we've had some really nice weather. This weekend it was in the 70's which is about 20 degrees warmer than normal. I had a few things I wanted to get done on the house but I also wanted to take advantage of the weather.

Danielle, my almost 4 year old, had been wanting me to take her in the bike trailer. She was wanting to go over the "big bumps" which means the BMX jumps by the bike path along Mark Dabling. Cassidy wanted to go too but she hates the "big jumps". Danielle talked Julie into coming too. I hadn't been on the jumps recently but the 3 on the north end have always been rideable pulling the Burley although they make me a little nervous. The Burley seems really well designed and stable. I don't it would be smart to take less well made trailers over the them. This time the I found the BMXers had dug out the top of the 3rd and biggest jump. I caught a pedal and something caught on the Burley but I thought stopping could be worse than riding it out. Fortunately I stayed upright and the trailer didn't tip.

We rode up to Ice Lake and let the kids get their feet wet. On the way back home, Danielle wanted to do the jumps again. Cassidy wasn't about to go over them again so Julie held her while I did them a couple times. I don't think that's much over 14 miles round trip but pulling an extra 70 pounds made it feel longer.

At lot of times, I do the old Manitou Incline on Sunday afternoon because we go to my parents for lunch. The live almost to Manitou so it reduces my driving. Every time I go, Danielle has been begging to hike it with me. I decided to take her along since it was such a nice day and with the extra daylight we could take our time. It wasn't very far until she said she was tired. She actually had good reason to be tired. It was the neighbor boy's birthday and she had ridden 1 1/2 miles to a park and played for a couple hours.

I coaxed her along until we got to the Cog's No Trespassing sign and then I put her in the Kelty pack. For a few minutes, I kept hearing about how we were nearly to the top. I knew much better. After a bit there was silence and soon her head fell on my shoulder. She snored most of the way up. I've never taken over an hour and my best time has been 29 minutes. Sunday it took me almost an hour and 15 minutes. It's amazing what nearly an extra 40 pounds will do on something like that.

As soon as we got to the top, Danielle woke up and was full of energy. She was having fun running around and climbing on the rocks. It's about 2 1/2 miles down Barr Trail to the trailhead. She ended up hiking the whole way down! Actually she ran more than she hiked. About a mile from the bottom, we meet Julie coming up with Cassidy. Cassidy wanted me to carry her so I got some more backpacking training.

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Labels: hiking, Manitou Incline, mountain biking, weather

The Gazette has posted some good pictures sent in by readers of the blizzard. The picture above is one of them and I'm not sure what part of town it was taken in. I'd guess it had to be in the north or northeast. The Westside near Manitou where my parents live barely even got snow.


Here is a YouTube video that gives some idea of the wind during the storm. The visibility was actually worse when I drove home from work Wednesday afternoon. If the embeded video doesn't work, you can view it on YouTube.

Labels: blizzard, Colorado Springs, weather

The media is calling our snowstorm the Holiday Blizzard of 2006. If the wind hadn't been blowing 30-40 mph yesterday, I think it would have just been a nice snow storm. Last night on the news they said Colorado Springs got 5-9 inches of snow with up to 18 inches to the north and east. At my house we might have had 3 inches on the sidewalk but when I shoveled it this morning it felt like twice that much because it was so wind packed.

Yesterday I waited to leave work until 4 PM in hopes the traffic would clear out. Academy Boulevard was still just a parking lot so I tried a couple different ways through neighborhoods until I was able to get to Woodmen Road. A lot of the time I could only see about 2-3 car lengths because of the blowing snow.

A lot of people were driving with their emergency flashers on which was good because it was a big help in seeing them. There were lots of abandoned cars stuck in snow drifts. On Academy there were some that were just abandoned in the middle of the traffic lanes without flashers on. According to the news some people got tired of waiting in traffic jams and others ran out of gas from sitting so long. I-25 south bound wasn't blocked off so I took that home but didn't see anyone else on it.

Chapel Hills Drive

Jamboree Drive with cars parked in the traffic lane

Research Parkway

Entrance to work from Explorer Drive

7 foot snow drift on south side of building

Another angle of snow drift on south side of building

Labels: blizzard, Colorado Springs, weather

Yesterday the forecast was for 6-9 inches of snow. It was cloudy and cold but we only had a snow flurry that didn't even get the ground white. This morning when I got up it was just starting to snow and the wind was blowing 30-40 mph. I'm not really sure how much it has snowed this morning because it's blowing so much. The snow is in drifts with bare patches in between.

A little while ago an upper manager sent out this e-mail. "Team, with blizzard conditions and white out travel I encourage everyone to start home early, take your time and be careful. Thanks." The only good way for me to get home is I-25. I live close to downtown Colorado Springs and as you can see from the image below, I-25 is closed for miles in both directions. There's only one short way and several long ways to get from where I am to home without using I-25. From what I've heard, the traffic is a mess everywhere. I think I'll stay at work until everybody else gets off the road or the conditions improve.

Labels: blizzard, Colorado Springs, weather

Yesterday the high temperature was 78 degrees which was a new record for the day. Tuesday it had gotten up to 73 degrees. Even the weekend and Monday had been in the upper 50's. A cold front is supposed to come in tonight so the high is supposed to be in the 40's tomorrow.

Monday I got in a nice ride at the Air Force Adademy. It is so nice to be able to ride there again on the roads with little traffic and pretty scenery. One day I forgot my drivers license and they wouldn't let me on even though I was with a co-worker who had his. Remembering to carry a drivers license is a small price to pay for access to great road riding.

Tuesday I did an easy spin on the mountain bike at lunch. Yesterday I took Danielle to pre-school in the Burley because my car is in the shop. That gave me an hour on the bike. I used a tip from Lou, another solo RAAM rider last year. He had posted about using a hot pac from a Pyrex Portables container to keep his kids warm when commuting. I don't know if it was necessary since it was warming up quickly and I was over dressed by the time I got to Danielle's school. By the time I got home, it was i the 60's. Last night she wanted me to take her to Awana Club in the Burley too. It's amazing how hard a small hill can be with 2 kids in the trailer.

Labels: Colorado Springs, cycling, weather