Ridgeline O, S,

I'll take it...the day after Christmas, that is.  I don't remember in the many years of hiking that I ever hiked both the day before and after Christmas.  Temperatures in the 50's brought many outside today to enjoy a day of sun, exercise and an opportunity to commune with nature.



I met Ed at the designated spot in Parker for a short shuttle to the TH on Coachline Road.  The Ridgeline Open Space (RLOS) trail system borders part of a Castle Rock sub-division called The Meadows.  We would be introduced to a number of sections of The Meadows as we trekked over hill and dale throughout the day.

Shaded sections of trail are snow covered.

Although the system is well marked at the TH and at major junctions, the trails themselves are designated alphabetically.  Today we would follow the A - B - K - J - E - I - H - G - F - E - D - C - B - A trac.

The RLOS tract is comprised of 370 acres.  In the course of the day, we pretty much hiked every bit of the area.  On the back side of the  main loop, there are nice views of the Rockies to the west.  The rest is comprised of various long open views of how extensively this area is being developed.

If you want solitude on a day hike, this is NOT the one to choose.  The sounds of hydraulic nail guns, circular saws, front end loaders, and delivery trucks, were most prevalent.  If not those, there were voices of building contractor foreman shouting instructions to their crews, and blaring radios tuned to each crews favorite station.

A different kind of view - The Meadows -  compared to what we normally have.

This trail system is all natural dirt surface.  According to more than one web site, it is considered one of the top spots for winter mountain biking in Colorado.  Today, there was no shortage of fat bike enthusiasts practicing their sport.  A number of them stopped for a short rest break so we had an opportunity to learn a few things about the fat bike guys.

Santa on his Fat Bike.

About Fat Bikes:  They are big in Colorado.  To some they are silly-looking but they are becoming accepted in Colorado.  Across the country, fat bikes are the fastest growing segment of the bike industry.

Here in Colorado, anything that keeps riders on their bikes longer is sure to catch on.  Fat bikes with specialized frames ($800+) that can hold a tire ($175 ea.) meaty enough to tackle snow - are taking over the terrain in the west.  What was once a small nice is now a winter phenomenon.
 

Hey buddy, need chains on those monsters?

So the next time you are out walking the dog or with your spouse and a biker approaches, look at the tires.  If the luggs seem to explode out of the monsterous tire, it's a fat bike with fat tires.

One biker who stopped to talk with us said he had a fat bike on order.  When asked about the bike he was riding, he said, this one is on loan from a local bike shop.  It runs about $1200 but you can find bikes for much more.

I reached down to touch the front tire, to find it surprisingly under inflated.  The rider went on to explain, that it is so the tires can absorb much of the impact while riding over uneven and unstable snow, and icy terrain.

Total Miles:  9.3

Arriving back at the TH after a long but enjoyable day.