2016/03/29 - The Big Loop, Mountain Lion, Farmer's Daughter

I finally figured out how to connect the Ralston Creek Trail with the Clear Creek trail to make a big loop. 



It turned out to be 31 miles (50 kilometers) with only 900 feet of elevation gain.

As you can see, I did miss my right-turn and continued east on the Clear Creek trail for a while before realizing something was wrong! So the official loop is probably more like 30 miles.

I was actually happy to turn back west, as I was getting into some pretty questionable neighborhoods, with homeless awaking from nights in the tunnels and graffiti abounding.

It reminded me of when I was a boy riding my 3-speed to the other side of the Belt Parkway, exploring the "colored" neighborhoods in NYC. I would eventually get chased back to my side, which always added to the adventure.

I would really like to explore further east on the Clear Creek Trail sometime. It looks like the bike path goes on forever, but I don't know how safe it would be to go alone. 

I'll see if Mike wants to go with me.
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We saw this on the way up North Table Mountain on Sunday.

I suspected it was done by coyotes, but my friend Jeff just sent me this 9News link about mountain lion activity on North Table Mountain.
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"She was only a farmer's daughter, but all the horse manure."

- Fred Hoffmeyer (get it?)

Later,
Steve