The plan was to hike the famed Seven Bridges Trail in Cheyenne Canon in the morning. Cheyenne mountain is the prominent peak west of Fort Carson. The trail is rated as moderate and very scenic. Cheyenne Canon park is administered through the Colorado Springs parks department. All city parks are free and dog friendly, and this trail is easily accessible, if you know where you are going.
There are two roads up the canon and I went up the wrong one. I quickly realized that hiking Columbine trail was just as rewarding and worth the experience. It was the first trail I came to and took it uphill. I parked in the lower canon and hiked the trail following the road. This trail follows the general course of the paved road, but develops many switchbacks in the middle section, with several ups and downs. The higher one hikes, the more the views open up. It was a mild 55F when I started, and there were few people on the road. Zeke and I had the wide trail to ourselves. I could see snow on the upper peaks as I slowly gained elevation. Dandelions and wild rose dotted the trail and the scent of the two flowers reminded me of hiking in Alaska with the ubiquitous dandelions. Interesting rock formations poked out along the ridgeline.
Skies started out mostly clear, but rain was predicted by noon. I kept looking at the sky ahead of me as I slowly made it uphill. The trail switchbacked up from the road, but I could still hear the cascading creek. I should have researched where the Columbine trail exited. I enjoyed the hike, but didn't want to be too high up and away from a quick exit in case it began storming.
The Columbine trail has a lower, middle and upper section, all with their own exit trails. I ended up going as high as possible. I saw the Silver Cascade waterfall and a parking lot when I made it to the trail's high point, and decided that the falls would be the destination for this hike. Now I had a goal!
It turns out that the waterfalls --here were two close to each other--were a popular stop for drivers. I could have driven up the road for a faster approach, but this way I was getting nearly eight miles round trip. The parking lot was crowded and people were coming and going to Helen Hunt falls (named after a local activist, not the actor). Dogs are allowed on this trail, so we continued up the narrow singletrack.
A visitor's center stocked with souvenirs, bottled water and snacks added some relief for me since I didn't bring my backpack and Zeke could drink from springs along the way. I made it to the Cascade falls. I could have gone higher on the road, now Goldcamp Road, and remembered that I had hiked here years ago with Sadie the last time I was in Colorado Springs. Today I was seeing a different part of the canon.
It warmed up nicely by noon. I took my raincoat off and tied it around my waist as we returned the way we came, up over Upper Columbine trail down to the lower section. More people were now on the trail, from dog walkers and adventurous mountain bikers, many who chose to coast down the road on the return route. Dark clouds slowly formed. I definitely wanted off the mountain when that storm came.
And came it did. I was hungry when I got back to town. I didn't want to figure out where the brewpubs where that I had frequented years ago. I parked at the first available place that offered close parking and no meters, in case Zeke couldn't come with me. I lucked out and parked in front of the "503 W" gastropub on Colorado Avenue, a major road coming down the foothills which advertised craft beers. There was one server and minimal customers now that the lunch rush was fading. I ordered Korean tacos sweetened with babacoa sauce yet still with a nice spiced zing, and a Colorado shandy. It was a tasty meal, accompanied with a "Goat Patch Belgian Wit" (4.3% ABV) brewed here in Colorado Springs. Minutes after finishing my meal the clouds broke open and I sat in the Honda while the storm blew overhead. I was not going to be driving 135 more miles to Fort Collins in this storm.
I didn't have a choice, though. I had managed to get a good hike in before the storm and that storm followed me north along the foothills. Cheyenne mountain slowly faded to the south as I approached Denver, a town with traffic that reminds me of Chicago with altitude. Fort Collins was still an hour away from Denver.
I had been to Fort Collins years before visiting an old army friend and enjoyed the tree-lined city center, but don't remember much else. This time I wanted to check out the New Belgium brewery. I found that one and the Odell Brewery rather easily and visited the Odell one first. It's a large place and a lot of people were outside drinking beer, Families and dogs were also outside and visited, so Zeke and I joined the crowd. Dogs are not allowed inside the huge building, so I had to tie Zeke up to a pipe while I went inside for my order. At least I got my beers fast and both were quite good.
The storm came late in the afternoon. People rushed inside but I had to rush to the car because of Zeke. I darted into the building to settle the bill, then drove to the next brewery a block away. Here is where I should have started the breweries because dogs are allowed inside the New Belgium brewery. Three dogs were napping by their owners when I walked in. It was 7:40pm by then and the place closes at 8pm. That gave me just enough time to try one beer and that was their classic sunshine wheat beer. I liked the ambiance at this brewery better than Odell's.
My last stop was a meal in the city center, ordering a "Colorado style pizza"
More later
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