Meandering along the South Platte River Road

Another boringly beautiful day here in Colorado, sunny and not very cold with temperatures reaching the low 60s by the end of today's riding.  I started off from the house with temperatures in the high 40s but with the sun out, it was barely noticeable, the cold.

No destination really in mind, I wandered westward using County Line road until I got near the Chatham Reservoir.  I did briefly detour off County Line Rd to pose Valencia by the entrance to the Denver Temple of the Church of Latter Day Saints.

I cruised south on US85, turned westward once again on Titan Road and soon reached the vicinity of the Lockheed Martin Deer Creek Facility where I think they assemble rockets for satellite launches.

Soon enough, after a bit of wandering near the facility, I turned to Deer Creek Canyon Road to take me towards the foothills.

 Some of the sights and curves one can enjoy while riding along

Deer Creek Canyon.

Once I reached the end of Deer Creek Canyon road, I headed south on South Turkey Creek road enjoying the empty road and quiet morning.  On a whim I turned off on a side road which eventually wound its way around and dumped me onto Pleasant Park road.  I took this road to Conifer and transited US285 very briefly to get onto Foxton road to head south towards the South Platte River area.

Foxton Road was pretty empty as well.  It was me and a few horses grazing in the nearby fields as Valencia motored on, steadily descending towards the South Platte River area.

Once I reached the river area, I followed the morning sunlight west at first.  On another whim, I turned off onto a local resorts entrance road and followed a small shelf road which paralleled the river, but affording one a view of about 50 feet higher:

The view from a small shelf road

The shelf road didn't last long and soon I was on the main road which runs by the South Platte river, heading towards the small settlement of Foxton.  I stopped short of Foxton to take the below shot of Cathedral Spires:

Cathedral Spires

I turned around at this point and started heading back the way I'd come, this time heading towards the Deckers area along the river road.  The traffic was heavier than I like it on this narrow dirt road with plenty of blind curves.  There were several cagers barreling along, raising up huge amounts of dust and completely missing out on the scenery.  More than a few had freshly cut Christmas Trees lashed onto the roof or in the cargo area.

The river's water level was a bit low but water still flowed nicely as I rode slowly along, enjoying the sound of the water rushing by each time I stopped to take a picture.  The fly fishermen were out in small numbers, trying to snag the trout that are rumored to inhabit the river.  They too seemed quite at peace with nature, as I was, while they cast their fishing lines in hopes of a strike.

A few minutes later, I arrived at what I call the boulder field on South Platte River road.  Whatever I am riding each time I get to this spot gets posed by the big rocks one finds here, sitting in the middle of the calm river waters.

I continued along the dirt road till it became pavement and soon I was turning onto West Pine Creek Road for about five miles of rocky/dusty steep inclines and then just dusty dirt road riding until once reaches pavement once again in the small settlement around the Sprucewood Inn.

I spotted a couple of riders on board their BMW GS bikes but they soon left me behind as they and I motored towards Sedalia on CO67.  This is road is nicely paved with a very nice set of curves and hilly descents as one nears Jarre Canyon.  The road transiting the canyon itself can be quite twisty if you're going a bit too fast, mind the gravel and sand on the road!

I took CO67 all the way to Sedalia where I refueled again and from there it was boring riding through Castle Rock, the Crowfoot Parkway and soon reached Parker Road and the town of Parker itself.  I got home around 2:30 PM or so, so not a very long ride today.

I see where Chris of everyday riding has managed to get a couple of inches of snow in his town, I'm hoping some of the white stuff will make its way to the Colorado area soon.