Showing posts with label Alpine Loop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alpine Loop. Show all posts

Monday, July 11, 2011

A FANTASTIC Alpine Loop Bike Ride!

It was a beautiful day for riding the Alpine Loop.  The weather ended up being in the low-80's and just a few fluffy clouds that came out towards the end of the ride.  About 20 fellow cyclist came out to join me for the climb fest and it was a climb.  From the start to the summit and over to Cascade Springs and back, it ended up being about 4300 feet of climbing within 40 cycling miles.  It was a work out but the views all made it worth it~!  Here's some pictures I took along the way...
The view at the first hair pin turn about 2/3 of the way up.



About 1/4 mile before the Summit of the Alpine Loop.
 
The Summit with the elevation-- 8060 ft!
A pair of fellow cyclists almost to Summit; talk about sharing the road.  These are narrow!
The view of the road going towards Cascade Springs.
Having Lunch at the overlook point near Cascade Springs.
The AMAZING view while having lunch at the overlook point!

Friday, July 8, 2011

Up, Apline Loop, & Cat Sitting...

I grimaced a bit at the scale this morning. It said I was up 1 lb which brings me back to a total weight loss of 19 lbs. I was disappointed because I managed to bike 125 miles this week and I thought I would be down with THAT much cycling. But maybe I need to get out them running shoes too. I do notice that when I run I’m more likely to lose weight. But cycling can be a good calorie burning exercise too and I have been pushing myself to perform a bit better each time I do a climbing ride.



The main problem with my cycling is that most of those rides occur right after work in the evening. Then on the way home I usually grab something to eat. It’s the combo of eating late and eating quick fast food that’s not good. The problems are that I don’t have the time to eat before the bike ride and most times my stomach gets upset if I try to workout right after eating. It’s a catch 22 situation. I really wish I liked salads more that would totally be the solution. I have been forgoing the fast food combos with the French fries. I love going to Wendy’s and ordering the mandarin oranges instead of having fries.


This weekend if Sunday’s weather holds out to be nice and there’s no mudslide on the roads, I’ll be leading an Alpine Loop Bicycle ride. It is some of the most beautiful cycling country with a water stop at Cascade Springs Nature area and a turn around at Sundance. I will say there’s a great deal of climbing on the ride but its worth it and I’ve designed the route so that if its too much for my fellow cyclists they can always turn around and head back down.  I'll take my camera with me and share some photos with you.


Also, this weekend I’m doing a bit of cat sitting; a pair of calico kitties. This is the second time in two months that I’ve been a cat sitter. It’s kind of been fun in that I have the benefit of enjoying being with a pet(s) without any true ownership. Its also nice staying at someone else's place.  It's like a mini-vacation.  Bonus! Have a wonderful weekend!