Last Leg Home

Shari and Ken enjoying a great view overlooking Denver.

If I sit real still maybe they won't see me!

It's a good thing Shari has a big deck on which to set up the new BBQ, they used every inch....and only one screw left over. Is that new patio furniture I see, too?

Well, today we leave Shari and Denver, the last week has been a great rest. We did some hikes with Shari, a few rides around Denver checking out the city, went out for some great dinners, helped Shari spend some of her money and met a few of her friends. But, now as always it is time to move on and the weather is dictating where and which way we will go. Our original plan was to head up to Calgary to see my sister, Karen and her husband, Matt, however after checking the forecast, once again it looks like we will have to take a drier and warmer route to the west. Three maybe four days and we should be home. So until then.....

A few parks in Texas and on to Colorado

Springtime in Texas is really a great time to ride.

Ken finds new friends where ever he goes.

Springtime....what else can I say?

The Enchanted Rock in the Texas State Park of the same name.

Bikin' buddies Chris and Myrna, Reid and Dawn along with Ken (I'm taking the picture) walk along the top of The Enchanted Rock.

Ken finds himself another new friend, is it a frog or a lizard?

We took a day hike into Palo Duro State Park, Texas.

Ken and I with amigos Chris and Myrna. The Lighthouse monument in the background.

Lighthouse monument

A quick hug on the top of the lighthouse.

Very cool wall of rock.

The Rocky Mountains loom off in the distance.

Unusual sights on the top of Cordova Pass, Bishops Castle and snow!

.....I don't know. It takes all kinds....interesting.....




I hate to say it again but the weather has been so good to us, that is until we got to approximately 20 km outside Austin when the skies opened up an it rained on us harder than it had during our entire trip. Thunder, lightning and down to the skin drenching rain. After arriving at Chris and Myrna's place and making ourselves comfy we turned on the weather channel only to hear about flood warnings and tornado alerts. We were very glad to be warm and dry. The weather continued to be if'y for the next few days so we just waited until the weekend when Chris and Myrna could jump on their VStrom and join us for a few days on the road riding north. Springtime in Texas is beautiful, wild flowers line the country roads and bikes are plentiful (from what we hear the summer is just too hot to ride much). The first night we met up with Reid and Steve at the Enchanted Rock State Park, they are a couple of fellow bike enthusiast we met in Creel last October. The park had some nice hikes so we did a short day hike and later a night hike and talked bikes, hikes and what have it. The wind picked up just after we hit the sack and the rain was threatening so unfortunately we didn't sleep well and as Chris and Myrna, Ken and I left the next morning we vowed to sleep that night, even if it meant getting a hotel. Before sleep however comes dinner and we found the dinner specials of all dinner specials. Pizza Hut. We ordered one large pizza and salad bar for the four of us, we ended up getting three medium pizzas, four salad bars and a coke all for $13.49. A mistake on the bill? The waitress said "forget about it", needless to say she made herself a nice tip. Day three with Chris and Myrna, we arrived at Palo Duro State Park ready to do some more hiking (after 7 months on a bike you really have to take it slow incorporating exercise into your day). The 6 mile hike through red earthen trails took us to a natural monument they call The Lighthouse, two gigantic red hoodoos. Pretty cool. A great contrast to the green foliage in the valley. Four great days of riding including two great parks with day hikes and it was time for the four of us to part ways, Chris and Myrna headed home and to work ( oops sorry for using that four letter word) and we headed into Colorado and the Rocky Mountains, complete with snow.
Snow, "It's unusual for this time of year" or so they say but any way you look at it we are back in long johns and winter gloves. Cold? Yes, but only at the top of the passes and even there the snow isn't actually on the road. We could have played it save and stayed on the interstate but we decided to live on the edge and take some side trips into the high country. The skies have cleared substantially with storms only off in the distance and the sun is really quite warm. At the top of one of the pass we found a rock castle hand made by one guy named Bishop, a statement about life, liberty and justice! Interesting is all I can say about it oh, and maybe weird!
Colorado, snow capped mountains, hiking, fishing, kayaking and canoeing, every Coloradoan drives a SUV with a bike rack on the back. Ah yes, the great outdoors. It reminds me of B.C. I love it. Oh and speaking of B.C. Happy Birthday to all the Fickes having Birthdays in May:)

The Chainmaster says "ELF is the way to go"

Some call him "The Chainmaster" some call him anal, call him what you will but the results are back in North America....ELF chain paste and a strict regime can keep your chain looking like new after 30,000 to 40,000 miles. ELF has what it takes...do you????


Step by step instructions to keep your chain looking like new:

1. Clean off all old dirt and grease from your chain with a clean rag.

2. Distribute paste on the entire inside of the chain.

3. Brush into chain with a toothbrush or other small firm bristled brush. Apply paste to the outside of chain and brush into links.

4. Using a grease rag to press paste into o-rings. With a clean rag wipe chain to remove any excess paste so dust and dirt will not stick.

33,000 miles and this chain has only been adjusted once. It still looks like it has a few more miles on it!

ELF are you looking for a spokesperson?