Cold Frame in the garden

For several years I've been wanting to experiment with a cold frame in the garden, and finally this year I got around to constructing one. Spurred along by having access to Randy's workshop and having dumpster-dived about 99%of the materials used, I dug in just 2 days before the first forecast frosty night. It was hurried, to say the least. A masterpiece, not as much.....


9 lettuces and 3 hearty kales generously donated by way of D.U.G. have become my pets/specimens as we forge ahead into the frigid months to come. The idea here is to cultivate a miniature greenhouse to protect these lucky plants from the inevitable chill of Denver winter. How long it will persevere, remains to be seen.

1st Snow

Got a few inches of snow last night and today... first of the year. Winter's a-comin'. This storms was particularly beautiful because much of the colorful autumn foliage was still on the trees, bedecked in white fluff. Sadly for the trees, though, the extreme weight of the moisture and leaves led to a massive amount of snapped limbs around town.

Georgia Pass via mountain bike

We got one (potentially) last really warm weekend on October before the snows start to sock in the high country. April had prior plans in the city so I packed up the car solo with my mountain bike for one last camping/biking weekend for the season. Headed up to Kenosha Pass southwest of Denver and set up in the dispersed car-camping area east of the pass. So nice and peaceful; this area is packed most of the summer but now in October it was pretty desolate, yet convenient. On Saturday afternoon I rode the Colorado Trail about 6 miles east until it enters the Lost Creek Wilderness area (no bikes allowed in Wilderness Areas.)

After a relaxing evening alone reading next my campfire, on Sunday I rode northwest up to the Continental Divide at Georgia Pass. This was my Big Ride of the season, so happy to get up to the divide via my legs this year. It's been a long summer of recovery, and a huge trophy to regain the continent.

very last of the autumn colors at 10,500ft. Sawatch Range beyond

crossroads of the Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide Scenic Trail

at Georgia Pass on the Continental Divide at 11,600ft... looking west towards Breckenridge

Instead of backtracking, I opted for the Jefferson Creek trail to loop me back down. Plenty of snow on this north facing slope; below tree line I ended up slogging through 2 miles of 8" snowy switchbacks while dropping down into the sweet flowing creekside singletrack along Jefferson Creek. Totally worth the hassle!

 

About 25miles and 5,000ft of climbing today.... wish this was every day of my life!