Cherry Creek State Park – I arrived at the park around 2PM on Saturday November 11 this was on day 7 of my 24 day journey. It was a 360 mile trip from my sister, Diane’s, house and Google maps didn’t exactly get me to the entrance to the park. But, with a little help from Greta, I managed to get to the campground.
Cherry Creek State Park is a 4,000 acre park located on the outskirts of Denver. The park was built in 1959 around a expansive reservoir and has many walking and biking trails.
Day 8 – Sunday November 12 – Greta came to the park, picked me us up and took us to her house – which was only a 9 mile or 20 minute drive from the park. We went on a 10 mile bike ride, on trails, through the city. After the ride we showered and Greta took me to Home Depot and the grocery store for a few supplies. Greta, Nick and I ate dinner at Joy Hill, a very nice pizza place that make all of it’s crusts from a sourdough starter.
Day 9 – Monday November 13 – I stayed at the campground today and rode my bike about 12 miles and walked the girls several miles. Nick and Greta came out around 4:30 and we cooked dinner together – chicken breast, spanish rice, frozen veggies and a salad. Nick built us a nice fire from some wood I bought at the welcome center($6 per bundle).
Day 10 – Tuesday November 14 – I’m a little nervous about the weather holding out for the time I’m here. I know the weather in Denver, especially at this time of the year, can be unpredictable and don’t want to be caught in a blizzard. Except for Monday the 10 day forecast is looking as of today.
Got 15 miles of riding and 4.5 miles of walking in today. Greta will pick us up on her way home and we’ll have dinner at he house. It was very cloudy this morning and sunny this afternoon with the high 68 and the low around 45.
Day 11 – Wednesday November 15 Greta worked today and I decided I didn’t need her car so I was on my own today. Before riding I noticed my back tire was flat so I changed at the campsite and all was good for about 15 miles then the tire went flat again about 1-1/2 mies form the campsite – the walk back wasn’t too bad. I had only one spare tube so I went on long walks the rest of the day. I fixed blacken salmon, mashed potatoes, mixed veggie and a salad for dinner.
Day 12 – Thursday November 16 – Last day of work for Greta this week. My other bike was at Greta’s house so I did a lot of walking today. On Greta’s way home from work she picked us up from the park took her to their house. We took the girls; Isla, Aspen and Cleo on a walk in Washington Park. I was a little disappointed because the creek beds were all drained for the winter. I knew Cleo was going to love wading in the creeks. After the walk Nick, Greta and I went to UNCLE for dinner – it is a Ramen noodle restaurant that was fabulous and it was walking distance from the house.
Day 13 – Friday November 17 – Greta took this day off from work and we decided to go on a hike at the Mount Fountain Park near Morrison and Red Rocks. We couldn’t much higher to hike because of the amount of snow. Even on this lower altitude hike we saw evidence of recent snow fall. After the hike we drove into Morrison and split a sandwich and did some shopping I bought a Colorado sweatshirt that was 35% off on a store closing sale. That night we had dinner at Finley’s with Tara and Boone.
Day 14 – Saturday November 18 – This was our cleansing spa day – we started the day with a little exercise then went to the Salt Caves for a little relaxation. Our relaxation started with a 30 minute infrared sauna, followed my a foot wash and then an hour guided meditation ( Yoga Nidra) in a salt cave.
After the Salt Cave Greta drove us down to True Food Kitchen for dinner.Thyeir menu is carefully crafted so that every bite and every refreshing sip serve up big flavor, an abundance of fresh ingredients and a taste of the unexpected. Their artisan chefs create crave worthy classics alongside a steady rotation of seasonal offerings that take advantage of naturally ripe fruits and vegetables so their flavor is full and their nutrients rich. I had the Wild Tuna Poke – delicious – and because it was a cleansing day we had no alcohol.
Day 15 Sunday November 19 — It was 4 days before Thanksgiving but the weather was starting to change for the worse. They where calling for snow and ice on Thanksgiving day in Colorado Springs where we were going to have Thanksgiving ( Nicks mom and sisters house).Greta had to work Monday and Tuesday so I made the decision to head back home on Monday – five days early than planned. Greta came over on Sunday and we rode and got lost on the vast amount of trails in the park. After making our way back to the campsite we made a fire had a beer and said our goodbyes.
Day 16 Monday November 20th – drove to Russell Kansas and stayed at the Flying J RV Park. This park was about 365 miles from the Cherry Creek State Park and we drove through rain, ice, snow a the temperature was dropping to the 20’s so we were glad to have a place to park, hookup and rest. The place wasn’t great but it did the job.
Day 17 Tuesday November 21 – we drove to a Harvest Host Alpaca farm in Missouri. It was a little out of the way but it was a nice farm run by a very nice couple.
Day 18 Wednesday November 22 – I had planned to stop at another winery in Clarksville Tennessee about 360 miles from the Alpaca farm but we used a most of our propane on the generator in Missouri and I didn’t have enough to keep the generator running another night of below 20 degree temperatures. So I decided to drive straight through and get back home 865 miles and we got home at midnight. The traffic and drivers around Nashville, Chattanooga and Atlanta were insane and we were all very glad when we pulled into our driveway.