Rails & Trails

Rails & Trails

By Jeff Hanle

Photos By Tom Zuccareno

(page 1 of 3)

As with all adventures, this one began with a simple idea: riding the newly completed Rio Grande bike trail from end to end. I went from Aspen to Glenwood, and not the other direction for one simple reason—gravity. Aspen sits at 8,000 feet; Glenwood, 5,700.

Can a 40-mile, downhill ride on pavement through a densely populated valley really be deemed an adventure? I couldn’t be sure, so I checked with Mr. Webster: “Ad•ven•ture—1. That which happens without design; chance; hazard; hap; hence, chance of danger or loss.” Close enough for me.

I decided to stop at a few of the valley’s finest watering holes along the way to round out the experience and gain some enlightenment. It was done in the spirit of Hemingway, who never ran from a bull without a belly full of Spanish wine or fought a giant marlin without a cold gin and tonic. So it was, at 10:15 a.m., I found myself at the Weinerstube in Aspen with coffee and a Bloody Mary.

I left the ’Stube and headed for the upper terminus of the trail, with Woody Creek 8.1 miles away, Basalt 19.7 miles and Glenwood Springs … mileless. As of the day of my ride, the new lower terminus of the trail, roughly 40 miles away, had not been included on the mileage signs. The mostly paved trail had just been finished a month or so prior, following the path of the old Rio Grande railroad from Glenwood to Aspen.

The first section winds from Herron Park on Aspen’s east end, past Rio Grande Park, the Aspen Art Museum, behind the post office to Cemetery Lane winding along the north side of the Roaring Fork River, beneath the shadow of monster homes on the lower flanks of Red Mountain and along the banks of the river. These sections are heavily used by locals and visitors alike in search of a quick escape from work, a little cardio, an illicit smoke break.

Below Cemetery Lane I find the only remaining unpaved section and my first “hazard.” Just past the “All Dogs Must Be On Leash” sign, I encountered five law-breaking canines. The dogs did not bother me. Some of their owners did. Put the owners on leash and let the dogs run free.