To my subscribers: Did you see the new blog feature earlier this week? It’s called the Throwback Tuesday Post (TBTP). Every Tuesday, I’ll be re-posting a past blog which is, I hope, relevant and that I think you might like. For example, this week, for the first TBTP, I re-posted a blog from 2011 that brings you along on my first trip to Oktoberfest in Munich.
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For this brand new post, I’ll take you along on a wonderful, peaceful, end-of-summer bike ride at a special place near where I live. It’s called McIntosh Lake in Longmont, Colorado, in Boulder County.
Recently, my husband and I acquired a new Subaru Outback – I think it’s a requirement for living in Colorado, along with a Broncos jersey. Last week we had a hitch installed on the car to accommodate our new Thule bike rack. We needed all this hardware on which to hang our German city bikes so we could take them farther afield on weekends.
Our German bikes are quite a bit different from the mountain and sport bikes most people have around here. Ours are city bikes – you could call them grocery-getters. Sportier models come later, I think.
A co-worker of my husband suggested we go to McIntosh Lake, which supposedly had a nice path and beautiful scenery. Boy, was that an understatement!
After a half-hour drive, we arrived very early, about 7am. Since the high temp that day was forecast in the upper 80s, we wanted to get there before the needling Colorado sun burned through our hats into our brains. It’s a good thing we did, too. We got to enjoy the beautiful golden light from the rising sun and also got to leave just as it was becoming uncomfortable to be out there.
We started out with the sun at our backs and rode through a couple of blocks of really beautiful housing. Once we left the built-up area, it was all magnificent scenery. How can I even stand a view like this???
Beyond the paved path next to the houses, it was all gravel, though well maintained. The tallest mountain in these photos is Long’s Peak.
There is a spur path off the lake path leading to Boulder County Agricultural Heritage Center. That’s on my list for a visit.
Some stats about McIntosh Lake:
- It’s a reservoir with 265 surface acres
- You’re allowed to fish; the lake is stocked with walleye, bass and (my fave) crappie.
- Kayaking, paddleboarding, sailing, canoeing and multi-chamber inflatable rafting are allowed; motorized watercraft are not. Neither are one-chamber inflatables like pool floats or inner tubes.
- At the west end is a lake preserve area with a couple of picnic tables but no water access. Prairie dogs live there and we saw waterbirds on the lake, too.
- The surrounding plain is mostly stunning ranch land.
Here’s a map that gives you an idea of the lake’s layout:
It was an absolutely fantastic excursion, even taking into account the fact I left my phone on a bench at the far end of the lake. My husband gallantly retrieved it from a man who’d found it and called my husband to let him know. If he hadn’t been able to find it, you wouldn’t have seen these pictures, for they were all taken on my phone. For that rescue effort, my husband scored a new pair of Nikes later in the day – and well deserved!
Since our cycling outing, the weather has turned decidedly chillier, with highs in the 60s this week and lows in the 40s, and the accompanying leaf color changes. So I’m glad we got to experience that lovely, lovely day. And now I’m very excited for fall!
Photo for No Apparent Reason: