Late winter whammy

As usual, Winter in Colorado gives us the late-season storm. And this one was a big one. Fourth deepest in Colorado history. So it goes. I usually don’t expect to get on the mountain bike trails until May. Between spring, rain, and mud, you can’t really get on the trails here until then. I’ve learned over the years that weather throws you the biggest curveballs.

But getting nearly two feet of snow kills the flow. I’ve been working on bikes and planning ahead for the year. Some stuff is already canceled, like Fruita Fat Tire Festival. Well, maybe next year (what I said last year in 2020). This time I mean it.

Getting out after a day at home, shoveling out the driveway, you got a sense of just how much snow. Even a few of the main four-lane roads in town were down to two lanes. Snow buried all the street bike lanes, and there were a lot of trees down.

I opted not to try and bike commute to work. At some point, there’s no safe way to get there. Added to the mix that Colorado has this terrible culture of not plowing neighborhood streets. You end up with foot-deep ruts you have to try and bike through. Right now it’s not only cars but people walking in the street that you have to try and bike around.

But it will melt. Fast usually with the sun that we get here. This snow might stick around a bit longer. We needed the water, which always seems to be the saying out West.

It’s a good reminder that any plans that you have can be changed by the weather faster than you can imagine.