The sun sets over Lake Dillon in Summit County, Colorado.

A poignant simile can make a new snowfall sparkle more brightly in the sunshine. If you live in Colorado and spend too long grasping for those words in fall, you’ll miss out on the brilliant show of color right outside your door.

Several times in the last few weeks, I’ve been on my bike both at the moment the sun rises from behind the Continental Divide and when it sinks into the Vail Valley. No, I’m not fortunate enough to have time for bike expeditions in the middle of the workweek.

Shorter days are a symptom of summer becoming winter and it means I’m dazzled by the fall color show each time I commute. Yes, dazzled. Just my ride home involves pedaling under a canopy of yellow aspens and cottonwoods. It’s stunning at sunset. Check it out for yourself on one of these rides. And don’t forget the camera.

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The dirt road up to Ute Pass near Summit County, Colorado offers fabulous scenery and minimal cars.

Why wait for a week or two off work? Go overnight.

Living in Colorado makes this bike touring motto especially easy. Some would argue difficult, as for the most part in Summit County, the only two route options are uphill and downhill. And with one comes the other.

Regardless, there are many outstanding overnight bike touring choices across Colorado. Many are a snap to do from home or with a short drive.

Check out the photos on Facebook
Check out the route on MapMyRide.com

Bike Tour Route: 145ish-mile loop through Dillon/Summit County to Winter Park and back via Loveland Pass, Berthoud Pass and Ute Pass
Bike Tour Start/End: Dillon, Colorado in Summit County
Summit County/Winter Park Bike Touring Season: spring through fall, depending on temperature tolerance (cool, high-altitude sections combined with dry, warm sections means travelers should pack for various temperatures, no matter the season)

At some point, I’ll have time to go on about this stunning route and my love of bike touring. But now is not that time, and if you found this on Google, you probably only care about the route. So here goes.

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From the Flumes trails, I connect to Tom's Baby for the mountain bike commute home from Breckenridge, Colorado.

Route: Loop on Lower Flume, Middle Flume and Upper Flume
Start/End: Flumes trailhead on County Road 450, near the Breckenridge Recycling Center
Flumes Trail Season: Summer and fall (running, mountain biking), provided there’s not an excess of moisture*; some areas popular with cross country skiers in winter

*Please be sensitive to muddy and/or wet trails. In the words of the Summit Fat Tire Society, know when to ride, walk or turn around. Check out one of many fab articles on trail responsibility: http://www.summitfattire.org/?p=413

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I know, I know. Bragging is arrogant, it’s rude and simply annoying. But record snow and rain in Summit County, Colorado has resulted in brilliant wildflowers and my work commute gives me a front-row seat to all the color. What’s that mean? My commute is probably cooler than yours.

Several days each week I make the Dillon to Breckenridge commute by a mix of bike and bus; of those days, my favorites are those on trails. The mountain bike route home involves about 90 to 95 percent dirt, a mix of four-wheel drive roads and sweet singletrack that meanders through the valley just north of Keystone.

When I recently volunteered for the Breckenridge 100, I met a few guys who’d driven thousands of miles, from the heart of Mexico, to compete on Summit County’s network of trails. We’re fortunate enough to ride these trails all summer long and I love it.

In this series detailing the trails of my commute home, I’ll cover some popular routes that make great little after-work loops on their own; connected, they expose a vast network of trails that extends far beyond Summit County.

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Though the purple, chemical-filled skies of east coast cities can be beautiful at sunrise, Lake Dillon offers a pristine setting for members of the Frisco Rowing Center in Summit County, Colorado.

I haven’t been this excited in a long time. Well, let’s qualify that. I haven’t been this excited about a sport in a long time. Sport in question? Rowing.

As a fat-kid-turned-individual-sports-enthusiast, I entered the world of team sports my sophomore year in college. Assuming later that I was targeted for my large stature, I remember getting sidelined on my way to class by someone standing next to a boat. All I really recall after that is some 60 girls, including myself, showing up for the first day of crew “tryouts;” when those two weeks were over, there were nine of us still willing to return for regular practices. And so our novice eight, complete with alternate, was born.

Despite the four-something a.m. — and sometimes snowy — bicycle rides to the boathouse; seeing, during practice, the occasional prostitute wrapping up her last job of the evening; and missing out on the schedule of fun set in my freshman year of school; something about being on the water at sunrise made Philly just perfect. I said if I ever found myself old and rich and living on the east coast, I’d get back into rowing. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait for something that will never be. At least not the rich part or the east coast part.

Frisco Rowing Center

Operating out of the Frisco Marina in Summit County, Colorado, the Frisco Rowing Center is nonprofit organization that offers lessons, boat use/storage and much more. Their mission includes educating and providing the opportunity for people to experience the sport of rowing.

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Summit County, Colorado's frequently-used trails require more than respect. Give back with a volunteer day.

Like many residents of Summit County, Colorado, I spend much of my summer exploring the expansive trail network our home has to offer. With the local trails seeing so much use, it’s important to go beyond respect and give back with a little (or a lot of) manual labor.

Several trails organizations in Summit County have released their 2011 projects and below is a rundown, not including ongoing stewardship programs. Contact the individual organizations for project details.

Friends of the Dillon Ranger District: 2011 trail projects near Dillon, Colorado
Sign up online to participate

• May 14th: Tree Planting with the Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (Family Oriented)
• May 21st: Town/Forest Clean-Up
• May 22nd: Tree Re-planting with Keller Williams Realty
• June 4th: National Trails Day, Sponsored by Friends of the Eagles Nest Wilderness, the Summit Fat Tire Society and Friends of the Dillon Ranger District
• July 9th: Pulling For Colorado, Summit County Weed Pull
• July 23rd: Summit Trail Running Series – FDRD Horseshoe Gulch Trail Project
• July 23rd: Quandary Peak Project with the Colorado Fourteeneers Initiative
• August 20th: Fire Mitigation Project
• September 10th: Beetlefest in Frisco
• September 17th-18th: Trail Project with Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado at the Keystone Homestead
• September 24th: National Public Lands Day – Volunteer Celebration
• October 8th: Make A Difference Day with Summit Prevention Alliance

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Montezuma Hammer Time

Route: Highway 6 east toward Keystone and up Montezuma Road
Start/End: Out and back from Dillon, Colorado
Season: spring, summer and fall; Montezuma is a great spring ride when trails are still snowy and the major roads are majorly dusty

Vandalism probably shouldn’t make me smile, but I’ve always appreciated the clever folks in Denver who stencil “Hammer Time” on stop signs. So it makes my day every time I turn my pedals over, make it to the Montezuma stop sign and hear M.C. Hammer in my head. And besides, what’s not to love about a town that endorses winter car bowling and has good rock climbing in summer?

But we’re not talking music or bowling or climbing. We’re here because it’s spring, I’m ready to ride my bike and I’m not yet interested in driving beyond Summit County. So that leaves us on U.S. Highway 6 headed east toward Keystone. [Read more →]

Spring riding up Ute Pass in Summit County, Colorado can make for a dirty bike.

Route:Highway 9 north from Silverthorne and up Ute Pass Road
Start/End: Out-and-back from Dillon, Colorado
Season: Highway 9 / Ute Pass is typically rideable year round, but it’s best in winter and spring when everything else is snowy or wet

Each summer here in Summit County, Colorado, I see people on the bike path using their Nordic-style roller skates and think, “C’mon people, really? Can’t you just enjoy the summer?”

And now I understand. I am one of those people, just in the opposite season. A couple weeks ago I couldn’t wait any longer to get on my bike, so I made the changeover to hybrid tires and rode the dusty shoulder through Silverthorne, Colorado toward Ute Pass. And for the record, I have enjoyed winter, and spring. But I’m ready for bike rides. [Read more →]

YakTrax have pretty much replaced my snowshoes for winter running in Summit County, Colorado.

As spring nears and Summit County, Colorado gets hit with 50-degree days, those 300+ inches of snow we’ve seen so far this season begin to melt. With the piles of snow that line the sidewalks and, in places, tower above our heads, that melt has nowhere to go. So at night, it refreezes and creates a bit of a skating rink outside our front door.

Between twice-daily dog walks and late evening runs, I find myself skating along the sidewalks pretty often. Thanks to my Yaktrax, I skate no more.

Since we knew we’d be using them for hiking and running as well as daily walking, we went with the Yaktrax Pro. They’re one step above the Yaktrax Walker, which is perfect for the to-and-from work routine. The Pro is billed as a work/run model and I’ve pretty much replaced my snowshoes with the Yaktrax Pro. [Read more →]