Coffeeneuring finale

Well, it's been a wild one. Not so much the coffeeneuring part, but the thousands of miles in between. Start the challenge in Colorado, mid-challenge in Michigan, and the finale in Colorado. Not ideal by any means in terms of miles driven, but it kept things interesting.

Today's trip was kind of short, as the coffee shop I wanted to visit was close to home. Torpedo Coffee opened since I left the 'hood 3 years ago. It's in what used to be a neglected and slightly dilapidated residential shopping center (Oneida Park). I'd say circa 1950's/60's if my neighborhood history recollection is accurate. Kudos to the developer or whomever spearheaded the revitalization. It now has an interesting mix of shops and restaurants. It used to be an area to be avoided, so it's good to see the turnaround. No doubt that this neighborhood gem struggled because it isn't located on a major thoroughfare, but I always thought it had potential and I'm thrilled to see the improvements.

I enjoyed a dirty chai with oatmilk, which is my standard drink when I go out for coffee. Spendy, but since I don't do it very often, hey, why not?

Cross Check in repose

The rest of the ride was a cruise around the old neighborhood, complete with a (distanced and outdoor) visit with former neighbors. Then a loop through City Park to gaze upon my favorite Denver view, a couple of errand stops, and that was a wrap.

My One Good Thing for this ride was enjoying a sunny, 60 degree day in Denver before the snow starts falling tonight! Overall, it's been surreal doing the Michigan/Colorado back and forth all in the course of a few weeks. It kept things interesting, though, and knowing I'd be back and forth is one of the reasons I decided to undertake it this year after not participating for several years. This challenge embodies the core of what riding a bike is for me and it was a joy to be reminded of that.

Coffeeneuring #4

 Whew, quite the Coffeeneuring expedition today! The weather is slated to turn cold later this week and then snow on Sunday, so I wanted to take advantage of today's gorgeous late fall weather and punch my Coffeeneuring card one more time before heading back to Michigan. It was well worth it.

I started my ride with civic purpose! I dropped off Lori's ballot at the drop box in City Park. My ballot awaits in Michigan but I was more than happy to provide delivery service for this precious cargo. Michigan could take cues from Colorado in this regard, as this system has been in place for years in Colorado and works pretty darn well if you ask me. But no one asked me so there's that.

Saw a nice mural in Five Points

My destination today was Blue Sparrow Coffee. I had ridden by a couple of weeks ago when I was doing recon for this challenge. And I'm so glad I stopped! As I was locking up my bike, I heard "well, hello there," and as usual I assumed the words were not meant for me, given my miniscule social circle. But lo and behold, it was my landlord! Turns out she is the property manager for the building complex the coffee shop inhabits, aka Backyard on Blake. They have done a super job with it. It's more of a small marketplace with fun little shops and restaurants. I'll definitely be back.

My coffee was delicious and it was such a nice place to sit and sip.

But wait, there's more!

Could there be anything MORE Colorado/coffee/bikey than this? Hemp infused coffee named after a bike mapping app.

And, yeah, I am tracking my Coffeeneuring rides on said bike mapping app.

As I was walking around, I bumped into this.

Yes, they have vegan donuts. Yes, they are cake donuts. Yes, they are the vegan cake donuts I have been searching for. There were so many things to like about today's outing but I'd say my One Good Thing for this ride has to be the donuts. I am not ashamed to admit that my days revolve around food.

Saw another interesting mural on the way home.

Maybe it's me, but it seems as though there are a lot more murals around these days. I'm sure a person could center multiple rides around mural searches and sightings around town. That's definitely an idea.

All in all, I'd say this was one of the best Coffeeneuring rides I've ever had. Maybe it's the sugar from the donut talking, but between the weather, the scenery, the coffee, the food, and the bike endorphins, it's the embodiment of why I ride and why bicycles mean so much to me.

Coffeeneuring #3

It has been interesting to be back in Denver after 3 years. Long story, but it looks like I may be splitting my time between Denver and Michigan, at least for the near term. I've also been away from Coffeeneuring for a few years, so getting back to it while also being back in Denver definitely has a nostalgic feel to it.

Today's trip took me to unfamiliar environs. Well, not exactly unfamiliar, but it's been a long time since I've been in this neighborhood. Denver has seen a lot of growth in the time I've been gone, and I don't think there's a neighborhood in the city that wouldn't be considered as gentrifying. It's a stark contrast to a lot of places in Michigan.

Also in stark contrast to Michigan (at least where I live), I have a seemingly unlimited choice of coffee establishments to visit. Many familiar, but many new ones, too. I did a quick search of "Denver's best coffee bars" and made a list of 17 places of interest. Given that there are 7 Coffeeneuring visits for the challenge and I'll be in Michigan for part of the time; well, my coffee cup runneth over.

Today, I opted to stop at Rivers and Roads Coffee. Denver is a city of neighborhoods, which is one of the things I love most about it. Rivers and Roads is located in Clayton, which I haven't explored all that much, so this was a fun trip. The shop itself looks to be an old car repair garage, so it has that industrial feel to it. It has a nice patio and even a dog-friendly yard!

My pumpkin spice latte was delicious. Don't hate on me. It's my first and possibly only PSL of the year and I am an unabashed pumpkin afficionado. The muffin does not get high praise but they do have a number of vegan options on their menu so perhaps I merely chose unwisely today.

All in all, a successful outing.

The Denver skyline from the north side of City Park Golf Course. A little cloudy and a little forest fire smoke haze.

My One Good Thing for outing #3 is finding new places in the city I called home for so many years.

Coffeeneuring, Week One

So I ran across the Coffeeneuring Challenge via this blog.  Since this is much of the type of riding I do anyway, I decided to participate.  No doubt someone is already doing a beerneuring adventure, but that will keep for another time.

Since my workweek is somewhat unconventional, according to the rules I can move my coffee trips to another day of the week.  So, just depending what's going on, my trips will be on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.  And, I'll be throwing vacation in the middle of it all, so that may require some creativity on my part.  Or, I do believe I have the option to push out a week should the need arise.

I had to take the car in for a pre-trip oil change and checkup this morning, so I thought that would be a perfect opportunity to slip in a coffee stop on the way home.  The shop where I take the car is across town, so it's my usual order of events to drop off the car and ride home.  There's a new-ish coffee shop en route that I've been wanting to check out, so it's all serendipitous today.

My first visit to Steam Espresso Bar was delightful.  I found myself slightly underdressed for the conditions this morning, so I was happy to stop for a warm-up drink only a few blocks from where I dropped off the car.

My Americano was tasty, just what I needed.  Really nice little shop, too.  They did a good job on the refurb of the building, and they have an inviting outdoor patio that I'll have to visit when it's warmer.  They sell pastries from Trompeau (best almond croissants ever and definitely NOT vegan), and I was happy to see at least one vegan baked goods option.  Anyway, this a coffeeneuring ride report, not a coffee shop review, so I'll dispense with the details but suffice to say I liked the shop and will be back!

The illusion of speed:

Morning autumnal light in City Park:

Now I am all hopped up on caffeine and ready to take on the rest of the day!  Total mileage, ~8.5 miles

An oldie but a goodie

Smokey black bean soup. One of my all-time faves. Easy, versatile, satisfying.

Served up with a little o' this to commemorate the arrival of Spring!

And speaking of Spring, we took a little bike ride, as we tend to do upon the change of seasons. I prefer my rides to be of a more personal nature than another social ride in town. To each his or her own. Either way, it was a lovely day to bring in the season. A little more cloud cover than expected, but still temperate and lovely.

If you clicky the pic to embiggen, you'll notice the plume of smoke behind the skyline.  It has been dry and windy of late, and the smoke is from a wildfire burning just west of Golden.

In order to make up for the soup repeat, I do have some original content. I made Tuscan White Bean Pizza this week. Another gem from Vegan on the Cheap. A can of beans, some garlic, 2 tomatoes and pizza crust. Voila!

Another week in the life of a food-deprived vegan.  Shhh, no one knows that vegan food is actually marvelous.

Solitary Solstice

Given that I'm not much of a joiner, I decided to indulge in my own Solstice ride.  No group festivities for me (although BikeDenver can certainly give me credit for the idea).  Anyway, here's just a little of what I saw:

My favorite view of Denver--it has been featured here before.  Kind of nice to see the same view in different seasons.  Happy Summer Solstice!

Improved mental state

Just as I suspected, I feel much better after today's bike ride.  While it wasn't long or intense (as if any of my rides are), it was good to get outside and take in some fresh air and sunshine.

I only fell once--on some ice in City Park.  I thought I was heading into a puddle and I should have known better.  I was holding my own and then went down before I knew what was going on.  Nothing serious, fortunately, and I continued on my way.  The roads had a lot more snow and ice on them than I expected.  Our main roads and heavily traveled side streets are clear, but other streets and shady spots are still treacherous.  I could definitely tell the difference between riding a wide, knobby mountain bike tire and a pretty wide (700 x 37) road-bike tire.  I did a lot of fishtailing in the snow and slush today, whereas I wouldn't have on the mountain bike.  But, the trade-off is that the mountain bike is a dog on dry pavement and would require me to expend more effort than absolutely necessary, so I only take that bike on short jaunts or when the roads are >50% covered.

What was wet and slushy this afternoon will be solid ice in the morning.  Bleh. 

Here's a (cell phone camera) picture from today's ride.  It's my favorite view from City Park.  Certainly this view has been featured on the blog before, but I never tire of seeing it.

Temps are slated to plunge on Wednesday, so I'm glad I was able to get out and enjoy the day today.  It could be awhile before it happens again.  I should be good for tomorrow's commute before the bottom falls out.  Looks like I'll be riding the shame train on Wednesday.

I'm dismayed that I'm having that tingly-scratchy feeling in my throat that is usually the warning signs of a cold or other ailment.  I have high hopes of fending it off, but time will tell.  With that, I will sign off with the intent of hitting the sack in the very near future.