Today Genae and I went to the 29th annual edition of the Colorado English Motoring Conclave. It is held every year at Oak Park in Arvada. Lotus Colorado had a good turn out, as usual, with a variety of years and models. We briefly said “hi” to a few of the LOCOs before wandering around to look at all the other marques. Everybody asked me where my car was. It was parked on the street, next to another LOCO member who didn’t enter his car.
I think Genae talked me in to entering my car next year. I’m sure it won’t win any awards, but it will look nice parked with all the other Lotuses and if the weather is as good as it has been the last two years it will be a dandy way to spend a day.
Organizers expected more than 500 cars there, representing most English marques – Rolls Royce, Bentley, Lotus, Caterham, MG, Austin-Healey, Jaguar, Rover, Mini, Triumph. There was even a Hillman Minx! (There are at least two Minxes in the area; Michael and I saw a different one here last year.)
Harv kindly organized a club drive for today. We met at the Denny’s in Boulder for breakfast and a mandatory drivers meeting. Most club drives are pretty casual – show up at the assembly point, perhaps hand out a short route description in case we get split up, then have lunch at some mountain restaurant.
This time, Harv added a little fun: four pages of detailed route notes full of interesting trivia and interspersed with questions. The team (driver/navigator) with the highest score wins a prize.
We had a nice group turn out – four Elises (BRG, LRG, black, yellow), a Caterham, a Miata, a Mercedes, and Harv led the way in his Porsche GT3. The route started up Boulder Canyon to Nederland, then down Coal Creek Canyon, up Golden Gate Canyon, down Clear Creek Canyon a bit, then over to Squaw Pass and finally to Jenny’s Restaurant in Empire for lunch and the all-important scoring of the test.
We generally like to find a scenic place to regroup along the way and also to get a group photo of all the cars. This time, all our regrouping was just beside the road so I didn’t have time for the picture. So no group photo. I did have Michael try to get a few shots from the cockpit, but those aren’t exactly ideal conditions. He got a couple of nice ones, but I need to give him a bit more instruction on how to use the camera 🙂
Note: if you order the pie at Jenny’s, be sure to share! They serve giant pieces.
A quick glance at Google tells me there are two Ptarmigan Lakes in Colorado. This one, of course, is in RMNP. The Foster guide lists two ways to get there, one from the North Inlet trailhead and the other from Bear Lake. I hiked the North Inlet trail last September as far as Ptarmigan Creek, where I headed off-trail to Bench Lake. It was over seven miles to Bench Lake, and to proceed to Ptarmigan Lake would entail a couple more miles of bushwhacking. So I chose to start at Bear Lake, hike to the summit of Flattop Mtn, take the Tonohutu Creek trail northwest, then head off trail to the west and descend the better part of 900′ to the lake.
The trail up Fattop Mtn (12,324′) is busy and well maintained. It is the most popular route for hikers to reach the continental divide from the east side of the park. It’s about 4.4 miles from the parking lot to the sign at the trail junction at the “summit” (it’s flat on top, of course, so the generally accepted summit is the sign at a trail junction) and climbs 2,874′. Near the start of the trail, you get a nice view of Long’s Peak, then nothing but forest until reaching the Dream Lake overlook about a third of the way up. The next landmark is the Emerald Lake overlook about two-thirds of the way. From there, the trail takes you to the northern flank of Flattop, overlooking the Odessa Lake trail. It’s common to hear marmots barking their alarms as you work your way up the trail.
I’ve been on the top of Flattop several times. I’ve headed south to descend Andrew’s Glacier twice, summited Hallett once, and just sat above Tyndall Glacier for a picnic a few times. This was my first time taking the trail to the north. Not far along the trail you reach another trail junction, this one the North Inlet Trail. The Tonohutu Creek trail then proceeds along the eastern edge of the divide toward Ptarmigan Point, affording a nice view down the valley towards Odessa Lake: Ptarmigan Glacier, two unnamed pools, Lake Helene, Two Rivers Lake, and Odessa Lake are all visible below Notchtop Mountain.
The trail undulates a bit then turns almost due north near Ptarmigan Point. I headed off the trail, down the gently sloping tundra more or less in the direction of Snowdrift Peak in the distance. The mountain slopes gently at first but steadily becomes steeper and before long the lake comes into sight. I was expecting to descend a talus slope but it was almost entirely tundra. The descent is about 800 vertical feet from where I left the trail and it happens in a very short distance.
I set up the camera for the time lapse and ate my lunch. I wanted to stay for an hour, both to get a nice long video and to rest up for the steep climb back to the trail but I didn’t like the looks of the darkening clouds. After about 40 minutes I packed up, headed near the outlet for a quick panorama, then started the steep ascent.
About half way up I turned around to check out the view. I could now see Snowdrift lake to the west. I was about to take a picture, but the wind kicked up rather fiercely and nearly blew me over. It was so strong, in fact, that it made the steep climb much easier. I quit zig-zagging my way up the slope and headed in the same direction as the wind and was onto nearly level ground in no time.
Then the snow started coming down. “Coming down” isn’t exactly correct – it was coming sideways. In no time visibility to the north was very limited. Hallett Peak was just a silhouette and the peaks beyond it were totally obscured. Meanwhile, the Mummy range to the northeast was still bathed in bright sunshine. The blizzard continued for about a half hour, much to my chagrin. I was dressed in my usual hiking uniform of Hawaiian shirt and shorts (plus a windbreaker).
The weather finally broke when I started down the east side of Flattop. There I found a group of ptarmigans grazing in the tundra. (What’s the group name for ptarmigan? A pton?) They were conveniently working their way across the trail when I arrived and didn’t seem too bothered by me.
The remainder of the hike was under mostly clear, blue skies and the wind died down to a gentle breeze. Hard to believe I was experiencing such wintry conditions just a short while before.
Here’s the obligatory time lapse. It includes a short sequence filmed at Emerald Lake overlook on the way up and another from Dream Lake overlook on the way down. Yes, the weather varies that much in just a few hours on the continental divide!
Always an interesting and eclectic mix of cars at the Lafayette Cars & Coffee. As usual, exotics were in abundance and hot rods and muscle cars were the exception.
This beautiful Ford GT in iconic Gulf colors caught my eye. There was also a replica of a Ford GT-40 in red.
The car that drew the most attention was the Ferrari F40. It always had a crowd around it and I couldn’t get a nice picture of it until the owner moved it from the middle of the parking lot into a single space.
In the Lotus department, I counted five Elises, two Exiges, and an Elite. There may have been a Caterham or two as well. We generally manage to line up at least two or three in a row but not today.
Today was the first time I used the SLR since having it cleaned. Wow! It’s like a brand new camera.
The Bowen-Baker trailhead is about eight miles north of the west side entrance station. The small parking lot is just a few yards off the highway. A dirt road crosses the broad, flat valley where there is parking for a dozen or so vehicles. I parked in the paved parking lot; didn’t even consider driving farther. I was here last spring and the gate was closed, the road flooded with 4-6 inches of water.
After less than a mile of hiking, the trail leaves the park and enters the Never Summer Wilderness. The trail initially follows the stream but before long climbs the north side of the valley. Soon you reach a place where the trail was washed out last spring in a flash flood. A small alluvial fan lies a few yards below the trail. It’s not clear to me what caused the flood. There’s a small trickle of water that flows down the mountain here, but it’s not even big enough that when the trail was repaired any culvert or pipe was put in place.
The trail continues up the valley, far enough up the hillside that the stream is out of earshot. The climb is steady, but not steep. In the more forested parts, the trail is often free of roots and rocks, making for very easy walking. The view of the area opens when crossing a tumble of talus. Above you can make out the scar of the Grand Ditch. A view of the south side of the valley is presented. Avalanche zones are obvious – in places, I figure any standing trees to be less than thirty years old, judging by the size of growth in the burned areas on the Ouzel Lake trail in Wild Basin.
After passing through another stretch of forested trail, the trees again thin out. This is an avalanche zone on this side of the valley. Many trees are no longer standing straight up, but are canted at angles downhill. Other trees were recently snapped off about six feet above ground. I’m guessing much of this damage occurred last spring. From the views, it’s obvious that avalanches are a not uncommon occurrence up and down this valley.
The trail continues to climb, perhaps a bit more steeply now, until it reaches the Grand Ditch. The ditch reminds me of the Highline Canal in the Denver suburbs, capable of carrying quite a bit of water with a dirt service road running along side it. The trail continues on the other side of the ditch about a hundred yards to the west. There’s a simple twin log bridge spanning the ditch, but neither this summer nor last spring was there any water in it.
A bit farther up the trail the forest again clears revealing a pretty meadow just to the south and giving a nice view of point 12440 to the west and Bowen Mountain (12,524′) to the southwest with its craggy ridge running to the east. In the distance to the east, Long’s Peak stands like an erect nipple above the surrounding terrain. Here there are two streams to cross. At this time of year, you don’t even run the risk of getting wet feet but in spring at peak runoff they may present a bit more of a challenge. Between the stream crossing is a trail junction. To the left is Parika Lake and the Baker Pass trail to the right.
Point 12440 from first stream crossing
Last spring when I attempted this hike, I stopped here for my picnic and went no further. I had gotten a late start and wasn’t feeling all that well and decided that this was a pleasant place to watch the clouds scroll over the pyramid shaped north eastern flank of the unnamed mountain (point 12,440′) and listen to the rushing of the stream. This day, I didn’t pause here. I saw some moose footprints but didn’t see any of the beasties.
At this point the trail starts getting steep, climbing about four hundred feet in a half mile or so, arriving at another meadow. A nice little pond lies a few yards to the north of the trail. After this respite, the next section of trail makes another four hundred foot climb and the hiker is deposited at the eastern shore of Parika Lake. There’s a sign here saying that fires are not allowed past this point, but that prohibition is clearly ignored.
The trail seems to peter out here. I startled a group of marmots who were grazing here, sending them scurrying off to hide in the rocks. Actually, the trail crosses the outlet and continues up the flank of Fairview Mtn (12,246′) , crossing to the saddle between it and Parika Peak (12,392′). This trail is clearly visible from the shore of the lake where I sat and ate my lunch.
Parika Lake sits in a bit of a bowl at about 11,400′. Unlike most alpine lakes in RMNP which are surrounded by craggy, rocky peaks with often stark vertical faces, Parika Lake lies in the arms of tundra covered, (relatively) gently sloping mountains. It isn’t quite above treeline, but there are only a few small clumps of trees in the area.
After my luncheon, I stood on a rock outcropping and watched the family of marmots grazing where I first encountered them. They kept an eye on me as well. My SLR is in the shop for cleaning, so I didn’t have my telephoto lens. My wife’s little digicam has an optical zoom, but it’s not good for scanning for distant quadrupeds. Whether it was their absence or the camera, I didn’t see any goats or sheep or moose or elk. Just the marmots.
The weather was very nice. It was a bit cool when I started (8:15) but with the sunshine and activity I didn’t need a jacket. As the morning progressed, I wondered a bit if I would get any clouds at all. While picnicking and running the camera for the time lapse, the wind kicked up and the clouds began to darken to the point where I decided I didn’t need to sit there for a full hour. By the time I was back to the Baker Pass trail junction, the vaguely threatening clouds had broken up and the remainder of the day featured ideal weather.
Depending on the source, I’ve seen distances between 10.1 and 10.8 miles for this hike, with a vertical climb of about 2,500′. Being as I was parked close to the road, I’ll go with the longer distance. I hit the trail at 8:15 and took a 40 minute break at the lake and a 20 minute break at the trail junction on the way down. I returned to the car at 3:00pm. Even with the longer drive to and from the trailhead, it wasn’t too taxing a day.
From the Denver area, I took I-70 and Berthoud pass on the way there and Trail Ridge Road and US 36 on the way back. A bit over 2 hours in the morning, but given typical Sunday afternoon traffic on I-70 didn’t want to go home that way. By the way, some aspen are already turning on the east side of TRR. Maybe I’ve never paid that much attention, but I don’t recall seing them turn in August. I guess this is one sign of the current drought conditions. Not many are turning, but it’s not limited to a particular area, it’s happening all along the road.
Entries were limited to forty cars. I don’t think the day was fully subscribed, but there might have been thirty or thirty five cars there – three Elises, two red 911s, three or four Miatas, a Mini, a Subaru WRX, the old Mustang that’s on all the CECA flyers, a blue AMX, a handful of Corvettes, a few BMWs, a Sunbeam Tiger, several recent Mustangs (including a 660 hp Cobra) and a supercharged Chrysler 300 (580 hp?), a first gen Viper, and a few others.
As is usual with CECA, we were broken into three groups – Green (novice), Blue (experienced, but new to this track) and Red (experienced). This was my first time here, so I was in the Blue group. According to the schedule, I’d get two morning sessions and an afternoon session. In addition, two open sessions were scheduled for the end of the day. Also as usual, each driver had to volunteer to work a corner, thus missing a session. I signed up for the second session.
The track is 1.4 miles long and shaped a bit like a wire coat hanger – roughly triangular with the access road as the part that hangs on the rod. The long side, though, isn’t straight – it has a chicane to the inside of the track. The facility isn’t really a race track, it’s there for training. The road surface is more like a regular two lane road with a painted center line and is slightly crowned. There are a lot of nasty rocks hidden in the weeds that could cause serious damage if you hit them. Although there aren’t really any elevation changes, there are a few rather extreme humps.
There were four police cars parked near the “tower” where we stood for the drivers meeting. These cars had big steel bumpers attached both front and rear, obviously so the troopers could learn how to do the “PIT maneuver”. The universal feeling was it would be fun to take those cars out and practice that ourselves.
Michael rode with me on my first session. I took the first lap fairly slowly, but even so the humps made me say “Oh shit!” when I went over them. Like bunny hops on a roller coaster, you stomach let you know you were going up and down. In fact, before the session was over Michael said “Dad, I’m not feeling too good” and I had me stop to let him out.
For working the corners, there are no corner stations like at a real track. You just stand by the turn with a couple flags, a fire extinguisher, and a radio. I was at “corner 3” which isn’t really the third turn. It’s a double apex left hander where the access road meets the track. We were positioned at the outside of the turn, which initially made me a bit nervous. I moved us a few feet farther from the track. I was stationed there with Jake, the driver of the yellow Viper. We took turns – one of us held the yellow flag while the other worked the radio.
It was instructive to watch the cars go through this turn. I couldn’t tell where they were braking, as they were coming toward us, but I could tell where they were back on the gas. There is a line painted across the track here, and I noted where each car accelerated in relation to this line. The earliest on the gas every time in this session was the Chrysler. When I went back out, I found I could get on the gas even before he did. I may have been fastest through this turn by the end of the day.
We were stationed there for each group – Red, Blue, Green. During the green session, the blue Elise spun in the middle of the turn. I was working the radio at the time. I told Jake to wave the flag while I called it in – “Control, corner three. The blue Elise spun. Lots of gravel on the track.” It took us a while to decide to suspend the session. I probably should have been quicker about it, but it took me a bit to realize both how big the “gravel” was and how much of it was on the track.
It wasn’t so much gravel as stones, and the stones were those gray angular ones common beside roads. And they were big, maybe as much as a half inch on a side. It was probably three more laps before we had everybody stop. I started sweeping the track while Jake called for more manpower. It took quite a while to clear it all up, even with three other helpers. By lunch time, I had blisters on each hand. Oops.
While I was working the corner, I saw Jerry arrive at the track. If he’d gotten there a minute earlier, he’d have been allowed in but another group of cars was on the track. There was still another group due when he got through. As he passed, I told him to find Michael and that I’d be in after the next session.
In the afternoon, Jerry got to ride twice and Michael had another go. This was the afternoon Blue session and the first open session. The second open session was cancelled, but everybody seemed to get all the time they wanted. As usual, we tended to hang out with the Miata guys. I don’t plan it that way, that’s just how it works out. Also in our little group where the Porsche guys, including Scott whom I met back in December at HPR.
I chatted briefly with the guy in the Chrysler, but he wasn’t too friendly. I should probably say “busy” rather than unfriendly. During one session I ran close to a Mustang. When we got back to the paddock I tracked him down. We nearly said “That was fun!” in unison.
To my pleasant surprise, I was one of the faster cars on the track. The guy in the red Elise was faster, and a white Corvette and the 660 hp Mustang. Somebody else may have passed me, but that was about it. Of course, there were cars I wasn’t on the track with, but still.
Soon I hope to put together a short video of the cars I passed, along with some shots that show cars going over the humps and how their suspensions are working. It won’t be in great detail, but you should get an idea of the suspension movement. I was going over one bump at full throttle in fourth gear. The car was light enough that the revs would go up noticably at the crest. As the day went on, I decided to let off the throttle there, as I sometimes went into the next turn too hot.
All in all, I had a great time and will gladly drive there again next year if it’s on the schedule. I think both Jerry and Michael enjoyed the day.
Today Genae and I went to the 29th annual edition of the Colorado English Motoring Conclave. It is held every year at Oak Park in Arvada. Lotus Colorado had a good turn out, as usual, with a variety of years and models. We briefly said “hi” to a few of the LOCOs before wandering around to look at all the other marques. Everybody asked me where my car was. It was parked on the street, next to another LOCO member who didn’t enter his car.
Organizers expected more than 500 cars there, representing most English marques – Rolls Royce, Bentley, Lotus, Caterham, MG, Austin-Healey, Jaguar, Rover, Mini, Triumph. There was even a Hillman Minx! (There are at least two Minxes in the area; Michael and I saw a different one here last year.)
