Adventure Travel Photography Blog
This post about Parkfield Lake Park is part of my unpopulated parks in Denver series. As I mentioned in previous articles, I’ve been visiting deserted parks in order to let my energetic dog Annie run around without bothering anyone while I am limited in walking due to knee surgery. The dog walker and my helpful friends can only do so much.
PLAY AT THE PARK!
In my quest to find unpopulated parks around Denver, I selected Aurora Sports Park. I had been there previously to watch my niece’s and nephew’s soccer games and of course the sports fields were packed with people. This summer, however, when we passed by it while riding the High Line Canal, it was empty. As a result, I returned on a weekday morning in hopes to find a deserted park.
PLAY AT THE PARK!
My regular blog followers know that I recently purchased a Mercedes Sprinter, and I am having it converted into a camper van. My drop off date in December can’t come soon enough. I am so excited that I have actually been online shopping for camper van necessities. Anyone that knows me, knows I hate shopping!
Anyway, I’ve been holding back on certain items until after I take VANgo for a test run when it is complete in March. But below are some of the camper van necessities filling my basement while I wait. Tic toc, tic toc….are we there yet? I’m so ready to put all these purchases to use!
As I’m sitting down in my excitement to write about all these camper van necessities, I’m realizing they are hardly exhilerating, fun purchases. But they are needs! And they are things that I had a difficult time finding as I surfed the internet. Hopefully, this summarized list will help others with the time consuming chore of sifting through the black hole of products on the world wide web.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
Being stuck in Colorado for the last nine months due to COVID has encouraged me to explore different areas of Denver and the surrounding metroplex. I’ve already ridden the entire High Line Canal Trail both ways and have found some interesting parks and open spaces. Now I’ve decided to spend more time on the Platte River Trail.
In the past, I have actually ridden the Platte Trail from Sand Creek north to 120th, from Sand Creek south to Confluence Park, and from Confluence Park south to Chatfield Reservoir. As a result, I have covered all of the trail in the surrounding metroplex. That said, I’ve never paid close attention to the parks and attractions along the way..
Today, I changed that as I strolled along the Platte River Trail with my dog Annie. We began at Vanderbilt Park and headed north to Frog Hollow Park for a 5.2 mile roundtrip.
GO FOR A WALK!
This summer I hiked with some friends who called themselves beginner hikers. Over the five days, I was reminded of things I once didn’t know or have since taken for granted as common knowledge. As a result, I’m writing a hiking 101 post covering how to plan hike, what to bring, favorite gear, and other considerations.
My first piece of hiking 101 advice is to make a plan. Everyone on the hike should know the plan and should not rely on the leader. A plan includes a place to hike, a distance to hike, a time to meet, and much more.
Based on weather, location, time, and how I feel, I sift through guidebooks and the AllTrails app to help select the trails I want to hike. I took AllTrails for granted as I thought everyone knew about it. Not so! It is an excellent resource and will work without cell service should you FAVORITE the trail you plan to hike.
GO HIKING!
Post knee surgery, my activities have been limited. While I can sort of handle being cooped up in the house, Annie, my high energy Doberman cannot! Despite hiring a dog walker and having awesome friends who have taken her on hikes, she needs to run.
As a result, I have been scouring Google Maps for less populated Open Spaces and Parks near Denver. Today, I found Prairie Gateway Open Space in Commerce City. What a find!
PLAY AT THE PARK!
Upon the purchase of VANgo, my Sprinter that I’m having built out into a camper van, I thought it would be nice to have another form of transportation. In this case, an electric bike. About the only thing I knew about electric bikes before buying one, was they existed. As a result, I faced a huge learning curve.
Just like regular bikes, there are all sorts of electric bikes on the market. Mountain bikes, cruisers, folding bikes, commuter bikes, fat bikes, cargo bikes and the list goes on. I wanted a bike that would get me from point A to point B easily and comfortably. Additionally, it needed to fit under the bed in my camper.
GO SHOPPING!
Recently I’ve been exploring different parks and open spaces in and around Denver to give my dog Annie a change of scenery. Today I visited Carpio Sanguinette Park, Heron Pond Nature, and Heller Open Space which connect to make up 83 acres.
I selected Carpio Sanguinette Park for a variety of reasons. First, it is only 15 minutes away from my house. Second, based on the map it looked like it featured a large green space with a potential to walk on a natural trail through Heller Open Space. Finally, located in an industrial area, I hoped it would be quiet so Annie had freedom to run.
To my surprise, the area exceeded my hopes and expectations.
PLAY AT THE PARK!
A year ago, I was on my way to the South Pacific via Hawaii. I spent a week on the Big Island, including three days in Hilo. Now that visitors with a COVID check may travel to Hawaii, and Hilo is a popular winter destination, I thought I’d write about things to do in Hilo. Find the list below:
EXPLORE!
One of my favorite “holidays” is Halloween. With COVID, the parties were non-existent and the status of trick-or-treaters was unknown, so I made the most of it with a Halloween hike. I’m thankful my friends Mike and Paula could join me at Matthew/Winters Park. We connected several trails to make a 4.4 mile lollipop loop.
HAPPY HIKING!