Spring

It's another ridiculously nice day here in Fort Collins. The second in a row with 70+ (F) temperatures. It's positively vernal. I'm back from a somewhat muddy lunch hour run on my regular route, and the ponds that were completely iced over just two days ago are clear. I even saw a snapping turtle sunning itself on a half-submerged log. Meanwhile at Joe Wright, just an hour west of here up Highway 14, we've got a well above average snowpack that should provide for a long Spring ski season.

Lee Martinez Park, my trailhead, is one of the top features of Fort Collins. It butts right up against the Northwest corner of downtown adjacent to the Cache la Poudre River. Upstream are a series of City natural areas, and an ambitious trail system that may eventually reach the mouth of the Poudre Canyon some 20 miles to the NW. As you can see in the Google (and DigitalGlobe) imagery, the Poudre River Corridor and Lee Martinez Park bring a bit of the wild right into the heart of the city. We're really fortunate that undeveloped land remains on the edge of Fort Collins, and it seems like much of it to the NW might be preserved. Southwards, towards Denver, it's a lost cause.

Another nice springtime feature of Fort Collins is the New Belgium Brewery's Biere de Mars. I don't think it's quite as spicy as it was back in the day, but it's still one of the most unique and gamey mass-produced beers on the market. As far as I'm concerned, March on the Front Range could go on forever.