DOT by Bike and Rail: Commerce City, Thornton and Northglenn

Each loop that I’ve completed on this DOT project has been longer than the one before. I’d like to say that’s because I’m building up stamina and confidence, but actually it’s just that the light rail stations get farther apart as I follow the northernmost curve of the DOT. But also I’m building up stamina and confidence, so the longer distances are still fun. I did pack a lunch for Loop 4 though, because it’s really long and doesn’t pass close by any eateries.

I liked my little bike trunk for the DOT rides, but it wasn’t great for my daily work commute. I ended up replacing it with a plain wire basket big enough to hold my laptop bag, a Thermoflask or two, my lock chain, a light jacket and other accouterments of my workday. The aesthetic isn’t as sleek, but I love the convenience of being able to just toss stuff into the basket and go. I did start using a cargo net over it after my Lexlion tea bottle bounced out on a bump one morning on my way to work and shattered its lid. Little by little, I’m getting the setup all dialed in.

Alas, the Loop 4 ride didn’t run as smoothly as the first three. I waited at the 2nd & Abilene rail station, watching the ETA for the R line get pushed back, a few minutes at a time, over and over, for almost an hour. On my previous outings I had brought a book to read, “just in case,” but I’d never needed it. So of course I didn’t bring one this time, because why carry around extra weight for no reason? Yeah, a book would have been nice while I waited for the train to show up.

It finally did. I took the R to Peoria Station and then the A to Central Park Station. From there I followed the Sand Creek Regional Greenway to where it joined Segment 20 of the DOT, and continued north into Commerce City. The day was already heating up, and I felt a little grumpy about the train delay wasting an hour of cooler morning air.

This section follows Sand Creek through some very urban surroundings, but it’s not terrible.

I like how these underpass support pillars look like a house of mirrors:

It’s prettier from the outside:

I felt like I spent an unreasonably long amount of time pedaling past the Suncor oil refinery, that unrepentant polluter of our local air and water.

Place gives off Mordor vibes.

Eventually Sand Creek joined the South Platte River, against the scenic backdrop of a power plant smokestack. Good old Commerce City.

This dragon mural is almost too pretty to ride on.

As I continued north the trail got nicer. More greenery, more art.

I just realized that not a single photo from Segment 21 made the blog cut. Which is strange, because it’s a very pleasant ride up the Platte River Trail. Guess I was too busy enjoying it to take pics.

Segment 22 was my favorite on this loop, even though I was starting to get tired and was running low on water. I actually left the DOT where it crosses 128th Ave, turned left and rode to the Ziggi’s Coffee on the corner of 128th and Quebec St for a cold fruit-flavored green tea drink to refill my Thermoflask. And then — heresy! — instead of backtracking to where I’d left the DOT, I continued up Quebec St to intercept it where it curved around to the west. So now I technically won’t be able to say I’ve ridden the whole route unless I go back and cover that skipped half-mile of trail.

I stopped at Riverdale Park and stretched out on the grass under the shade of a big tree to rest and cool down. Thanks to the train delay and not having a book to read, my phone battery was getting low. I pulled out my power pack…and realized that the charging cable had somehow not made it from the staging area into my trail bag. So I spent the rest of the ride watching my phone slowly die and not being able to do anything about it. Fortune was not smiling upon me that day, gentle reader.

The trails up in north Thornton and Northglenn are really nice, though. I rode through a park with some random giant concrete animals…

…along the lovely, shady Heritage Trail…

…and past Lake Avery, before coming to the end of Segment 22. Here I left the DOT and rode south to the Eastlake & 124th station on the N line.

The nice thing about the light rail lines that connect to Union Station is that their stations have raised platforms so you can roll your bike or luggage right onto the train. On the R line you have to lug your bike up steep stairs to get it aboard, and it doesn’t have the fancy bike docks with the bungee cords to hold your bike so you can sit down.

There are a couple of big sculptures at the Eastlake and 124th station that I like a lot. “The Muses of Water…

…and Earth.”

I have found Colorado public art displays to be rather hit-and-miss, with, in my opinion, more misses than hits. You won’t hear me say a lot of nice things about Texas, but I will say their public art displays are exceptional. My aesthetic standards got spoiled there. It makes some of the odd abstract nonsense in Colorado seem unnecessary at best, and I’m speaking as someone who believes that the world should be full of good art.

But yeah, those Muse sculptures are very nice. Also saw some cool horse sculptures at the 48th & Brighton National Western Center Station.

Took the N line to Union Station, then transferred to the A and got off at the Peoria Station. Waited a few minutes for the R, but it was running late again, or still. Rather than wait, I decided to ride my bike home from there. By now my phone was dead, so I didn’t have gps to chart the shortest course for me, but I got home with no issues.

Still a very enjoyable ride, and a good opportunity to be the rubber ball.

More to come!