Eads, Colorado sounds like a place I want to visit...

Tuesday, June 26, 2012
I received a note back from Dawna, the town clerk in Eads, Co. regarding my inquiry into their City Park on the Transamerica cycling trail.  I’d written that I wanted to speak to someone about how they’d started their City Park invitation to cyclists to camp and use their pool and showers and what impact, positive or negative, there had been.  I was gathering this information in hopes of using it to build my case for similar parks on my Ohio cycling course.

“Well, actually...they just started camping in the park one day and have been doing it ever since,” she told me.

“You mean the city never voted on it and set it up formally?” I asked, quite surprised.  I couldn’t imagine anything like that happening in any town around here.

“That’s right.  I’ve been here for 21 years and they’ve always used the park.  There’s seldom more than five tents at a time and they kind of check in with the police department...which is across the street...and that’s it,” she said.

I asked her about using the pool, showers, and city retailers and if there were ever any issues.

“They can use the pool and showers for $3...same as the residents and they go to the restaurant and grocery store and spend some money, so that makes us happy.  We’re kind of a small town...only 700 people...so any extra business is good.  And there has never been anything but good experiences,” she concluded.

Kim had told me that the towns providing such services were almost all quite small, and extremely hospitable.  Dawna’s willingness to share information was certainly evidence of that for me.  I can only hope I will get a similar reception from the small towns around Ohio when I approach them with my idea.

For the second workout in a row, I completed 21 workout stations.  The forecast is for more days in the 90’s coming soon and I’d like to put in some killer workouts before it hits.  With Clear Creek all but dried up, I’ll have nowhere to take a refreshing dip on my courses.  It hasn’t rained a lick in the month of June, which is almost over, and all the waterholes are gone.  A year ago I was cursing the constant rain, but the pendulum has swung too far.  Well...there’s still 14,000 gallons in my neighbors’ pool.

Survival Workout: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150.
Calories burned:  600.