<html><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><blockquote type="cite"><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">I'm more inclined to agree with Jim Wolf, the route should be closed to bikes, and I've submitted that opinion to the forest service. </font></div></blockquote><br><div>Let's make my opinion clear. I'm not opposed to bikes and other vehicles. I drive and ride myself where it is appropriate to do so. And there are plenty of roads and trails in the vicinity of the Cochetopa Hills where people can ride, so there is no negative impact to the bike riding population if one route is set aside for serene, quiet hikes where one is able to think and to see wildlife. </div><div><br></div><div>But in my hike across Colorado this last summer, there were many times I had to jump off the trail for speeding bikes. Several times I saw all the wildlife run out of a valley in response to the whine of motorcycles. Miles of trail were 5 feet wide, eroded 2 feet deep, and nothing but loose rocks and roots, all due to wheeled traffic. And as I looked at the various routes I crossed, I realized that all routes were like this. So why not have one route through Colorado which is decent, enjoyable hiking?</div><div><br></div><div>Are the bikers complaining that they don't like to ride through the kind of damage that bikes wreak? Giving them access to the new route will only cure that problem for a few months, when the new route will become just as bike damaged as the old. </div><div><br></div><div>I'm for having a nice walking trail across Colorado. </div></body></html>