After getting his first two-wheeler at the age of eight, young Denverite, Patrick Brown began a lifelong passion for cycling. Today, a full-grown adult and the manager of Twist & Shout Records, Patrick does not own a car and relies strictly on what he calls a “basic Trek” for transportation. In fact, he loves to pedal so much that he’s even riding the 71 mile long High Line Canal and documenting it on his blog, I Know Pat Brown. We spoke with Patrick to find out what brings him back to the Canal again and again and asked him to share his thoughts with us about it.

I love the mix of urban and rural that the High Line brings to the city. At times you can be right in a middle of a densely populated area and yet feel almost like you’re out in the country

Q: So you are documenting your rides along the Canal. Where have you been so far?
A: I’ve ridden the entirety of the continuous section of the trail in pieces at different times, but have only posted about it from Mile 1 to Mile 49 thus far. I rode it a lot this summer and took all the photos and notes. I love the mix of urban and rural that the High Line brings to the city. At times, you can be right in a middle of a densely populated area and yet feel almost like you’re out in the country.

Q: Will you do the whole 71 miles?
A: I will post about rides up through Mile 60 where you reach another break in the trail near Environmental Park in Aurora and it sort of dead-ends. But when the weather gets nice again, I may add a post-script about the later miles over by Green Valley Ranch.

Q: How are you breaking down your rides?
A: Well, there’s a difference between when I ride for fun and exercise – usually averaging about 35 to 40 miles – and when I ride to document it for the blog. Then, I’m constantly stopping and taking notes and photos. That’s way more time-consuming. So, I tend to only do about 10 miles of the Canal at a time when I’m documenting it (plus whatever distance I have to ride from downtown to get there).

Q: How far is your ride to catch the trail? You like it that much?
A: I live in Congress Park. How far I ride to it depends on what kind of ride I’m doing. The closest point of entry is probably where the Cherry Creek Trail hits it, about 7 1/2 miles from me. But I get on at several points normally. Sometimes I will take the Cherry Creek trail, then cut south across Cook Park to Oneida and jump on around Mile 42, which is closer to 8 miles. Sometimes, I’ll take 12th straight out into Aurora to meet the trail at Chambers (about 10 miles). If I head south, I usually take Clarkson south and jump on around Mile 26 (a little over 10). And if I’m feeling ambitious and know I’ll be doing a long ride that day, I’ll take the Platte south to 470, then up to the Highline and back north or take the Platte north to Sand Creek Trail and then take Sand Creek up to meet the Highline at Airport Blvd. Both of those are long rides though. So yeah, I like it that much. Almost all my longer rides in the city include at least some portion of the ride on the High Line.

Q: Why are you riding and writing about your experience on the Canal?
A: I just think it’s such a lovely and lesser-known trail! I was initially lead to it because I’d intersect with it at different points, ride along the winding curves for a while, get lost and then have to exit to find my way back downtown. Eventually I decided that I wanted to understand exactly what it was and where it went and started doing research about it. After riding it a bunch for a couple of years, I noticed that it always had way less traffic than the Cherry Creek or Platte River Trails and that it was, in parts, far prettier. So I decided I wanted to share that with other cyclists in some form. That’s how the blog series took shape.

Q: Tell us more about your cycling.
A: I don’t own a car, so I rely on my bike and the bike lanes and trail systems of the city to get around everywhere. And since I’ve been riding for a long time, I have pretty good stamina to make super long rides – especially when I’m by myself and don’t have to take someone else into account. But I have to say I’m a good teacher/leader when I’m riding with a friend or a group!

Q: What do you like most about the High Line Canal?
A: Like I said, it’s gorgeous. I don’t think my pictures really capture it as much as I’d like because I mainly take them for functional purposes, i.e.: here’s where you turn, watch out for this sign, etc. I figure that people riding it will discover the beauty of the Canal themselves. And of course, it’s way less crowded than other popular bike trails so there’s an appeal there as well.

Q: What feedback have you received on your blog about riding the Canal?
A: It’s all been very positive. Several friends have ended up going on rides with me or on their own as a result of reading about it and seeing the pictures. I don’t know anyone who ends up riding it who doesn’t love it. And most cyclists I talk to are where I was several years ago. They encounter one leg or another of the Canal. But because it’s not the most practical way to get around the city, they don’t really know much more about it than one small section or a few disconnected parts they’ve been on.

Q: Anything else you’d like to share?
A: I wish I had taken a whole series of photos of it in the fall. In October and early November, it’s stunning – especially in the southern portions like Cherry Hills, Greenwood Village and Littleton. But you don’t see that in any of the pictures since I took them back in June and July. I’d strongly recommend an autumn ride there to anyone who is even remotely interested in riding the High Line Canal.