RIDE LONG AND SMILE

I normally get a bad feeling when I know I'm going to get rained on, especially when it's only about 40 degrees and I'll be riding into the dark.  But the day of this picture I was surprisingly okay with it.  I treated it as a character-building day and just kept riding.  I can't let a little bad weather get in the way of a fun ride!  It was totally worth it.  At the end of the ride I met up with everyone at the track and took pictures  below.

Hanging Lake, CO

I feel very fortunate that I have so much to be thankful for.  I have a wonderful wife, great family and friends, my health, and a nice new home.    I enjoyed a relaxing hike today with family and pups.  When walking on ice you must be sure not to get your tongue stuck ... because people will laugh at you! There was fresh ice on the beaver ponds that made an amazing display of shapes.  Ice makes such interesting shapes and structures.

This is what happens to a 130 psi tire hitting a 1/2" to 3/4" bump at about 20 mph.  Crazy!  Make sure you air up those tires before your next ride.

St. Elmo , CO.  1906 ... I mean 2006.

This weekend I had a once in a lifetime experience.  With rather short notice I went from having the regular weekend plans to having mammoth plans.  On Friday I got the invitation from my wife to join her in Snowmass where there was a major discovery of multiple ice-age animals that are very well preserved.  On Saturday I helped at the dig site and personally found about a half-dozen bones from a mastodon!  The most impressive was the atlas bone (the bone that connects the head to the rest of the spine), which was about 16" to 20" across.  There were bones almost popping out of the ground.  It was quite incredible. Today I went for a hike at the base of the elusive Maroon Bells.  They are elusive for me anyways.  I have been meaning to see them for years and I always seem to miss them.  This time they were hidden in the falling snow.  This was the best shot I was able to get of them. My favorite shot of the day was of some Mallar...

I entered, and I lived.

I love the mountain bike rides when I see more animals than people along the trail.

  It is amazing what is in simple light that we do not see.  It is also amazing what photo editing software can do.  This was just a picture of a "white" wall in my study with normal incandescent bulb.  A tweak here and a mod there and boom, I have an eerie picture that is fitting for this Halloween weekend! Be safe out there and take some pictures!

With cross season being in full swing I thought I would post one of my favorite pictures from a couple of years ago.  It is a nicely framed shot of Travis Brown crushing the Open/Pro field at Boulder Reservoir.  And yes, he is rocking the Gates belt drive single speed.  I think he was lapping the guy in the background, but with thighs like T-Brown's it's no wonder where he gets his speed.  I think he gets his skills from his beard.  A wise man once said, "Fear the Beard!"

This weekend my brother came out for a visit. It was great to see him and talk about guy stuff like cars and motorcycles and to just get caught up. We also went on a hike up in Rocky Mountain National Park. We tried a different trail than some of the popular ones since it can be a bit of a zoo on beautiful fall days like we had. In an effort to avoid the crowds we also unfortunately missed the grand vistas that RMNP is noted for. It was still a beautiful day and it allowed me to focus on the beauty in some of the other gifts nature provides. We saw the herds of elk surrounded by herds of people. But we also saw a lonely mallard trying to gobble up as much food as he could before heading to a warmer climate. The leaves blanketed the rocks in a polka-dot pattern. I was able to place the camera under leaves that were close to the ground to get a different perspective. The grasses looked very soft and soothing. It was a relaxing hike and it is always good to get away from the masses...

One thing I love about the fall is the ability to get out on some night rides without having to actually stay up late. It so so quiet and peaceful and I almost always have the trails to myself. I like starting off with just a little light left to enjoy the sunset and the way my senses are heightened at that time of day. I can feel my lungs fill with cool crisp air, I can see glimpses of mice as they scurry away from my light, I can hear birds bedding down for the night, and I can smell the impending dew. It feels like I have energy to burn so I can motor along at hyper-speed and the rest of the world outside of my beam of light fades away. The cool damp air that the fills the low-lying areas makes me feel refreshed. Wanna go on a night ride?

I think the valley that Gothic lies in is one of the prettiest in Colorado ... at least when the leaves are changing. On a nice crisp morning the aspen leaves sounded as though they were shivering in the gentle breeze. It was rather ironic that the sun appeared to be setting them on fire.

A teammate enjoying the Aspen. The misses ripping it down hill towards treeline. Me catching a solid 2 inches of air.

The moon cast a nice glow on the mountains and with a long exposure you can see a bit of a star path. the really bright one on the right is actually Jupiter.

We had a great trip to Crested Butte over the weekend. The leaves were almost at their prime and there wasn't a cloud in the sky the entire time. It was beautiful! These are 4 of my favorite scenic shots from the trip.

I often see people talking on cell phones when walking their dogs. They are basically ignoring their dog and missing a great opportunity to bond and witness the joy that dogs find in simple things like running. Dogs have an ability to jump into life with all fours and fully experience their surroundings. We should all be so carefree!

I had a great ride yesterday for the inaugural Colorado Crooked Roubaix. Most people did ride with traditional road bikes, but I opted for the comfort of the Fargo. The stability and traction on the decents made it worth carrying the extra weight of the big tires. I think I sold a couple people on the versatility, comfort, and all-around greatness of the Fargo. The ride started in chilly 25 degree weather at 7:00 in Winter Park. It eventually warmed to a rather pleasant 60. If you are up for a long day in the saddle with a lot of gravel then I would definitely recommend this ride. It is very scenic and it is nice to get off the beaten path. The colors were just beginning to turn. I think next weekend in Crested Butte is going to be spectacular! There were 150 riders on the loop, but I was actually rarely riding with anyone. It provided for few distractions from the scenery.