RIDE LONG AND SMILE

  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?