Vacation Day 2

Russ & I got a later start, but it didn't matter since the only time constraint was at 6:30 tonight. Total saddle time was ~5 hrs, total mileage was reasonable, though. Still good to get my body warmed up for the miles coming this week. Today involved a good tour of the area so I'll know where to ride tomorrow and during the week. (Below pictures in reverse order of the ride.) Water skiiers with kite/parachute things. Just prior to this was lunch in San Mateo in a yuppy grocery store (their salad bar was beautiful, but I can't eat salad in the middle of a ride).
Upper crystal Springs reservoir.


Is this Italy? Isn't this sort of what it looks like?

Tonight I visited the local Blockbuster & grocery store. Watched a stupid chick-flick (with Patrick Dempsey), but yes, it was fun. This is vacation!

Question to readers: what should I be for Halloween this year?

Vacation Day 1

Today was loooong. But it was outstanding from beginning to end. The day began by taking an early train to San Francisco...nooo, it started with me putting my bike together at 6 am. Fortunately, it traveled fine and was easy to get together. Once in San Franciso, Russ (my host) and I rode around the eastern portion of SF next to the water, he pointed out all of the cool things to see and it was a nice, leisurely ride.



This is Russ with a dirigible (helium-filled) in the background. It made news, we were lucky to see this vessel flying overhead. The ride took us past the fine arts place (get name) and over the Golden Gate Bridge. There was a great climb on the other side with a vista at the top. The descent down the other side was quite steep--I could smell my brakes burning. We ended up in Sasalito, but not a lot of time to enjoy it.

I really liked the vibe there, and the fruit smoothie from the local ice cream store. The ferry boat ride back to SF was fun, I *heart* ferry boat rides. We got back with time to spare before catching the train home. I had 15 minutes to shower up before Lana picked me up to go to an outdoor concert that was held as a benefit for the Bridge School (Neil Young has connections to it). Lana, Aaron and their random assortment of friends (from college, work, friends of friends), it was a fun group.
Lana is a good friend from CA, but she lived in CO for a couple of years, during which we logged thousands of miles together (sitting next to me in the above pic).

The lineup of bands was wonderful. The first few were ho-hum, but then Death Cab for Cutie came on and the night air was alive with awesome sound.
Everyone agreed that Sarah McLachlan was the performance of the evening.

This was a first for me, being on a lawn during a concert. It was a good thing we were on grass, too. I was so tired from the day (still somewhat tired from the trip out), I laid down, shut my eyes and was in that happy place that involved hearing the music vividly, but being so relaxed there was only a tiny line between being awake and asleep. It felt like summer. A light jacket was almost sufficient for staying warm. Amazing. Got home at 11:45 and had the most restful sleep that I've had in a long, long time.

Things that you don't want to hear...

I should be 1/2 way to San Francisco right now. However, I'm amongst hundreds of people hanging out in the A concourse at DIA. The PA system just said that we're delayed for at least another 1/2 hour because "they're fixing the plane." Terrific. Fortunately, I have 2 days of Wall Street Journals to read, two books and a journal to write in. Oops, and I forgot the booklet explaining all of the Amendments & Referendums (referendi? how is that plural?) so I can cast my ballot from San Fran.

Now that it's officially vacation time, I don't want to use the computer much...except to do such things as blog. The packing process was exhausting, I'm tired and would be very happy to catch some shut eye.

Fortunately Ed (the fish) has a place to stay (with a neighbor...I just started knocking on doors and one neighbor that I don't know was walking through the hall). Is this what it means when they say it takes a village? And, let me remind you, we're talking about the simplest being ever to take care of (with the exception of a sea monkey, maybe).

Back to reading and waiting in style. More updates soon from the land of very steep hills and cool bridges!

Enjoy the sunset...

Isn't this a beautiful sunset? And it was much more beautiful in person. Thought it would be nice to share.

Caved to txt

FYI, I now have a txt plan on my phone. Held out as long as was humanly possible, but it finally seems to make sense. So, ignore everything I've ever said along the lines of "please don't txt me." :)

Birthday #3

This was simply a continuation of birthday #2. There was enough (homemade) chili, beer, chips and cake for many, many more people than who showed up Sunday. In order to help out, I brought home 3/4 of a gallon of beer...and it's going to go flat, soon! What shall I do? It's a crime to let it go to waste, but it's equally as criminal to drink it like water. I love beer, but it must be savored and not squandered. Hmmmm....

"Sorry Ma'am"

Friday I was left (at dusk) waving my arms like a maniac at a bus stop when my bus flew right by without stopping. Upon calling RTD, it appears the bus driver just didn't know he was expected to stop at his designated stop. My tax money pays for this and it costs $4 a ride. The RTD people said, "We're sorry." And they wonder why no one takes public transportation here.

Today the bus that I was on stopped in the *fast* lane on 36 in order for the bus driver to pick up a fallen bike rack. Seemed like an awfully dangerous move, so I felt compelled to asked her about it when we stopped. She explained that when a motorist didn't see the bike rack and ran into it, it caused his SUV to roll three times.

Tomorrow I'm driving.

Birthday #2

The cake has ponies on it...and it tasted just as good as it looks.

Cristienne has always wanted a pinata, so here it is. Isn't it too cute to smash?
Nope, she took some pretty hard swings at the kung-fu panda. A few people later...

He wasn't looking quite so cute.I got a chance to take a few swings. Took a few moments to figure out where the pinata was hanging, though.Seamus helped finish the job. There was candy and ponies inside (Scott provided the fillers).

What a scene, eh?

What a weekend! I'm ready for the week to begin so as to have things slow down just a wee-bit.

Cross Racing, Road Riding, Friends...

This is the weekend of birthdays (more blogging later to include unmentioned details). The girls and I went out for dessert tonight...the time to catch up was so nice. Dessert was particularly good after a simply marvelous day on the bike (actually both of them). The day began with riding a lap of a cross race in Longmont, followed by 3 1/2 hours on the road bike, followed by another lap at Longmont and watching the women's race. It was a full day, but one that I wouldn't have shortened by a moment. And it's necessary to mention the weather: in the 70s, perfect summer weather, but with the beauty and pleasant scents of fall.

Rainy Days

Have I ever mentioned, that behind the possible griping about rain, is my secret happiness when rain comes? Thank goodness for that since today and yesterday were rainy days and would have been tough to bear if there hadn't been outdoor activities. Both days were spent wandering the trails of mountain-like places near Denver with good friends. The fall foliage is so beautiful and there were red leaves covering much of the ground. Gorgeous!

Pictures (hopefully) to come of the fog. Just imagine walking through a cloud with a tree or two growing in it, and there's the picture for ya.This is from a vista point on the Sunday hike. What do you think is out there, through the cloud?

Found on the tag on my tea bag at lunch today (trying to warm up after the hike) was this:

"All love that has not friendship for its base is like a mansion built upon the sand."