The cyclist went over the mountains...

Thoughts while riding my bicycle (Precious) over the Rockies:

Day one, Glenwood Springs to Edwards, 45 miles, average speed 10.4 MPH. Boy, I should have done some training for this ride. Oh yeah, I was going to lose 10 pounds before doing this - yup - would have been easier. Glenwood Canyon is beautiful, out of the canyon - very dry and sunny.

Day two, Edwards to Frisco, over Vail Pass, 42 miles, average speed 8 MPH. Nice bus driver in Vail - no, I didn't cheat and take the bus, he saw us looking for a bike shop (I left my helmet on the train so I had to buy one before we hit the downhill side of Vail Pass) and gave us a deli recommendation. The climb up the pass is tough, but it's all on separated bike path. I can go very slowly without falling over. How slow? 3.2 MPH. I can't take my hands off the handlebars at that speed, but I'm still moving. Down to Frisco rocked, downhill almost all the way.



Day three, Frisco to Idaho Springs, about 50 miles, average speed 8.7 MPH. We had hoped to get all the way to Golden, but called my brother and he picked us up in Idaho Springs. Loveland Pass kicked my tushy. Ouch ouch ouch. 3 1/2 hours to go up, 10 minutes to come down.



And why do Colorado cyclists seem to all be kinda rude? Barely a good morning or hey how 'ya doing? out of them. When my friend Nancy and I ride in the Bay Area with just one pannier each, to carry our lunches and extra clothing, we get so many people asking where we're going, what we're doing etc, that it's funny. We joke that we should just start saying "We're going to Canada." no matter what.

In Colorado we had only two other cyclists ask us where we were going, one was from Wyoming, one was from Idaho I think. The Colorado cyclists just whizzed on by. They are a fit bunch, we figure they must all be training for triathalons or whatever and are in super competitive mode. But brother, when I'm suffering up Loveland Pass at 3.4 MPH and you go by doing 8 or 9, the least you could do is say "hi". No camaraderie of the road. So, kudos to the nice Bay Area cyclists.

This train is bound for...where?

We took Amtrack to Colorado on Thursday 17th and were lucky enough to be on the same train as our friend Josh, who is headed to Britain for grad school - read his blog at: http://web.mac.com/joshuahart



The train was fun, but slow. My sister Kathy picked us up at the Grand Junction train station so we could spend two nights with her and her husband, Chris, and their two girls. The nieces view Rich as an exotic climbing wall, which is fun to watch. We ate, swam in the creek, rode in the pony cart, ate, had a blast, ate some more, played with the girls, and then ate again. Chris is a wonderful cook.



We are headed to Longmont, where my brother Steve and his wife Claire live. My parents are already there, we are all gathering to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. We are getting to Longmont via bicycles over the Rockies. Yes, ouch. That's next.

Adult swim!

Hmm...we thought the kids would like the pool, so why are the adults in the pool and the kids not? Moses and I were chillin' our ankles, Naomi and Owen were happy to throw the toys in. They did go in later.

East Coast Wrap up.

After our time in Boston we went up to New Hampshire to see Moses and Rebecca and the two cutest kids in all of New England. Rich and Moses grew up together in Hingham. Food, talking, trip to the beach, picking veggies and blueberries in the garden, it was a blast.

Then, off to see Craig and Lisa on the farm.



We were a little lazy about photos on this trip, but here is Yankee Village - actually Old Sturbridge Village, but I prefer Yankee Village. I'm a sucker for the living history stuff and the buildings at Old Sturbridge are great.



Favorite New York activities: A bike ride with Naomi, we went out to Orchard Beach, about 45 miles round trip. The guy in the bike rental store was a bit shocked, I don't think his rental bikes ever went further then Central Park before. Blue Pig Ice Cream in Brooklyn, the Doughnut Plant, and the Tenement museum in the Lower East Side. Yum, yum, and wow.



Right after New York we stayed with Jon and Rachael. Because, you know, getting married isn't enough to think about - let's throw some houseguests in the mix the week before. They were wonderful to have us stay and we are so happy for them. Their wedding was the reason for the entire east coast trip, expanding it to three weeks to see all our friends was just another benefit of being un-employed.



Hopped over to the Hartford area next to see Michelle and Alan, who have just moved from Memphis to Conn. How lazy were we with photos? Not one photo of Michelle and Alan or their little dog, Scout. We went tubing on the Farmington River, Alan took the day off work but Michelle couldn't. We told her it was no fun, but we lied. It was great. A really hot day and nothing to do but float down the river with your butt in cold water. Perfect. Again, digging the un-employment.