PAWS - itive Vibes

NUMBERS:

BIKE - 538mi / 865km

ACTIVITIES - 21

PR's - 4

HOURS - 45

Days Off The Bike - 10 

So fortunate to have this functioning connective River Trail System and very well used by other cyclist, roller blade racers, wheel chair folks, random tandem bikes, and various couples out for a journey through the Valley. We all ride through golden colors of bliss. YES

CYCLING:

Cycling is an attitude adjuster activity and a pretty damn nice endorphin rush while screaming down the Rocky Mountain descents. Been stripping off my pissy pants and settling in on the saddle for mind clearing spins. Started climbing hills because I am a complete lump of room temperature butter when it comes to hill repeats. First time up, cool. Second time up, sucks. Third time, should dismount the bike and walk. And Where Is That Cardiovascular System 

And the horrified facial expressions crack me up. Rode the commuter bike, like I always do, everyone asked if I rode in this morning at 18F / -7C. With my helmet under my arm, I so want to be the worlds biggest dickhead. In my mind I ask, what was your carbon impact this morning? How long did you warm up you car when you are really just warming it up so you don't feel cold? Did you really drive less than 3 miles this morning? Is your car still warm for the commute home or does it need to idle again? And I am the silly one?? Wake Up Humans 

This was a very special moment. I rode past this spot and witnessed this handsome Bald Eagle spreading its wings as it swooped in for a landing on that dead Cottonwood tree. So I spun back around to capture this beautiful sight. Just as I hit that red button on my iPhone, a friend from long ago rang. Stoked 

C19:

The only good news out of this disastrous virus was the opportunity for a ZOOM funeral. If Den would have passed in 2019, All I could say to Rob is that I am thinking of you or other BS statements from this side of the world. But with COVID, the Australian funeral home streamed the whole service and I did feel apart of the ceremony. Without that technology, would have never seen the slide show photos of Dennis from his childhood, would have missed out on all the stories his friends, mates, and co-worked shared, and would have felt really disconnected. 

When the news came in that Dennis was consciously stopping all treatments, I began honoring him. Only took me about 12 days to fill this trash can with empty grog cans. When Robert spoke during the service he said at one point," ...with a can in hand, Dennis would approve." Robert gave a well stated from the heart 3 or 4 page eulogy. Tear jerker for sure but filled with humor as well. Truly amazed how well Robert held up while speaking. Very Impressive Really 

WORK:

Here are some before and after shots of the wonderful outdoor work I was doing before the winter blast hit. I made a quick pit stop before McClure Pass to stretch the low back and shake the legs out. If I didn't stop, would never have seen Team Bambi strolling across the road. 

The forecast for my day, the below photo is task at hand with a weed eater. But before that sucker fired to life, such a peaceful location. I firmly believe that Aspen Trees communicate through their root system, just like James Cameron's movie Avatar. The largest grove of living Aspens are right here in Colorado. Something special about simply standing quietly amongst these living beauties and breathing in the fresh mountain air. 

And afterwards. My job for the day was cutting a path from the main road to this watering hole. The path was actually a road from way back when thats been barricaded for decades to any thought 4x4 action. With the right tunes dancing through my earbuds and short safety meetings, cleaned up rather nicely.

This little watering hole is stunningly gorgeous and I am rather luck to have this as a back drop while I worked. The clear water is provided by mountain snow run off and trickled down into each separate beaver lake/lodge habitat. This landscape setting inhabits joy as a majority of the leaves had fallen but these bright orange reddish beauties were still hanging on. Such A Beautiful World 

Another before photo here down below. That tall grass was about hip high and those dormant twigs along the road were awful. If I walked anywhere near those pesky sticks, the weed wacker would damn near fly from my hands. The Sh*T Sucked 

So my day was basically making a medium high pass and following that up with a ground level pass. And of course, its my MO, I worked the road like munching down on a summer time sweet corn on a cob. The job took me all afternoon but I didn't care. Yes, could think of a hundred things that I would rather be doing but work is work and thats way its called WORK. 

Just how cool is manual labor?? I get paid to do this. But on the bright side, my little flask of Makers Mark made it until the end. Another byproduct behind wearing a mask, nobody could smell my breath at 11am. 

And after a camp stove dinner of noodles, mixed with homemade sauce, fresh streamed broccoli and cauliflower, and a killer organic baby mix salad, I was treated to this sunset. Something about thin air sunsets. The three planets of Venus, Mars, and Saturn popped up first. Then, stars like you couldn't imagine. The Milky Way didn't appear until well after midnight but that gassy cloud was stupendous and astounding all at the same time. When you're gazing up, your mind begins to activate with all kinds of creative avenues. Love That!! What to paint next, landscaping projects, where to ride in 2021. You Know, Night Dreaming 

And the harvest before the storm!! Roasting these beauties and then quickly into an ice bath they go. They are then frozen until later this winter. So looking forward to munching down on these guys around New Years. Loads of harvesting and timing just as the brutal winter weather blast hit. Made It, But Damn 

SNOW:

The week leading up to the storm , winterizing swamp coolers, disconnecting hoses, and pulling in all the house plants from patios, walkways, and front steps. Believe me, I was dead on wrong this storm. The local meteorologist have been miss forecasting storms for years now and boldly stated the Grand Valley was in for 6-8inches of snow. Me, sure!?!? More like two inches of rain at most was my prediction. So Wrong 

They did however miss inform us about the moisture content associated with this front. I only recorded 3.75 inches of snow but it was a very wet snow that fell. Shoveling sidewalks and driveways took a little effort on my part. I have perviously shoveled out a number of older neighbors just because but this time around, passed on two houses. They had put up their Trump flags and Trump Sh*t in September and I happily just walked on by with my shovel. 

After a few brews, swapped out my wet boots for my dry pair and started walking. There is something about the crunching sound of fresh Pow Pow under my boot steps. The air is so still after a storm rolls through and a true sense of peace hovered over my walk-a-bout. So Dig That 

The above photo was shot at 7:11pm and its pretty dark out here in Colorado by then. Our light pollution is unreal!! Ended up taking myself out for another walk around 10pm or so because the streets were so well illuminated. I walked right down the middle of the street like I used to do with The Boy Dog. 

While walking, loads of branches were breaking off because of the weight from all the wet snow adding up. A crack of a limb creates a very distinct sound. There are two full size pick up trucks under that branch in the above photo. At one point, a tree limb from an Elm Tree snapped and crashed down to Mother Earth just ahead of me. The "dust" cloud of snow reminded me of clips from a Loney Tune cartoon. You know, when Wile E. Coyote would fall off a cliff after chasing the elusive road runner. So Cool 

HALLOWEEN:

Well, Halloween Eve shenanigans actually. Our Dr Seuss plans were tossed out the window and I am passing on that Caveman / Cavewomen outing tonight. Last night however, totally righteous!! 

The oldest niece just moved into a really sweet house and hosted a gathering of friends and family for a mini Halloween Eve. I wasn't all that fired up and obviously skeptical with COVID and unknowns but was talked into it. Our plan was to make an appearance and if it was a sitting around the living room style of party, we would split. Another Field Trip 

Turns out, the old roommate that move out so my niece could move, long ago friend of mine. So I ended up knowing almost everyone at the "party" and we all hung out in the backyard for most of the night shooting the Sh*t and reminiscing about past friends, old business we used to frequent, and basic updates in general. Turned out to be a really good group and very respectful. Masks were clearly worn, space was created when sipping brews, and a majority of the group knew each other from daily work interactions or lovers of the friend. 

The Dude & I would socialize for a bit and then we would hop on the decorated bikes for a ride around town. This pattern played out all night and couldn't have worked out any better. Our highly visible bikes were dressed in lights, our bells rang out for anyone and everyone, and our outfits were ideal for the cooler night time temperatures. Yes, top of the parking structure was the site of a few swigs to refresh the core. 

Hungover as all get out, home made bath bagels were under way. I defiantly dropped the ball by not having a proper bloody mary station set up. The fresh brewed coffee was nice but bloodies would have been the veteran move. OOPS

Went with a classic everything bagel and a very tasty salt and lightly fresh crushed garlic. After the yeast became activated, floated four of them at a time in the boiling water for about 55 seconds, coated with the appropriate toppings after a quick egg wash brushing, and then baked off for about 25 minutes. Good Ol Philly Cream Cheese and fresh Smoked Sockeye Salmon waited the oven baked wonders. Turn Out, Oh Baby 

And here is my Blue Moon offering for tonight. Fresh spring water from the mountain spring I stumbled upon and wrote about on September 3rd and topped the mason jar off with a crystal for extra good juju. Serious Blessings Here 

GOALS:

1. Smile With My Heart 
2. Adding Heavier Weight To The Routine 
3. Be Present 
4. Climb Like There Is No Tomorrow 
5. Say Something Nice For No Reason At All 

As the time changes tonight, check on your friends. There is this massive political static charge in the air. Stress is around every corner and stress never judges. It is a fact that heart attacks increase during time changes, car accidents are elevated, and sunsets at 3pm just simply sucks. And on top of that, A Blue Moon happens tonight to encompass the whole wacky freaking Halloween weekend. If you're truly a friend, call and say good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, I am thinking about you and wanted to catch up. Its That Easy

Be Well & Do Better,

CHEERS