Triple Bypass

Mark and I got up at 4 am yesterday to get to the start of the Triple Bypass cycling ride which started in Bergen Park. We picked up Jeff a rowing buddy of Mark's on the way. We began the ride at 5:50 am and arrived in Avon at 3:50 pm. This was a good time for us. There are aid stations along the route for food and bathroom breaks. We did not spend a lot of time at the stations. The views are terrific. The first great vista as we were climbing Squaw Pass prompted Mark to say, "This is the second best thing I have seen today, after waking up by you." I love him. The climbing is long and slow, the descents are fast, sometimes very fast. My top speed was 38.5 miles and hour. I enjoy the speed, however several of the descents had strong cross winds which blow one about. I am not fond of them. We we got to Copper Mountain we had a bit of rain which we were able to ride out of. Then a bit of sprinkling when we were in Vail. We arrived at Avon sooner that we thought we would. We had made arrangements to return to our car via the shuttle at 8 pm. Fortunately we were able to get on the 5 pm shuttle which was great especially since it started pouring rain right at 5. My thighs are a bit sore this morning, otherwise I feel great.

I talked with my mother wishing her a Happy Birthday. She is seventy one today and says "I feel just like I am only seventy." My nephew Josh is 30 today. They are all going out to Dave's BBQ in Tulsa. There will be about 26 of them. They like this place because it has a balcony area that they can have for themselves. I got to attend this last year. They serve the food on trashcan lids.

I am going to buy an i Phone today, pull some weeds, then off to a rowing club party. Mark's crew of 8 has won the national title these past two years. They did not enter the race this year so the are having a party one last time with the huge trophy before the ship it off to this year's winner.

I have been enjoying watching the Tour de France. I have not seen a lot of it this year. The intrigue is great with Lance and Contador being 2nd and 3rd places and being on the same team. It is likely to continue to get interesting.

I need to call a bee keeper to come and collect the bee hive that has started on our west balcony. The bees swarmed there about a month ago. I thought they were just resting. They decided to stay and build the hive. It is completely in the open which surprised me. I like the bees but their home is in an inconvenient spot. We like to sit on this balcony and eat. The bees do not bother us but they tend to go for whatever we are eating and that is a recipe for disaster.

The long drive back to Denver

Mark and I met Mark and Kristin at Relish a newer restaurant in Breckenridge that was recommended by a friend. When our waiter Sam arrived at our table I asked him about his being at this place instead of our favorite restaurant Cafe Alpine. He let us know he switched when the owner of Cafe Alpine decided to close the place. This was a shock. It was the best place in Breckenridge and Mark and I loved eating there. The owner paid off all of his debt and decided to go into the consulting business to help other restaurants be successful. He said the landlord of the place was hard to deal with. We were sad to here this news. The sous chef from Cafe Alpine opened Relish so we knew we were in for a treat. The food at Relish is great. So now I suppose this is our favorite place in Breck, although we have another new place to try called Modis.

Mark and I got up late, 8 am this morning so we did a smaller ride. We rode from Breckenridge around Lake Dillion and back, so only 36 miles. The weather was cool and we again had a tailwind riding back to Breckenridge. A rare event and two days in a row. We had seen a new bike trail just over the top of Swan Mountain and decided to explore it. I was a short climb and then a long decent through blooming mountain meadows to Lake Dillion. Definitely a great find and one we will bike again.

The traffic on Sundays from the mountains can be quite heavy and today it was worse than usual. The stop and go traffic started on the west side of the Eisenhower Tunnel which is about 80 miles from Denver. When we finally got to the tunnel the siren went off and the tunnel was closed for about 10-15 minutes. We are not sure why that happened. Mark and I know all of the side roads off of I-70 so when we got to the first exit that we could get off that parking lot we did. I love the side roads because the landscape is beautiful and the road is mostly quiet. Of course we are not the only locals who know this trick so we had some company. The trip that usually takes an 1 1/2-2 hours took 2 1/2 hours. It was slower however I love those back roads. It rained on us before getting home. They say that Breckenridge has had more rain this year than they have had since 1870. Everything is green.

Percy our blue front Amazon Parrot is singing because he is happy we are back.

Cycling from Breckenridge to Vail and back

Mark and I had a great ride today. The trip is 73 miles and we climbed 4200 vertical feet. The weather was beautiful although it rained when we got back to the car. It is cool in the mountains and will likely be a bit chilly when we watch the fireworks after dinner. I saw a red fox running down the road in from of the cabin last night and a white crowned sparrow in town. Mark is ready to head to town so we can find a parking spot and get to dinner on time to meet his rowing buddy Mark and his wife Kristin. So off we go.

Fourth of July weekend in the Mountains

Mark and I drove to the our cabin last night. The traffic was lighter than we expected and moved well the entire way. It often gets jammed up on the weekends. I bought a new grill for the cabin at a silent auction fundraiser for Voz y Corazon the suicide prevention program MHCD has for latina teenagers. Latina teens are at the highest risk for suicide in Denver. The girls helped design that program and wanted a safe place to talk about whatever they wanted. We have professional artists, including Dwight Davidson, teaching the girls different forms of art. They talk about everything in these art spaces. Our clinical staff work with the girls around choosing life and teach them how to intervene with their friends who are talking about killing themselves.

Mark had to slightly dismantle the grill so it would fit in his car for the trip. The weather was great as the light dimmed over the mountains last night. He put the grill back together while I put food away in the kitchen for the weekend. We watched the first episode of the second season of Battlestar Galactica before heading to bed. It rained hard last night and has been threatening rain all morning. So we are reading and relaxing at the cabin instead of our original plan of riding the 70 miles from Breckenridge to Vail and back.

Bemrose creek is at the edge of our property and is running high. We have had a lot of rain this year and I have never seen the mountains this green. It is great. There are warblers singing all around this morning as I sit on the deck writing this blog. We see three mountains from the deck, Mt. Lincoln which is east of the continental divide, North Star peak, on the divided and Mount Quandry west of the divide where our cabin is. Each still has snow. Heart shaped Arnica is blooming on the property, along with several types of legumes. This should be a good year for mushrooms. We have about 20 types that grow. One is the size of a pie and the animals love it.