Family Ski Trip

We're back from a snowy family ski week in Winter Park. Lots of fun.

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving in NM. Hardly had the camera out, but for one sunrise:

Ghost Walking

Saturday project for M and me:

Looks like winter, feels like winter, smells like winter...

Must be winter.

Felt fortunate to ski on a beautiful early November day last week. The sun was out for a while and the picture taking was good. Then the clouds came...

Ski Season

I've been acquiring material for the new season, so I better post up this "Best of 09-10 Ski Season" video before it gets stale.

Where were we?

Pictures have been piling up...

The Sun, the moon, critters and kiddos

Shorter days, cooler nights, the Harvest Moon, and football season. For some reason Fall inspires me to pull out the camera again.

An August sunset:

M gives the "thumbs up" before tearing up a few miles of aspen-lined singletrack:


M smiles by the Yampa River:

We've been seeing this tail-less fox every evening:

Eleven-year-old portrait:

Pigskin:


(A few days past) the Harvest Moon:


The Big Dipper from a moonlight hike at Bobcat Ridge:

Playing under the moon:

Summer Smorgasbord

Smorgasbord: collection containing a variety of sorts of things. So there ya go.

Random dress up night for the girls while watching a baseball game:

Heretofore mentioned baseball game:

Backyard color:

Riding my bike in big circles (photo courtesy of (read: stolen from) the Laramie MTB Series):

M poses in the late evening summer light. Always true, but this summer especially, it's like I can see her growing up right before my very eyes. *sigh*

S smashing a little yellow ball:

And, very few things are as satisfying as picking and eating something delicious off a plant in your backyard:

Ho Hum, More of the Same

Had an opportunity for some more Colorado high-country riding earlier this week. Another day of cool temps, thin air, rain, fast and flowy dirt, rocky and rooty trails, lung-busting climbs, mind-blowing scenery -- who could resist?

This time it was Summit County. I needed to drop the kiddos off in Keystone for their week of parent-free adventure, leaving me with the afternoon for exploring. I was having a hard time narrowing down my list of "must-do" trails, so I attempted to ride them all. (It felt that way, I guess, but I really only scratched the surface). Gold Hill - Peaks - Carter Park - Little French - Colorado Trail. Bit off a little more than I could chew, but c'est la vie.

Transformation of the Colorado landscape. The beetles have changed the forests from green to brown to gray and now (in Summit Co especially) they're logging the dead trees. Makes more room for the wildflowers, I suppose.

A tough week and the culmination of months of bike riding left me feeling a little empty even at the beginning of this ride. Luckily just 90 minutes or so in put me in town where I filled up on some junk food, er, prime endurance fuel, I mean:
Last time I was through these parts I was chasing several hundred other wheels and barely pulled my nose off of the handlebars. So I took a little more time to see the sights this time around:



I didn't bring a watch on this ride, but pretty soon the afternoon showers passed and the sun started sinking low to the west. The nice light brought the camera back out:

This trail has got a section on it like no other I know. Fast, and mostly buttery smooth for miles and miles. A payback for the long climb up the other side. Puts me in an absolutely fantastic frame of mind. Then to slow down and soak in a view like this is icing on the cake.

More Summer Adventures

From a trip to Aspen last week:

Big hill:

Columbines:

Bike-cam:

Z rides:

Skinny trail:

Taking a break out of the rain:

M rides:

Z flies: