Biking, Mt Evans

Greg on his mountain bike

Hello on this Tuesday afternoon, the first day of summer. Hope all are doing well and life is treating you good. I just got in from a bike ride and sat down with my ice tea and laptop.

Earlier today I took a drive up to Mt Evans; however, when I got the the turn-off, a sign said that the road was closed. Today was free access day, so I thought I would get in free, but to no avail. I guess the snow the mountains got yesterday was too much to keep the road open. I should have known it would take a while to re-open. I had a nice drive anyway and enjoy those kinds of day drives to locations around our great state of Colorado.

On my bike ride, I conquered the ‘Windsor hill’, a .4 of a mile hill near the town of Windsor. I have tried it 3 times on my mountain bike and have made it 3 times. It is a good warm up for the rest of the ride. After topping out I pedal on towards the Wal-mart distribution center about 4 miles away. So in total, I went about 8 miles today. The other day as I was topping the hill, I looked over to my left and a road biker was also just topping the hill. I said ‘Hi’ and went on. It is more difficult to reach the top on a road bike, the last time I tried this hill with my road bike, I had to get off and walk it to the top.

"Windsor Hill"

That reminds me of the last time I drove the the summit of Mt Evans. There were a group of about 50 -100 bikers all pedaling their way to the summit. None of them had mountain bikes they all were riding road bikes, what we used to call 10 speeds. When I got to the top in my car, I asked one of them where they were from – Boulder. Boulder, Colorado is one of the biking capitals of the United States. These bikers were in such great shape. They were some of the best conditioned athletes in the world. I have a challenging time walking three steps at that altitude, let alone biking for 15 miles, all above timberline. The Mt Evans summit is 14,264 feet in elevation or about 4348 meters.

For my next ride, I will check out the Poudre River Trail to see if it is open. Sections of it may be accessible for riding.

7 things to do instead of following pro football this year.

So what’s up with the NFL lockout? Are the players and owners any closer to an agreement? It has been going on now for over two months, and I don’t know if either side is any closer to the kind of understanding necessary for the 2011 season to be played. Anyway, I hope and pray that they resolve the situation soon. After all, what could the owners possibly want that they have not had up until now? New stadiums, a great fan base, with most of the games being sold out each week. It seems as thought the owners have enough money to contract with a few star players, several millions of dollars each season. One thing that had been mentioned about the owners was free agency for every player regardless of their situation – after three years of playing with a team. I don’t think that is such a bad idea, why don’t they try to get it through negotiations.

Americans are just too hooked on the NFL. It is a part of our culture to watch a football game on Sunday afternoon, and root for our favorite team. A great American pastime. What will all the fans do without football? Let’s try to think of some things we might be able to do instead of watch football on Sunday afternoon:

1. Get outdoors and walk for 30 or more minutes. Exercise is great for the cardiovascular system, increases mental stability and it is always good to be close to God’s creation. Weather it be watching birds, the weather, the trees, the lawns or whatever you see in the great outdoors.
2. You could go for a bicycle ride. Most metropolitan areas have bike trails that are to be utilized by you and me. Get that bicycle out and air up the tires, and get a workout.
3. Learn to cook. Spend some time in the kitchen and bake some cookies. If you are more adventuresome, try a new recipe. This can be a wonderful way to do something enjoyable and have some fun too.
4. Clean house. Every Sunday would be a great time to get your weekly cleaning done. Dust off the furniture, clean the light fixtures, then get out your vacuum cleaner and clean the carpets. It is good for a carpet to be vacuumed often. Next you may want to give your kitchen a clean over. Wash and dry all dishes and utensils in the sink, clean the sink, clean the counters, spot clean the top of the stove, mop the floor, organize the refrigerator, dust off the top of the refrigerator. There are all kinds of things to clean in a kitchen, and in a home in general.
5. Just relax and spend your time doing something you enjoy. Reading magazines or a good book, taking a nap, spending quality time with your spouse or loved one. Utilize the telephone to call someone in your family, near or far.
6. Get interested in another sport. Fall is for baseball. MLB has it’s play-offs and World Series in September and October. Maybe your area has a pro baseball team you can follow. Baseball is not all that boring. There is a lot going on during a game. The pitching and batting are the focus of a game. The pitcher throws the ball, tries to get the batter to strike out. He may throw a fastball, curve ball, splitter, slider, or a knuckle ball. The batter has practiced hitting these kinds of pitches. His goal is to get a base hit and get on base. Anything more is icing on the cake. There is the occasional home run, home run with runners on base, and once in a great while a grand slam – a home run with the bases loaded.
7. Follow college football. This can be more exciting than the pro-football season. College fans are very loyal and get real excited about their team. The plays are just as exciting as pro ball. There are the awesome catches, fabulous runs, and great tackles. There is also the Heisman trophy that is awarded to the most outstanding college football player. Some people argue that college football should have a play-off system like it’s pro counterpart. I think the bowl games and voting system is just fine for college football and nothing should change.

What ever you decide to do instead of follow pro football this year, enjoy yourself and stay safe in all that you do.

Congratulations to The Colorado Rapids Soccer Team!

The Colorado Rapids have won  their first Major League soccer championship! 2-1 Way To Go!!!

Own goal in overtime lifts Rapids to first MLS Cup – Soccer – SI.com.

Loss of a great One

May the Lord God be with the Cincinnati Bengals today. He was much too young to leave us. The NFL seems to have quite an incidence of mishaps. My motto is ‘Moderation’.