Change in Seasons

The season when political animals come out to play is upon us. They can be viewed in their native habitats taking part in the activities for which they are best known; slinging mud and feeding off the fears and hopes of the American public. Yes, I watched the debate on Friday. No, I was not terribly impressed by either candidate. McCain looks old, but guess what, he is. Obama is by far the better speaker of the two, but I want to be wowed damnit!

I golfed this weekend and nobody was injured or severely embarrassed in the process. Our foursome actually played pretty respectable, thanks to some great shots by Joe. I did sink a 25' putt for birdie that made my presence "acceptable" and almost useful. I used to think watching golf on TV made for the best napping, now I know a full morning (and part of the afternoon) out in the sun, whacking the golf ball around makes for an even better nap.

Sunday, Joey Brenner and I headed out for one of our usual death marches . . . a nice leisurely ride in the hills to check out the fall colors. We headed out from his house, rode over High Drive to Evergreen Parkway and Squaw Pass. As expected, the masses were out in full force checking out the scenery as well. I'd venture to guess there was close to the same dollar amount represented in photographic equipment as there was in bicycles on the road throughout the state on Sunday.

I caught some pictures with my limited equipment, a whopping 2-megapixel camera on the Blackberry. Unfortunately the best scenery was on the descent from Squaw into Idaho Springs, making it more of a chore to stop, get out the camera, snap a picture and then continue rolling down the hill. I took these pictures and carefully put them together in mosaic fashion, ooooooh, aaaaaaah, artsy.


Here's the ride route. You can see where we bailed on the greater loop including Golden Gate Canyon Road. The weather was threatening at that point and that route would have added a couple hours to the adventure.



We still got in over 94 miles, a lot of climbing, and shared some magical moments. Passing Echo Lake we both noticed how still the lake was, providing a perfect reflection of the mountains that served as the backdrop. While we could not stop to take a picture, we were able to hold hands . . . despite the laughter that ensued, no crashing occurred.