Single Speed Cyclocross Boulder Style

Today Kevin had his first cyclocross race of the season here in Boulder. He's riding for the Ridley team, and was suited up in the requisite flashy kit acquired just that morning and customized with his Ride Clean socks. Boulder is one of the few places where you can find a single speed category in a cyclocross race, and for a local race there was an impressive turnout with around 60+ people in most categories.

We had a leisurely ride over to the course from our apartment and got a chance to cheer on a few of Kevin's buddies from work. The course was held at the CU Research Park and consisted of a collection of dirt hills, rocks and single track trails. Not perfect cyclocross, but still fun (and very dusty). The single speeds started behind the cat 3 men, and when I say started behind I mean they took off about 20 seconds after, so what ensued was a mass cluster of single speeders swarming the straggling cat 3 riders.

Here is Kevin focused just before his start.


And catching the cat 3s.


And screaming through the dusty trails.


And wheeling in for what I consider an impressive third place finish.


Looking good post race.


Taking a step back from serious racing is a tough transition to make, but races like this should make it a lot easier. Kevin was all smiles both on the course and afterwards, and bikes are supposed to make you smile so I think he's on the right track.

Next Boulder Series race is October 20th. Stay tuned.

We Love The Resource Center

What do you get when you cross two do-it-yourselfers with a yard full of reclaimed building materials?

Voila!



This is phase one of the construction of our craft cubby, total cost of materials to date $12.00. Stay tuned for more.

The Rattlesnake Ramble (Rumble)

Contrary to popular belief, no rattlesnakes were harmed, or even involved for that matter, at this past weekend's Rattlesnake Ramble. The 4.1 mile "ramble" through the woods was anything but that. Ups, downs, twists, turns, 850 feet of elevation gain mostly in one fell swoop, the Ramble had it all, and Kevin, who trained two days a week over the course of two weeks, bested all but 13 of the impressive array of athletes in attendance.

Looking fresh at the half-way point.


I have been forbidden to post the shirtless photo of Kevin streaking across the finish line (not streaking in the 70's sense mind you) so this fully clothed, post-race (note the very large smile) photo will have to do.


Please note that while Kevin's head appears abnormally large in this photograph, it was only a temporary effect caused by rapid elevation gain. His head has since returned to its normal size.

My Chef Extraordinaire

After fourteen hours and fifteen minutes at the farm this past Friday, I was feeling rather tired. I made my way home, wearily climbed the stairs, opened the door and found a very handsome chef breading and pan frying up some squash which he artfully combined with pasta and tapenade. Did I mention that I'm the luckiest girl in the world?

Garden Plot's Makeover

The place we're renting has a fairly large back yard with an old garden plot that has languished over the past several years covered in a thin layer of wood chips, the weeds taking over in a slow progression. Several weeks after we moved in, the garden plot came to us with a proposition.

Garden Plot: "Please. I need your help. I'm feeling tired, neglected and unattractive, and I think with just a bit of help I could be restored to my formerly vivacious veggie-bearing self."

Melvin: "Hmm... Not to be rude, but you're looking pretty beat."

Garden Plot: Looks dejected

Melvin: "We kid, we kid! We'd love to give you a makeover. You'll need a pretty serious sloughing to bring back that natural glow, but I think we're up to the task."

Garden Plot: (With enthusiasm) "Oh thank you! I promise you won't be disappointed. We'll be making sweeeet salsa together by this time next year."

And so we present to you, Garden Plot's Makeover, Phase Autumn.

Before:


Exfoliation underway:


Edges slightly more manicured, deep cleansing begun:



Stay tuned for the next installment of "Garden Plot's Makeover".

Ouzel Falls

After a bit of a lazy Sunday morning (No we were not at a party in Denver last night. No we did not scale scaffolding to a rooftop slip-and-slide party. No people were not using baby oil to make themselves slip and slide faster. Yes the punch was strong.) we decided that an easy hike was in order. So we headed off to Rocky Mountain National Park yet again to explore a bit of the Wild Basin area in the southeast section of the park. Destination: Ouzel Falls.

After a lovely drive along the Peak to Peak Highway, we arrived at the trailhead to falling rain, flashing lightning and booming thunder. Conveniently parked next to a lighting scarred tree and preferring not to get crispy fried in a similar manner, we decided to wait it out in the car for a bit to see if the storm would pass. Weather out here changes so quickly - I love it.

Thirty minutes later we set out in a steady drizzle. An easy 2.7 miles from the trailhead to the falls, the weather was a perfect accompaniment to our wooded surroundings. I had become accustomed to a generally brownish and dry landscape, so the deluge of green we encountered was a complete thrill.


There were also head scratchers like this.


On the way up, we were treated to periodic glimpses of minor falls, and the sound of rushing water was a constant. On both the way up and the way down, Kevin was determined to get a shot of the trout attempting to jump up the falls. Greenback cutthroat trout, the state fish of Colorado and also listed as threatened on the endangered species list, are trying to make a comeback in this area. While you can catch and keep non-native brook trout, you must release any greenback cutthroat trout you may catch, and signs identifying this fish are posted periodically along the river. Thankfully on the way back down, Kevin was rewarded with a few shots of the jumping fish. Look closely and you can see the little fishy smack dab in the middle of the shot.


We climbed up above the falls to see a bit of the area destroyed by a fire (started by lightning) back in 1978. They say it may take more than a century for recovery to be complete, and clearly the area still appears significantly damaged.


We had noticed the many varieties of mushrooms growing in this area on our way up the trail, and somehow, fifty-some-odd photos later, we're determined to identify at least one edible variety. Here are two of our favorite shots.

Rattlesnake Gulch

Continuing on our pursuit to explore every trail in Colorado, we opted to look a little closer to home. The Eldorado Springs state park is only eight miles from Boulder and offers as much splendor and altitude as anything we've seen in Rocky Mountain National Park.


It took a bit of work to get where we were going, including some full-on rock climbing. Though, it was nothing compared to the climbers we saw on the way in - lead climbing a 1,000' vertical rock face takes a bit more work, but our adventure was equally as exciting.




And once again, Colorado did not disappoint with its wide array of wildlife.


The trail rose sharply up to the ruins of the luxurious Crags Hotel, which only survived for four years, burning down in 1912. The only thing that remained was a bit of foundation and the stones from a large oven where people had placed found artifacts like broken glass, metal pots and rusty nails.


Melissa was so excited, she did a little dance.


After seeing the ruin, we continued our hike up the trail towards a very high railroad pass complete with long, dark tunnels... which Melissa had to explore.


After checking out the train tunnels, we continued around a loop atop the trail to a beautiful view of the continental divide where Kevin levitated 2,000' above the canyon floor.


After exploring the heights of the park, we decided to head back down to the creek to cool our feet. The creek, fed by the Eldorado Springs, offered us a beautifully serene way to end our adventure.


We'll be heading back this way on the 15th so that Kevin can try his hand at trail running. On the way out of the park we saw a poster for the "Rattlesnake Ramble" at Eldorado Springs, which is a 4.1 mile meandering trail run. Should be fun!

New Bike!

I'd call it a success. A few cobbled together bike parts + some elbow grease = smiles all around!