2 Degrees Celsius

36 degrees this morning when I finally climbed out of bed. It must be time for cyclocross season! Personally, I prefer summer, but at least cross racing helps dull the pain of the changing seasons, and shortened days. And speaking of cyclocross... the bike is at the painter, and my first color choice was available! You won't be able to miss this bike, and it won't need any reflectors, that's for sure!

It was a nice 3-day weekend for Labor Day, but again, another sign that summer is wrapping up. Good ol' Labor Day... one free day off work, to celebrate the other 355 days a year that we work. I think I'm getting short-changed... No real big plans for the weekend, so I figured it would be a good chance to get out for some mountain biking to change things up, get lost on the local trails, and work on those handling skills. I try not to complain, when I have treasures like this in the "back yard";

I got about 2.5 hours of single track in on Saturday, out riding by myself. 2 and a half hours, and the only people I passed on the entire ride, was a small group at the parking lot for one of the trail-heads I rolled through. No complaints there. That evening I did the responsible thing, and refueled in the proper manor; Several weeks back, Randy hooked me up with a fine choice from the Avery Brewery. It's been a couple days, so I don't remember much detail, but I do remember that it was a delicious, and very drinkable Belgian Style Ale. Not overly complex, but very enjoyable - the glass was empty well before I was ready for it to be.

Sunday Craig came up, and it was just the two of us, off for some more mountain biking. The view along the ridge...

...on our way to Eldora;

The rain showers stayed just far enough away, and we took in a solid 24 miles of trail riding. And managed to run into only about 6 riders total. By the end of the day, I was finally starting to feel that nice mountain bike rhythm coming back to the mind and body.

Monday Jessica and I went into "civilization" for a bit. For some reason the college kids were in full-force. Maybe because their parents were in town to take advantage of combining a visit with the CU/CSU football game this weekend. One of the high lights had to be this pair of hipsters that I managed to catch out in the wild. No doubt they have read some sort of CU orientation packet on how to be the best hipster you can be. I especially like the "tight enough to sterilize, culottes" that they are sporting. But now that I think of it... maybe some sterilization is a good thing...

And as for a Clarence update... that crazy cat is feeling right at home in his new house. He's the typical kitten, insanely curious, and wants to play pretty much non-stop. Well, except for when he stops to relax in the window, and keep an eye on any new visitors that may want to stop by and pet him.