Wordless Wednesday

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Back in the Saddle Again

In some respects, my cycling this year may be classified as dismal.

I haven't been commuting to work because the bike path that keeps me off busy roads is still undergoing repairs from last year's flooding. The detours (where there are detours) are not as safe as they could be, and in some places, there are no detours. You get off the bike path where an overpass is closed due to trail damage and emerge on a busy four-lane road in the dark at rush hour with no traffic lights and no way to cross the intersection without just making a run for it. One particular section is supposed to be finished next month. We'll see.

My motto is live to ride another day. I'm not taking crazy risks to pick up extra miles this year. That wasn't the original plan in January, but I've evolved, and I'm actually very happy I did because...


In January, before this year's Ride the Rockies route was released, I was asked to shoot the wedding of my niece in California. That alone put Ride the Rockies in jeopardy because I wasn't sure I could do a big trip in April and then Ride the Rockies in June, from a financial standpoint as well as from a training standpoint. In years when we haven't been able to ride much in April, we have not been as ready as we would have liked to have been for Ride the Rockies. Ride the Rockies is more fun when you're properly trained.


Then in February, the week this year's route was released, my uncle died. Another unplanned trip. This one wasn't as far, but it hit the wallet enough that Ride the Rockies now was officially off the calendar for us. It was a tough and sometimes painful choice, but I needed to be with my family, so no regrets.


One of the benefits of not doing Elephant Rock, Ride the Rockies or the MS-150 in June or the Triple Bypass in July is not being forced to ride in bad weather to be ready for early season rides. We started out with another wet spring, which made early spring training next to non-existent. It didn't stay wet this year, and my beloved garden is paying the price. But we were able to ride more cheerfully, I think, because we could ride when we wanted and where we wanted instead of being required to ride 60 miles per day three times per week, no matter what the weather was like.

This almost makes us want to throw in the towel on organized rides altogether!!! What a joy training has been this year!!!


Now we're just about five weeks from our first MS-150 in another state. Sometimes I'm not sure I'm going to be able to ride 75 miles a day twice in a row, back to back, because I haven't done it yet this year. I haven't even done that many long rides this entire year. A 50-plus miler in frigid January, then another one in uncharacteristically HOT June. All the rest of my training rides this year have been 30 miles or less.

We'll have some big climbs in September, but we'll have oxygen, and I already know from experience I can climb when I can breathe. I may not be fast, but man, I can get up those low-elevation hills! When you've climbed Mount Evans, Trail Ridge Road, Lizard Head Pass and the Grand Mesa with two attempts on Pikes Peak, climbing up to 7,000 feet doesn't feel as difficult a chore, even when you're gaining 4,000 feet in altitude in a relatively short distance.

Thank heavens!


I hadn't been at altitude since last July, a full year, when we tried Vail Pass for the first time this year. I was glad no one I knew would see me climbing because I was so sure I would be mostly walking my bike. I thought I'd have to stop for air about 300 times, and I thought I wouldn't be able to ride more than a tenth of a mile at a time without a rest. I was so embarrassed.

Until I rode.

I had no idea riding six miles up Waterton Canyon on my mountain bike every chance I got this summer would be good training. Truly. I thought I would be the biggest wimp the cycling world has ever seen. I thought Vail Pass would "un-Vail" me again.

I pedaled eight miles up Vail Pass without stopping except to take pictures of an RV fire that blocked the interstate for miles and miles and miles. It felt as if I'd been training on Vail Pass all along. It was not a suffer-fest, and I wasn't miserable the next day.


Curious, I asked The Lizard how I was able to do that.

I had been trying my best to hold his pace for as far as I could in Waterton Canyon two or three times a week. Every single ride, I tried to do better than the previous ride. Sometimes my ride was only a few seconds faster than the previous ride.

I didn't think what I was doing amounted to anything significant. Especially riding only six miles uphill at a really slight grade. You don't even know you're going uphill until you turn around and pick up speed going back down. Or, if you're like me, you can't pedal uphill fast enough to keep the biting flies at bay. Which I still can't. I have the welts to prove it.

The Lizard said that's the best kind of training I could do if I can't be at actual altitude. He said my short sprints are better for me than long, flat commutes because I'm working harder and building power.

Who knew?!?


Next up we attempted to tackle yet another bucket list ride. Since long before I met The Lizard, I've wanted to ride up the Snowmass Road, up the Maroon Creek Road, and up the Castle Creek Road, all in a day. Ever since I met The Lizard, we've wanted to pull off that scenic near-Aspen fete together.

A couple of weeks ago, I took a much-needed day off from work so we could ride the roads without the weekend traffic.

Weather factored in and kept us off two of our climbing destinations, but I climbed 7.5 miles up Maroon Creek road without stopping except for two photos. It didn't feel as difficult as it felt the last time I'd tried. We had to beat the weather on the way down, but we did it. We pedaled up to the base of the most photographed mountains in the country with a single high altitude training ride beneath our jerseys this year. We did it!




We tested my stamina again the following weekend by pedaling up the dirt roads of Cimarron that typically enchant us every autumn.

Once again, I went uphill at altitude for 7.5 miles, not non-stop, but certainly not wimpy, either. I even pedaled up three short but very steep pitches without stopping until I got to the top of each. Completely out of breath and guzzling my herbal tea. But I pedaled about an eighth of a mile up a dusty, hungry biting fly-studded 15% grade without stopping! I couldn't do that when I was commuting four or five days a week and training on Deer Creek Canyon ever single weekend!




This leads The Lizard and I both to believe perhaps at this age it's okay to take a bit of a break and train for fun instead of being under pressure. I'm doing okay, and I feel confident for next month's challenge. My saddle may hurt a bit after the second day, but I think I'm going to be able to do this ride, and do it well!

Ride on, Team Snowcatcher! Ride on!

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Snowflake Monday

This is yet another of the snowflakes I worked up to fill the top of my snowflake lamp. I created a rock using the same pattern during a recent trip to Aspen, where we rode up the Maroon Creek road for some new (to us) high altitude training. One of the intersecting roads is Thunder Bowl. That is such a cool name, I decided it could be the name of my snowflake.

And no, I didn't notice the spider on the sunflower until I uploaded the photo!

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!


Finished Size: 2.5 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, water soluble school glue or desired stiffener, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line

Thunder Bowl Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in ring, * ch 3, 2 dc in ring; repeat from * around 5 times; ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 sp of Round. Don't pull magic ring too tight.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.

Round 2: 2 sc over post of dc directly below, * ch 3, 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook (sc picot made), 2 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 6, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook (dc picot made), ch 5, 1 sc in 5th ch from hook (tip picot made), ch 3, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook (dc picot made), ch 3, 2 sc in same ch 3 sp; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last 2 sc of final repeat; sl st in starting sc; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.

If using glue, mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture or desired stiffener. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.

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Friday Funny

Although I may not go see the latest Star Trek movie on principal, I do care about what they do with the role of Chekov. I liked Robin Curtis better than Kirstie Alley in the role of SLieutenant Saavik, but Anton... man, did he ever own that role! (No disrespect to Walter Koenig. He mastered his role, too.) I'm not so sure Anton Yelchin should be replaced, but I don't want him to be killed off, either.

Killing Data in Next Generation was AWFUL, even if a less-than perfect clone exists! Killing Spock's mom, David Marcus, Christopher Pike, Miramanee...
Tasha Yar... well, she wanted to leave the show, so that's different. Plus, she came back.

Don't even get me started on original series storylines that should have been continued in the reboots ("Lights of Zetar", "Spock's Brain", "The World is Hollow and I have Touched the Sky", "I, Mudd", "The Cloud Minders", etc.), perhaps instead of the reboots... But that's off-topic.

Comments to a recent speculative new story provide some better Chekov ideas than I think JJ and crew are capable of conjuring. And sometimes, just plain funny.

"You can't just kill him off. He doesn't wear a red uniform." - John

"I think Lens Flare Boy's lens flares have seared his brains." - Sky

"I think the best scenario is to not kill Chekov, as he didn't 'die' in any other canon Trek film. Abrams knows this, so killing the character seems unnecessary and offensive. Promote him, transfer him. This isn't a sitcom, or a prime time cable show, where they have to 'kill' characters off. He was promoted in film. Promote him off, or recast the role.

"Abrams, either pay attention, or step down from the director's chair. Don't ruin a good franchise (more than you already have)." - Christopher

"While I like and admire Mr. Yelchin's work and mourn his passing, I don't think retiring the character is a good idea. Using Abrams' reasoning, the roles of Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelly) and Scotty (James Doohan) should be retired due to the passing of the actors who created each of those iconic characters. Actors pass away, but fictional characters do not. I don't think even Mr. Yelchin would approve of this. Star Trek already got a black eye earlier this year when it was disclosed it depicts Mr. Sulu as gay in the latest movie. This over the strenuous objections of George Takei, the man who created the character and who happens to be openly gay. The character as created should be respected. Actors of course can interpret a role, but the basics of the creation should stay intact. The memory of Mr. Yelchin may be honored in may ways, and destroying his character is needless." - Moondoggie5

"The best way to handle Chekov is following something from Star Trek 2: Wrath of Khan. In Star Trek 2, Spock was Captain of the Enterprise, Kirk is Admiral, Scotty and Uhura kept their same positions, but Sulu and Chekov were no longer part of the Enterprise's crew. Sulu was temporarily assigned as navigator for the live training mission. Chekov was First Officer onboard the U.S.S. Reliant.

"The best scenario for Chekov is to push up his time table for promotion and have him an officer on another ship, like the Reliant under Cpt. Terrell. Under that condition, Chekov is gone from the crew, but his role can be recast if the character crosses paths with the Enterprise again." - LBX Zero

"There is a wonderful opportunity here - write the character off by sending him thru some sort of time slip causing the character to become an old man, and have Walter Koenig play him in the next movie. This would have many benefits - it would honor the character performance Mr Yelchin brought to the role, it would be a cheap thrill for the ST:TOS fans, it would give Mr Koenig a chance to play the role one more time (forcing him to breathe a little new life into his own portrayal of the character in this timeline), and this option wouldn't force the character to DIE. Chekov could be written out - still alive - but as an old man... rumor has it Mr. Abrams plans to bring back Kirk's father (who supposedly died in the first reboot) - whatever plot device is used to allow that to happen could also be used as the cause for Chekov to age (perhaps having been transported into the distant past, living the majority of his life there, and then being transported back into the present day timeline as Walter Koenig). PS - sorry about the "old man" comment Mr. Koenig, if you happen to read this - we still love you !" - Patrick

"I've been watching Star Trek since it was first introduced, and it wouldn't feel right not to have Chekov as part of the cast. There's a way to honor Anton Yelchin and still keep the character alive! Have a funeral for Chekov, who died saving many lives, and introduce a relative at the funeral who can become the next generation Chekov and continue the tradition. That way clips of Anton as Chekov may be included in future movies while still having a Chekov as part of the team." - Shirley

"Do your jobs, get creative (imagine that) and find a way to pay tribute to the fine actor that was Anton Yelchin without writing off his character." - Ga Tor

"I think J.J. Abrams needs a little Star Trek history lesson." - A Yahoo Reader

"Recast the role of Chekov, but every time the new actor appears on screen obscure his face with lens flare." - Chris

"I totally understand the reasoning for not replacing Anton, with the respect and heartfelt feelings of J.J. Abrams and the cast. But to kill him off would be a insult to Anton and his memory. I believe if Anton could comment on this today he would quote an old Hollywood saying and I quote, "THE SHOW MUST GO ON. Replace me so the story line can continue to age into the story line of the TV series and movies we all fell in love with and embraced all these years!" Anton was a great actor and will be missed, but don't disgrace his memory by killing him off. Do this and you will have to go back and erase Walter Koenig as Chekov in all TV series and movies with name of Chekov. Please don't do it!" - Rick

"Killing him off would be like saying his life's work on the Enterprise was pointless. There was no point to his job. The buttons in front of him on the ship weren't really connected to anything, and he was just pressing on them like an autistic kid on crack." - Ben

"Bring in Walter Koenig as a replacement and say he finally was aged by the comet's rays of Gamma Hydra IV." - James

"Don't kill the character off. Just do what Fast and Furious did for Paul Walker." - Jeremy

"I'm sure glad Abrams wasn't directing the Harry Potter series when Richard Harris died!" - Pipal

"It's actually the perfect time to reboot the series. Set it in an alternate-alternate timeline where Kirk is a lesbian, Spock is a tranny, Sulu is a Muslim, Bones is a Native American, Uhura is still black, Chekov is Pakastani, Scotty is a feminist, and the Enterprise is now the Diversity." - Ba

"As a true Trek fan, I was disappointed with the first reboot. There was never any mention of Lt. Cmdr. Gary Mitchell. He and Kirk were best friends throughout the academy. I understand not having him in any kind of a big role, but not to mention him at all? They mentioned Mudd but not Mitchell

"This would be a perfect opportunity to place Mitchell in the seat. Use a digital simulation of Yelchin's Chekov early in the next movie with Walter Koenig as the voice. After some tragic accident, Kirk finds and asks his old academy friend to help out. A perfect way to both honor Yelchin and the character Chekov and at the same time continue with a historically accurate replacement." - Hangmann747

"I think Yelchin's exuberant delivery of the Line 'I can do that' pretty much typifies the ultimate, unique characterization he brought to the role of Chekov. I doubt anyone could replicate his contribution and frankly, I wouldn't want to see anyone even try. He will be missed.

"Given that the new Star Trek series takes place in an alternate reality from the original, it makes perfect sense that some character's fates differ, as did Kirk's father's." - James

"If this is the shape of things to come, I hope no one else in the present cast meets an untimely end. Eventually there would be no one left to make a movie. Stupid move." - Roger

"Please, don't kill him off! It's too soon and painful. Let him become captain on another ship. This has been so tragic. Let his character know happiness and command." - Evelyn

"I wish someone would replace this JJ hack. He has ruined Star Trek and Star Wars for me. I wish I could un-watch his wretched films. Terrible way for these two legacies to go on. Some things just need to be left alone." - K.C.

"Although I like Checkov, he wasn't a character in the original series until later. So showing him at the beginning of the Kirk-Spock era is incorrect. In fact, he was brought in to bring youth to the crew. Fact." - Professor Crater

"Vee vill all miss him wery wery much." - Rachel

"Why not just re-reboot the series so you can do whatever you want (again)?" - Brad

And one commenter said it all:

"Purists are idiots. If you want nothing to ever change, stick to the reruns." - Nunya

I will, thank you very much.

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The One that Got Away

The Rocky Mountain Balloon Festival may have gone away, but sometimes balloons still launch over Chatfield Reservoir. I love when we are able to witness the spectacle.


We recently watched a balloon land in a field far east from the typical landing spot. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, and we were en route to an appointment, so we couldn't have stopped anyway. But what we saw is the stuff dreams are made of.


As the balloon began to deflate, horses in all the fields surrounding the balloon gathered at the fences to watch. It was as if the entertainment was designed just for them!

How I wish I could have snapped even one photo to share here. Seeing all the horses watch in awe and wonder... Magical!

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Wordless Wednesday

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Time Flies

I recently witnessed a sunrise so darned beautiful, I wanted to try shooting my first morning sky time-lapse. I didn't have my tripod with me, and the wind was a force with which to be reckoned. I held as still as I could and snapped a photo every 30 seconds. When the light show was done, I rushed home and pulled all the photos into a movie.


The sky was beautiful; the shakiness of my tripodless photo adventure left much to be desired. I'm excited by the colors, but I knew I could do better.

Best sunrises and sunsets happen in November and April in these here parts. I suppose I've got a while to wait before I witness another beauty like the inspiration that inspired this quest.

So one night on my porch, I practiced. Wasn't the most dramatic sunset, but I did capture a storm moving across the cottaged horizon. Oh, and I used a tripod...


One night last week, a gorgeous but stingy storm moved in. Delivered early nightfall, robbed us of what might have been a spectacular sunset, and didn't shed a single tear for my garden.

But it made more good practice. Come November, I'm going to be ready for those awesome sunrises!!!

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Snowflake Monday

The prototype of today's snowflake was crafted during my MS-150 volunteer stint in June. I volunteered between Broomfield and Westminster on Day 1 while my husband cheered cyclists in Loveland. After finishing my duties that first day, I pedaled to join The Lizard so he wouldn't have to drive 50 miles all the way back to get me and then drive another 70 or so miles to Fort Collins for our overnight accommodations at Colorado State University.

We volunteered in Fort Collins on Day 2 of the ride. The Cache la Poudre River begins in Rocky Mountain National Park, near where I spent a good many years working as a journalist, and exits Poudre Canyon just north of Fort Collins. The river flooded and destroyed military post Camp Collins in 1864. The military relocated the post just south of the original location and named it Fort Collins, but no actual fort was ever built.

Cache la Poudre, which means "hide the powder", was named by French trappers who had to hide their gunpowder along the banks of the river during a whiteout snowstorm in the 1820s. I mistakenly thought Poudre referred to the gorgeous powder snow I've seen falling in the gorgeous canyon in winter the entire 27 years I've made my home in Colorado until I looked it up to write this post. I think I like my interpretation better!

After I worked the bugs out of this pattern making yet another snowflake rock, we were headed to the San Juan Mountains for a couple of wildflower-studded training rides. I had to pose the rock a few times... especially since my garden currently is a little low on flowers low enough to the ground for these kinds of photos. My sunflowers and day lilies tower above the rocks!

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!


Finished Size: 7.5 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, water soluble school glue or desired stiffener, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line


Poudre Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 4 dc in ring, pull hook out of loop (dropped loop) and insert in 2nd ch of starting ch 2, insert in dropped loop, pull dropped loop through 2nd ch of starting ch 2 (starting popcorn stitch made), ch 3, 5 dc in ring, pull hook out of loop (dropped loop) and insert in top loop of 1st dc of this 5/dc group, insert in dropped loop, pull dropped loop through top loop of 1st dc (popcorn stitch made); repeat from * around 4 times; ch 1, 1 dc in top of starting popcorn to form 6th ch 3 sp of Round. Pull magic circle tight enough to make popcorn stitches poufy.

Round 2: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc over post of dc directly below, * 2 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 6, sl st in 5th ch from hook, ch 8, sl st in 7th ch from hook, ch 6, sl st in 5th ch from hook, 2 dc in same ch 3 sp; repeat from * around 5 times; 2 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 6, sl st in 5th ch from hook, ch 8, sl st in 7th ch from hook, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to complete 6th ch 4 sp of Round, ch 2, 1 tr in top of dc just made to form 3rd ch loop of this point.






Round 3: 2 sc over post of tr directly below, * ch 4, 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook (sc picot made), ch 1, 3 sc in next ch loop of next point, 3 dc in next ch loop, [ch 3, dc in same loop] 3 times, 3 sc in next ch loop; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last 2 sc of final repeat; sl st in starting sc.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.


Round 4: Ch 3 (counts as 1 tr), * 1 tr in middle sc of next 3 sc group, [3 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 3 dc in same sp] 3 times, 1 tr in middle sc of next 3 sc group; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last tr of final repeat; sl st in 3rd ch of starting ch 3.


Round 5: Sl st in heart gap between ch 3 and tr directly below, ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), * 1 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 1 dc in next gap between 3/dc shells, ch 3, 1 dc in same sp, 3 dc in ch 3 tip, ch 5, 1 sc in 5th ch from hook, ch 7, sl st in sc, ch 5, sl st in sc (tri-picot made), 3 dc in same ch 3 tip, ch 7, 1 sc in 5th ch from hook, ch 7, sl st in sc, ch 5, sl st in sc, sl st in next 2 ch (tall tri-picot made), 3 dc in same ch 3 tip, ch 5, 1 sc in 5th ch from hook, ch 7, sl st in sc, ch 5, sl st in sc (tri-picot made), 3 dc in same ch 3 tip, 1 dc in next gap between 3/dc shells, ch 3, 1 dc in same sp, ch 3, 1 dc in next ch 3 tip, sk next 3 dc and tr, 1 dc in next heart gap between 2 tr; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off. Weave in ends.


Finish: Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.

If using glue, mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture or desired stiffener. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.

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