That’s just one of the many things I love about Colorado. We have 4 seasons, and between work, school, training, and traveling, they always seem to sneak up on me. For instance, everything is magically green after I get back from my CA-Sea Otter/AZ-Whiskey 50 road trip in April. Everything is fresh and reborn.
Likewise, driving back from Interbike in September every year, the leaves in Vail along I-70 are suddenly yellow and orange, the light has changed color, and the morning air is crisp. When I think of fall, I think of riding my favorite trails in Nederland. The West Mag trails are fun in the summer, but they are truly magical in the fall. The leaves clutter the trail and the yellow aspen trees are bright against the pine.
Case in point.
The cool breeze rustles the aspen leaves still hanging on to the trees and they flutter. It’s amazing. One thing is certain, as much time as we spend on the trails, they become a part of us and the changes we see are very dramatic(as am I tonight!), at least for me. Fall is always a bittersweet time. It’s still warm and I’m reminiscing about summer and dreading the imminent winter months. They are beautiful too, but I have not yet learned how to appreciate them like I do the rest of the year. It has a different beauty, but the changing colors and the vibrant yellow remind me of the transience of it all – the leaves will fall and die, the flowers will die, the snow WILL fall, the trails will rest in cold solitude. But…it’s very honest and and reminds me that the only thing that doesn’t change is the fact that everything is constantly changing.
Ok, enough insightful garble. You’re here for the pictures anyway…and they are worth so many more words than I can express.
This is why I love singletrack. There is something out there you experience that you simply can’t get on the road.
As much as I would love to ride singletrack every day, I unfortunately don’t have time to get up into the mountains every day. Something I hope to change in a few years. So today, I stuck to the road in the mountains. I still admired the fall colors, but it was not nearly as captivating as yesterday.
The best thing about today is that I got to ride with one of my best friends.
Popout
And of course, my super snazzy Mountain Flyer socks I picked up at Interbike AND my brand new Northwave Razer mountain bike shoes. HAWT!
It feels so good to know that I get to ride regularly this week after about 3 weeks of very sporadic training. My trade show schedule has been busy and I’ve been all over the place. The travel isn’t letting up yet, but at least this time it’s for vacation! I’m heading BACK to Albuquerque this weekend. The Looney side of the family is coming into town from Arizona and Texas. I’m looking forward to our big group of 12 people at our favorite New Mexican restaurant on Saturday night!
And tomorrow: a little night ridin’. That’s right – 24 Hours of Moab is next weekend. I feel unprepared.
