Biking is HUGE here...

So, cycling is a big deal in Fort Collins. A huge % of residents cycle to work because the weather is so mild you can ride your bike year round. There are more than sixty miles of bike trails around the city, most of the roads have bike lanes, CSU has a cycling team, and there is discussion about the creation of a velodrome.

Last Sunday was the annual CSU Oval Criterium. Again, a pretty big deal. Lots of cyclists competing. Lots of spectators.

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Got to see Denver yesterday....

Had a lunch meeting in lower downtown (lodo) yesterday. Got to see downtown and a few neighborhoods. What a nice city! Lots of downtown residences and restored buildings. It has quite a personality. The best part was the volume of activity on EVERY street!

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Never tire of those mountains....

Seriously. Does anyone ever tire of looking at these? They look different every day. Some days they even disappear from the horizon! I wonder if people who have lived here all of their life continue to be amazed by the view...

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Not that I'm complaining...

so yesterday - on St. Patrick's Day - the high temp was 75. We were 10 degrees warmer than Central Florida! Today we are only suppose to go up to 73. The breeze is amazing so we've had the windows open all weekend.

I had to buy a sunscreen with a much higher SPF. My face started to go red running errands in the car!

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On a clear day you can see forever...

We were leaving the CSU Environmental Center and the view of the mountain range was just stunning. Because we live in the Front Range we don't get to see the snow capped peaks every day until we are a few miles to the east. This morning some of the interior ranges were in view because the sky was so clear.

So, I tried to do it in a panoramic series. Now that I see the result, I'm a little disappointed. They aren't nearly as impressive as they were in real time.

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RIP Refuse

So, Kate is working on several articles for local publications to keep her portfolio fresh. One of her assignments is to write an article about the Recycling Graveyard that was created by CSU students for the Environmental Center.

In it, they've buried common items with their rates of decomposition in soil indicated on their "tombstones" - very cool.

A leather boot: 40-50 years
Cigarette butts: 2-5 years
Banana peel: 3-4 weeks

and so on...

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Raptors

After paying our respects to the refuse, we wandered over to the Raptor Center. It's a little nature center with eight local raptor specimens.

Kate thought they all looked ticked off.

This was the female bald eagle. I was shocked by her size and calm demeanor. She is really beautiful in person. This photo doesn't do justice to her beauty.

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