Clear Creek Trail - Denver, Colorado

I took my bike out for the first ride of the season recently.  It was so hard to stay indoors.  The weather in Reno has been so nice that I just couldn't stand it any more.  The time I spent on the road today made me think back to one of the last rides I took in Colorado.  

This picture is of the Clear Creek trail.  It is a really pretty trail and the first with my new bike (Specialized Tricross Sport).  I had such a blast that day and didn't realize how much better today would be.  I have lost 67 pounds on the 17 Day Diet since my last ride last year.  The difference is amazing.  The seat is lots more comfortable.  The riding motion is more comfortable.  The biggest difference, though, has got to be the breathing.  

I thought I was doing well last year.  I had been riding a bike pretty consistently and my breathing had definitely improved.  It was like night and day when I got out this year.  I don't think I hardly broke a sweat this time on the same trail that was a real work out last fall.

I'd like to thank Dr. Mike Moreno for making most things in my life better, even the bike rides.

17 Day Diet - Cheats

I did it.  I gave in.  I had chili cheese fries.
They've been tempting me for days.  I don't know why I've been craving chili cheese fries so much.  They were in my 'like' category before the diet and I haven't thought about them very much in the past four months while I have been on the diet.  Something recently just made them sound irresistible.
They weren't that good.
This has been the case every time I have cheated on the diet so far.  I crave something until I cave and then realize that it wasn't that good to begin with.  I guess that this was part of what made me fat in the first place.  None of the food that I was eating was fantastic gourmet food it was just high calorie and in large quantities.  The only thing that would have made the chili cheese fries really fantastic was more of them and I'm just not willing to sacrifice the weight I've lost so far to one day of massive amounts of chili cheese fries.
Where is the food that is really fantastic tasting and really satisfying in a reasonable serving size?  It's got to be out there.

Lookout Mountain, Colorado - Buffalo Herd

On Lookout Mountain near Denver, Colorado is a herd of American Buffalo.  It really makes you feel like you are in the old west to see a herd of buffalo on the mountain slopes even if there is a fence between you and the animals.  I have always thought that buffalo were impressive creatures.  Seeing these ones at close range I can't help but think that they are a little small.
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Dead Cactus - Scottsdale, Arizona

In January I had the opportunity to spend three days at the Phoenician resort in Scottsdale, Arizona near Phoenix.  While golfing with some friends from work I took a minute to look at this dead cactus.  I don't suppose they leave decaying plants very long at a place as posh as the Phoenician but I was really intrigued by the internal structure of the plant.  I think this is a generic saguaro cactus but I would have never expected to see the vertical support structure as separate woody sticks.  This is truly a unique plant that has adapted to live in a harsh, dry environment.

Silver Legacy, Reno - Silver Collection

Back in 2005 Maptek had a users' conference in Reno at the Silver Legacy hotel.  I was new with the company and nervous about my role in the conference but I still took time to view the silver collection in the lobby.  I don't remember whose collection it is.  Silver mining has taken place in and around Reno for more than a hundred years.  This set belongs to the family of some silver baron.

Fairytale Town - Trees

We took the kids to Fairytale Town last weekend.  They had a blast.  Everything was so exciting after a day spent riding in the car that they literally ran from place to place.  I had a great time watching them be so excited.   As a parent, I get a bigger kick out of watching the kids be excited about new things than I would have ever been at the things themselves.
I did find this beautiful flowering tree near the pirate ship exhibit.  I am not a horticulturist and can't find anything on the internet that looks like this blossom.  Maybe someone will see this picture and tell me what it is.