Thanksgiving in Colorado: Sun, Family, Biking, and more Sun!

Thor and I went to Colorado for Thanksgiving to visit Sheri and Fred in Mancos, and then head north a bit to check out Ralph's new digs in Ridgeway.  I meant to get these pictures posted in November, but I caught a nasty, nasty headcold on the flight back to Portland and have been totally out of commission since last Tuesday.  Yuck. I hate being sick.  The only good thing about being sick now is that I hope it means that getting sick is out of my system, and I won't get sick again any time soon so I'll be in great shape in two-weeks when I head north to visit Kathryn and Brian and meet sweet, Stella May!!!!

Anyways. Back to the trip.  We had a fantastic time - the weather was beyond perfect (sun and 55-65 every day), we got to spend time hanging out with family, did a couple of hikes, and even snuck in two bike rides (an awesome, awesome treat - thank you for finding us bikes Fred!!!) Here are some of our pics from our 5-days in Colorado.

view from the plane flying into Durango

Self portrait - Phil's World trails on Thanksgiving day.

Thor - on a SS, as usual.  I don't know how he rides so fast on this thing!

Fred - another speedster!  This guy cranks!!!

Me.  

The Thanksgiving table - we had a great time cooking and hanging out with Sheri, Jack, Fred & Daphne before dinner.

Thor practicing Thanksgiving yoga post-dinner.

The view from Sheri's porch.  The work Sheri has done to her cabin and property is beautiful! It is such a lovely, relaxing place to come visit.

View into the Aspens on our post-Thanksgiving day ride down Chicken Creek.

We got to do our second ride with Steve - a fierce biker/boater who works for Sheri - in addition to being friends with a couple of people that we know in Portland. Small world!

This little guy flew into Sheri's window and was a bit stunned. Jack brought him out to sit on my hand until he felt well enough to fly off - probably about 15 minutes later.

On Saturday we went to Mesa Verde National Park to do some hiking. There was a fire there about 10-years ago, but the burnt trees were just beautiful!

Anasazi ruins.

View from sunset walk near Sheri's house.

Apparently I did not take many pictures in Ridgeway!  Ralph's new house is GREAT - perfect size, gets tons of sun, and is a quick walk from the sweet local brewery/pizza establishment - Colorado Boy.  Here are Thor, Daphne and I mid-way down the rim trail that overlooks Ouray.

Stella May's Celebratory Birthday Ride!

Stella May was born on Saturday! The text came through in the wee hours of the morning on the 17th, and Thor and I were so excited! What better way to celebrate our new cousin-niecelette than by going mountain biking!!! (ok, ok - we were planning on going anyways).

The weather was terrible, but we packed up anyways and headed to Hood River to do a shuttle run with our friends Becky & Josh at Post Canyon. It poured on us, and I don't think the temp got much above 33-degrees - so our plans to do multiple runs were crushed, but it was beautiful out there and we had a great time despite getting absolutely coated with mud.

We ended the day at Pfriem Family Brewing in Hood River. Excellent Belgian beers and delicious food. Definitely will be back there soon.

Happy Birthday Stella May!!! She is just the cutest ever - and we are so excited to meet her soon!!!

Stolen Sun Day on Syncline - Friday MTB

last Friday William and I went to syncline to ride and it was gorgeous!!! clear, crisp fall weather - such a treat. AND a blast to get to ride with William! we did loose lucy, to hidden valley, to little moab, to little maui. i rode all of hidden valley without stopping - which is a first! now i just need to figure out how to do it faster. W and I are already plotting our next trip out there - so I'm sure there will be plenty of time to practice.