Colorado Love

This is one of my favorite sounds. The pitter of rain outside my window, mixed with the creek gurgling in the background. The world is wet and misty, a swirling mass of fog and clouds. My favorite weather. When I was a little kid my parents lived on a rocky beach in northern California for one year. We had a tiny house literally right on the edge of the beach and the Pacific Ocean. I used to love it at night...I shared a bedroom with my mom and dad, and had my bed situated in a little alcove jutting out from the house to the west. When the storms raged - and they did often in the winter - the brunt of it would blow directly against my large picture window. The waves from the ocean would crash literally 20 or 30 feet from my window, a scary but addictive natural phenomenon. I'd peer out through the sill, as the streaks of water coated it as the wind ripped through, pounding, pounding, pummeling. Point is, I've always loved storms and rain - I feel at my physical and mental strongest when conditions get heinous.

A fantastic mountain bike ride today. Still lingering with the cold, but no matter. A mix of trails and dirt roads, starting in Happy Valley and ending in Boulder. The light...ahh the light. That low angle beautiful shine that we get in the Colorado high country about an hour before sunset. Stopped in a greening valley, checking out the blooming pasque flowers, soaking it in. And then, back on the saddle, a quick few peddle strokes to get back up to speed, along the moist, perfectly tacky dirt. Flowing, left, right, up, down, at one with everything. Pure joy really. I've learned by now that the bike and the woods are a great cure for anything that ails you, and I also came to the realization that the place I live in now is pretty darned nice. I love the "color red" state in all seasons, and early May, when everything is coming to life and a misty fog is the norm, is no exception.

Visit the woods. You won't regret it.