Spring is here!

Finally, it's warm enough to play outside without coats and jackets! The rape seeds (Canola) are in bloom and everything appears vibrant and alive. Dedi and I cruised along the lake today and despite a few necessary detours to skirt around a foot race, we had a nice uneventful outing. As typical, once Dedi squeezed a gel pack down her throat she accelerated like a rocket. Impressive.

I experimented with a mix of water and cranberry jelly (which in Switzerland never contains corn syrup)and it seemed to work quite well. In addition it's a bit easier on the wallet and I like using a mini-squeeze bottle vs. these foil packets (thanks brother Don).

Another nice highlight is we delivered a bottle a champagne to the Johnson's to celebrate Zach's release from ICU (over 37 days in ICU!). I'm sure we were quite the sight riding with a bottle of champagne tucked in my back shirt pocket. But it worked.....No one was home when we arrived, so we left the bottle and called their cell phone. Of all things, Zach answered! It was so great to hear his voice after his life threatening bout with necrotic pneumonia. He stilll has a long recovery path ahead but is on the recovery path!

Privacy concern

With all the ID theft going on, I figured it's fine time for me to restrict access to this blog to close friends and family. If you're checking this site out, you've probably received a lame email from Google asking you to register so that you can read my blog...sorry about that, but it's the only way I've been able to restrict access....

;-) Dave

Incline crazy

Our vacation in the Springs wasn't all loafing around and eating out. We got two outings where we went 1/2 way up the Manitou incline. Today we were going to the full Monty but snow and sleet held us back. Still a pretty impressive 'hike' with > 100% grades (note: 100% grade is a 45 deg. angle and I don't think my Garmin can register anything higher!)

Phantom Canyon DInner

We all enjoyed a great meal at Phantom Canyon, downtown Colorado Springs. Mmmm good. Brenna still debating on which school to attend...

Colorado Tourists

We're back in Colorado, visiting colleges that Brenna is considering attending. Got off the plane on Monday, sick as dog with some mild food poisoning. Dedi and the girls who arrived earlier picked me up and carted me off to a vintage hotel (Armstrong Hotel) in Fort Collins. Despite not feeling too well, I was thrilled to be there. Our room was spectacular with high ceilings and plush pillowtop beds. Best was the location. Old town Fort Collins is quaint, unique and plain fun. I was able to eat a freshly made mild guacamole at a next door cafe. It hit the spot. On Tuesday we walked around the town and then visited the USC campus where Brenna had lunch with her friend Becca. Very nice campus. We then drove to Boulder and visited the CU Boulder campus. Also quite nice. Brenna's going to have a tough time deciding between the two.

Then a long drive back to the Springs with a nice birthday dinner (and cake) at Adam's cafe in Manitou Springs. They've moved to a new location and it's even better than before.









Today we visited Dedi's parents and they both are in good spirits. It's nice to see them. Then I got our taxes done (yuck) and managed to get in a nice gentle bike ride. Super windy but the light air poses much less resistance than the dense moist Swiss air. However, the lack of oxygen more than compensated for this advantage. I was huffing and puffing even with a tail wind.

Spring 2009

Great spring ride! Weather has been nice and I've managed to get 3 days in a row of great rides. Today's ride was sweet. 81km with a 1,125 meters of climbing. I rode to Montreux and then up towards Col de Jaman. Had to turn back where the winter snows were still owning the road. Was on my Douglas which is a standard double...made the peak grade of 42% tough. Was waiting for my chain to snap. But it didn't so I was a happy camper.

Aubrey on same page as Michele Obama

Aubrey's photo and write-up did make it to print finally! Interesting that they posted it on the same page featuring Michele Obama....and Aubrey's on top!