I spent the entire summer sitting on my bum at sea level.

Of course, I was paddling my way around a beautiful island in the wilderness, but that’s beside the point. Right now my legs and butt don’t give a hoot what my arms, shoulders and back have been doing. They’re screaming mad because I’m back up at 6,500 feet and running. And mountain biking. And doing squats in the gym.

This is causing shock to my poor legs, which got used to thinking, “Hey, finally she’s giving us a break!” Well, your break is over, dear legs. Oh, and lungs, you’ve got to be more efficient again, too. You know the drill. You’ll be thanking me soon enough.

I like to celebrate my birthday with a ride up and around Waterline to the Inner Basin on the San Francisco Peaks. It’s almost always the perfect time to see the aspens at their golden best, and this year was no exception.

The only thing that could take our minds off the beauty was the sharp cold that sunk down to our bones, especially on the long (longer than ever this year) and winding ride back down. Dave accompanied me, of course, as well as his friend Rod from Southwest Windpower, and my friends Wayne and McKenzye joined us as well.

It’s all I wanted this year, ad it’s a gift I treasure.

Dave and I are enjoying our camp spot in the woods. We’ve been hearing an elk bugling through the night lately and it’s quite magical.

After a nice sleep-in on Saturday, we got out and had coffee at the Ft. Valley Late for the Train (LFTT) and then we headed outside. Dave needed a long, fast, furious bike ride to work his wiggles out. I wanted a nice long hike. We left from the Schultz Creek trailhead parking area–Dave rode towards Eldon and I hiked up Schultz Creek. We met again about three hours later, both coming down Schultz, as we were both wet and freezing from the rain and wind. It was a bit much.

The sky was mostly clear and it was warmer for Sunday’s ride up Schultz and Waterline. The aspens are showing their golden glory right now in the inner basin. This was my first mountain bike ride since I separated my shoulder at the end of the Great Divide last year at this time. It felt pretty good. I thoroughly enjoyed my light, flower-painted single speed too–such a different feel from my touring/commuting bike.

The weather’s been extra-warm and nice so far this fall, but cooler days are coming–as early as this weekend. So I got out for a nice lunchtime run/walk and went about ten miles. It felt awesome, even though I’m still not in good running shape after spending the summer sitting on my bum in a kayak.

I went out the urban trail to the Fisher Point trail, and I practically had the entire trail to myself. I saw one biker and a couple of random wandering dudes and that was it. Two hours to to think and enjoy some time by myself, much appreciated because I spend most of my time on my computer in public spots like coffee shops or bookstores working.

It’s supposed to rain this weekend, but I really want to ride up Waterline in the Peaks and check out whether the aspens are changing color yet.