Pike's Peak

While in Denver, we took a ride on the Pike's Peak Cog Railway with Dave's Grandma and parents~

In some spots, the railway is climbing at a 25% angle! At these points, the front of the train is 3 stories above the back of the train.

Overlooking Denver, we can see all the way to Kansas!

Dave and Carley at the top of Pike's Peak

Sunflower

Sunflower seeds, anyone? I think the birds will enjoy this crop~

C*

Bridge Pedal

A few pictures of the 2007 Bridge Pedal from earlier this month. While the ride was packed with people, causing huge back-ups getting onto the Ross Island bridge, i think the event made up for it by getting to ride up and down the Marquam and Fremont bridges. Those were quite the rides down! I thought I was going to lose it and fall, but it was thrilling!!

C*


The line up to the Ross Island Bridge ~ bor-ing!















Picture from the top of Marquam Bridge~
















Fremont Bridge

Kirsten and Matt's wedding

For our final weekend event, we celebrated at Kirsten and Matt's wedding! It was at the beautiful Overlook House which sits on a ridge overlooking the Willamette River and Forest Park. Kirsten looked absolutely amazing, her hair and dress were so pretty, she just glowed! The wedding ceremony was short and sweet, and very personal as they recited their own vows. The ceremony was finalized with a blessing from the guests to the newly wed couple. Then it was time to relax and celebrate! The food was great, very fresh and summery spread, and the weather really cooperated as the sun was out just enough to keep the day bright but not too hot. Now Kirsten and Matt are off to Victoria for a much-deserved vacation. It was exciting be with them on their big day!
~C*

Hottest Day of the Year ride (not quite)

On Sunday, Dave and I rode our bike in the Hottest Day of the Year ride. The ride was in support of the Community Cycling Center, an organization that does a ton of bike education, outreach, and community activities, including giving away bikes and gear to kids in need and fixing up old bikes to donate or resell.

As the name suggests, the activities centered around warm weather, but the weather didn't quite cooperate! While it wasn't exactly bad weather, we were hit by light mist and overcast skies that morning. However, that is great biking weather, in my option! After the ride, there was a huge ice cream sundae bar, and a water fight. However, we ducked out after the ice cream, ready for down-time at home in lieu of getting wet.

The 15-mile route started and ended at the new Lucky Labrador brew house in NW Portland. We crossed the Broadway bridge, headed up Interstate to the Overlook neighborhood, through North Portland to the Community Cycling Center on ~17th and Alberta, and back to the Bridge via Vancouver Blvd. The ride felt great, a perfect length for me, and just enough hills to make you feel like you worked a bit, but mostly it was nice neighborhood cruising. I'm feeling more and more comfortable with street riding.

On Saturday morning, we rode to the Hollywood farmers market to pick up our weekly produce and to get breakfast. It's so nice to ride places, especially when we can combine it with errands and shopping. I'm glad we can ride together and that Dave knows the best routes. Very fun riding weekend!
~C*

High school friends

After having a surprisingly nice time at my 10-year reunion last year, I thought I'd try to live up to the usual statement of "let's get together soon!" by actually doing it! My original plan was to have a big party, but then I quickly narrowed the field to eliminate stress, focusing on inviting some friends I wanted to keep in contact with. Definitely want to do this again, inviting a few more couples next year in hope of staying in contact with local friends.

Therefore, a week ago, we had Crystal, Carlos, and baby Isabella, and Melina, Steve, and baby Paige over for dinner. We had a fun and relaxed time just hanging out and enjoying each other's company! Of course, having little ones around was very amusing and fun for us - very cute little girls!

It's great to be able to keep up with old friends, especially these two girls. I've known Crystal my whole life, and Melina and I have know each other through church activities starting when we were three! We have attended the same grade schools, and grew up living close to each other. It's fun to know their new families and to keep in touch!
~c*