I Don't Want To Jinx It, But...

Summer temperatures with autumn colors... Nice!

This morning I blew the chiropractors advice right out the window and went hiking. Nothing too strenuous, but liberating and uplifting none-the-less.

Today is proving to be nothing short of gorgeous. With temps in the high 70's, a refreshing (and warm) breeze, barely a cloud in the sky and all mine for the taking!

Marley and I headed to one of our favorite foothill loops, as did the rest of south Boulder and their dogs. Within minutes I realized I was well over-dressed and had stripped down to just one little layer. Note to self: trust the weather forecasters!

Before we even hit the trail head I knew it was going to be a great hiking day.

No idea what sort of plane this is, but he was having fun, enjoying the empty sky and taking in the Foothills as one can only do from up there.

This saturated blue sky is one of my favorite parts of autumn and winter.

Do you think this is funny?

I have to give the guy an A for effort and the "Entrepreneur of the Year" award for this.

He set up a business as a stalking clown. Hired by parents to scare the crap out of their kids, stalk them, send them messages and finally... shove a cake/pie in their face!

Happy Birthday??? (Not so much!)

But whether I would find it funny or not, if I was the gift recipient/victim, is not something I'm keen to discover.

Let's face it, clowns are creepy on a good day and this one has an ongoing dental hygiene problem to boot!

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Fly Away

What is better than a great flying lesson on a beautiful fall Colorado day? That's right! Another flight! :-)

Today I got the opportunity to fly with friend and neighbor, Dave Paule.

We left in his Cessna 180 from Longmont this afternoon.

And just over an hour later, we were in Salida. This little mountain town has a small airport with sloping runway, very little traffic and .... tumbleweeds!

I love it. Best of all, for future reference, we discovered that they have courtesy cars for pilots and the town (just 2 miles away) has a great breakfast restaurant - or so this random guy claims!

Of course, there was no time today for sight-seeing and soon enough it was time run over the pre-flight inspection for the return journey. Dave was extra-vigilant... knowing I am a student pilot and not wanting to lead me astray! Thanks Dave!! :-)

At an altitude of about 15,000 ft, we needed oxygen - hence the little flesh colored nose pieces. What a difference that makes. For those who have hiked with me and know I don't do especially well at altitudes over about 11,500 ft, you are probably wondering if I should be considering this little set up for hiking too... trust me, it has crossed my mind too.

Dave and I traded jobs on the return trip. I flew (minus the take offs and landings) and he was chief photographer.

I love photography... but flying gives me a bigger buzz, for sure. In fact, still have my perma-grin on!!