Driving Up for Memorial Day Weekend

Spring on the West Gorge

It was windy and looked like rain, but I took the mountain bike out on the West rim of the Rio Grande Gorge to find nice dry dirt and more fun than I expected in a 20mph headwind.

Collection of earthships out in the sage

And the alternative to alternative

Dragonfly Cafe

It's taken us almost a year to get back to try the real food at the Dragonfly Cafe in Taos, NM. Last summer we sampled a few of their delectable desserts and I was impressed with their coffee and espresso (one of only a handful of cafes in the region where the portafilter resides in the grouphead when not in use).

The Dragonfly is open for lunch and dinner. We stopped in for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. Their menu is small but varied, with delicious-sounding vegetarian options, and the food focuses on organic and local ingredients, freshly and healthfully prepared. Due to the mellow vibe of the place, I was thinking that the pace of service might be slow but I was pleasantly surprised. Our waitress was super friendly and very efficient. Prices were reasonable considering the serving size and quality. Lunch entrees were in the range of $8-14.


My buffalo burger came topped with a huge roasted green chile and some fresh cheddar cheese. Best burger I've had in a long time: perfectly cooked (medium rare) and served on a homemade rosemary roll, with a small green salad on the side. Jeremy's chicken pot pie was also delicious and very homemade, with a gorgeous pastry top and fresh peas, carrots, and chicken on the inside.

Sea Otter 010

Fully expecting my lack of fitness and recent illness to result in a poor showing at my final Sea Otter, I was surprised that instead my strategic ineptitude hampered my performance. I'd call it a pleasant surprise, except now I just feel sort of dumb to have doubted myself and forgotten how to deal with traffic.

It was great to be at Sea Otter. I spent a lot of time hanging out with Troy at the Cannondale tent and had a lot of fun goofing around with Sonya Looney while watching the men's races.

Looney cheers at the Short Track
SCHNELL, BEN, SCHNELL!!!

Troy is superamazing. He can work 28 hours a day. It's unbelievable. And even after working 28 hours a day, he is cheerful and smiling and can regale you with funny stories. Unfortunately Spokes was at the doggy spa, so I didn't get to see her.

Yuki suffers. (He did crazy well in the 1.11 hour race.)

We heckle.

How to get to the feed zone
(I asked some guys to hold my PBR and my camera while I climbed the fence).

It was also super fun to hang out with Susan and Harry, and a whole bunch of their family in town for the weekend, in Carmel. Got to stick my legs in the ocean while watching Morgan catch waves after the cross country, and enjoyed a number of good meals and some Idol-watching on the big screen throughout the weekend. Not to mention dog time.

Relaxing at Suz & Harry's place, with their dogs Anna...

...and Rhett.

Beautiful day for the ocean

Morgan excels at all sports but also has a really big brain

Morgan, Rhett, Susan

Yum, dinner.

I stayed in the Bay Area an extra day to visit my friend Tina-- it was supposed to be her bachelorette party but she snuck off to Vegas and got married already.

Tina at Barefoot Coffee-- one of my favorite coffee places anywhere.
They're very concerned about pulling you a good shot.
Tina had to get a decaf. She's having a baby in September.

No decaf here!! Now that's what I call a macchiato.

If I lived in San Francisco I would eat alllllll day looooong.

Visiting some Dogs

Last weekend I went up to Storm Kloud Kennels in Walsenburg, CO, to visit some Malamutes and see some 2.5 week old puppies. For some reason I didn't expect them to be quite so cute yet.

Charger is the father of those little imps

... he's a big cuddly baby.

Spirit is a patient and sweet mom.

Nancy and Bob Russell keep about 12 dogs around, most Malamutes but 3 retired Alaskan Huskies as well. It's quite the greeting to hear them all woo-wooing as you drive up to the place.

They are all working dogs and get to pull Nancy around every day, and quite a few of them are champion weight-pullers. However, in spite of their obvious physical fortitude, they are all such cuddly balls of fur. The Malamute sense of humor is also evident as they show off their toys and say whatever comes to mind (mostly woo, woooo).

Friday afternoon in Northern NM