There are 2 bike rides I've been wanting to complete before the snow sets in for the winter. The first was a ride on the Cherry Creek Trail to Castlewood Canyon State Park. I've tried twice before, but it's a LONG ride down there (26 miles round trip). I finally made it the entire way a couple days after I got back from St Louis. Maybe that Ted Drewes Cardinals' Sin gave me the energy boost I needed.
Funnily enough, a few days later. Bruce and I took Charlie hiking in this same park. I really don't know which activity is more strenuous - biking there or hiking through there. Both activities just about killed me... but the views were gorgeous.
My 2nd bucket list bike trek was to ride the Platte River Trail all the way downtown to Confluence Park. I've ridden the Cherry Creek Trail downtown, but I haven't done it via the Platte Trail. Since the weather is still fairly warm and dry, 9 of us from the bike club made the ride. Again, this was a really long ride (26 miles RT), but the trail is totally flat - an anomaly in Colorado.
Bruce and I went out riding one day on our eBikes. He wanted to see where the Piney Creek Trail went. We ended up at a strip mall along the trail and bought Jimmy John's sandwiches to take home for lunch. I was glad I was riding my eBike, because it's uphill most of the way home.
I discovered a new coffee shop on the Cherry Creek Trail - Dutch Bros Coffee. Our bike club doesn't like stopping there, because their outdoor tables are in the sun. But since I went out on a coolish day, I didn't mind stopping to do some sketching. I got myself one of their seasonal specials - a cookie butter latte. OMG, was that delicious! I think the trainee made mine, because it was drenched in caramel sauce.
In other news, I took a calligraphy class at the Parker Arts Center. The lady who taught the class uses her skills to address envelopes and certificates for the governor - $3.50 each! At those prices, maybe I should take up calligraphy as a part-time job. Can you imagine how much money you'd make addressing Christmas cards or wedding invitations???
We had our social committee zoom meeting this week. There is only one activity left on this year's calendar - the Holly Jolly Jamboree, which basically means Santa and Mrs Claus ride through the neighborhood in a horse-drawn carriage. I suggested we switch to a convertible next year, because the horse is VERY slow. The guy in the corner (Mark) said he knew a place we could rent a live reindeer for photo ops, which is all most parents care about nowadays. We'll see what happens next year. For now, my job is to make sure the horse doesn't bite the kids or step on their feet when their parents are taking photos.
