What a Difference a Bike Path Can Make

It's truly remarkable to me what having a bike path right outside my back door has done for me. You can call me lazy if you like because of my apathy for getting in the car and driving somewhere to hop on my bike and go for a spin. And you might say I'm just making excuses when I tell you I have precious little time as it is, and if I have to invest time in "getting there" to get some decent exercise, I'm out. It just doesn't work for my lifestyle, and I've taken a long time to accept this fact.

But after being in Colorado—where incidentally there are some 850 (yes, eight hundred and fifty) miles of paved and dirt bike trails in Denver alone—I have not missed a day riding my bike in three weeks. And on most of those days I've gone more than once and taken a walk in the evening.

Now, I know there are those of you cynics out there (Justin) who say I can do this at home, too. And yes, I can. But there is a monumental difference in walking the city streets from my house—and don't even get me started on the fate of bicyclists in our fair city/state—and riding along a paved trail with the creek rushing by, a deer peering out through the brush and bunnies scurrying out of my way. Oh, and then there are the mountains....

Working Really Hard...

OK, not all of the time. Today I hiked up to the Flatirons in Boulder. This is a really poor representation of how amazing it is to get up there and look down on the city.

When I set out, I wasn't sure the weather was going to hold, but it did. It was overcast and cool—perfect for hiking. Once I made my way down, the rain moved in so I headed to the Laughing Goat coffee shop on Pearl. Here I sit relishing good coffee, good music and reading.

This is the life.