A good friend of mine, of nearly 10 years, since the days of books, dorms, and band practice at TJC decided to get married in Estes Park, CO.  I didn't know that flights could be so cheap!  About $100 get you to Denver and back to DFW, wow!  Being the thrifty person I am (and being accustomed to my company picking up the tab for my travels) I decided to pack camping gear (thanks Curtis!), get a Specialized Camber demo from Peloton Cycles in Fort Collins (Thanks Kelly!), and take in the outdoors while in the area.  I must admit, the environment on the front range and in The Rockies itself is a bit more impressive than here in DFW!  It was interesting to see that Subaru is to Colorado what Chevy is to Texas, that if you are going to hike or run on trails you most likely take your dog with you, and chances are, you own a bicycle.  It was also pretty cool to see dozens of people riding about, peddling up the hill to Horsetooth Reservoir from down in Fort Collins on a Tuesday at lunch time... maybe they were trying to make up for the miles they won't be putting in during the winter?  Regardless, it was a very nice change of scenery and pace to life compared to DFW.  Here's a few cool pics I snapped while there.  The biggest experience of the trip was riding up 1,800 ft to pretty close to Horsetooth Rock on Horsetooth Mountain on the morning before the wedding (which was at noon,  an hour's drive away) and making it back down to the base just in time to make it to the wedding 5 minutes before it started - I blame a crazy fall I had and a flat tire!  Yes, I know it's considered a "small mountain", but for a North Texan... who hasn't covered 1,800ft in elevation in the whole previous year, that's big morning! :-)