I - A Long Autumn Neighborhood Trike Ride / Sunset

 

Song:  Alone

Artist:  Ray Wilson

(I will be using this song over and over for this whole series...

as not only do I love this song...

it was the song I was singing to...

over and over...

during my whole time on this trike trip around my neighborhood...

as it just played itself over and over in my head).

First of all...

some of the most beautiful Autumn colors...

are all around me.

My whole neighborhood comes alive in a sea of colors every Autumn...

and I get to see them close up on my trike...

on an approximately 5 mile loop...

around and down my mountain...

and then back up.

This was my most beautiful trike ride I have ever taken.

Last Autumn...

I drove this route as I explored the mountain...

since I had just arrived just a couple of weeks earlier.

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I had started video recording using my 360 camera mounted on a pole on my trike.

Once I had gotten back...

it said it had quit recording due to a memory card issue

(I had over 4 hours of recording available).

I have yet to review the recording.

Hopefully...

it had gotten the majority of the ride.

I will have to see tomorrow.

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Right now...

I am cooking supper.

After that ride...

I feel like eating salmon ochazuke...

with umeboshi on the side.

I am cooking the rice now.

Once I finish this article...

I will eat and then rest in bed.

I will finish up the other two articles tomorrow.

I will just make this one article with about one third 

of the photos included

(this will be a three part series...

as I had taken over 300 photos).

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The Temperature was in the low 60s F when I started...

and just shortly after arriving home...

it dipped to the low 50s F.

The wind blew a constant 5 MPH or so...

keeping the whole ride cool and refreshing.

And...

although I took the doggie carrier just in case Bandi got too tired...

I would end up not needing it...

as not only did I give her some water breaks...

I had also stopped numerous times along the way...

to take photos.

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I filled up Bandi's water container and secured it in its holder.

I then turned on the trike computer on the left...

and on the right...

I put my iPhone in its holder.

I use it for the GPS to navigate my routes in the mountains...

as there are so many interconnecting roads.

My 360 video camera mount.

I was all set.

After connecting the doggie carrier to my trike...

Bandi and I set off on an amazing journey.

You can see the 360 video camera on the end of the pole.

I was all set to go here.

And so...

Bandi and I set off.

We started by going down the mountain ridge...

At the bottom of the ridge...

there is a T intersection.

To the left goes down the mountain farther to the main road towards town...

and to the right goes a ways to another mountain ridge line...

which I then climbed some...

and then followed the mountain around to subsequent ridge lines...

and finally down to the main road...

to then make my way back up the mountain...to home.

 I made my way around the mountain from ridge line to ridge line.

Although Bandi and I took many small breaks along the way...

this was her first water break.

There was a plentiful amount of shade almost the whole way.

During my whole route...

only two cars had driven past me.

The whole of the route made me feel as if I were in a fantastic wonderland.

The colors were so surreal...

so luminescent...

so vivid and so alive.

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I will start on the other two articles in the morning.

I had such a magical time today...

even the sunset was particularly beautiful

(pics at the end of the third article).

However...

I am very tired.

It wasn't the length of the journey...

but the intensity of the trip back up the mountain

that wore out Bandi and me.

I know once I have a full belly

(salmon ochazuke is very easily and quickly digested)...

I am going to get very tired.

I will just relax in bed until sleep overtakes me...

which I feel won't take too long.

Morning Autumn Yard Walk

 

Song:  Into The West (cover)

YouTube Channel:  Calikokat103  

Last night...

I felt like trying a new restaurant less than 15 minutes from home...

in the nearest town of Cripple Creek.

I am in constant search for the perfect burger...

and I think I may have found it there.

The Chamonix stands near the entrance to the main street in town.

Just down a side street near the end of the main drag...

there is this quaint little eatery called...

Maggie's.

I started off with a chips and salsa appetizer.

Then the burger.

It is half a pound...

and it was good.

What made it even better...

what I hadn't known until I got the check...

was that on every Tuesday night...

all entrees are half off.

I just happened to eat there on a Tuesday night.

A half pound juicy burger with fries for just $6.00

(it was not only inexpensive...

it was one of the best burgers I have ever had).

They have many different styles of burgers...

besides a fairly large menu of other entrees...

all of which I am going to try over time.

Oh...

now they made a customer for life for Tuesday nights.

The restaurant is close to home...

open until 9 PM...

has good food...

and at half off every Tuesday night...

that makes it perfect for me.

I left satisfied...

and on my way home.

I fell asleep kind of late...

but I had awakened feeling refreshed.

In the morning...

I noticed that the Autumn colors are turning nicely at home.

I took Bandi out for her morning bathroom routine.

I walked up near the road...

and took a shot down the road...

...and up the road.

I then turned around and walked down the ridge a little.

I have been hearing many different types of birds in the trees lately.

Perhaps they are on their way South for the Winter.

I then walked a short ways to my favorite rock just down the ridge in front of my home.

I call the rock Serenity Point.

This has such a serene view of the forest and the mountains...

especially during a snowfall...

and it lies just at the edge of a small, but peaceful meadow.

This rather large rock is perfect for a few people to sit upon as they take in the views.

The following 11 shots I took from Serenity Point.

I then walked back toward home.

You can see the beginning of Serenity Point just beyond the pine tree to the left of the picture.

Just in front of the pine tree is another good place to experience the surroundings

from shade.

It is a nice place to relax in the summer.

I am thinking of putting a small bistro setting there sometime in the future.

I walked out to the right front of the second deck.

As you can see...

not all of the Aspens have turned colors yet.

One of my views from my recliner.

I then went up to the loft to take a few photos.

Out one of the rear loft windows.

I then went out to the third deck for a few shots.

I then sat at the loft computer desk to type up this article.

It is hard to take in the full scope of vision with a camera.

From atop the loft...

my vision encompasses a much wider viewing angle...

but if I use a wider angle lens setting...

everything seems much more unnaturally far away.

Even in the above shot...

everything seems so much farther away than in real life...

yet...

only captures a portion of the view in real life.

Even when I zoom in some...

it still seems a little farther away than my view in real life...

from sitting atop my computer desk chair

(but it is as close as I could get to my real life view...

minus the expansive views only gotten by distorting the view through a wide angle lens setting).

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I am thinking of going on a long trike ride around my neighborhood with Bandi later today.

I will have to see.

However...

in preparation for it...

I am charging up my video and camera batteries.

It is supposed to be sunny for the next few days.

After our trike ride...

and over the next few days...

I will work on the decks.

I had to leave a couple of days of sun to fully dry out the wood of the decks 

before I start laying down the waterproof carpeting...

so as to not trap any moisture underneath it.

I am also waiting a little longer before I winterize the Japanese Maple.

As it still has leaves...

I don't wish to cut off any photosynthesis it may need to prosper.

But...

soon...

perhaps in a few weeks.