Quick Pic from the Olympic

Mountains...that is. Case snapped this shot of Kel and I as we climbed Mt. Elinor in the Olympic Mountains. It was a surreal setting in stark contrast from Denver as low clouds ebbed in and out of the trees and peaks. Very cool. Love the green and the big trees...

More pics located at the following web album...

Mt. Elinor - Olympics

Best Time to Commute

The leaves are turning, the temps are dropping (slightly and slowly), and the sun sits on the horizon on both legs of my commute.  It's the best time of year to be on a bike everyday.  I'll have to take a pic or two, but that doesn't really capture it.  I feel like I could spin out there forever.  

Also, I'll keep pestering Kel to get up a pic or two of her new sweet ride....

Crazy Vid

Starts a bit slow...but hold on...  

Adam Kimmel presents: Claremont HD from adam kimmel on Vimeo.

Fabulous Weekend!

This weekend Jay and I went to Seattle to go to a friends wedding.  We left late on Thursday night and got back early Monday morning.  Kelly Reynolds, our dear friend Casey's sister, was getting married!  We had met Kelly and her fiance Michael over the coarse of our friendship with Case.  We were really excited to be able to attend the wedding.  Jay and I flew into Seattle and met Casey at the airport.  Case picked us up in a H3!!  For those of you who don't know the Reynolds' family-this is a really funny story!  Although I would never drive one myself-I do have to say it was pretty comfy!  Over the course of the weekend we just hung out with the Reynold's family, who I have to say is one of the nicest families ever!  They always make Jay and I feel so comfortable and welcome.  I finally met Casey's older brother Ron who I just adore!  He is so laid back and wonderful.  The weather was drizzly and cooler-but it was a nice relief coming from such hot weather in Denver.  On Saturday we attended the wedding at Michael's house and it was just perfect!  Very small and quaint.  Kelly looked amazingly beautiful!  The ceremony was very beautiful; very short and sweet.  The reception was held at the Reynold's house overlooking the famous Rocky Bay!  Pat did it up!  No details were overlooked and everything was perfect!  The food, drinks, and music were amazing.  This was by far one of the best wedding receptions that Jay and I had ever been to!  The band was so good that even Jay danced the night away (which didn't even happen at our wedding!)  

On Sunday Jay, Case and I headed out the Olympics to go on a hike!  After all the eating and drinking we needed to get some fresh air and exercise.  The hike was short, 1.6 miles to the summit, but tough!  It gained 2,500 feet in elevation gain!  Case and Jay were so good to me!  They would have done it a lot faster had I not been there!  

We had a wonderful weekend!  Thank you Pat for being a wonderful host!  You always make us feel so welcome!  It was so great to see everyone and we can't wait to go back soon!   

Colorado Relay

Last weekend, a team sponsored by my company slogged through rain and snow on our way to a 29 hour finish of the 174 mile Colorado Relay. We started at 6:15 AM on Friday morning to chilly 45 degree rain, which quickly turned to snow as the racers made their way up Guanella Pass outside of Georgetown. My first leg (the hardest leg of the race) was over 12.85 miles and 2200' of climbing over Georgia Pass on the Colorado Trail. I started around 2:00 PM and finished about 3:50 PM. About 8 miles of my leg was in 2-6" of snow....good times. I was able to pass 53 teams, which felt good.

As we continued on, the day turned to night and my second leg was a quick 6.2 mile section at 1:30 on Saturday morning. I ran with a headlamp and was completely annoyed by the lack of breeze because my breath made a mini-smoke cloud in my face every time I huffed and puffed. It was pretty relaxing running in the middle of the night under a near full moon. After that leg, the sleep deprivation really began to set in (I only got 4 hours the previous night because I had class). My final leg was between Glenwood Springs and Carbondale and covered 4.2 miles. I started around 9AM and finished up in the sunshine after about 30 minutes. The team finished up around 11 AM.

It was an interesting experience and filled with challenges and fun. Our driver was a little crazy and completely oblivious, but we stayed safe and somehow stayed awake nearly the entire time. I'm still catching up a bit...

Epic on Monarch Crest

Epic ride on Monarch Crest today. Casey and I got up suuuuuper early to make the drive down to Poncha Springs to catch the shuttle to the top of Monarch Pass by 8 AM. From there, we traversed the ridge above treeline for roughly ten miles with sweeping views and increasingly warm sunshine. It was a perfect day for it. From there, we began the descent that weaves a ribbon of singletrack along mountains, down canyons, across streams, through meadows, and back to our vehicle in Poncha. We spent about 5 hours on the trail including two stops to fix a busted chain that Casey had to gingerly ease around the drivetrain for the last 2.5 miles for fear it would snap after I bent it on the second band-aid job. It was a monstrous day. I had my GPS rolling the entire time and it tracked ~3200 feet of climbing and 6500' of descending over the course of 35 miles. Big time. I hope to post a Google Earth overlay of our track shortly. I through together a quick web album of the few pictures I did take. Check them out. I shot the above photo in B&W for fun. You can spot Casey's helmet in the mid-right section of the photo as he makes his way up the hill.

We've been slacking a bit lately (and hearing about it...thanks Jon). We took this hike a couple of weekends ago. Kel and I along with Jill, Darin, and Lea moseyed up to Herman Lake from the trailhead near I-70 and the Continental Divide. We had a great morning with plenty of sun as we climbed through open meadows on our way up 1600' to Herman Lake at the base of rocky peaks. I uploaded a number of other pictures as web album for this hike. Take a peek. This was one of those hikes that you always drive past and say "we should do that sometime," then you never do. Make the stop - highly recommended.