After flying into Denver, we spent a couple of days with the kids in Lafayette, CO.  We did the mandatory trip to Cheyenne, WY for Sue’s shopping extravaganza at Sierra Trading Post. I usually sit around reading a paper or a magazine and count the hours till she is finished shopping.  She always asks if I need anything and I always say, I don’t.  Mostly because I really don’t want to do that much shopping.

After two hours or so I got a text to join her at the twice returned section of the warehouse. There I found a stack of shoes to try on with red price tags.  Twice returned usually means someone ordered them on line, they didn’t fit, and were returned. Twice.  By the end of the shopping spree, she had a pair of shoes and a couple of items of clothing.  I walked out with six pair of shoes.  Each retailing for over $100 with only one pair costing more than twenty bucks. Such deals.

We stopped for the night in Salida where we also picked up a camping trailer.  The kids will be vacationing in California after spending Christmas in Santa Fe.  S mountain in the center of town is turned into a giant tree for the holiday season.

The drive to Santa Fe, crossing the mountains in the snow towing a camper was interesting, to say the least.

We are spending three nights with #1 son’s mother in law and that side of the family, eating and drinking way too much in Santa Fe. Just as Christmas is supposed to be celebrated.

And I did it eight times.

There is no better way to see NYC than biking 12 MPH on car free roads, streets and highways of the five boroughs of NYC.  The riders begin in staggered groups to avoid all the congestion of the past caused by 32,000 riders.

Because team “amidnightrider.com” is a regular at the event, we get an early start time.   That’s important because is allows us to avoid the family and novice riders who tend to walk over bridges and up hills.  By joining “amidnightrider.com” you can finish the ride around noon-ish if you so desire.  There is no obligation to ride with the team, it’s just a way to get a good start time.  Last year there were twelve of us and I only met and rode with one other team member.

Registration opens on January 10th and it fills up fast.  When the time comes, just register and when prompted, join “amidnightrider.com” team.  It will be the best $95 dollars you have spent on a bike ride.  Trust me. It’s a very cool ride.

Shaws Farm Hike with the dogs from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

After reading a post at bikejournal, where I’m participating in a weight loss/ bike challenge, about the quirks of digital scales, I decide to buy an analog one. On the digital, my weight would fluctuate a couple of pounds when I did multiple consecutive tries. Sometimes it would take 8 or 10 timeouts of the thing to even show my weight. I put the analog scale on the floor next to the digital, stepped on the digital then the analog. The analog showed a 6 pound difference. Not a good six pounds. I decided to suck up the quirks of the digital scale and hid the analog in a dresser.

I took some video of parts of my commute and also took a couple of side tracks on the way home. There was a stand off between a hawk and a crow, an abandoned green house, and an ending shot looking across the salt marsh toward the wind turbines. I’m really enjoying this challenge and the rides even though my goal weight is at least a decade away at this rate.

2016 Bike Journal Challenge Day 15 from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

Had a little fun at the Salvation Army Headquarters this morning. I gave up telling people not to look at the camera. They just can’t help themselves.

Salvation Army Mannequin Challenge from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

2016 Bike Journal Weight Challenge Day 3 from John Sullivan on Vimeo.