Golden Trees and Black Bears

 I did not want to go back to work today. The long weekend was a perfect little vacation. Before leaving Colorado Springs yesterday, Laura and I got in a nice 2 mile hike with sweeping views of town and the Rockies. The most exciting part of the hike happened on the way home: a little black head popped out of the brush on our right. The head was followed by the body of a young black bear, who then proceeded to run across our path to join up with his brother and mom. We watched them for awhile, munching away on leaves. They could not have cared less that we were only a few yards from them. All they were concerned about was stocking up on munchies for the winter.

The drive home last night was excellent. I hit Independence Pass just as the sun was going down, so I got a beautiful twilight drive through the Aspens and rocks. There had to be at least 50 professional photographers lined up along the road trying to catch the perfect light through the trees. The golden leaves really lit up with the sun at such a steep angle. I'm hoping to make it back up there a few more times before the pass closes at the end of October.

When I rolled into the driveway, it was pitch black, but my dogs welcomed me with open barks. They were even more excited when we went running this morning. Each morning, we get faster and faster harnessing. I even harnessed Zion all on my own today! It was a very great personal accomplishment. They ran beautifully today. Everyone was matched well, so the strides just hit right. We ran 8 miles in the quickest time yet. From here on out, we'll just keep going further and faster.