Whew, what a weekend!

We had a very busy, but very fun weekend! Friday, Jason and I took off work early and went to my very first NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) race. Bandimere Speedway, on the west side of the Denver area, hosts the Mopar Mile-High Nationals each summer. I really was apprehensive about attending, but I actually enjoyed myself (once the sun went down--before that, it was HOT, and the sun was beating directly on us). It was a fun night!

The legendary funny car driver, John Force (don't worry, I hadn't heard of him before this weekend either)

But Saturday and today were my favorite part of the weekend! Jason and I headed to Glenwood Springs, about 3 hours east of Denver, for a bike ride. There is a beautiful canyon through that area of Colorado known as Glenwood Canyon (carved out by the Colorado River, the same river that flows through the Grand Canyon), and all through the canyon is a great paved bike path. We camped Saturday night and got up early this morning and did the ride. The whole thing was about 27 miles and took about 2 1/2 hours (with a flat tire and several picture stops). It was incredible!

Our campsite (it was REALLY hot!)

Views in the canyon. One of my most favorite things in the world is the sound of rushing water, so it was so wonderful to ride along while the river rushed by (once I overcame the fear of falling into the water!)

My flat tire hero!

This is also a popular place to raft in Colorado. We actually rafted through here a few years ago with our church group.

All in all, it was a very great weekend. It was rewarding to ride that trail, as it is the furthest I have gone thus far. At the end of the summer, we are riding a 31-mile ride for the American Diabetes Association, and I hope to improve my time and endurance. But my next goal is to ride the path from Copper Mountain to Vail. We'll see--it requires a climb over Vail pass, which is 10,000 feet elevation!