Stuffing Turkey Week

Sugar and spice and everything nice, that's Thanksgiving in a nutshell. Actually, that's my Thanksgiving dinner pumpkin pie in a pie sell. Although, the only sugar I used in my pie was maple syrup. Surprised? That's silly, I love maple syrup and so should you. (It provides a more unctuous, subtle, flavorful twist on the energy bomb of traditional pure white sugar. Hint number two: double up on cinnamon and use a decent amount of ground clove. Spicy pies are delicious. Oh I added High West whiskey too for an additional flavor profile. Boom, pow, those holiday tips are gratis. You'll thank me as soon as you try it.)The theme of Thanksgiving during last week's visit to Colorado was family, friends, and mountain bikes, which you'll see in spades in this post. I have an aunt and uncle, cousins, little kiddos belonging to my cousins all living in Boulder, plus extended family with terms like "once removed" or "second cousin" whom I don't see often, but still enjoy seeing over turkey and spiced libations. In photo essay format, the week went something like so.Tuesday:All-day travel days are enhanced where upon landing at one's destination, you nestle around the cozy living room hearth and/or kitchen table, and do a podcast. I'm proud that UnTapped is one of The Feed's best selling products, plus I have their full endorsement as I pursue another professional career, so it made perfect sense to hang with those friendly folks on Thanksgiving eve eve. This podcast benefitted greatly from a little contest we ran on the UnTapped social media channels, where we boosted the tasty benefits of holiday #maplecocktail options. Here's an action shot of how the fun went down.Wednesday:I met up with my dear friend and former teammate Timmy Duggan and we went mountain biking. I'm happy to report the Timmy is crushing the real estate scene in Colorado, to the surprise of no-one and the delight of many. It was far from the most technical route, but it was a superb time with beautiful front range vistas. Plus the beautiful Laura was as happy as ever being back in the 8030_ and that makes me happy. Hard not to be when the gettin' is this good.Thursday:Thanksgiving fell on a Thursday this year and we received this stunning #maplecocktail post from my friend Jeff. Fine work, man.Also fine work was riding up Chapman, up over Flagstaff, and descending into the frigid Walker Ranch. Oh what fun it is to ride in a two wheeled open(?)... bike!The scenic backdrops when riding through the Rockies are generally pretty exceptional, but this particular foreground is a real stunner!Okay, yes and this backdrop is arguably second to none. Even better in person. (Look super duper closely and you'll see a cyclist.)Artistic bike lean:I'm not saying that this is my dessert plate, but I'm also not saying that it isn't. My aforementioned pumpkin pie has been consumed already. This is the second helping.Friday:With the tradition of the Black Friday ride dawning on the east coast, I brought that fun outing to a small group of well fed adventurers here in the Centennial State. It's hard not to have an absurdly good time when the sun is shining, the temps are merely brisk, and you get nearly 10 of your friends, old and new, all on mountain bikes together... and not stuck at the mall. #opttogomountainbiking was a sterling success, minus my wicked cockeyed photo.Saturday:I'm quite the hiker. However, I was taught from the old school so I brought my finest hiking slacks (jeans) and burly boots (New Balance running shoes) to Colorado and we soldiered deep into the Rocky Mountain wilderness.My cousin-in-law is a badass hiker (true story) and he's exploring how to climb that shadowy vertical face directly in front of that picture above. We didn't bring any carabiners so we settled for an aggressive walk in the woods mixed with selfies rather than go toe to toe with Phil.Sunday:Sunday nearly need not have words, because it was so spectacular on this high altitude late afternoon ride...It was also so danged frigid, ergo that snow well beyond dusk, we lit a mega bonfire that evening to stay warm amid Nederland's chilly late night.Monday:Ahh, Monday. Especially after a holiday, Monday is faithfully "back to the grind" for all of us. That's no different for me as I was reporting for duty at Whole Foods where UnTapped has just been launched. (Standing ovation, inserted here.) If you're in the Rocky Mountain region, which is any of these friendly states, I implore you to visit Whole Foods, buy a salad or roasted tofu sandwich or organic turkey, and please please please be sure to buy some UnTapped. (Also take note in the photo my fine hiking slacks and NB sneaks. So much utility!) It was a fun afternoon, tons of great reviews from newbies and loyal UnTapped users alike and a very productive outing. I'm thankful for a lot of things. Family and friends, opportunities to travel and ride in amazing places, I'm grateful for a roof over my head, copious food, a fondness of maple syrup. I sincerely love all of those things. I also love my Velocio kit. Oftentimes this week was spent well below 20F, which is the opposite of warm. The new Recon jacket is my favorite piece of cycling clothing, dare I say it, ever. It was a frigid week, but I was never frigid.And to all a good night.