13 Dogs

That's right, there will be 13 dogs here today.  Our hosts, Terry and Lisa, have 3; the other couples each have 2.  Don't know the sizes or breeds of the 2 that will arrive today but so far Ranger is the largest, the rest about Artie's size.  Where is here?  Terry and Lisa's home in Buena Vista, CO.  T and L are LHC friends who visited us in Santa Fe and accompanied us to Puerto Penasco, Mexico.

The Sleeping Indian.

This picture and those below were taken from Terry and Lisa's yard.

With the exception of Trish and I, the dog owners are all family members, here to attend Gold Rush Days and to offer moral and watering hole support to TJ.  Oh yes, also to eat, drink, hang out, have some laughs and just plain enjoy each other's company.  TJ is married to Sarah, T and L's daughter (1 of 3); TJ will participate in the Leadville Trail 100 MTB mountain bike race today.

It's a grueling 100 mile race at elevations of 9,200' to 12,424'.  The race is limited to a mere 3,000 cyclists and they come from all over the world.  Last year's winning time was 6:16; TJ expects to finish around 8:30, a very respectable time for a non-professional.  Lance Armstrong won it in 2009, placed 2nd in 2008.  I suspect Lance won't be there today, given his doping disgrace.

One of these 3 peaks is Mt Antero, 14,269' elevation.

Much of the footage of the reality TV series, The Prospectors, is filmed there.

Many semi-precious gemstones have been found on the mountain.

Most people think MTB is an acronym for mountain trail bike.  Most people are wrong.  The T actually stands for Taint, a part of human anatomy.  Some readers will recognize the term as being a small stretch of territory in the nether region, know medically as the perineum.  Said territory often becomes sore and swollen in mountain bikers due to the rough terrain.  Since this blog is unofficially rated PG13, I'll not go any further with this: if you haven't figured it out, look it up.

The home is set in a broad, flat valley, surrounded by mountains; gorgeous views!

Folks gather on the porch at cocktail hour.

So, I was thinking about those MTB racers - thinking those guys and gals are masochistic nut cases. But then, I think back to my mountain climbing days, climbing mountains exceeding 14,000', with a heavy backpack of gear and emergency supplies, sometimes in temperatures well below freezing.  Okay, I get it.  It's the challenge, the sense of accomplishment, and yes, gotta admit it: the bragging rights.