Golf & Other Stuff - (Woodland Park, CO)

Well I've been bombarded with Happy Birthday wishes via cards, emails, the Chat Room, and the Forum.  :)

Like I said before, so much for keeping a low profile.  :)

Thanks everyone!  I really do appreciate all the kind words, thoughts, and wishes.

As for my day, Linda was guilted into making me breakfast.  Thanks Chat Room folks.  :)

Then, I decided to go play golf at Shining Mountain Golf Club just down the road from the campground.  The course had been closed for three years and just re-opened under new management this past May.

So the greens were not in great shape, but the course has character.  And my game had character, too.  I got to practice writing lots of numbers.  :)

I joined a gentleman who played the front nine with me.  His name is Clarke and he happens to be the President/CEO of the Colorado Rural Development Council and the former mayor of Woodland Park.  What a nice guy!

I really enjoyed his company.  Unfortunately, his guidance didn't help me hit my irons or chip shots.  And I was hitting the ball too far in the thin air - that cost me several strokes.  :)

After Clarke left, I played the back nine by myself.  I did manage a birdie, but I had more fun watching the animals.  Like this ground squirrel.

I'm sure the course management isn't too happy with these guys, but I enjoyed them.  :)

Later, I saw these adorable babies.

And this lovely Canada Goose gave me a good look.

Finishing up my round, the 17th hole is the signature hole with a good view of Pike's Peak.  Too bad the mountain was obscured by clouds today.

It was nice to be out on the course.  Maybe I'll get another round in before we leave the area.

Back home, Linda's bike was gone.  So I decided to unpack our new Gorilla 17' Ladder and see how it would work.  Warning:  boring ladder pictures coming.  :)

This is a good sturdy, multi-purpose ladder.  However, here are my cautions.

It seems heavier than the 35 pounds advertised.  The rungs are not very wide, so they will make your feet hurt if you stand on them too long.  And when fully extended, it's top heavy and you have to be really careful with it.  Didn't think about that when I got the 17-foot model.  :)  But I do like that it goes well beyond the roof line - I feel more comfortable getting up and down from the roof.

Linda had been hanging out in the campground office.  When she returned, I grilled some chops and she cooked some sides.

Then we worked on the bike rack again.  Warning:  boring bike rack pictures coming.  :)

And it folds up.

In order to avoid getting a hitch extender, we had to take the inside pedal off of my bike.  No big deal.

Linda drove around the campground to test her vision out the back and to see how much bounce there was.  She'll worry about them back there no matter what.  :)

Then we tried the bike bag.  That didn't work - too small and not really made for this type of bike rack.  Oh well.  We'll check into other solutions.

After all that, we took a walk.  We stopped at the office and all the workampers were there.  I got an impromptu rendition of "Happy Birthday".  :)

Before we left, we signed up for the pancake breakfast in the morning at 8:00.  It'll be after weigh-in though.  :)

I turned down cake offers for today because of tomorrow's weigh-in.  But tomorrow, I'll have a whole week to work it off.  :)

It was a good birthday.  Looking forward to many, many, many more out here on the road.  :)

Comments

[Ahoweth]

I wish you a late Happy Birthday!

Nice Bike rack. I would like some more information on it. We've been looking for one and that one seems to be a dandy!

[Dave Gardner]

Hello Howard, A couple ladder safety tips for you. When moving a fully extended extension, check for overhead wires. Most over head wires are only required to be 12' high except over roadways. 2. When moving an extension ladder, stand under it, raise one arm up and grab the highest rung you can reach, With the other hand grab a rung about waist level or lower. The raised stiff (straight) arm will carry the weight and the lower are is used to balance the ladder.

Hope this helps.

Dave