GO Fest 2026

We enjoyed a fun but flaming hot 100° Saturday in downtown Littleton, participating in Pokemon GO Fest Global 2026 with my sister and niece, and the other 775+ players keeping downtown hopping. We had a bunch of fun battling and catching "Mega Mewtwo X", even though we weren't properly outfitted to handle the heat. We took refuge for a little while, in the nice cool local ice cream shop Inside Scoop. The organizers (Niantic calls them our Community Ambassadors) had thoughtfully arranged for people to bring a few coolers full of ice and bottled water. We called it quits a little early, with no regrets. 

The crowd was still out there when we were returning home with our Los Portales Mexican takeout dinner to share with our visitors. And I think most everyone will be out there again on Sunday. 

Update: Sunday was yet another flaming hot 97° day. We were out there, along with 900+ other friendly but sorta crazy people who were willing to get out in this heat to do battle with the ferocious “Mega Mewtwo Y” critter. And chat of course. We were slightly better prepared this time—Jennefer bought us some evaporative cooling neck wraps a few years ago, and they were very helpful today. Then our friend went home for lunch, and brought us back some soda bottles refilled with tap water and frozen. Pressing those against the neck and other hotspots was immensely helpful in cooling us down even more.

Cold Snowy Morning

Quiet and frigid 15ºF Monday morning, with most of the snow from yesterday still hanging around. That’s making my morning view pretty awesome, while I sit at the breakfast table. My trusty old stick-on outdoor thermometer is still doing its job, and the snow in the background adds a little interest to this photo.

 

Snowy birdfeeder in the foreground, donkeys and a horse out in the field below. 

 

 

 

 

I’m enjoying one of the sourdough jalapeño & cheddar fresh-baked “English Muffs” we picked up yesterday in downtown Littleton. I decided to brew a half pot of coffee this morning, instead of going through my usual latte-making production. Works either way, I guess… I just need that hot cup of "something" to enjoy on a chilly looking morning. 

    

Thursday Bike Ride

Cool and windy Thursday afternoon... and I got my first bike ride of 2026 accomplished, woo hoo! I was thinking a short ride to get things started, but once I was on the trail, it felt too good to abbreviate it. I was glad to be wearing my cool weather cycling gear! 

 

 

There wasn't much activity out there today, with the wind gusting over 30mph, but I did see a herd of deer, who decided it was time to cross the trail just as I was approaching.

 

 

Deer checking me out, while deciding whether or not to follow everyone else across the bike path.

Lazing Not Freezing

And *this* is how to spend a subfreezing 9°F Friday morning, with light snow drifting down!

Snowy Saturday

Chilly 27°F Saturday, and heading down to 9° tonight. It’s been snowing lightly for most of the day. The kitties enjoyed the view from the breakfast nook door out to the deck, which was busy with squirrels and birds. 

I enjoyed today’s snow from the comfort of the DC-3 cockpit while flying in Alaska, on my way from Cold Bay to Dutch Harbor. The overcast and visibility in Dutch Harbor were both too low to safely complete the instrument approach. I gave it a couple of tries, then resolved to head somewhere else, when suddenly the simulator retrieved a weather update…

Suddenly the sky cleared, which made the approach and landing a piece of cake. Good flying karma today… Then I went out and shoveled some of the light fluffy stuff off of the driveway…

New Years Eve day walk

Cold 34° and windy Tuesday afternoon walk at South Platte Reservoir. I had numb hands and cheeks after just a minute or two. Happy New Year’s Eve day!

We think we saw a Common Goldeneye on the reservoir. Fun! 

Beginning of decorating

We started decorating the house for the Christmas holiday today. The kitties have been paying close attention to all the changes. Here’s Rufus exploring the tree skirt. 

Bean checking out the nutcrackers

Rufus getting in the way in the kitchen

Rufus in an ornament box

Christmas tree with lights in the breakfast nook

Christmas tree closeup - needles and lights

Christmas tree in the front yard with lights and snow

Saturday bike ride

 

With cold weather and snow in the forecast, this might be my last bike ride of the winter season. I am hoping to sneak out whenever it gets sunny enough to dry out the trails. We’ll see…

Sunday ride

I got buzzed by a C-130 Hercules at the beginning of my warm 87° Sunday bike ride, then they kept coming around in circles, so I finally stopped to take some photos. 

I caught a few pics of sailboats and storm clouds, as I was making my way around the lake. 

More sailboats on Chatfield lake. I heard a series of warning horn blasts about this time, I’m guessing they were warning the boaters about some approaching storm cells.

At my midpoint hydration stop, I encountered a young man with a disabled bicycle and a bike trailer with two pug dogs in it, that were looking and sounding very thirsty. He’d already used up all of the water he was carrying, and was hoping to find a water fountain, with no luck so far, so I volunteered my water bottle to fill up their dog bowl. They were very happy. 

There were some dark looking storm clouds moving around the area, and on my final mile, I realized that one of those cells was racing me to my house, so I went into sprint mode, and I made it home about a minute before the rain hit.

After I got home, I used FlightAware to show me the track of that C-130. Presumably they were loitering over Littleton, until their moment to do a flyby of the Broncos game.

Flash Bang Smoke!

An intense storm cell just moved through here, leaving some shock and awe in its wake. I was gazing out my window, looking away from my Flight Simulator DC-3 flight, and watching my next door neighbor’s construction materials blowing around, when my window suddenly got so bright I couldn’t see, and at the same time I was surprised by the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard. The first thing I did, is check on Jennefer and the kitties, who were fine, but the cats were on the floor looking up at me with a questioning tilt to their heads. I tried to assure them that all was OK, when my phone rang, and my neighbor across the street told me they thought my house was on fire, as they could see and smell smoke. I hurried outside while calling 911, and walked around my house, smelling a strong smoke smell, but didn’t see anything on fire, or even any concentrated smoke, although there was definitely a light smoke haze drifting around. The Emergency operator transferred me to the Fire department, who said that someone in the next neighborhood over had reported a fire, and they were responding. They asked me if I saw smoke or flames, and I had to say no. They said call back if you do, otherwise you’re probably smelling the neighbor’s house on fire. It’s been quite a while now, and still no sign of smoke or flames here, so I guess we’re good! It appears they got the neighbor’s house put out right away, as I’m not smelling smoke any more. Wow. So much for a quiet afternoon! 🤷‍♂️

Technology

I've promised myself that I'd continue to try to embrace “new technology” (whatever that means), as I get older, partly to avoid getting left behind, and partly to enjoy the benefits of new and more efficient capabilities. I was tickled to use Apple Pay for the first time a few years ago, when my niece and I walked down to the South Platte River, ended up unexpectedly at Panera Bread without my wallet, and decided to get lunch. Then, a few years later, I got a pretty capable watch, then found myself without my wallet again, this time after pedaling to the bike shop, and was able to use Garmin Pay for some supplies with my watch! I was so proud of myself. It feels nice, to be working toward freeing myself from having to carry that filthy germ-ridden cash, or having to visit the bank regularly to get it, or having to deal with making and receiving change, or the risk of losing it all to a lost wallet or a mugging. I totally understand that everybody’s different, and it’s rare to find two approaches to life that are exactly the same… 

And then, just to show how far I have NOT come, we just had breakfast with someone who no longer carries her purse or even a wallet. She has everything on her phone, including her ID (Driver's license), proof of insurance, credit cards, and whatever else she needs, within reason. She said it feels so freeing, after years of lugging so much extra stuff around for her young ones. Wow.

 

As we arrived home, we noticed the nearby Quarry fire is still generating significant smoke this morning.

Gym

It's been quite warm here, in the mid to high 90s. With all the heat and smoke, I haven’t been riding, so we finally got around to re-signing-up for the gym company we used to attend, although they closed four of their facilities nearest to us during the pandemic, so this one is a few miles farther away. We took it relatively easy, but I know I’m going to be sore over the next few days.

Wednesday ride

I carefully timed my Wednesday bike ride to dodge another big thunderstorm, and happily it worked out just as planned. Still, I kept my eye on that big storm cell, as it passed by, just grazing a part of my route. 

I was delighted to see a Red-Tailed Hawk alight on the fence beside me as I was riding.

I managed to catch a few closeup hawk photos with the better zoom on my new phone. i liked this one of the wings spread while taking off, even though the hawk, y’know, was mostly out of the picture  

I also caught a fun shot of a Pelican with some Cormorants, as I was heading past the south end of Chatfield lake.

GO Fest 2024

We had fun participating in the Pokemon GO Fest 2024 global event with my sister and niece, and remotely with Jennefer’s relatives, and some other friends we’ve met around town over the years. Oh, and there was local participation by somewhere around 200 other fellow Pokémon players in Littleton. All in the middle of a 100° heat wave. What a weekend. I’m ready to spend the rest of the week recovering…

Wednesday Ride

I enjoyed my warm-ish 92° Wednesday bike ride, even though I was a little sad to be missing out on river tubing with a friend. My bike computer says the ambient temperature peaked at 111° about 35 minutes into my ride. I took my time getting around my current favorite loop, to avoid overloading my system, and tried munching on some sugary snacks I picked up at REI. I think they helped me not be so wiped out when I got done. I love this new phone with a much better camera, and a great zoom! I snapped a couple of photos of wildlife along my route -

 

 

 

A Great Blue Heron wading in Chatfield lake. He was so far away, that I was pleasantly surprised to get this nice picture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Deer was peeking over the foliage at me, as I came around the corner on the trail. Also pretty far away, and I was so happy, getting a photo where they filled the frame.

 

 

 

 

Cooler Tuesday ride

Pleasant, much cooler Tuesday bike ride.

When I first got moving, the chill in the air surprised me, and I was actually considering going back for a jacket... but after a few miles, I forgot about it...

...then later, I noticed I was passing through warm pockets of air, which felt good. I guess not that strange for a June day.

Thursday ride

Fun Thursday afternoon bike ride around Chatfield Lake.

The South Platte River has been quite full lately, as they carefully meter the outflow from the lake.

The prairie dogs were ready and waiting to greet me, on my usual hydration stop.

I scooted around my favorite course, with just a little threatening weather to remind me to keep moving.

I spotted a Great Blue Heron, and managed to catch a pic of it, lined up with the pod of Pelicans in the lake.

There a freight train on the tracks I had to cross, but this one was paused just a short distance away from where I portage over the tracks, so of course I *had* to snap a pic of the engine facing me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Near the end of my ride, I ran up against yet another Highline Canal Trail closure… hooray for our trail maintainers! I didn't see any signs suggesting a detour path, so I just headed down the Lee Gulch Trail, which took me straight to my neighborhood, so…not too bad.